沖縄にめんそれ Hello everyone! I am so excited for this blog post as I get to share a bit about one of my hometowns with you. Okinawa is a very special place to me as I lived there for four years (2017年–2021年) and during my peak adolescent years (九歳–十三歳). Okinawa is one of the Ryukyu islands and is well known for its beautiful beaches and amazing Okinawan culture. Most Okinawans don't necessarily consider themselves Japanese as their language and culture is distinct. For instance, I learned some 沖縄口 (ウチナグチ), Okinawan language, during my time there. My Japanese is a bit different from more common forms of Japanese as I use words such as "めんそれ (welcome)," ”ナンクルナイサ (everything will be okay)," and ”はいさい (hello)." While writing this post, I actually found out through my sister that "めんそれ" is not really used in mainland Japan, which really shocked me. I guess I use a bit of Okinawan dialect when I speak Japanese. Besides langauge, Okinawa has distinct foods and d...