A Migrant's Voice: School Is the Only Land You Can Have!

I was born in 1974, and back then my parents worked as miners in Nauru. When I was 10, I returned to Tuvalu to study in high school. In 1992, I successfully passed the exams and enrolled in the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, and thus I met my wife, who was from Kiribati. In 2000, I set foot on Kiribati for the first time and was struck with the realization that it's a pretty nice place!

In my opinion, Kiribati has many advantages over Tuvalu: larger land area, bigger population, more business opportunities, and more importantly, plenty of international schools established by the church. So the next generation will be able to get a good education.

I remember deeply the advice my father gave me when I was a schoolkid. He said: "School is the only land you can have. Other lands can disappear, but school is a land that is your own and no-one else can take from you." To be honest, most parents in Tu-valu are not very concerned about what their children are doing or whether or not they go to school. I've been very fortunate, so I hope to be able to provide better resources and opportunities for my four children. My only regret is that they understand the Tuvalu language, but cannot speak it.

My Internet company is thriving. All my employees are Kiribati people. Before I started the company, I worked in IT for the US Peace Corps, so I developed a network of NGO and government contacts. In September last year, we were commissioned by the government to set up the first communications center for the outer island of Arorae. That went very well, so the government will probably undertake similar projects in the future. We also provide a recycling service for used computers and maintenance services for customers-to put back something into environmental protection.

Kiribati is our home, but Tu-valu is where our roots are. Ki-ri-valu is divided into subgroups based on the eight islands of Tuvalu, and elders from each island act as advisors. Each group has its own festivals and gatherings. On October 1, Tuvalu's National Day, we all come together. Each family brings traditional food and we have dancing and lots of fun. It's very much like the gatherings we had back home.

I have many relatives still living in Tuvalu. When I saw the king tides flooding Tuvalu on TV, I was really worried. People should really help themselves first, then others might help them later on. We can't rely only on faith! In Kiribati a number of people are concerned about the sea level, and some have chosen to emigrate, but I will stick it out to the end.