Navigating US Culture for Marshallese People

 Since our interview a month ago, I've thought a lot about my conversation with my half-brother about religion.  The next topic I wanted to ask Joel about was his experience with religion. Back in the mid-1800’s German-American protestant missionaries arrived in the Marshall Islands. Marshallese people took Christianity very seriously. Even today, almost all Marshallese people are devoted to Christianity. They attend church every Sunday and often during the week. In my atoll of Wotje, there are more churches than stores. I was curious about Joel’s experience here in the US, but having been raised by a Marshallese Christian family. Joel said, “Church gatherings are very similar, but sometimes they are not as serious as back home.” I asked what that meant and he said, “Back home, nobody works on Sundays and everything’s shut down, and here, sometimes I have to work. And I only go to church when I have time.” Joel stated that, “It’s shocking how Americans brought Christianity to ...

  Aerial view of Wotje Atoll The Marshall Islands are composed of more than 1,200 islands  and islets in two parallel chains of coral atolls —the  Ratak, or Sunrise, to the east and the  Ralik, or Sunset, to the west. The islands are located just north of the equator. The 2023 population is 41,000. (Kiste). Marshall Islands Flag Kiste, Robert C.. "Marshall Islands". Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Nov. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/place/Marshall-Islands. Accessed 19 November 2023.

One month ago, I embarked on my Writing 121 Ethnographic Project by calling my half-brother Joel who lives in Evansville, Indiana. On a warm Saturday afternoon, I messaged my brother Joel to see if would do an interview with me. He didn't reply. Then I called him and asked him if he is willing to be interviewed. He didn't like the idea of interviewing him, but I pressured him by saying "Do it for me". So he finally agreed. He kept asking, "Why do you want to interview me?" and "What do I  have to say?" You might be wondering the same thing... Why would I interview my relative for an ethnographic project? Here's why. I moved to the United States when I was a young adult. I still think and act Marshallese, but my brother came here when he was little. He's attended school in US public schools and has both Marshallese friends and American friends. I was really curious about his experience of growing up here and being bi-cultural. How does he ke...