05/27/2026
May is 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵.
As an Army brat, I never know how to answer the question, "Where are you from?"
When you move every three years, you're not really from anywhere, but you have a culture and traditions that you want to take with you everywhere.
Both my parents hail from Guam, which is a small island in the Pacific Ocean that became a US territory after World War II. My dad joined the Army in 1975, giving my siblings and I had the privilege of experiencing many cultures and places.
May was always an exciting month for us because there was always a big celebration at whichever base we were stationed. We got to share our culture with others, as well as learn about other Asian and Pacific Islander traditions. No matter where we were, the celebrations made us feel like home.
A bit of my (early) life in a snapshot:
Top Left: At a performance with my dance group. This particular dance was from Tahiti and was extremely fast. It was also the set-up for audience participation, one of my favorite parts of any show. I'm the one in the pink and blue skirt.
Bottom Left: Probably taken after a test. My brother, dad, and I joined Tae Kwon Do together. There's something cathartic about having permission to kick and punch your brother and dad. With complete control, of course. 😉 The guy in the middle was our instructor. I went on to earn my black belt in both Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do (both Korean martial arts).
Right: Much like Hawaii, a tradition is to shower the graduate with leis. Some are made of flowers, some of candy, some of money. Usually the graduate is almost enshrouded underneath the abundance of leis s/he receives. When you graduate in Korea, there is very little family, but I was so grateful for the ones that were able to attend.