Lessons Learned

We have been in Papua New Guinea for almost 4 months and finally have arrived in our new “home” of Ukarumpa.  It has been a long process, but we are glad to be here!

We spent 14 weeks in Madang (located on the Northern Coast of PNG) going through the Pacific Orientation Course (POC).  We began learning the trade language (Tok Pisin), learning many of the cultures and customs, and learning how to live life in PNG.  There were many “we’re not in Kansas anymore” moments.  OK, so I’ve actually never been to Kansas much less lived in Kansas, but it was much closer to home than where we are now!  The first eight weeks of our training found us living in a dorm with other families, singles, and couples.  They certainly weren’t as nice as the dorms at UCF!  And, I’m talking about the old, old dorms that are at UCF.  We soon found out that those dorms and life during our initial eight weeks was luxury compared to the next five weeks.  We spent those next five weeks in a village living with the people of Papua New Guinea- total immersion into the language and customs.  We kept telling ourselves that we could do anything for five weeks.  This is where we did become more aware of the needs of the Papua New Guineans and come to love them as individuals and not just a far-off people group.  The last week of the course was spent debriefing and preparing for our life here in Ukarumpa.  

Over the next few weeks, I hope to post plenty of stories of our adventures so far in PNG, especially the adventures during our time at POC.  I thought I would begin with some very important lessons that we learned during our time in the village. 

 

We spent our village time in the village of Dimer 3 (also called Malan).  It was located up a mountain about 5 miles from the ocean, but the only time we saw the ocean was when we went to town one day during our village stay.  We had a wasfamili, which was a family that was essentially assigned as our guardians during our stay.  We were family to them.  They were very protective of us, and they still call to check on us.  They helped us improve our Tok Pisin, learn about daily life in their village, and many of the customs of PNG.  The kids even got an opportunity to attend school with the kids from the village. 

10 Lessons Learned in the Village

1.       Mosquito nets have many important purposes.  They are not just for keeping malaria infested mosquitos from feasting on you during the night.  They are also great protection from other “gifts” left by the other creatures that live with you.  Here is a picture of a gift left by a gecko.  It was on the net right above where Tim’s head would lay down each night.

2.       Papua New Guineans love to have their picture taken.  I took over 800 pictures just during our time in the village, but the first one was my favorite of a little boy in our village.  He asked me take his picture one night and posed for me!

  

3.       Tim learned a very important lesson on our very first night in the village- before spitting you must look.  We thought everyone had left from under and around our house, but apparently there were some kids still close by.  He went to spit off the side of the house after brushing his teeth and just about hit one of the village kids.  The good thing is that after that time, I don’t think we ever had a problem with them hanging around our house after we went up to go to bed!

4.       I also learned that my husband is a closet artist in a medium that is rarely, if ever, utilized- toothpaste spit.  We would brush our teeth every night and spit over the back of the house (after making sure no one was standing there).  Tim’s claim to fame was the smiley face he did with just two spits.  Yep, it doesn’t take much to entertain us!

5.       Bekah can hitch a ride anytime and anywhere by just looking pitiful. She would catch a ride on the shoulders of one of the girls when we went to go swimming one day.  On her way home from school she and some other girls caught a free ride home on a local PMV (think taxi).

       

6.       The best anniversary present ever is a slightly cooler than lukewarm Coca-Cola!  It went well with the brownie mixed we splurged on especially for our anniversary. 

7.       A banana tree can be a dangerous thing.  We had one fall and take our out clothes line and rain water collector the night before we left the village.

             

8.       Receiving a gift of chicken for dinner is a bit different here than it is back home.  We received a fresh rooster late on Sunday morning- complete with feathers.  Don't worry, I was not harmed in the process of cleaning or cooking the bird.  I just took the pictures.              

9.       My kids will spoil any dog if given the chance. They made a special area outside their room for the village dog, “Buddy”- complete with a pillow made from a ziplock bag and leaves they made for him.  After all, we know every dog needs a good pillow to sleep on!  When puppies were born in the village, our kids not only made sure they were adequately loved on, but that they also had a nice place to sleep.

                               

10.   Hens will lay their eggs anywhere, including the fire pit we did all of our cooking in!  Apparently the place must be approved by both the rooster and the hen.  We actually had "House Hunters International: Kakaruk" going on all around us.  There was great suspense in knowing whether the hen would choose our veranda, the fire pit in our haus kuk (kitchen), or under the fire pit.