Peace Corps Ruminations

Peace Corps has finally officially invited me. I am going to a country called Kiribati (pronounced, "Kirr-eee-bahs"), an island nation located in the tropical region of the central Pacific Ocean. It's positioned about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, near Fiji. It comprises 33 atolls-- low coral islands-- dispersed, fairly widely across 1,351 square miles of the Pacific, near or on the equator. The program is 27 months long and I will be leaving on February 25th.

I fly to Los Angeles on February 25th and stage for a couple days, meeting the other PCVs who are leaving at the same time and heading to the same general hemisphere as I am. Next, I fly with my fellow K36ers (Kiribati 36th class) to Fiji and stay over for a day. Overnight, we fly to the main island of Kiribati: Tarawa, the capital. I will spend about a week in South Tarawa, the most "industrialized" part of Kiribati. I will spend the rest of the 3 months of my initial training in North Tarawa, the more rural portion of the main island, across the lagoon, living with a host family. I will be training everyday, with a focus on language--four hours daily--with additional skills, health, and cultural training. During the three-month training I will be spending one week with a current Peace Corps Volunteer on his or her island to get an understanding of life on an outer island.

Assuming I have a satisfactory grasp on the Kiribati language--their indigenous language--after training, I will be sent to my assignment on my outer island. Hopefully, there will be another Peace Corps Volunteer assigned to the same island as me; however, it is possible that I'll be on my own. I will most likely be living in a hut made from local materials. I will buy a kerosene stove during training on Tarawa, as well as a bicycle. My hut will have a buia, or raised sleeping platform, where I will sleep on a mat, encased in a mosquito net. I will have a latrine next to my hut. I will be living around 50 feet from the Pacific Ocean. There will be a hammock tied to two palm trees in front.

My island will have no electricity, phones, or running water. I will purify and boil all of my water. I will be doing my laundry by hand, in a bucket, and drying it by clothesline. I will have no shower, internet, cell phone, television, DVDs, MP3s, refrigeration, and all other things that come along with the way of life. I will live on my outer island for two years. I will return to Tarawa every three months or so to replenish supplies. At this time I will most likely be able to answer emails and get an idea of what's going on in the world. I also accumulate 2 days of leave per month; around 15 months into my stay, I will take about a month leave. During this time, I will most likely be traveling to (relatively) nearby countries, such as Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and New Guinea.


I will be living on my own; however, I will be socially-connected with a host family during the two years. This will be my primary family, but because the Kiribati people live very communally, I will probably have lots of families. According to one former PCV who I have been in contact with, I can cook on my own as little or as often as I want because I will always be offered food by someone; they are very glad to have help on their island, and they wish to express their gratitude.

Almost exclusively, the diet is fish and rice, although recently tinned meats have become popular due to convenience. The soil is very sandy and infertile; hence, fruits and vegetables do not grow much. They are ordered from elsewhere, however, but can cost sometimes four times what it costs to buy produce in the States. Tea time is practiced daily as a relaxing mid-afternoon activity.

Song and dance are a HUGE part of Kiribati culture. At least once is week a botaki is held, which is a ceremony to celebrate something. Some causes for celebrations in Kiribati are first birthdays, people leaving, people coming or first menstruations. They will pretty much celebrate anything in order to get people together to eat, dance and sing. The Kiribati, I have been told, also play a lot of rummy and smile an abnormally large portion of the time. They are known to be some of the warmest, friendliest people in the world. I guess you have to smile when it's 90 degrees all year round and you live on an island in the middle of the pacific ocean.

While on my outer island my primary task is to work in a school with 7-9th grade students and teachers. I will be observing classroom activity and I will meet with teachers on an individual basis, as well as delivering seminars on a larger scale regarding more effective teaching methods. 94% of Kiribati students at this age fail a test that measures English skills. I am going to have my hands full. I will also have the freedom to pursue various secondary projects on the island. Some thoughts I've had are building a playground, building a garden, or organizing a sports league--volleyball and soccer are their sports.

A lot of people have asked me why I want to do such a thing; I usually don't quite know how to explain myself. I don't completely understand myself either, but this trip just seems utterly neccesary for me, and I cannot imagine doing anything else for the next 2 years or so. Part of it is that I love foreign cultures and seeing the strange, amazing, profound things us humans do from country to country. I have traveled on vacations before and have seen how the people live, from afar, but I have always wanted to become part of another culture. From being in Kiribati for 2 years, learning their language, their dance, their song, their food, their art, their people, etc, I will be permanently changed. I think it will give me a new perspective on people, as I will possess both elements of American culture and Kiribati culture. I also think Kiribati will help slow me down and allow me to live more in the present. I think the way things are going for me now in America I am lost in a way of life with a rigorous pace. I hope the intensity of every moment in Kiribati and the lack of distractions present there for me will help me slow down, enjoy each metaphorical breath, and allow me to embrace the present. In general, what I want out of Peace Corps and Kiribati is some time to reflect on myself and my world in a context where simplicity is everywhere. I think this will be a good foundation for me to expand on. I have too many artificial things here to define myself by; I want to understand myself in the most simple, fundamental ways. Overall, I think it will help me to get a better grasp on how I am not myself and how am I myself.

Soon to be posting my "wishlist" and possibly some pictures...