You’re reading The Husk's Friday edition, our Weekender, a countdown/roundup of miscellanea from Micronesia, Guam, and Earth.
stories from Micronesia
In unfortunate news, my favorite medical examiner, Dr. Aurelio Espinola, died. Dr. Espinola was Guam’s chief medical examiner but, really, he helped the region with his work and since his retirement it hasn’t been the same. Rest in peace, Doc.1
Really cool story from the Pacific Island Times about how Palau is using recycled glass to make art.
Kevin Lujan Lee is a community-based researcher. In his doctoral studies, he created Pasifika Strong, a multi-national census of Pacific Islander community organizations in the continental U.S., per Chikin Meļeļe.
stories from the Marianas Variety
Darla Yatilman, who is Yapese and was raised in Pohnpei, graduated from Sophia University’s Graduate School of Environmental Studies with the second-highest grade point average. She studied marine protected areas in Pohnpei.
This story by K-Andrea Limol was very interesting to read. Alice McCune, through an ancestry.com DNA test and a 23andMe DNA test, found she was half Micronesian. McCune’s dad is Korean and her mom is Micronesian, according to the Variety. But McCune’s mom died when McCune was young and so she became an orphan. So now she and her daughters are hoping to find their Micronesian family.
hero story
Douglas has been working at Jeff’s Pirates Cove in Guam for years and rescued many distressed swimmers, per The Guam Daily Post. Talk about going above and beyond.
“I'm always ready when I'm working there. My eyes are always checking if people are in the water,” Douglas told the Post. “My first reaction is always that I want to save them.”
Every week (that the Weekender comes out) we’ll leave you with a send-off song curated by my brother, Henry, whose musical tastes have left a lifelong impression on me and, now hopefully, you.
This week’s song is “Seven Spanish Angels.”2
We’re building a send-off song playlist on Spotify that includes the songs mentioned in past Weekender posts. Check it out.
Shop Micronesian
So last year I put together a Shop Micronesian flipbook for Black Friday. If you’re looking for gifts for yourself and others this holiday season and want to support Micronesian business owners previously featured in The Husk, please browse. Click links at the top of the page to go to their websites. Some businesses might have paused online sales, if I’m not mistaken, but I’m pretty sure most of the folks still have items for purchase. Although, the items featured in the book from last year might not be the same items up for sale. It’s still worth a browse, I think.
One business that isn’t in that flipbook is JennyAsher Designs. She has a shop on Etsy.
Feel free to leave a comment on this post with links to other Micronesian-owned businesses.
In my time as a reporter I spoke with Dr. Espinola regularly and was able to write about his retirement. I’m sad he won’t be the one signing my death certificate.
OK, I didn’t know this song was going to be such a banger. I’m crying.
Thanks for sharing Alice's story! I was blown away when I first heard her story. I truly hope that she and her descendants are reunited with their Micronesian family members.