Do you ever feel like you are living a double life?

World 1: The Roots

You walk through the front door of your house and the rules change instantly.

Maybe you immediately find your elders to "Mano po" or bow.

Maybe the house smells like adobo, corned beef and cabbage, shoyu chicken, or phở.

You might be switching languages—hearing Tagalog, Samoan, Tongan, Vietnamese, or Japanese mixed with English.

There are high expectations: honor the family, respect the hierarchy, and don't forget where you came from.

World 2: The Reach

You step out the door to go to school, work, or the beach.

Now you are speaking Pidgin or standard English.

You are navigating American trends, individualism, and the fast-paced "mainland" influence mixed with local island culture.

You are just "one of the guys" or "one of the girls," trying to fit in.

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For us, whether you are Filipino, Vietnamese, Samoan, Tongan, Japanese, and more, this balancing act is real. You might feel "too American" for your grandparents because you don't know all the customs, but "too traditional" for your friends because you have strict family obligations on the weekends.

It is the "Hyphenated Life." But here is the secret: You do not have to choose one side. You have a third identity that ties it all together.

The Cultural Chameleon

Living in Hawaii helps because we are the ultimate melting pot. But the internal struggle can still be exhausting.

Sometimes, it feels like we are wearing different masks:

The "Good Child" Mask: Quiet, obedient, serving guests, and knowing your place in the family hierarchy.

The "Local" Mask: Laid back, loud, opinionated, and relaxed.

You might wonder: Who am I really? Am I the dutiful grandson/daughter who sits quietly at family gatherings? Or am I the independent individual who wants to forge my own path?

The Bridge: Your Faith

This is where being Catholic changes everything. The word "Catholic" literally means "Universal."

When you walk into Mass, it doesn't matter if you are at a Filipino Simbang Gabi, a Tongan energetic choir service, a Vietnamese Mass, or a standard English liturgy. The Eucharist is exactly the same. Jesus is the same.

Your faith is the one place where you do not need a mask.

God created your heritage: The deep faith of the Filipino people, the courage of the Vietnamese Martyrs, the reverence of Japanese tradition, the communal strength of the Samoan and Tongan way, and the history of Western saints. That is in your DNA for a reason. It gives you roots.

God placed you in this Hawaii environment: The diversity, the "Aloha spirit," and the freedom to grow. That is your mission field. It gives you wings.

You are not "half" this and "half" that. You are 100% a child of God, designed to bridge these worlds.

Saintly Advice

Think about Jesus. He had to navigate different worlds too. He lived in a specific culture with specific traditions, obeyed His earthly parents, but ultimately served His Heavenly Father.

If you are feeling torn between your worlds today, try this:

Bring your "Culture" to your Faith

Your culture has gifts. The Samoan/Tongan respect for God's house, the Filipino devotion to Santo Niño, the Vietnamese love for the Eucharist—bring that intensity to your prayer life.

Bring your "Faith" to your Culture

Sometimes cultural expectations can be heavy or even conflict with the Gospel (like pressure to succeed over being kind). Let your Catholic faith be the filter that helps you keep the good traditions and let go of the harmful pressures.

Find your Center

When the pressure from family duty is too high, or the pressure to fit in at school is too loud, go to Adoration. In the silence, you don't have to be a specific nationality. You are just you.

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You are a Saint in Training. God loves the mix that you are. He is using all of you, your diverse roots and your local life, to bring His light to the world.