Fanohge Chamorro Put I Tano’ta
Zeta Atoigue ‘23 posing at Gab Gab Beach located in Guam’s naval base Photo courtesy of Zeta Atoigue.
Miniature Statue of Liberty replica in Paseo Park in Agaña. This replica is near the beach. Photo by Zeta Atoigue
BY ZETA ATOIGUE ‘23, APIA major Staff Writer
I
remember the first week of being a college student: OAs waking us up at the break of dawn, long lectures, and ritualistic chants we screamed to lift up our school spirit. In the midst of all this chaos,
I questioned so much. Why did I choose this college? Why is there such a lack of diversity? And why the hell is it so damn hot here? But before I get into that mess, let me introduce myself.
My name is Zeta Atoigue, and in the summer of 2018, I went on a trip that changed my life. Throughout my life, I had always been ashamed that I wasn’t completely “American” and it didn’t help that as the political climate got more tense, the more society emphasized the issues that came with being a minority. So in my senior year of high school, I decided to conduct a 8-month research project about my Chamorro culture after I visited Guam for two months. Life on Guam is simple. The trivial nature of daily life in the mainland did not apply there. I realized this when I went kayaking at Surfside beach, a place near my village in Talofofo. A day after I arrived on the island, my uncle gathered my family to go kayaking, which I hadn’t done in years. I was reluctant at first,
20 Art & Hatsuye
and all that I remember from that experience was crying. As strange as it was, kayaking in the sea made me feel spiritually connected to the island, like time sat still and it was only me, the waves, and the kayak all moving in a singular motion across a large body of water. For once, the pressure and the anxiety that came from living in the States were lifted, and I got to appreciate the little things I usually ignored. However, as life altering as that moment was, the reality of the island life quickly set in. Time slowed down in Guam, but it didn’t conceal how the government consistently failed to provide basic utilities, opportunities for residents to move upwards financially, and the overwhelming dominance of the U.S military’s presence made independence
for the island harder to obtain. It seemed like there were only two options where Chamorros either involved themselves in the military or exploited our culture to appease the tourism industry. It looked like a losing battle and I didn’t have the answers, and witnessing this ultimately made me reflect on how I was going to create my own future. This is why I chose William & Mary, because I saw it as an opportunity for me to make most of the scarce privilege that I possessed and generate that into a future that would give me the chance to help those who felt helpless. My inspiration were the people in Guam who are unable to get out of the rut because the government decided to ignore them.
