Pasifika – Page 2 – Sipping Koko

March 15, 2021March 15, 2021

Empowered Pasifika Women: Petrina Wilkinson

No matter where we are in the world, our teachers are under appreciated. There is so much that our teacher sacrifice for their students whether it be their own money, time, etc. That is why I’m very honored to help share Petrina Wilkinson’s story.

Empowered Through Teaching

I am an afakasi (Samoan/New Zealander) who lives in Christchurch. I am a teacher and leader within our school community with a focus on cultural responsiveness. My Mum is Samoan and always inspires us to do the best we can.

March 9, 2021

Empowered Pasifika Women: Lorna-lei Sua’ava

Can I just say how absolutely amazing our Pasifika women are? If you ever hear that our women aren’t smart or are lesser, than might I point you to Lorna-lei Sua’ava! Here is her amazing story:

Empowered Through Education

My name is Lorna-lei Sua’ava and I am Samoan! I live in the land of the midnight sun.. and brutal winters, Alaska! I just recently graduated from Southern Virginia University with my Bachelor’s in Biochemistry/Psychology. I love all things nature, hiking, traveling and shopping. I also love school, I’m not sure many people can say that but I love learning and trying new things. 🙂

February 18, 2021

Dating Being Pasifika: Shenei Meisi Penaia

I have to admit, I think I’ve found my newest saying from this feature. “If he ain’t brown, I ain’t down.” I chuckled a bit when I read that. I’m very happy to help share the some of Shenei Meisi Penaia’s story with you!

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Dating Being Pasifika: LettiAnne Lologo

I’m excited for y’all to meet LettiAnne! Here’s a bit about her. She’s a proud descendant of amazing parents from America and Western Samoa, that values her faith in Jesus, 1 of 7 children, proud aunty to my gorgeous 15 nephews/neices. Resides in Los Angeles, CA (west west) , Music enthusiast , Foodie and an adventurous enneagram 2 lol.

February 3, 2021

Repost: Polynesian Men, White Girls, Dating… OH MY!

Originally posted November 29, 2019

I’m going to be stepping on some toes here writing this blog. This is a topic that has come to my attention through my own experiences, what I’ve seen online and other channels. Which is why I felt the need to write about it. Why do Polynesian men prefer white girls over Polynesian women? Notice I’m not saying Samoan men versus Samoan women or Fijian men versus Fijian women because I know what the arguments are there. “She could be my cousin,” “I can’t deal with the culture any longer,” (which by the way is a LAME excuse if you ask me. The culture part defs not the cousin part. Don’t date your cousin people.), and other excuses. That’s why I’m saying Polynesian men versus Polynesian women because it’s across the board. I did my “informal” research. So, let’s dive in.

November 25, 2020

Breaking Bread: A Dedication to Keeping Our Stories Alive

“O le ala i le pule o le tautua” which in English translates to “The path to leadership is through service.” That’s what Gabriel Faatau’uu-Satiu is doing with his soon-to-be-released show Breaking Bread. He is leading families to the dinner table to start having those hard to talk about subjects. Ones that many of us in the Pasifika community need to have, and if there’s one person to help do that, it is Faatau’uu-Satiu.

November 22, 2020

Parramatta: A Love Letter of Hope to Young Brown People

Four years, a global pandemic, a lost job, and the many other obstacles that come with creating a show like Parramatta would make anyone want to give up. But, that’s not Taofia Pelesasa’s style. In true form, it made him push even harder to get this project off the ground because who knew who this show was for. It wasn’t for him – it was for the many young Pasifika people who are dreaming bigger than their situation.

That’s why when I say Taofia Pelesasa is someone we all should learn from and aspire to be like, this is why. It was four years ago that he had pitched the idea for the show at a competition. He was one of four people selected to be mentored for a year, and after that year he kind of tucked it away and life happened. Fast forward to 2020 and they were scheduled to start shooting the show in May, but it was derailed because of worldwide pandemic. Luckily, the captain and leader of the ship works well under pressure, and we will soon get to experience the amazing world of Parramatta.

November 14, 2020

Sometimes Courage Skips A Generation

This weekend I’ve been hanging out with my parents. Some of you know this, and some of you don’t. But, I’m afakasi. My mom is Samoan and my dad is White (he’s from New Zealand). Anyways, today we decided to watch two movies. Or, should I say, my mom chose one and I chose one. The first movie we watched was The Help, and the second movie we watched was White Lies. Let me tell you, this was actually an experience. I have never sat through a movie with my parents with so much tension as when we watched White Lies. Why is that? Well, let’s break it down why the two movies give such different experiences. Especially, when your afakasi watching with a White dad.

November 11, 2020

I Am “Something Else”

It has been a good while since I’ve sat down and truly written a blog. I apologize for the randomness and the inconsistency. Later this week, I’ll probably write another blog addressing what all has been happening. I actually had someone mention a part of me going “missing” around May and June. So, I want to explain, and that will come later.

Anyways, what I want to talk about today is the “something else” of the matter. Earlier last week, while many of us, Americans, were losing sleep and worried about who our next leader was going to be, a prominent news outlet decided to show some stats. Not just any stats. No, they wanted to show how groups of people in the States were voting. They listed the usual White, Black, Latino, and Asian. However, they had the audacity or should I say the caucasity to also have “something else” listed. Indigenous groups across the country picked up on this. You had people from the Continent, people from Alaska, and Hawaiians. Many of you even saw the post that I had created on my Tik Tok.

September 21, 2020

#PasifikaInspiration – Micha Faamausili

My name is Micha Faamausili, most people call me Meesh. I was born and raised on Oahu but currently live in Oregon. I’m a part time caregiver for adults with disabilities and full time YouTuber. I’m Samoan Polish and use my platform to bring awareness to breaking the stigma of mental health in our pasifika community. I’m currently navigating life after loss, balancing depression and grief all while sharing bits of my story on YouTube and IG. My hope is that others who are like me, aren’t ashamed to speak up or seek help!