Hello,
My grandmother is Okinawan. Sadly, around when I entered high school, she began to develop dementia. We lived four hours away from her most of our lives, and as I grew older I came to regret that I could not learn her language or culture from her anymore. She is still alive but can no longer communicate.
I am only 1/4 Okinawan so I feel like I look too white to be accepted. I really want to connect with her family or at least learn Uchinaaguchi, but I don’t know where to begin. Should I learn Japanese and then live on Okinawa and learn from the older members of the community who know the language? How would I even start that, as I am a US citizen and would need a reason to be living there on a visa, right?
I would like some guidance. I am very sad I can not speak with my grandmother and learn her opinions on the world. But I would like to remember her somehow.
by BrowniesInABox