Pieces

I have had the great fortune to live in Palau for many years as the manager of the Bank of Guam Palau Branch, and in my role at the bank have worked with the other Freely Associated States of Micronesia (FAS) – Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the Marshall Islands. 

Approaching this essay, I feel it’s necessary to begin with an admission: I don’t know. My not knowing, my hesitance to embrace agency, stems from fear of not being Chamoru enough. My imposter syndrome is bred by the colonization of our people over hundreds of years, compounded by generational trauma inflicted by every imperialist who stole our ancestral land, beat our language from our mouths, and worked tirelessly to convince our people that we are not worthy.