Guam is located in the Pacific Ocean. It's about 8 hours by plane from Hawai'i and 6 from Japan. The coordinates read exactly 13.4443° N, 144.7937° E . This little island in the Pacific is where I call home.
Moving stateside was very interesting when it came to explaining where I come from. People would often ask, "do you still live in huts?" or "How do you speak English so well?" It can get frustrating sometimes having to explain myself over and over again that "no, we do not live in huts. Our island is very well developed" and "English is the official language on Guam because we are a U.S. territory."
However, even though we speak English, we do have our own cultural language. The Chamorro language:
"Hafa Adai" means Hello. and "Hu guaiya hao" means I love you.
It is always so hard to come to terms that I left the one place where I find myself longing to go back to. I never meant to take it for granted at the time, but I definitely appreciate it now more than ever.
The thing about Guam is that it's just so different than being stateside, at least from my perspective. Living out here for three years, you learn so much about the differences from here and being back home. For example, NOBODY sells rice. Mcdonald's, Wendy's, not even KFC sells rice and I have to admit it's pretty disappointing.
The two things I miss the most about home are my family and my love for the ocean. I miss being just five minutes away from the water.
What I love most about coming from an island is the fact that everyone is family. When you're out here and you meet someone from Guam you go into this mode where it's like you're catching up with an old friend. Shortly after that, without thinking, you start introducing them as your cousin even though you may not even be remotely related. It's hard to explain, but it's just that. You're family .
For me, being away from home made me realize that I come from such a beautiful place rich in culture. My island definitely has its faults and so does others, but I wouldn't want to be from anywhere else. I am proud to call myself a Chamorro.
