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Show Page 12 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume X Issue VI July 1, 2004 PARADISE cont. from page 1 Entries in my journal may describe the Kiribati experience best. The team stepped off the plane onto a single landing strip that serves the small, simple and unsophisticated airport in Kiribati, which consists of a single open air and worn building serving as terminal. The airport sign is crudely hand painted, and Typical home on the island of Kiribati. overhangs an open air area where children and a few adults crowed against a waist high wall, keeping them at bay off of the runway. It seems as if the bi-weekly flight to the island serves as a social event that is attended as part of the local entertainment for the week. The crowds’ waves of greeting were accompanied by the heat and humidity that quickly encompassed the passengers stepping off of the plane. I knew instantly that the suit jacket and knee high leather boots I was wearing were going to be a severe impediment until they could be shed at the hotel—the first remnants of “civilization” that would go during my short stay. I began to melt in the high humidity. Though the temperature on the equatorial islands remains close to 83 degrees Fahrenheit year round, soft ocean breezes help to cool things down a bit. Leaving the airport, we traveled along the only paved road, which runs the length of the island. I began to feel as if I had stepped into a distant time—if not a completely different world. I had read that the main island we were on, along with the other scattered islands that comprise the country of Kiribati sustained a population of about 100,000 people, almost twice the population of Ogden City, so I had envisioned that there would be a typical urban center, but one never materialized. The streets were lined with a mixture of grass huts and small rustic cinderblock dwellings that seemed very primitive in nature—small and simple. Most of the dwellings did not have windows, and many had no doors. Many had corrugated tin roofs. My first perceptions created a heaviness in my heart in response to a perceived level of poverty and uncleanliness that the people were living under, generating the assumption that the people of the island suffered under conditions that contributed to a very low quality of life. In retrospect, a typical westerner response I suppose. Over the next few days, I learned that what I initially saw was primarily middleclass folk and a snapshot of their way of life. I learned that the people of Kiribati are actually very, very clean in their personal hygiene, customs and care of humble material goods. Without any central water system or indoor plumbing, their level of cleanliness was amazing to me. We are taken to our hotel by van (Watch out, the people of Kiribati drive on the left side of the road!), and shown our rooms at the Otintaai (Sunrise) Hotel. It is a good thing that I brought plenty of bottled water, as there is no running water to my room for the first two days. I sponge off with this bottled water and try to clean up a bit for a welcoming reception that is being hosted down- Traditional island scene. stairs in the hotel’s maneaba, a large thatched roof covered, open air structure similar to a large park bowry that is used as a central meeting hall. Traditionally, maneabas are supported by pillars of coral and coconut palm trunks, but most of those on the main island of Tarawa are now constructed with a concrete floor and concrete pillars that support the thatched roof. The structure’s roof hangs low to keep visitors dry during tropical rainstorms. It is usually very large, large enough to seat an entire village, or a large clan. It is used for community events such as marriages and funerals, and clan or community meetings. Those visiting Kiribati mother and child. It is the beautiful and warm island smiles I will remember most fondly. usually sit on weaved mats made from pandanus trees that grow bountifully on the islands. The welcoming event was extraordinary. While the people of Kiribati are, by nature, very conservative, shy, and humble, when it comes to singing and dancing, they are uninhibited. Neil M. Levy in Moon’s handbook on Micronesia explains, “In most personal situations, islanders are conservative, but the dance floor is one place where they can compensate for the reserved demeanor required in other aspects of their lives.” Young people, gathered together in native costume, sang and danced with vigor to the beating of drums. The music was incredible as the group harmonized in their native I-Kiribati tongue. As exotic flowers grow in abundance upon the island, the performers all were crowned with flowered garlands, a variety of flowers artfully weaved together, providing sweet fragrances that wafted through the maneaba upon the evening ocean breeze. Their was an exotic ambiance to the whole evening, and I found, much to my dismay, that the high heels and nylons I wore were sorely out of place; they would be the next westernized commodity that I would be shedding, never to be worn again until returning home. Almost everyone traverses the island barefoot or wearing only “flip flops,” no matter the occasion. After a number of very beautiful and mesmerizing performances of song and dance by the group, we were given the ultimate complement by being garlanded also— our own fresh wreaths of flowers to take home. Yeah, a natural room freshener for my stark hotel accommodations. After the entertainment, we where treated to refreshments, a variety of fresh fruit and fish, and rice, and a few words of welcome by local dignitaries and hospital administrators. While many of the native people on the island spoke English, many of these Micronesians and Polynesians do not, but that didn’t keep our team from understanding the language of the people—the language they speak with their eyes, smiles, and hearts. A very humble, self effacing people, they are often too embarrassed to speak but, instead, respond with their eyes. An affirmative answer is given by raised eyebrows. The raising of eyebrows is also a used as a nonverbal greeting, along with their very wide and sincere smiles, which speak volumes. Even normally sullen teenagers greet friends and complete strangers alike with their honest and open broad smiles, white Young island dancers. teeth flashing in contrast to their golden brown skin. 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