RACIST!

I belong to a minority.What I really mean is that I am Marshallese. I am a full blooded Pacific islander. I don't really belong to a minority. I belong to God, my creator. The topic of this blog entry does not have to do with racism directly. I have been discriminated against in the past because of my ethnic background but what I really want to convey to you as the reader is who I am as a Marshallese American. I hope that by reading about me and my ethnic background, you learn something about yourself. Be inspired by your native culture even if you have multiple native cultures.

Me & My Background
I grew up in a town that consisted of mostly Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics(Mexican, Peruvian, etc.). Most people do not know of my ethnic background; not me and my ethinicty personally but of my people group, my heritage of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean close to Australia, above the equator. 

There are 33 islands, Majuro is the capitol . . .

Marshallese people are the best . . .

The Marshall Islands are part of Micronesia

Interesting Facts about the Islands:

Located 2,000 miles southwest of Hawaii

Population ~ 50,000, spread across 33 islands grouped into two parallel chains.

Sixty percent of the population lives in one of two urban centers.

There is little diversity in edible fruits and vegetables, and therefore a limited supply of local food.

Six supermarkets and wholesale stores supply over 95 percent of all imported food consumed in the country.

Approximately 80-90 percent of all food/kcals consumed in the urban areas is supplied by imported foods.

Approximately 25-50 percent of all food/kcals consumed in the outer islands is supplied by imported foods.

Rainbows are a common sight in Majuro. Local legend tells that the expression "iaKwe!" (You are a rainbow) once developed into the traditional Marshallese greeting, "Yokwe Yuk," which means "Love to You."

**The reason I highlighted the last bullet is because my name means rainbow. The "ia" in my name means rainbow which is God's symbol of a promise He made to Noah and everyone. His promise was that  He would never flood the earth again. I love explaining the meaning of my name to people. It brings me joy to spread God's word through a simple thing such as my name. My mom considers me her promise from God.**

Some Inspiration from a Marshallese Woman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm9xEB0MmKE&feature=player_embedded
^^The link above is a video that has really inspired me to research more about my native culture. The woman in the video talks about why she came to America. She came to get educated so that she may go back to the islands and help her people, my people.

Me & My Race
Many times I have claimed that I am American. I rarely claim to be Marshallese American. I think because most people have never heard of the Marshall Islands I just tell them I am a Pacific islander to make a long discussion on my ethnicity short. I orginally thought this blog entry was just going to be informative for you the ready but it has become much more than that. I have learned about my people things that I may have known but did not realize. That may not make any sense to you, but I grew up with the knowledge of the poor health among many Marshallese people. It was not until recently that I realized why my mother raised me with this mindset to be healthy and choose healthy foods. I seriously thought my mom was mean for making me eat veggies as a child but if it wasn't for her exposing me to such nutritional foods, I probably would not like spinach pizza or squash caserole.

Me & My Birth Parents
For those who may not know, I was adopted by a single woman before I was born. I have had a desire to meet my birth parents for a long time but now my desire has grown to more than that. I no longer want to just know who my birth parents are . . . I want to know who my native people are. I have always wondered what it would have been like if my birth mother Jane had never given me to my mother Bridget. I would not have an Irish last name and an odd Marshallese mixed with English first name. I do not know what my first name would have been because I was adopted before I was born. My mother (Bridget) had the honor of naming me. All I know about my birth mother is her name and her smile. I have pictures of her that I often look at. Jane Reuban  was her name. She probably has a different last name now. I believe I have her wavy, thick, black hair . . . her smile that just makes a person want to smile back, and body structure. Of course I have made these comparisons with pictures of her so I could be totally wrong. haha. One day, I may not be able to meet her, but I plan on meeting others like her, others like me. Tan skin, round nose, funky personality, and a love of food. That is my stereo-type for my people. lol.

I know that not many people will read this but for you who has read it, I thank you and only hope that you learned something from reading my words. I also hope this entry was not a bore to you. haha. I can be a little bit of a babble, but that is the beauty of blogs. They were invented for talkative people like me. Of course talkative as in communicative in the form of writing words and not just speaking them. Wow, I hope that makes sense. Well God Bless You!


**Please pray for my friend Jandi Potts who is going through some health issues. She has a huge heart for missions and despite catching a parasite on a missions trip to Kenya over the summer she still has her heart set on full-time missions overseas.**