▲Whether young or old, everyone dons traditional garments ahead of an impressive song and dance performance.

　　對於來自台灣的志工豐造而言，大庭廣眾之下光著上身在耶誕慶典上獨舞，是需要無比的勇氣才做得到。在聽到當地朋友說明「只要是吉里巴斯的男人，都是裸身跳舞」後，豐造內心的掙扎即消失殆盡。此篇英文細述是什麼讓他願意克服自己內心的不安及羞怯，只為了與吉里巴斯人共舞。

"You have to take off your clothes, Arnold."
"What? But...Well, can I at least wear a singlet?"
"No," said Maritina decisively. "When we do this Kiribati men are always naked. Only women wear some clothes because they have breasts."
She gave me a stern look and asked, "Do you have breasts, Arnold?"
She didn't laugh. Nobody laughed. This was not a joke.
I thought to myself, "Well, of course I don't have breasts. But...I have pecs!" But I was too shy to say this to her. I was afraid that saying this would only add fuel to her and everybody else's insistence on my nakedness.
I blushed, imagining myself dancing in front of a full house of people, half-naked...

Maritina saw my embarrassment and vulnerability and decided to abandon the use of coercion. She tried encouragement instead, and said, "Honey, this is what a Kiribati man would do. Isn't it your dream to dance and sing like a Kiribati man? Well, here is your chance to do exactly that!" How inspiring that was!

I have to admit that I was now totally convinced. To do or not to do was no longer the problem. To be or not to be, really was the question. Since I was now choosing to be a Kiribati man, that was what I was going to do.

After reaching that conclusion, I said to Maritina with confidence, though still a bit of shyness, "Ok, sister, I am prepared to do it. You can count on me." She smiled like an angel and carried on with her work in the kitchen.

That night I had my first summer Christmas and the coolest Christmas party of my life. I was the solo dancer in the center of the female singers. At first, I was nervous, but it didn't last for even three minutes, and was soon replaced by excitement.

It had never occurred to me that I could one day experience something like this. To sing like a Kiribati man, to dance like a Kiribati man, and to be the only man under the spotlight in the center of the house...

The men joined the performance. Their strong and powerful voices harmonized with the female singers' and gave the sound a yin and yang quality. It was like hearing the softness of a stream set against the intriguing powerful bass roll of thunder.It was the best present I could receive as a volunteer translator from Taiwan to come here.

▲Exotic decorations spice up Kiribati's hottest Christmas party. Who can resist this tasty traditional cuisine?

"localization" in Kiribati

With the emergence of Internet and other modern technology, the world has become flat. And you start to hear people talking about "localization." My way of practicing was to dance and sing like the local people : "Koraba, koraba!" In so doing not only did my translation service become more and more user-friendly, but every aspect of my life also became more integrated with the Kiribati lifestyle.

And all of this was done effortlessly with great joy, since I have no shortage of admiration for Kiribati culture. This is the friendliest country in the world, so it couldn't be any easier.

I feel blessed to be able to work and live in the happiest land on earth. I'd like to thank my friends in Otintaai Hotel, my family and friends in Taiwan, the Kiribati people, the Taiwan Embassy, the TaiwanICDF, and everybody else involved.

Koraba!

• Update: 2022/05/10
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