My name is Joseph Quisol and I’m glad I stumbled across this website. I’ve always felt isolated for being half Puerto Rican and half Filipino, but now I know I’m not the only “Filirican” out there.
My dad is from the Bay Area and my mom lived in NYC and Detroit, but for whatever reason, they both decided to go to college in Kansas where they met. We finally settled down in Charlotte, NC where I’ve lived for the past 7 years.
I love it here, but living in North Carolina has definitely kept me from connecting with both my dual heritage and other people who have the same Filipino-Puerto Rican background. Despite this, I still get to enjoy the delicious foods from both cultures, sí hablo español, and I get to feel exotic when people end up playing the “guess-my-race” game when they meet me.
Still, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m neither Boricua nor Pinoy, I’m just me and I’m happy being a little different.
Hapa Voice 
Haha. I’m mostly Filipino and was raised in Hawai’i. I was amazed when I moved to the mainland how much Puerto Ricans (esp. from the East Coast) got love for Filipinos. I was surprised how many PR’s would know a lot of stuff about Filipino culture and would say they grew up with a least one Filipino friend.
ok ok… Filipino lechon or Puerto Rican lechon? =)
wow! You an awesome mix :D Thanks for sharing your story :)