On Feb. 13, UOG Endowment and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences hosted the “How to Say I Love You – Love Languages in the Pacific” fundraiser at the Guam Museum.

Overall, the fundraiser was able to showcase many things about the Pacific, such as the variety of foods matching with each culture.

“The idea around this fundraiser is to showcase how to say I love you around the Pacific, especially with Valentine’s day coming up,” director of UOG Endowment Foundation, Katrina Perez said.

“This is my first time coming to this event and it really was a good turn out with the different
cultures it’s really a fun event,” UOG student, Marcy Ermitanio said.

The fundraiser presented nine languages, each showcasing how to say I Love You in the Pacific. Some participants went beyond the theme and shared folktales of their language.

Similarities are also seen amongst the cultures.

“In Korea on Valentines Day, the girl will give the guy chocolate and on March 14 (white day), the man will give the girl a flower,” Korean hostess, Katrina Bamba said. While visiting Japan, the Japan booth had the exact same tradition on the exact dates. Given that they are not that far from each other, it makes sense that they would partake in the same traditions.

Each table had different customs that showcasing distinct ways to say I love you.

The table for China featured ways to write Chinese calligraphy with paintbrushes.

The table for Guam showcased latte stones and a dictionary that had words presenting different meanings in their language.

The Philippines table shared local myths about vampires, and why children have a curfew.

There was a miniature fashion show to showcase what traditional wear each of the languages has.