Written By: Richelle Kim
Director | Aston American University
People have different experiences living in the USA. My family is 4th generation, Chinese immigrants from China and I have only lived in Hawaii. Many people call Hawaii a “melting pot.” There are so many cultures with so many different nationalities in Hawaii. Growing up, I considered myself lucky to have neighbors who were Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, Filipino, Korean, Tongan, Samoan, German, English, Spanish, Indian, African, and many who were of mixed race (locally, we call them Hapa). Hapa is a term for a person of mixed ethnic heritage.
With all these ethnicities in close proximity in Hawaii, we pick up words from other languages. As a result, many people speak Pidgin English in Hawaii. Pidgin English was pieced together by the mixture of over 100 ethnic languages to communicate and understand one another, in which English is the base language. Many immigrants I meet who do not know English very well feel very shy and embarrassed to speak with me, so I use Pidgin English to communicate with them. In 2015, CNN reported that Pidgin English is an official language cited from the U.S. Census Bureau.
When people immigrate to the USA, the first thing many people might do is join a club or organization that matches their ethnicity or interest. In Hawaii, populations of immigrants often live together, hang out together, help each other, and give each other business. Israelis surf together; Brazilians hike together; Mexicans eat together; Italians cook together; Koreans work together and hire other Koreans; Micronesians swim and raise their children together. It’s natural for cultures that are similar to find each other and form bonds together.
For example, since the population of Filipino immigrants in Hawaii is large, we have a Filipino Community Center. The FilCom Center holds festivals, banquets, and other events focusing on the Filipino culture. But it’s not just for Filipinos. It’s for Filipinos to also share their culture with everyone else. Don’t feel like you only have to stay in your ethnic group. For instance, it is very acceptable in Hawaii to visit the FilCom Center as a person from another ethnic group. Hawaii also has an Okinawan Festival, a Greek Festival, the Makahiki, Tahitian Fire Knife Competitions, Chinese New Year Celebrations, and Kwanzaa. You can find these types of ethnic festivals in most major cities throughout the USA.
My advice to people who are planning to immigrate to the USA and learn its language: Use every opportunity to speak English. You don’t have to be a native speaker or even speak without an accent, but the more English you know, the more it will help you when you arrive to America. It will help you get a better job with the possibly of a higher salary. It will help you meet other people, learn their cultures, and in turn, share yours. It will also help you live more comfortably with your neighbors and make you a more confident U.S. citizen.
