One of the things that I learned as a military brat was that every place was diverse (different race, different culture, different mind sets). My parents told us to make the most of everything and to accept it.
Being of Filipino descent, we were the minority especially in the local community. Did it bother me? No. Did I dog the other ethnic groups? No. Did I dog the culture of the city/State? No.
Why-because my parents made sure we all explored the city and overall State as well as the surrounding States to appreciate where we were because not many were fortunate to travel.
Did we ever encounter prejudice? I can't say I have but I've witnessed it to others. As I reflect back, I personally believe that by how my parents raised us...we overlooked the bad and made the best of where we lived.
And by what I just shared-I hold this to other military families especially when they've relocated to Hawaii. It's a culture shock here because everything has flipped. Some may come with the preconceived notion from other's who lived here with bad experiences or some who loved it. Keep in mind, this doesn't only happen in Hawaii-this happens everywhere.
However, make the most of what you have, look beyond the bad experiences and take the time to see that in every place you go-you'll come across prejudice, racism and ignorance. Don't let others small-mind actions overflow your time where you are stationed. Because if you do, others (military and local) will sense it from you.
And by you understanding this fact....you must roll with it or else you will be exactly like those that are mean and ignorant.
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