Cultural Misunderstandings
Here are a few funny stories that I have heard about foreigners visiting Kosrae and the cultural misunderstandings that followed.
Kut
When the first missionaries visited Kosrae the locals greeted them with fresh coconuts. The missionaries were thirsty and said “good, good” when they saw the coconuts. The locals went about their business and show up a few minuets later with a bowl of head lice for the missionaries to eat. The missionaries were very shocked by this. It turns out that the Kosraen word for head lice is “Kut” pronounced like “Gud” and they thought that the missionaries were asking to eat head lice.
Fuk
A few decades ago an official from Guam was visiting Kosrae. A woman on Kosrae had heard that people from Guam liked to eat Fruit Bats and she captured some bats to try to sell to him for money. The woman knocks on the door of the hotel room where the official is staying. The official opens the door and sees the woman holding two bats and is a little confused. The woman says, “You want Fuk? You want Fuk?” while holding the two bats that she caught to sell to him. The man is shocked and slams the door. The next day the man tells the hotel owner what happened and the hotel owner tells him “ Fuk means Bat in Kosraen. She was trying to sell you a bat.”
Asset
When the first foreigner landed on Kosrae apparently they cut their foot on some coral and said “Oh shit.” The Kosraean’s thought they were saying their name and now all foreigners are called Ahsets.
Kut
When the first missionaries visited Kosrae the locals greeted them with fresh coconuts. The missionaries were thirsty and said “good, good” when they saw the coconuts. The locals went about their business and show up a few minuets later with a bowl of head lice for the missionaries to eat. The missionaries were very shocked by this. It turns out that the Kosraen word for head lice is “Kut” pronounced like “Gud” and they thought that the missionaries were asking to eat head lice.
Fuk
A few decades ago an official from Guam was visiting Kosrae. A woman on Kosrae had heard that people from Guam liked to eat Fruit Bats and she captured some bats to try to sell to him for money. The woman knocks on the door of the hotel room where the official is staying. The official opens the door and sees the woman holding two bats and is a little confused. The woman says, “You want Fuk? You want Fuk?” while holding the two bats that she caught to sell to him. The man is shocked and slams the door. The next day the man tells the hotel owner what happened and the hotel owner tells him “ Fuk means Bat in Kosraen. She was trying to sell you a bat.”
Asset
When the first foreigner landed on Kosrae apparently they cut their foot on some coral and said “Oh shit.” The Kosraean’s thought they were saying their name and now all foreigners are called Ahsets.
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