School and PNG area

Friday we stayed nice and close to the Bible college, so the driving (less being in the back of a very hot vehicle) was short. A definite bonus! We stopped by a school. Was it 9 mile, or 14 mile? It is run by the church, and has just started recently. They have kindergarten, grade 1 and 2. I think they were hoping to add grade 3 next year. The classroom is also the church.

Classes are taught in English (this is very typical for PNG) so it was neat to see some familiar books on the table! Because the school is for lower grades, it is closed for Friday, as the work for the younger grades is done by Thursday. I think Timothy then does gardening work, but maybe there was something else that he takes care of, he keeps busy, either way!

The teacher (Timothy?) sleeps in the tent, so he is ready early to clear out the pews and pull in what is needed to turn the church into school.

 It was neat being able to look through his supplies. He sure has very little to work with, and must really maximize his materials! He was very excited to tell us about his work.

 The garden there by the church and school

This house next to the church may belong to a church going family. We chatted a while there. I was still feeling a bit off, and Melanie wasn't tops. So I sat down and read the bag of chicken feed that was laying there...wondering if it was there for some local chickens, or the sack being hung on to for lugging goods. I guess it would still be held on to for future use, things get reused a lot in PNG!

We also visited a coffee shop. It was very interesting to go to after having been at the school. First of all we get ushered into the parking spot by no less than three guards...and the parking lot can fit at most 5 cars. Then we get in the entry way of the coffee shop, and once we are passed this additional barrier we are in a cool and relaxed climate that could be a coffee shop just about anywhere else. Such a contrast from where we were 20 minutes before. Like when we were in the restaurant, we wonder, where do the locals who work in these fancier places live? Are they working in here and then going home to bare walls and a dirt floor...maybe not even a mattress? It was hard to leave the coffee shop back into the heat, but we managed it.

 The local market was a must to go visit. Here was the selection of colourful "meri blouses" that I'd wished I'd had days ago. They are very light functional shirts that breath very well in the heat. They were made popular by missionaries back in the day when tops were not to be found on most local women. Having them bright and not too overbearingly stuffy to wear made it less of a challenge for the women to adopt them as daily wear.

 So many beautiful shirts! I regret only buying one. I was trying to be modest. (haha)

 There were lots of cool handmade products here. So we picked up a few so that we had a few touristy things to take home.

 Our next stop was the local fish market. It was very neat to check out. I wonder how expensive it would be to get fish here on a regular basis.

 This whole building (you can see about half of it) is full of tables with fish and other seafood for sale. And every person at the stand has a leaf or fan to keep the flies off of their goods.

 Across the water are some fascinating houses on stilts. Must feel nice and cool on the hot days...but when storms come in, I'm not sure I'd want to be living there.

 At the entrance was a group of guys singing. It sounded really nice!

 The local kids were smart to jump in and cool off. But I wasn't' as sure when I saw all the garbage that was floating around where they were swimming. But then again, tomorrow I'll think that this was clean water, comparatively.

Just past the swimmers is a row of men who are ready and willing, for a small price, to scale your fish for you. There is a steady stream of water flowing over their work surface, washing away the scales into the water. It probably drifts right to where the kids are playing in the water. Maybe they go home smelling fishy.

 It's a busy place inside.

Such a lot to see!

 These fish may have been swimming freely among coral reefs a few hours ago...or maybe a day or two. I am no expert at telling the freshness of fish. I swam next to fish like these! They didn't look so brightly coloured then, but now that they are out of the water you can tell how vivid they are.

 It's fascinating to see such a lot of variety.

 What a variety of tastes you must get from all this different selection. Too bad I wouldn't know how to cook any of it!

 Along the coast a few minutes drive we go.

 Here is a beach that the college students go for outings occasionally. The sand is trucked in, apparently. We've never seen anything like it anywhere else in PNG (not that we've travelled over much of it, though). What an expense...we can think of a lot better uses for the government to spend it's money on. We discuss this with the very new APEC building gracing the background. I'm not sure it was quite complete for the summit it was built for. And it was used (in grandeur) for, at most, a week. Now it is empty. Another tragic waste of money...a frustrating lack of vision on long term functionality. We are thinking or road works, hospitals, more education....so many places where money would bring back long term benefits.

On the beach are some traditional boats that were made and set up for a festival that passed recently. Traditionally the people from PNG would take a long trip to some islands nearby (maybe the Solomon Islands?) to trade for food. The festival is a celebration of their safe return home. Since the weather is risky and the natives on other islands potentially hostile, it is a great relief and celebration when the men return home. The food is needed badly by the time they arrive back too!

 

 The apartment style buildings look so odd next to the smaller shack-like houses. Sharp contrasts are everywhere, the rich are very rich, while the average PNGer is getting by with very little.

 We stopped by the Kokoda Trail Memorial Cemetery. Lots and lots of crosses. It's maintained beautifully.

What a lot of people died along the trail. It is humbling to think of how these men gave everything. It was a very tough fight for them through very rough conditions. And here I am feeling that a loss of some of my comforts (like cooler air and improved health) is so important.Perspective.

Beretete

 Nathan and I stayed behind to tackle some illness while the others went off to Beretete to see the church (and school?) there. As I didn't go along, and my details to go with the photos would be less than reliable, I will omit doing so.

Melanie told me that they were spoiled in Beretete. Flowers were set up beautifully just for the visitors, and they were served a feast, including something similar to donuts, watermelon, juice and rice cooked in banana leaves. They were given a tour of the church and got a chance to meet the national pastor and his family. If I remember correctly, they do some fish farming as well. Everyone was glad that they went. I was glad I stayed in bed, but wished someone brought me a slice of watermelon. ;)

Last Day of Conference

 By the last day of the conference both Daniel and I were feeling a fair bit better. I sat through a part of the conference (but it was sooo hot in the classroom!) but didn't know what was really going on as I'd been out of it for so long. Didn't know who was who either, at least not everyone. I didn't have a job as the cooks and babysitting positions had all been eagerly filled while I was sick. And I had no kitchen to cook meals in or clean, and my laundry was done by a helpful lady....so I had nothing to do. I felt lost, and sorry for myself most of the day. I did get to fill in as a babysitter when M started feeling tired and wanted to rest a bit more. I think I'll be a cranky old senior when I get to the stage where I can't contribute physically to helping others or myself. It's hard to fell like you have no purpose!

 Daniel enjoyed the restful time. There were lots of books laying around (now that he'd run out of comics) for when he wasn't up to running around yet.

 The trampoline gets a lot of use!

 The kids that needed watching were all very cute. :)

 In between meetings and when the conference was over the adults meandered over to have their snacks and to gab together.

 The kids tried out the baseball gloves. Note that most people hang out in the shade. It sure makes a difference if you are in the sun or not!

 

I think we went out for dinner this evening. Because I'm pretty sure that I was sick again that night, and up for Nathan who was sick (but not admitting it...I only ate too much, I'm not sick). It was so different going to a classy restaurant like you were back in Canada, having delicious Chinese food and in a clean cool place. Such a contrast to a lot of what we have seen. It was delicious too!

On Field Conference

 The second day into the conference I was still mostly out of commission. I did spend more time out of bed and began to feel a bit more interested in what was going on. I got to check in on the kids' various activities as I left my air conditioned bedroom to use the bathroom.

 They certainly kept busy!

 It was nicer to be in the shade indoors once the sun got nearer to being overhead. The kids growing up in PNG also were enjoying shade, so it wasn't just me. But I felt that my luxurious air conditioning was an absolute must for my feeble self to speed on the road to recovery. But boy did I feel awful when I stepped out of my cool zone at midday!

 How many kids can you fit around a laptop to watch a movie?

 Daniel also appreciated the cool room. And once he was starting to feel better, he also enjoyed all the Asterix books that were in the room. His recovery time coincided with the time it took to read the Kleyn's entire set of comics.

 As in some previous posts, I once again am borrowing pictures taken from other folks who were also at the campus. The conference folks posed for a group shot.

 Spouses were told to join in, so I attempted to look cheerful. I was feeling a fair bit better by now!

 Kitchen and babysitting help also posed. Some of these ladies brought several frozen cakes over to PNG by plane to be enjoyed (very thoughtful ahead, not wanting the ovens baking all day!) and there were more than enough cakes to last for the duration of our stay. Yum!

 The conference went on steady for three full days. Lots of talking and discussion happened. The time was very much appreciated. New Zealand, Australian and Canadian sending churches were all able to come and the Mission Worker and Missionary families could all converse together about the work and make/work on a vision for the future.

 They worked hard at keeping on schedule with all the items on their agenda, and even the more challenging items were all discussed together in a mutually appreciated way. In three years time the plan is to get together again for another powwow.

 The kids certainly made use of the time of all being together on the Bible college campus. They don't often get to all hang out together, so they made the best of their time!

 The conference attendees got a guided tour of the campus led by Richard, getting the explanation of the set up, who is staying where, and what plans there are for future buildings.

 Joe and his family live in the first of a row of student houses. The houses are almost all the same, clean and simple, but for some students it is still an upgrade from home.

 This is called, I think, the Ablution Block. The water is for laundry, showers and toilets. This water isn't fit for drinking, and is pumped in from the river (more on the river later).

 This is one of the first houses built for the students at the college. The newer houses are not split like this one, to be shared by two families, but are a single family unit. Sharing the patio/middle space was not an ideal setup, so the newer houses are designed differently.

 The kids just keep playing baseball as the tour goes on.

 I was hanging out with the kids too, checking out their activities.

 

 It's interesting to watch how the kids make everything into a toy. The construction material becomes ramps for bikes and places to roll balls.

 Here is housing for the students who don't come with families. That is the "bachelor's cabin", where I believe they have bunkbeds set up, so they can house a fair number of students comfortably.

 The students all take care of a garden in front of their house, and they do a great job. On top of that they are responsible for produce in the garden blocks, where they are expected to grow food for themselves, as well as for selling in the markets. They grow a lot of different things, from peanuts and greens to bananas potatoes corn and papaya.

Behind this building under construction (another ablution block) is one of the two student garden sections. Beyond that yet is the river. The whole campus is surrounded by a chain link fence, and to get out through the back you need the key. I can't remember if the whole property was a 10 acre or 20 acre block. It's a nice sized space with room for a big field to play rugby (PNG's favourite sport) or volleyball or baseball. Room for the gardens to expand. Room for more student housing. Being all together is a good opportunity for the students that come from different tribal areas to mingle, and they are not allowed to use their "Tok Place" (tribal language) but must use Tok Pizin. It's a hard transition for some families, but it helps promote unity!