Kiribati

Kiribati (pronounced Kiri-bass) is a nation of 34 islands, situated on the equator north of Fiji. There are 3 main Island groups; Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands (Kiritimati - Christmas Island). There are approximately 110,000 people, many living on the Tarawa Atoll. North Tarawa is a series of islands which can be reached by boat or walking at low tide. South Tarawa is an urban area, where the villages run into one another and are linked by causeways.

Kiribati has the biggest sea to land ratio of any country in the world, so fishing forms a big part of their lives and economy. National income is derived from selling yellow fin tuna leases internationally.

On Tarawa, there is one road (35km) from Bonriki (International Airport - and the widest piece of land) to Betio, the port. The lagoon inside North and South Tarawa is beautiful but unfortunately very polluted from effluent. The 'outside' is safe to swim. I live on the south side of South Tarawa in a village called Temiaku, very close to the airport. On the map showing South Tarawa, Temiaku is just where the 'T' of Tarawa in the map touches the coast.

The reason I am here.

Photos: Mike Smith

Maps: Worldmap.com

The Language

Tekerei

Mauri is the common greeting in Kiribati. Originally an oral language, the alphabet now has 5 vowels and 8 consonants. Children learn to read and write in Kiribati then transfer to English as their literacy skills are established. The first thing you learn is that 't' is said as 's', so 'ti a bo' is said 'sa-bo'  and means 'bye bye'. I have a lesson once a week, determined not to repeat the mistake of not learning pidgin in PNG.Tekerei Russell is a retired teacher of some note and we spend an hour together on Monday morning. In addition to making some progress in understanding what is being said, I hope to stave off mental decline. 

All the people I work with speak English, but many in the country do not. They are simply not exposed to it. There is no TV although DVD's are available.