Hello!

My parents named me Maile back in 88 and weve always pronounced it "My-lee". I learned today that that is from the colonizers and that its actually "My-lay".

My mothers family has been here for over 100 years, however I am mixed and grew up on the east coast. Dont even know if Hapa is politically correct anymore.

Im feeling very conflicted. I want to respect the culture, but having to change my pronounciation and correct others feels bizarre to me. Its a small difference in enunciation but if it didnt matter, I wouldnt get corrected.

Am i missing something? Im confused about my family, i dont think they mean any harm but i also find it difficult to believe that they didnt know.

Does the community have thoughts about this?

Thanks 🙏

Im currently studying accounting and finance at UH Mānoa, and I was wondering what salary I should aim for if I'm considering living here with my girlfriend. I know the Google search results can be a bit unrealistic at times so I wanted to ask residents directly.

Edit: the path and connections I'm planning to go through on would allow me to reach 100k alone by the time I'm 30. I've seen many posts saying even that's stretching it due to the high costs of living here, so I'm trying to get more accurate answers.

Edit: Thank you to everyone leaving such incredibly helpful advice in the replies. I know it's going to be rough trying to stay here, but now I feel more prepared and know what to expect.

I'm looking to have our chute repaired and it occurred to me that I'd like to get recommendations from other buildings. Is there a forum for exchange amongst building boards? Mahalos-