By Betty Rose Cortes

Tulpe Edwin was homesick. She missed her friends. She missed her family. And she missed the type of special foods she could get at home, things like canned mackerel, rice crackers, corned beef in a can and breadfruit.

She told Johnston, her husband, she wanted to go home.

In 2010, they had saved enough money for a trip back to their home island in Kosrae, but on the day of departure, Johnston instead surprised his wife with their very own Island Mini Mart in Vancouver, Washington.

“I took her to the door, showed her the key and opened it to show her what I have been doing. She started crying. I thought she was crying because she was happy, but she was mad!” Johnston laughed.

“I said, ‘If we use the money to go home, we will only go home one time. With this, we can go home many times,’” he recalled.

Home for the Edwins is an island in the Pacific . Both were born and raised on the island of Kosrae, which is one of four major island groups that make up the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Under the Compact of Free Association with the United States, Micronesians from the FSM are both US and FSM nationals until they are 18 years of age, where then they must choose between the two. The Compact allows FSM residents traveling privileges with fewer restrictions required than other countries traveling to the US mainland. Currently the Edwins reside in Burien, Wa. and have renamed the shop Micronesian Market.

“I came to the U.S. in 1988 for college,” said Johnston, “My counselor helped me apply to Treasure Valley Community College in Portland, Oregon.”

He and 11 friends from his 60-student senior class made their way from Kosrae to Portland that year. All attended TCC for general studies. “After two years, I went to Oregon State,” he said, “I studied Political Science, but did not finish and went back home to Kosrae.”

“It was hard back home. I was teaching,” Johnston explained, “but only making $100 for two weeks of work. So I went back to the states to finish school.”

In 1991 Johnston returned back to Oregon State but quit school shortly after due to financial hardship. He decided to work for an Alaskan commercial fishing boat.

Then, in 2005, Johnston had some exciting news.

“My sister called me from Texas,” Johnston said, “and she told me Tulpe was there.” Tulpe was Johnston’s high school sweet heart and had been teaching at an elementary school in Kosrae for the past 11 years before making it to the US.

“I called her (Tulpe) right away and said we have to get married,” he remembered, “that way we won’t be apart. We will not lose each other again.”

Tulpe made her way to Portland. They married in court, then drove to Seattle two weeks later for a Kosrean ceremony.

“She had family here. At that time there was maybe 100 people from Kosrae in Seattle, now there is 700-1000,” Johnston estimated, “They all came to the ceremony.”

The couple returned to Portland thereafter and five years later, Johnston surprised his wife with the Island Mini Mart. Their inventory included frozen and canned fish, breadfruit, canned goods, fruit juices, snacks and the likes of the FSM, such as island print shirts, mumu dresses and accessories.

“We missed home. I saw many Asian stores, many Hispanic stores, but no Micronesian stores,” Johnston said, “So, I wanted to make one so we can have things for us that we have back home. So we won’t be homesick.”

“We moved to Seattle last year to be closer to her family,” Johnston said, “I like Portland because I know the places, but here, I get to meet other islanders from Samoa, Saipan, Palau and Guam. That’s good. That’s good for business.”

And that’s very good news for Tulpe, who is excited to be traveling back home again next month.

You can visit the Micronesian Market on 153rd Street in Burien and on online at www.MicronesianMarket.com and Facebook.com/MicronesianMarket