Learn Chuukese with Karson Ifa
Karson is a paramedic who has made videos teaching people useful Chuukese phrases.
When he was a kid in Ruo, one of the islands in Chuuk, Karson Ifa didn’t think that he’d grow up and make videos teaching people how to speak Chuukese.
“We grew up with little to no internet access. It wasn’t until we moved out of Micronesia that I started learning more of the internet and the endless possibilities,” Karson said.
Karson has made several videos teaching people Chuukese words and phrases. He has two YouTube channels, Karson Ifa and Chuukese Medic.
Initially, he put together a list of Chuukese words and phrases for his wife, who is from the Philippines and doesn’t speak Chuukese. He wanted to share his language with her and teach their first child.
“So it was really as a personal resource,” he said. But then Karson thought perhaps it could help others. So he uploaded a video with Chuukese words and phrases to his YouTube channel. This was four years ago.
“Sure enough, it had a good amount of views,” Karson said. The video has garnered over 7,000 views. The Karson Ifa channel is a collection of travel vlogs, Chuukese language lessons, ukelele covers and even a review of the 2022 Toyota Tacoma. He films and edits his videos himself and he uploads them, ultimately, because he wants to help people.
Karson helps people professionally. He’s a paramedic in Texas now — hence the moniker “Chuukese medic” — and one of the videos he made is a quick lesson on simple Chuukese phrases that can be used in the health care setting.
After uploading a couple of videos teaching people basic Chuukese words and phrases, he received messages from health care providers and others asking for specific words to help them communicate with Chuukese people in their lives. So Karson started another channel.
“I have another YouTube channel and Facebook that I go by Chuukese Medic. I started that specific to health care in Chuukese. I am a paramedic by profession, and I like to share the limited knowledge I have to my Chuukese folks, especially the youngsters to hopefully get some of them into the field of emergency medical services,” Karson said.
In the video, Karson enunciates the English phrase and its Chuukese equivalent and includes a large caption of the written phrase. This allows viewers to practice pronunciation, replay it and write it down to practice later.
With many Chuukese residents moving to different parts of the U.S., Karson’s videos are valuable tools for health care professionals or those in adjacent industries who are looking to bridge the language barrier that can prevent people from accessing treatment.
He is the only person filming and editing for both his YouTube channels and he’s running subsequent social media accounts on his own, so he uploads content when he has spare time outside of his full-time paramedic job and his life with his family. But Karson still wants to reach and help as many people as he can, so he decided to boost one of his Chuukese language videos on YouTube, paying to promote it so that people all over the world can see it.
“I started the advertisement when I realized there are folks out there that would like to learn the Chuukese language, be it for personal or professional reasons, and I wanted to make sure they are able to reach the content I’ve made,” he said.
Karson hopes his videos can help non-Chuukese folks who have Chuukese friends and family members learn his mother tongue.
He made his videos so others will have a quick resource to learn basic phrases and be able to communicate with their Chuukese friends and families.
“To the Chuukese out there, I would like them to have a resource of videos sharing my life experience to hopefully encourage them and highlight the point of: It does not matter how hard we may have it sometimes, we can make it through life by hanging on and continuing our journey through life,” Karson said.
To the Chuukese out there, … it does not matter how hard we may have it sometimes, we can make it through life by hanging on and continuing our journey through life.
-Karson Ifa
Karson’s journey
“I was born on a tiny island called Ruo in the northwest region of Chuuk state. Like many families, we moved to Weno (the big island) for a better opportunity of work and school,” Karson said.
Karson and his family moved from Chuuk to the Philippines after he graduated eighth grade. His parents earned their bachelor's degrees and then the family moved to Hawaii where Karson spent a semester at Kaimuki High School.
“I eventually moved back to Chuuk during my senior year (of) high school where I graduated at Chuuk SDA in 2008,” Karson said.
Now living in the states, Karson said he wants to help other Micronesians who might be interested in the emergency medical field.
“If anyone needs class in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), I am an instructor and available to teach by appointment. I am working on my Instructor for Advance Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advance Life Support so I can teach that but that will be later in the year,” he said.
In addition to helping others, Karson hopes he can help bring his skills and what he’s learned to help people back home.
“I am trying to find other paramedics or EMTs out there to connect with and brainstorm how we can bring our profession to our home islands,” he said. “It’s a dream to hopefully have our profession in Chuuk if not the whole Federated States of Micronesia. I believe we can contribute something to our growing health care system there.”
As a paramedic, Karson said he enjoys helping people.
“Whether it be just to talk or an actual life threat,” he said. “No two days are the same in our field and I love that. Makes work interesting.”
‘No matter what, hang in there’
To other Micronesians contemplating making a YouTube video of their own, Karson offered this, “Just make the video.”
For him, Karson said he enjoys sharing what he knows and his experiences in life.
“I feel like we all have something to learn from each other. I find I can share that something better with the help of social media,” he said.
So for those who are similarly looking to share something they know or experienced online, Karson offers simple, but sound, advice.
“It’s hard at first when you think to yourself, ‘What if other people make some rude comments on my video or I pronounce or say something someone won’t like?’ You’re never going to please everyone. Other folks might find offense with your ideas or beliefs, and it is going to feel different,” Karson said. “No matter what, hang in there and do what you want to do and need to do.”
Contact
Find Karson Ifa on YouTube and follow his Chuukese Medic social media accounts as well (YouTube | Facebook | Instagram). You can also reach him by email at karsonifa@gmail.com or chuukesemedic@gmail.com.
Great and useful information. Thank you so much Karson