Kiribati posting

In early 2011 I found myself working on Kiribati as a consultant of behalf of the Asian Development Bank.

Kiribati, know to me in my schooldays as the Gilbert Islands, was a British colonial possession until June 1979.  Remnants of that colonial period still abound,  from old signs to red postal boxes.

The chain of islands and atolls sits almost on the meeting point of the equator and the international date line, almost half way between Australian and Hawaii, and a long way from anywhere.  The people are friendly and cheerful, with a very laid back lifestyle.

Relatively untouched by the outside world until recently, there are now DVD shops, mobile phones and internet connections.   I was glad that I was able to see it before the nation becomes just another part of a homogeneous world.