My name is Alistair Rose. I’m half Australian, half Filipino.
I was born in Australia and have gone back and forth between living here and in America.
The first time I went to the Philippines for a vacation with my cousins, I got a lot of weird looks and honestly did not feel like I fit in.
Throughout my life I’ve been stuck wondering what side I’m closer to. I got bullied in school for being part Asian, especially during my younger years, and it made me hate my appearance and dream of just being “normal.” I remember crying and crying because it wasn’t my fault — I was born like this.As I’ve grown older I’ve met others with similar issues and it’s made me stronger and more proud of my Asian heritage. I was always a shy individual (being in an all boys school didn’t help) but with the help of friends I learned that talking to girls wasn’t as scary as I thought, and I started to open up to new people little by little. Nowadays I live my life as a young adult with determination — I won’t give up ’till my dream comes true because I met somebody special who takes away all my insecurities and replaces them with love.
Being Hapa has been a struggle for me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just remember this: don’t let anyone ridicule you for being yourself. Show them you’re an equal, and show them you’re strong.
With HapaVoice.com we can become stronger as a community and support one another, while also showing the world that we exist in all different shapes and sizes. <3
Hapa Voice 
man, I know what you mean. growing up was probably one of the most difficult transitions I had faced. The adversity can be overwhelming…Being hapa early on was probably like that for most of us though. But Im happy that you see it through for the better! Be proud of who you are and where you’re from :)
Hi Alistair,
I really feel for anyone that is bullied or eased because of who we are. I agree with what you say “don’t let anyone ridicule you for being yourself”. Amen.
Peace to you and to everyone reading.