Manaye Masuisui

Manaye Masuisui is a 20 year old girl who currently lives in Harare, Zimbabwe.

When I first met Manaye we were about 13 years old and she lived in the house across

the street from me. Her mom grew up in California and her dad grew up in Samoa. This

makes Manaye half Polynesian. When I asked her if I could interview her for this cultural

essay she was a little bit nervous because she didn’t grow up in Samoa and currently

lives in another country. I thought this was a perfect reason to interview her to see the

ways her life has been different from her parents, and how it’s changed since moving to

Zimbabwe.

Manaye grew up in a household with two older brothers and one younger brother.

She mentioned that being the only girl was a little bit more difficult for her because in the

Polynesian culture, the girls are much more worried for than the boys. Because of this

she often had earlier curfew times than her brothers and had to stay in the house more

often than her brothers were allowed. In her household respect to her parents was a

critical and important role in her life. I asked her to further explain and she said, “ Well

for example, every time my brother would forget to do the dishes, like he was asked, we

would all get in trouble for it. I would have to cancel my plans so we could have a family

meeting about how important it is to obey our parents and do what we say we will do.”

After hearing her talk about this I decided to ask her how she feels her life was

different from the families in the neighborhood around her. She explained how it was

hard for her friends to understand why she would always cancel on them because her

mom changed her mind. “When I would go over to friends' houses I would see that the

parents would interact with the kids like they were friends not parents and it was weird
to me.” She mentioned how she felt confused because she couldn’t relate to the people

around her in the city of West Jordan Utah, but had no idea what life was like to live in

Samoa.

When Manaye was 16 years old her oldest brother moved to Samoa for a couple

years. He was the only child in her family to ever learn the language. Because of this,

Manaye feels that he is able to connect with her dad more than she will ever be able to.

Right now Manaye is currently living in Zimbabwe and I asked her this question, “Why

did you decide to move to Zimbabwe instead of Samoa?” She then told me she had no

choice over where she was going. That was where she was called. When Manaye’s

parents moved to Utah they joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In

this religion you go on a mission when you’re 18 or 19 years old to teach the people

about their church. Her brother was called to Samoa and she was called to Zimbabwe.

Manaye has been in Zimbabwe since May of 2022 and will return to the United

States in December of 2023. Her younger brother who just turned 18 is leaving on his

mission to Brazil next month. I asked her if it’s required to go on a mission in her religion

and this is what she said. “In my religion it’s more requested for a boy to go on a

mission and for a girl it’s more of her choice. However, in my family it’s been very

strongly known that our parents want us to serve a mission. But I’m not serving because

of my parents like my brother is, I’ve always wanted to go on a mission.”

I asked Manaye how her life changed when preparing to move to Zimbabwe and

how it’s changed since moving there. When Manaye was 18 she wanted to move out of

her parents house for a year before she left on a mission. However, her parents were

very strict about this and said she was too young and would not be safe living on her
own. They threatened to not help pay for her mission if she moved out of her house.

She stayed living with them for a year while being a legal adult. “It was hard when I had

friends staying out late and doing what they wanted while I had a curfew of 10:30 as an

18 year old adult. But I’m grateful for that experience because it helped keep me safe

and out of trouble. Now as a missionary I have to be in my bed by 9:00!”

Manaye said the main difference in the culture between Utah and Zimbabwe is

how unsafe she feels. She’ll be walking down the streets of Harare and can count on

one hand the number of guys cat calling her. “People will fake being the police and

make you give them money to set you free and you just have to comply to stay safe.”

Another hard trial she’s had to face while living there is seeing how many little kids don’t

have parents and live on the streets. One of her favorite things to do is talk to the kids

and comfort them and become their friend.

The kids who do have families make families the most important part of their life.

This is one way her culture from home is similar to theirs in Zimbabwe. In her household

growing up her mom always told her that her siblings were more important than any

friend because they were a built in best friend for life. In Zimbabwe many children don’t

have friends or play with friends, they are only allowed to be with their families.

Manaye hopes that by the end of her time in Zimbabwe she can learn more

about their culture and take things she enjoys from theirs over to her mixed culture of

her own. She says growing up she felt lost like she was trying to be American but also

polynesian and all she wanted was to go to Samoa like her older brother. However, she

is so grateful that she was called to Zimbabwe because it helped her decide who she

really is on the inside. I’ll end with one last thing she said, “While living in Zimbabwe I’ve
realized there isn’t a certain place I need to connect with or assign myself to. It’s who I

want to be with and who I want to be.”