Jane's Final Thoughts

I am glad to be writing my final thoughts--anyone who has tried to keep up with my writing must be thrilled!  
It's hard to believe during this trip we've stayed on the same planet...and in relatively short distances between stops!  Our first weeks in NZ--spectacular beauty, natural & high adventure attractions galore, alive with excitement and pride.  The Milford Sound alone is worth the flight.  The next month in Australia--such diversity in geography , animals & people (Aborigines, Sydney multicultural new-age crowd to the laid back mountain people).  Clean & busy.  Koala & Roos are the cutest, Opera House more beautiful than any photo and the magnificent GBR overwhelms you with awe.  Then the final three weeks in PNG--like stepping back in time.  Painful to see such poverty living in such a mess and struggling to find a way to improve...yet a joy to hear the laughter and see (and be part of) the love they have for their clan.  Really a baby--only 40 yrs since an independence was given them...without them asking...and before they were ready to thrive.  The mountains, waterfalls & huge shady trees...pockets of beauty.  We longed to see more of PNG--the villages & islands--but it was not safe to venture out.  Jr & Mindex were our guides, cultural interpreters and body guards...without them, we'd have experienced little of PNG...and probably been robbed...though not put in pots as that has been taboo for almost 40 yrs.  We are so appreciative of them!!  Our volunteer work was at times so rewarding and other times so frustrating.   In many ways it was the same scenario that takes place in all the 3rd world countries we've visited.  We formed a special bond with the Tembari teachers & left them with many supplies & books.  We taught many lessons & read many books to the kids & teachers.  All can sing new songs & play new games.  It certainly was our most challenging teaching experience!
Three countries...three worlds...and so far from home.  I feel so amazingly lucky to have so many experiences in so many countries...and to have shared it with Roger.  Every time I come back home, I appreciate & enjoy my family, friends, home & country even more!

Update #68: Books Read

WHad some great reads this trip---

R & J:  Down Under by Byson - hilarious & educational travel guide in story form.  Must read for anyone going to or has been to Australia!

J:  The Song Master by Di Morrissey - Though fiction, it was full of info about the Aboriginal culture.
Take away lines:  "white men...were empty people who'd had to search for meaning in their lives, for they had no identity in the land.  He knew that when one is part of the proper world that is the earth, then on is happy."
"She had the curiosity of a child, the eagerness of a young dog and an intellect that accepted answers that were alien to her thinking."

R & J:  If I Were God, I'd Make Myself Clearer by Dickson - thought provoking

R:  Short History of Nearly Everything by Byson - scientific history of world from atoms to dinosaurs to space written with Byson's unique sense of humor.  

Update #67: Visit with Parliament Worker

I Today we stood in front of the Parliament House and discussed PNG past, present & future with a man who set up meetings for the parliament...which happens to be Jr's nephew.  After introducing ourselves & being welcomed, I asked the first question:  What do you see happening in PNG that is improving the country the most?  Shook his head & said, really nothing.  Everything is so overwhelming and they don't have the expertise or experience to be real successful at anything:  education, transportation, employment, utilizing the resources, even an accurate count of the population...probably 8 - 10 million.   He said Australia gave us our independence before we asked or was ready.  After a bit, he did say they'd made a deal to sell water to Australia & in return they might be able to create power from the it before it was piped under the sea.  Rog asked if they were considering developing more tourist areas...creating many new jobs..which led to a discussion on security & safety and building hotels affordable for tourist...hotels now are $300+ as they are for businessmen.   He talked about their poor economy...kina's depressed currency...and low wages.  He ended saying "just look at where I go to sleep each night."  (We'd been to his home...no elec or water & built with bits. & pieces...like so many...we understood his meaning.)

Update #66: Minister Mtg

We went to the same church we attended last week...and since there are so few places to visit...we opted to stay for two services...both weeks.  Kinda making up for weeks we didn't go!  Like DUMC, first service is more traditional & second with a praise band.   I was hoping to go to a different church for an additional experience...but Jr thought it best we go to the same...and guess God did too...here's why.  After church as we waited for our ride, the senior pastor, Rev. Samson Lowa came over to welcome us & chat.  He said he' seen us last week and hoped to meet us.  He'd been to USA several times as he was on the United Church board...which includes Methodist.  When he asked why we were here, we told him about Tembari.  He'd been there.  We spoke of how hard the teachers worked, crowded conditions & no supplies.  He was shaking his head and agreeing.  I said we left with many questions.  He said he questioned much when he was there.  So I gave him a summary of our experience.  He was not surprised and said he needs to look into the matter.  So...maybe...maybe...with his influence (and our prayers)...some positive changes can still happen at Tembari.  

Update #65: short notes

So much happens that I want to record--though it seems I am writing all the time--but just don't want to forget:

-Our ride:  Mindex drives 10-15 year old small car with door handles broken so they use zip ties to open them...it bottoms out often due to ruts or humps.  But those passengers in the few big fancy 4 wheel cars with tinted windows up are missing out on much of PNG...they have no real contact with the land!

-Many taxi cars we see have smashed windows on the drivers' side...Mindex says it from angry drunks.

-Tried to visit the National Museum of Art & Culture...according to the gate guard, it's closed indefinitely till bills are paid.

-National Library is closed Sat & Sun at noon.

-Most businesses close at 4:06 pm.  

-Babies usually only nurse 3-4 months and then mom feeds them pre hewed food.

-Pumpkin leaves are harvested and sold for food...boy did we blow it when we were growing pumpkins!  

-Can't even begin to tell you how many people in all three countries ask us about Trump. The papers have been full of articles about our elections. From what we see & hear, he'd get no votes in NZ, Aust or PNG.  One Australian told me, "If Trump wins, I thinks it will destabilize the world."  

-Not seeing a mirror in three weeks is kind of liberating!

-My mission diet is working again...lost the "pouch" I appropriately gained in Australia!

-My favorite sound today was curls of laughter coming from the house behind us...it may be primitive but full of joy...at times anyways!

Update #64: Future of PNG by Rog

No matter what the future brings for PNG I am sure that the people here will continue to face the challenges of their lives just as they are today- with smiling faces, a laugh( Aiiiiiiii!), and a willingness to help each other that is embedded in their lives as part of their culture.
Our experiences here have kept us on a roller coaster, but we  can look forward to returning to our "normal" world.  For those here,normal is totally different.  Hayward suggested that it might take thousands of years for PNG to catch up to the rest of the world.  When he said that I thought it was far too long and there should be hope that conditions will improve much sooner than that....just look at how far the USA has come in just over 200 years!  Now I am thinking... Maybe he was right.   The USA developed from Western Civilization, but PNG is rising from primitive culture.
Roads are being built all around Port Moresby.  The new LNG (liquid natural gas) plant is big and exciting but essentially sealed off from the local population.  Construction here is continuous and prices are high. Papuans see opportunity for wealth and jobs.  But PNG has great obstacles to overcome-- Workers  from Maylasia are brought here to build the roads because they have the skills and tools to get the job done, while locals remain unemployed and struggle to survivie.  Maylasians also are building houses that are unaffordable for the Papauans ( $300,000 US).  Foreign investors are making big profits as resources here are exploited (much to the dismay of many Papuans).
Many people from the provinces have come here to the Capital for opportunity but find too little. Most are unemployed, but many sell snacks or garden produce from makeshift stands to earn a few Kina.  Cooks at Tembari got paid about $3.50/ day and teachers about $7/ day.  Not great paying jobs but all done with love for the children.
As we have seen in many other developing countries, many Papuans appear content to live with basic necessities. By that I mean that as long as basic needs are met there is little reason to do more. They also correctly blame government corruption for the poor condition of all infrastructure in the country (esp. roads, bridges, power supply, water supply).  Once again, leaders lining their pockets at the expense of the poor.  Will this ever change?
850 languages have made communication extremely difficult.  Each tribe has their own culture and the people all are very proud of their tribal customs.  All seem intent on passing their own tribal traditions on to the next generation as that is a huge part of their  identitiy.  These traditions and culture are the fabric of the country...it is who they are and they let you know right away to which clan they belong.  The clan is so close that they call each other brother or sister even though the actual relationship may be cousin or more distant.  The fact that the men may have more than one wife leads to many half brothers/sisters which increases the size of the clan also.  They are right to highly value their culture.  But their culture may get in the way when trying to become a modern society...We have heard some tell about their home village where water, food and housing is free and you just live free.  No bus fare, no job, no gasoline to buy.  Sounds great -so why do they come to the city?  Probably because there is also no electricity, no TV, no refrigerator, no cell phone, no excitement, no opportunity for a better life.  They come here for opportunity and they look forward to having the benefits of the modern world.  At the same time they also continue their cultural ways-which may prevent them from achieving individual success.   For example they help each other in many ways...sharing homes with many members of their clan, helping to pay bride prices, helping to pay funeral prices, financially assisting in times of need, caring for children and elderly, etc.  When we thanked Junior for being our host in PNG he replied, "I had no choice.  My brother asked me to do it."  No question... he will do whatever he can for members of his clan.  
Sharing their time and their wealth is of utmost importance and this leads to the following thought...

In Oro province, PNG, there is a cultural taboo against one person having more than the rest-as I was told, "if one person has more, he will die.  We don't want any one person to be better than the rest of us."
As societies move from primitive to modern we gain some things (wealth, independence,comfort) but we may also lose some things, too (shared lives, support in times of need, work/skill connections that bind us securely to one another).  It appears that even when you succeed and think you have it all, you don't really have it all.
L

Update #63: Gifts

I Since our first day at Tembari, we've been showered with gifts...from the teachers, cooks, students and also from the people living around and in the house where we are staying.  We now have 9 string bags (everyone here carries this bag called a bilum), 3 Oro tribe fabric bags, 1 string shopping by, 6 shell necklaces...one with wild pig tusks, a shell wedding bracelet, an Oro hat made of bark & palms, a beanie hat, a meri blouse, a hand decorated Oro shirt and 2 grass skirts made of saso frong (coconut like staple food of the Kairuku tribe).  It's humbling & so overwhelming to get gifts from those who have so little.  After each gift was received, we got tight hugs and heard the same words, "Remember me.  Remember PNG."

Sent from my iPad

Update #62: PNG Jokes (related by Rog)

After enjoying a farewell lunch with the teachers and Penny and Hayward,  Penny announced that they must now take time to smoke and chew beetle nut as this is their custom following a meal.  So some wandered off to do just that while others stayed and started to tell us some of their jokes and stories...many of them seemed to poke fun at anyone a lack of understanding of the English language, proper use of English, or the backward nature of someone recently moved to the city from a primitive village.  

...A newly arrived American was being driven around Port Moresby in a taxi and after a short while he asked the taxi driver, "Is this area hostile?".   "Yes", came the reply.  "Hoss style, pig style, chicken style,                  and dog style!"

An Australian stopped by a market to look at some crafts and noticed some wood carvings of a native that looked very much like the man who was selling the carvings.  He looked at the carving, then at the seller, then at the carving again, then again at the seller...trying to decide if the man had used himself as the model for his work as there was a great resemblance.  The seller wanted to ask the man if he would like to buy his carving, but he said "You look like my carving?"  

Riding around with a local driver on a typically hot day, the Australian stopped to get cold drinks for them...After a refreshing swig, the Australian said, "Fantastic!"  (Wanting to show off his use of English) the driver took a swig and declared, "Coketastic!"

Riding on a bus a man noticed that very confused-looking man beside him was chewing paw paw seeds.  He asked the man what the seeds do and he was told, "They make you think much better!"  He thought that he should give it a try so he asked "How much to try it?".  "Just one Kina for 20 seeds." He purchased some seeds and seemed to enjoy his ride for some time.  Then the bus stopped at a market and he got off to buy a snack.  At the market he saw paw paws...five for one Kina and each had about one hundred seeds!
When he got back on the bus he complained, "I paid too much for the seeds!"  
"I see you are thinking much better already!"

A preacher was explaining to the congregation that God is always with you.  He said, "Wherever you go, he go!  Whatever you do, he do.  Whenever you stay, he stay.  Wherever you are, he are!"  

A man took his son to swimming lessons and following the lesson many swimmers were returning to their parents but the man could not find his son.  The boy was wearing a pair of swimmer's goggles and was unrecognizable to his father.

A couple went to see the judge to complete their divorce and the judge said, we will ask each of the five children with whom they will go.  So he asked the first, "Will you go with the father or the mother?"  The child replied, "Mother".  So he asked the next child and again, "Mother".
When he got to the last child all previous answers had been "Mother" so the father said to the judge, "Will you please change the wording so that you ask this child, 'Will you go with the mother or the father?'"
The judge agreed to do this.  But in the end the final child also answered "Mother".  
Then the man said, "I ,too, want to go with the Mother!"

A woman was riding on the bus when the the fare collector called to her from the front of the bus saying, "Hey, you.  Bus fare!"  She turned around to see if there was someone behind her but didn't respond to him.  So again, he looked at her and said "You.  Bus Fare!"  Again she turned around to see who he was speaking to.  Once more he called to her, "Bus fare!"
Then she said, "The person you are talking to is out of your network area".

A priest was preparing to serve Holy Communion to a group of young people who were receiving their first Communion.  As he turned with the platter of host in his hand a loose button fell from his shirt onto the platter.  Communion proceeded as usual and following the service one boy asked his friend what he thought of the experience.  He replied, "I thought that I would get the body of Christ, but I got the bone of Christ!"