On Friday, April 24, 2018, I went into San Diego for my initial site visit at the Sons and Daughters of Guam Club. When we were approaching, we realized that the club house was hidden, tucked away behind residential buildings. However, there was a sign that greeted us as well as the American and Guam flags. With an expansive parking lot, I had assumed the club house itself was small. After walking around, we discovered the back and the front door, where Olivia greeted us.
She took us around to show us the little plaza area where a lot of cultural celebrations took place. There, we met Benni, who laughingly told us that she was the greeter and that she would not be our tour guide. Instead, she was on her smoke break. Olivia showed us around the little pavilion, taking us first to a table where some folks were arranging flower decorations. She told us that they were preparing for the Malesso Fiesta tomorrow, a fiesta celebrating the Catholic patron saint of the village of Malesso. She also pointed out the outdoor kitchen, where folks, mostly men, were preparing the food for the fiesta. We then met our tour guide, who showed us around the main building of the clubhouse. There, Olivia and our tour guide explained that the space was mostly used as a cafeteria to serve healthier meals to Chamorro elders.
They then took us back around to the pavilion, where we met June, the woman who founded and runs the little store attached to the clubhouse. Inside, she sells little souvenirs that reflect the Chamorro culture. For example, she showed us some of her flower crowns and told us a little bit about the cultural significance. In Guam, flowers were just something that women picked on a daily basis to decorate their hair. However, she relates that in Hawai`i, these flower crowns are not to be thrown away like trash, but rather returned to the sea or the ground. She laughs about essentially always being on call for her successful store, despite having to grovel to get a space for it at the clubhouse.
After that, we walked through the exterior kitchen, where people were preparing for the fiesta tomorrow. A lot of the food seemed to be seafood. Then, walking around to the back, some men were grilling pork on a large, long grill. They were really excited for us to participate, which we all did.
Unfortunately, we had to leave early, so some of the folks took their lunch to go. Despite the fact that our trip was short, I felt extremely welcomed by everyone we had met.
