Greetings
from Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea (PNG)! I arrived in Port Morsbey, the capital city
of PNG in the afternoon of Friday, January 25th, and was met at the
airport by the Caritas sisters (Korean) and Danita Kurtz, LMH missionary about
to complete one year on mission here in Kimbe).
After 20+ hours of travel, their welcome and smiles was a blessing! From the moment I arrived in PNG, even at the
Customs area, local folks greeted me with warm smiles and welcome. Several men offered to help me pull my
luggage from the baggage claim and place them onto a luggage cart, which are
available for free here…a nice surprise!
The
sisters took us to their convent in Port Morsbey to spend the night there since
our flight to Kimbe did not leave until the following day in the afternoon.
They were very kind and hospitable and fun to be with.
Finally,
on Saturday, January 26th, we arrived in the late afternoon in Kimbe
where Bishop Fey, Bishop of the Kimbe Diocese, was waiting to drive us to
Kimbe. As we traveled 2 hours to Kimbe
down a bumpy highway with so many potholes that the truck would swerve
constantly to avoid them, I was amazed at the lush vegetation. People walking or resting along the road
would wave and smile.
That
night Bishop took us to dinner at the nearby resort called Liamo Resort where
we enjoyed a delicious hot meal. The
Liamo Resort is a beautiful resort that serves great meals. By the way, since I have spent the past two
weeks mostly sleeping and making my efficiency a home, in addition to the
endless lesson planning and paperwork a teacher encounters daily, I have only
returned to the Liamo one time. When I
saw it in the daylight, my eyes could not take in all the gorgeous
scenery! The meal was great as was the
company of our principal, Danita, and the dorm “mother.”
The
day after I arrived here in Kimbe, I was able to appreciate my surroundings
here on the grounds of Caritas Technical Secondary School. I was amazed at the many kinds of beautiful
plants and lush vegetation! Now, from
my desk at school, I see palm trees swaying in the wind all day and brightly
colored plants that adorn the gardens of the school.
Sad
to say, but jetlag hit me hard!!! I
arrived on Saturday night and by Monday morning I was at school meeting folks
and trying to figure out how their educational system works. The lesson planning, reports, assessments,
class schedules, discipline, grading, etc. of the PNG educational system and of
Caritas Technical Secondary School was quite different than what I am used to
in the United States (Texas). I felt as
if I was walking in a fog, my internal clock was so turned around that by 2
p.m. (9 p.m. in El Paso, TX) I was ready to call it a day and go to sleep! As soon as I got home from school, I would
eat something and fall asleep as early as 6 p.m. and sleep, sleep, sleep! For the first two weeks, I could not understand
well what people were telling me or what was being said in meetings here at
school. Getting used to their accent
combined with my brain fog/jetlag made understanding them very difficult! Now I am becoming accustomed to their accent
and my jetlag is dissipating. I can now
understand what is being said and the system of lesson planning, etc. is
starting to make some sense. The school
year here begins at the end of January and ends in early December.
I
have been teaching now for two weeks. I
am teaching Business Studies to high school girls in grade 9, 10, and Pre-11
(This is a name given to students who did not pass the national exam in grade
10 and therefore often will drop out because they are not accepted in public
schools. The Sisters call them the
“second-chance” girls. It is their
effort to help these women continue their studies and hopefully graduate from
high school.)
I am
also teaching Office Management to Grade 11 students. Flexibility is a must here. Schedules change almost daily as do
assignment of what one will teach, when one will teach, what classroom one will
teach in. So I listen and go with the
flow! No it’s not the American way, but
I remind myself I am not in America…this is PNG! I’m getting to know and enjoy
working with the staff and faculty here and am impressed at their dedication
and hard work, even staying for staff meetings that can last up to 2 hours
after a full day of teaching.
The
students are very well behaved and respectful.
They are also very shy and quiet in class. Getting them to respond aloud has been a
challenge but they are slowly getting used to my teaching style and to the fact
that it is o.k. to give an incorrect answer.
I enjoy the school Masses (every Wednesday) and just love to hear them
sing so beautifully and harmonize so well.
Often I am touched by their singing and it brings tears to my eyes.
Another
thing that shocked my body was the intense humidity (about 95-100% everyday!)
especially coming from El Paso, TX where humidity is almost non-existent! We are now in the “wet season” and it rains
about 3-4 times per day with heavy downpours. (Here they have two seasons only…wet
and dry and both hot!) Umbrellas are a MUST here. No one ventures out without their
umbrella! One Sunday, I saw that the sun
was shining, so I chose not to carry my umbrella, however suddenly the sky
opened and rain began to fall as we waited outside church for the previous Mass
to end. A kind woman invited me to join her under her umbrella and said, “You
must carry your umbrella always. It
serves to block the rain and if it is sunny, then the sun will be blocked
too!” Wise words to a newbee here in
PNG! I am getting used to this
weather…feeling soggy is the norm here!
Also,
getting used to the fact that all kinds of bugs and mosquitoes are part of this
place has been difficult for me. The
ants here (tons of ants) are relentless! I do so many things to get rid of them
but they return in a few hours. I think
I heard a group of ants thanking me for the insecticide I sprayed on them. They probably just lick it up like candy and
laugh at this American trying to get rid of them! I’ve learned several natural ways to ward
them off, like cucumber peelings….it works!
Well at least long enough to let you cook and eat! Peppermint essential oil in witch hazel or
even water works well too…I spray it and they leave for a while. There are bugs here I have never seen before,
like the HUGE spider that greeted me the other morning on my bathroom
door….YIKES!!! That thing was a
monster!!! I don’t know who was more scared, me or it as I screamed and
proceeded to get rid of it! My only
regret is that I did not get a picture of it, but when one is scared who thinks
of a camera!!! I know folks won’t believe me but it was about the size of my
hand with my fingers extended, No, it was not a tarantula, possibly larger. Anyway, several other vermin have come to
welcome me, but I’ve made it clear to them as I spray and whack them that they
have overstayed their welcome and can now leave me alone!!! I suppose it’s just
another day in paradise here….lovely scenic vegetation comes with its price, in
this case….lots of critters!
The
people here in Kimbe have been very welcoming! When I walk through the shopping
areas across the street from the Caritas campus and at the city market, where
one can find many vegetables, fish, clothing, etc., men, women, and children will smile and say
“welcome, sister!, Good afternoon/morning, sister!” Danita tells me that is
what missionaries are called here as well, sister or brother. People are helpful as well. The country is a very poor one but they are
rich in values of faith, family, church, community, and hospitality!
I
continue to adjust to my life here and my surroundings. Soon I know that I will find my new “normal”
here and will appreciate and enjoy my time here even more. Every day I thank God for His blessings and
ask him to bless all the folks that have made it possible for me to respond in
this way to God’s call to serve our brothers and sisters on this side of the
world. Thank you for your prayerful
support! Thank you for taking time to
read my blog. I will continue to share
more of my mission experience.
In
Christ’s love.
