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.