Additional Information

Additional Information

"Kiribati." Wikipedia. 2009. Wikipedia. 23 Mar 2009 .
"J. Maarten Troost." Rolf Potts' Vegabonding. 23 Mar 2009 http://www.rolfpotts.com/writers/index.php?writer=J.+Maarten+Troost.

"Mauri ....This is Hello and Welcome in Kiribati." Kiribati Tourism Offical Website. 2006. Kiribati Ministry of Communication Transport and Tourism Development. 23 Mar 2009 http://www.visit-kiribati.com/.

"Kiribati." CIA - The World Factbook. 19 Mar 2009. Central Intelligence Agency. 23 Mar 2009 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kr.html.

"South Pacific Weather and Climate Charts." www.pacifictravelguides.com. 27 Apr 2005. 23 Mar 2009 http://www.pacific-travel-guides.com/south-pacific/weather.html.

Resture, Jane. "Kiribati - Culture." www.janeresture.com. 5 Oct 2008. 23 Mar 2009 http://www.janeresture.com/ki33/culture.htm.

Brummel, David. "Kiribati History." www.anglefire.com. 1 Jan 2004. 23 Mar 2009 http://www.angelfire.com/co/dbrummel/history.html.

"The Bloody Battle of Tarawa, 1943." www.eyewitnesshistory.com. 2003. 23 Mar 2009 http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/tarawa.htm.

Trussel, Stephen. "Te taetae ni Kiribati - The language of Kiribati." www.trussel.com. 1979. Peace Corps. 26 Mar 2009 http://www.trussel.com/kir/lesintro.htm.

Gani, Azmat. "Some Aspects of Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases in Pacific Island Countries.." Social Indicators Research 91(Apr2009): 171-187.

Journal 4

Overall, we learned that Kiribati is not a very great place to live. Poor, unsanitary living conditions and pollution make disease common. The almost unbearable climate justifies the existing stereotype of the citizens on “paradise” being “lazy” because people can’t go through their work day in air-conditioning like the more fortunate American citizens. When we first did our first journal, we declared that Kiribati was still very much third-world and behind other cultures, however we now know that it is not as primitive as we had imagined it to be through the title. We had assumed it was very tribal with no government throughout the country, but we discovered that life on one of the outer islands remained somewhat tribal based as Troost viewed dinner here. The elders were the highest authority on the island, and the power flowed down the line from person to person from there.
Ethically we had no problems with how Troost conducted his work. Most of his work was done simply by observing his surroundings and taking notes on what was happening. The other method used to gather information was interviews. There isn’t anything unethical about that. Troost asked the questions and the people answered.
From his studies we as readers gained a relatively clear insight into the lives of the people on Kiribati. The main conclusion drawn from Troost is that Kiribati in no way should be favored over living in the United States. He compares every aspect of living on the remote islands to the U.S. and finds that the cons far outweigh the pros. He does find a sort of simplistic harmony while on Kiribati, suggesting that maybe the outside world has grown up almost too fast for itself. One could potentially adapt to this islands primitive nature, but as it was in Troost’s case, these things take a long period of time.
This information could’ve been discovered in a multitude of places. There is a small number of other ethnographical works about the South Pacific that one could draw information from. The United States has many government publications online as well as in print, and the online publications provide links to even more sources for knowledge. Whether all these sources are as effective as a first hand view on the life and culture is the main question.
Was Troost “successful” with his ethnography? To some degree the answer is yes, and to some degree no. The book serves its purpose as a funny, entertaining, and easy-reading novel, but it doesn’t provide a full ethnographical experience. Sure we get an insight into the lives and culture on the Kiribati and we learn about the climate and government, but this information isn’t really relevant to us. When talking in class we were discussing how our topics for the large paper should hold some sort of significance to our lives here in the US. Some of the other books on our list pertain much more to what we deal with on a day-to-day basis. Books such as Scratched Beginnings, or even Lost in Planet China, will hold more significance to whom and what we are today. The United States hasn’t cared at all about the South Pacific since WWII, and based on what we knew about it before the book, still obviously doesn’t care about it now. So yes, the book does a great job comparing our lives to the lives of the Kiribati, but in the end, who really cares?

Journal 3

Troost may provide much valuable insight into the lives and culture of the Kiribati, but not all of the stories and information provided can be taken to heart. Troost has a tendency to embellish his stories and over-exaggerate. Troost may provide much valuable insight into the lives and culture of the Kiribati, but not all of the stories and information provided can be taken to heart. Troost has a tendency to embellish his stories and over-exaggerate. He explains how the government has no control, and is what we would call hopelessly corrupt. For example, during their Independence Month, they have a giant dance-off between all the government departments. He says when the government officials aren’t out doing their jobs, which is basically never, they are practicing their dance moves. At FSP they would take daily naps because they were up to late the night before practicing. Also the information in the book was written after he left Kiribati and he began his work when they traveled to Fiji. He may have kept some sort of note system but more than likely he just recalled his life on the island, creating an imperfect image of the culture and life of Kiribati.
Troost uses humor as his main technique when conveying the experiences on Kiribati, however his serious tone comes through to the reader when displaying historical events of the island. This contrast makes the reader enjoy the story while creating connections to Kiribati’s culture. He uses in depth-illustrations for most of the points he tries to make about the life on the island, putting an image into the reader’s mind. Another technique in his writing is his usage of descriptive vocabulary, matching the connotations of the word to the situation he is describing.
There are several other sources to receive information about Kiribati. A tourism website, recent encyclopedias, studies, and other books depict life on Kiribati. The U.S. government website supports the “dryer” version of the information without a cultural or personal look at Kiribati.

Summary part 8

Part 8 marks the end of Sex Lives of Cannibals, therefore it sums up Troost's thoughts of Tarawa and main points of the book for the reader. Troost starts editing papers for the foreign aid industry where he realizes that a person needs to be on a South Pacific island to realize how separated the civilians are from outside cultures, as he found out statistics of outside aid to other diseases rather than the aid for the main killers of developing countries. This bothered him as the main killing diseases are diarrhea and malaria rather than AIDS (as supposed by outside aid). During Troost's involvement with the foreign aid industry, the Chinese arrived on Tarawa and they constructed an embassy and suspicion by the I-Kiribati and I-Matangs. Sylvia and Troost investigate and report Chinese involvement through the FSP while the Chinese build a tracking station for "civilian use." As their suspicions are proved by some evidence, he realizes how life on Tarawa has toughened them both by "immunizing" them to disease, danger, and harsh living conditions. They have adapted and realized that the transition back to "civilization" as they once knew would be harder than they imagined it would be after the job was through. While on Tarawa, Troost traveled to the outer islands which took on the stereotypical view of an island as a "paradise." Although the outer islands are resistant to changes and hold a true "paradise" feel to life, Sylvia and Troost declared south Tarawa, Kiribati, as their home. After the sight of "half-dead-Fred," Troost realized that they needed to leave to avoid turning into the I-Matang turned island crazed man. The transition back to the states was even more difficult than they assumed. Island life had forever changed their outlook on life so they moved to Fiji after failing civilian life back in the states. The birth of their "little island boy" set their lives for a great amount of happiness on Fiji.

Vocab Part 8

dissonance (pg 243): Lack of agreement, consistency, or harmony
dissolute (pg 251): Indifferent to moral restraints; given to immoral or improper conduct; licentious; dissipated
dengue (pg 252): An acute, infectious tropical disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, and characterized by high fever, rash, headache, and severe muscle and joint pain
malevolent (pg 253): Wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; ill-disposed; malicious
miscreant (pg 255): Depraved or villainous
panache (pg 256): A grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair
conundrum (pg 257): A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma
moniker (pg 259): A person's name, esp. a nickname or alias
besuited (pg 265): Wearing a suit
destitute (pg 266): Needy, poor, indigent, necessitous, penniless, impoverished

Section 8 Graphic Organizer

There were several reasons that convinced Troost to leave Kiribati after two years. The first was missing air-conditioning, clean water, and food other than fish. The second was the fear of cultural shock if they had stayed any longer. They had heard stories of people not being able to adjust back to their old way of life after they moved from Kiribati. The last one was when they saw just how bad the cultural shock could be. Half-Dead Fred had been on the island for a long time, and when he was introduced to an old computer game, he was put into a zombie like state, memorized by what he saw.

Quizzer Part 7

Why do Troost and Sylvia fly to the outer islands of Tarawa?

The main reason for Troost's exploration is to find out the different behaviors of Kiribati people compared with the outer islanders of Tarawa. This gives Troost more information and a basis to write his story of life on this small island nation in the South Pacific. He compares the physical characteristics of the islands, the people's behaviors, his experiences, and links these differences and similarities together creating his viewpoints of what he has discovered from living on Tarawa.

What does Troost discover about the outer islands?

Troost finds that the water surrounding the outer islands is pristine, there is less pollution, and there is more tribal behavior found. He also realizes how 85% of the people living on Tarawa inhabit the outer islands while keeping a life disconnected from the "outside world" whereas Kiribati has much more remnants and evidence of being affected by other nations. The outer islands keep to tradition much more so than Kiribati and they also do not have La Macarena playing constantly in the background, in fact Troost is pleased to hear that it is not playing at all.

What is significant about the meal on Butaritari?

The meal (eel) prepared for the I-Matangs (Troost and Sylvia) signifies the symbolic nature of the outer islands, the tribal set-up and traditions still exist very much there today. The villagers watched the I-Matang eat first, then the elders ate, then the men, then the children, then the women of the village ate the meal. The order of importance or somewhat of a hierarchy exists during the meals to hold this tribal status on the outer islands.

What is the significance with Troost saying "it sometimes seemed as if the rhythms of life were focused solely on Butaritari"?

Troost's quote is significant as a greater turning point, almost a foreshadowing, in the novel letting the reader know how he finds this place a tranquil place far from where he once came from. This shows how he has grown fond of the islands despite the health hazards and disconnectedness from the outer world. He has fallen in love with the life that these islands provide. The foreshadowing is most likely about his move back to the states and the culture shock that finds him once again.