Sinigang, Afritada, Dumplings, and Beef. These are some of the dishes that I love dearly, a representation of each of the cultures that course through my veins.
Hafa Adai, Mabuhay, and Welcome to my page! My name is Ms. Genelin Camacho and am a self-identified ambivert-introvert, and a proud Asian/Pacific-Islander/American. I am neither too fair skinned nor too dark-complected; I am a combination of both. I am part-Malay, part-Spanish, part-Filipino, and part-Chamorro. Although I do not look like it, I carry with me centuries of circumnavigation, exploration, adventure, and globalization. I am proud to say that as a Filipino and a Chamorro, I carry with me the strength and resilience of my ancestors. We are navigators, farmers, scientists, artists, and resourceful, tenacious groups of people of the Pacific.
I am part-Chinese and part-Spanish from my maternal side, directly from my great-grandmother's lineage. We are from the Cuisine Capital of Philippines, where the internationally-acclaimed "Pork Sisig" hails from. We are survivors of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, monsoon flooding and rains, endless typhoons year after year, and lahar. We were our own kingdom before even the Spaniards set foot on our province and former territories, our neighboring provinces and cities. We are known to be resilient people, learning how to acculturate to the new norms of colonists yet still retaining aspects of our original cultural identity. We are a diverse group of people in one small province. We have produced world-class artists, craftsmen and women, political and academic leaders, fashion designers, beauty queens, and national heroes. We fought alongside seven major provinces in redeeming our independence and freedom from the Spaniards and sought to reestablish our identity as a nation. We are innovators in the arts, technology, agriculture, and overall, in any challenge that we face. This is the history of my Mom's cultural identity and I am proud to have been raised in that culturally rich environment.
On my father’s side of the family, I have learned that we are full Chamorros--although we cannot accurately quantify if that is true or not. The Chamorros are known to have been fierce and courageous warriors, fishers, and leaders. We are as solid as the limestone rock we stand on. We are resourceful, creative, and persistent. Although small in number now, we carry with us the cultural pride of knowing that we are a people of self-sufficiency and that the endurance and fortitude of our ancestors, are what made us who we are today. We have been under the administrations of various governments: Spanish, German, Japanese, and now, the Americans. We have learned to survive storm after storm of challenges, typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the pressures and repercussions of modernization. This is who I am and I am honored to be a part of the Chamorro people.
To this day, I am learning about my cultural identity. I have relinquished some practices of both sides of my culture, but I still hold onto the traditions that have been bestowed upon me, such as that of respect and loyalty to family, adherence and exercise of traditional customs, and overall, a sense of interdependence in society. Both sides of my cultural identities have been influenced by Westernization; nevertheless, we still proudly acknowledge and live by the values that have made us the people we are today. Thank you for reading!
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