Island Holidays

Being away from home on holidays, birthdays and other special days were both difficult and exciting.  The first American holiday we celebrated was Thanksgiving.  For many, the warm temperatures and salty air conflicted with the winter holiday.  I was standing on the front porch of the Director’s house when Stacy, our PCMO, arrived with two frozen turkeys wrapped in plastic bio-hazard bags.  I have dinner, she shouted!  From morning to afternoon we prepared dinner, shared stories, and got to know more about each other over Thanksgiving dinner.

One month later, we were preparing for Christmas celebrations in Maiana Island with our new host families.  Everything about Christmas which I was used to in the States, was not in Kiribati.  There were no crowded malls, parking lots or holiday lights hanging from snow covered roofs.  These were nothing more than distant memories from my hot and humid seaside village.  The only thing that brought some sense of Christmas, was the prolonged drop in temperatures and increased frequency of storms.  This disrupted mail delivery for several weeks.  All of us felt disconnected as time went on with no news from home.  The December mail drought had a prolonged impact on everyone’s mood, leaving many wanting nothing more than just one letter from home for Christmas/Chanukah that year.  

To brighten our spirits, we decided to go caroling throughout the host villages on Christmas Eve.  Beginning in the southern village at sundown, we walked across the island, stopping at each host family’s house.  Tekaai, our logistics man, followed the group in his Peace Corps truck.  He said he was following so he could drive the southern volunteers back home.  None of suspected the truck to be filled with packages from home.  When we finished singing at the last northern village house, he called all of us to the back of the truck.    

Christmas Caroling in Maiana Island

 Now that you are finished.  The whole island is happy because of your beautiful songs, Tekaai said.  We all knew he was joking as many of us had trouble carrying several tunes.  Pointing to the opened bed of the truck, he stated, we wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas!  I could not believe my eyes.  The bed was filled with boxes from the USA!  We were like kids!  Everyone grabbed a box, and called the intended receiver’s name.  John! Cassandra! Dianne! Lauren! Matt! Mike! It was just like home, except we were in Maiana, and Santa’s sleigh was now Tekaai’s truck. 

Volunteers gathered together to open their presents in their respective villages. The southern village volunteers gathered in Marissa’s kiakia.  Each of our boxes contained letters, pictures, and foods from home.  Her host family must have thought something was wrong as we screamed, and laughed with each present.  

When we calmed down, we migrated to her family’s bwia to share our gifts.  To my surprise, they only tried a few items.  They did not want to take things which obviously made us happy.  Marissa suggested I bring my guitar as others wished to continue singing songs.  I ran home to get the guitar, my host brother, and sister.  We sang well into Christmas morning.  Christmas without family was difficult, but I feel like I learned how Christmas could be without overzealous consumerism should be.   

Bwia - Open aired covered platform, often seen as the compound's living room

Kiakia - Small raised house, comparable to a room in one's house

Maneaba - Village meeting hall

PCMO - Peace Corps Medical Officer