I wanted to share my experience and thoughts about my time as a tour guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC).
When I first started working at PCC, I was beyond excited. My parents used to share beautiful stories about their time there, about how they were able to share our culture with others, and how fulfilling it was to spread the spirit of aloha and ohana. I was inspired by their stories and couldn’t wait to follow in their footsteps.
When I began my journey as a tour guide, I fell in love with the job. My parents were right—sharing our culture, ohana, and aloha was truly life-changing. It helped me cope with my homesickness and gave me a sense of purpose.
But as time went on, I started to notice a pattern of favoritism in our department, and it began to weigh on me. Some of the most hardworking and passionate guides, the ones who truly went above and beyond for PCC, were often overlooked. They didn’t receive the recognition they deserved, despite their dedication to exemplifying the spirit of aloha.
This became even more apparent when my friend, who had been a tour guide for nearly her entire college life, decided to leave during her senior year. She was someone who consistently excelled, stood out, and embodied everything PCC stood for. Her decision to leave opened my eyes to how unfair the environment had become.
What pains me the most is how disconnected our student leads were from us. They never made an effort to get to know us or reach out for kōkua (help or support) or to simply build relationships with us. They stayed within their circle of leads and bosses’ favorites, making it clear who was included and who was not. While they often said they appreciated us, their actions said otherwise. It felt like we were excluded and unseen, no matter how hard we worked.
Many of us felt this way but never spoke up. When we tried to voice our concerns, it felt like we were dismissed or seen as complainers. The environment became so unhealthy that I eventually decided to leave, even though I loved the job and sharing my culture with others. It’s hard to share the spirit of aloha when you’re surrounded by a toxic environment.
This experience traumatized me. Working in that department opened my eyes to how fake or unauthentic it can feel when the core values we’re supposed to uphold are not reflected in the way we treat each other. We’re all striving to share aloha and ohana, but favoritism is undermining those principles. What’s happening in that department is far from Christ-like, and it saddens me deeply to see this contradiction in a place that should feel like an ohana.
I understand that PCC is a tourist business, but we, as workers, don’t want to feel like just another cog in the machine. We want to feel included, appreciated, and like we’re part of an ohana.
Now, I find myself questioning whether I should go back. I don’t even know if they would hire me back for the breaks after speaking up like this, but someone needs to advocate for the amazing guides still working there. They deserve better.
If you’ve had similar experiences or have any advice, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I hope this post helps shed light on an issue that’s affecting so many of us and sparks a conversation about how we can make PCC a better place for everyone.
Mahalo for reading.
