Greetings
to you from Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Since my previous blog
back in May, I have continued to remain busy with the many demands and
activities of the school where I teach.
I
have come to the realization that teaching is a demanding profession, be it in
the U.S. or in a foreign country, such as is the case here at Caritas Technical
Secondary School (Kimbe). The many
demands, preparations, delivering of lessons, grading assignments/tests, extra-curricular
activities, staff meetings, reports, etc. are all part of being a teacher. Though I am teaching on the other side of the
world and on a different hemisphere, it isn’t much different than in the
USA. Only the place, people and small
details change. Sure gives me a sense of how we are truly ONE IN CHRIST!
Every
day that I spend here in PNG is another opportunity to discover more about the
culture, language and customs here in Kimbe.
Because I live and work in the large, gated campus of Caritas, my life
revolves around the activities and events of our school, and not so much on what
goes on outside in the town of Kimbe. I
do venture out into the town to run errands and go shopping and now know my way
around the town well. Also, Sundays find
me walking to early Mass (only 6:3O a.m. in English and 8:00 a.m. in Tok Pisin
Masses are available here…none later in the day).
The
cathedral of the diocese is still not built and therefore Mass was held her at
the Caritas gym until June. Now the
diocese rents space from the city and our Masses are held in a large tent
adjacent to the soccer field. One of my
favorite things to witness and be a part of on Sundays is walking to and from
Mass. Seeing all the people walking and
headed the same way really touches my heart and speaks to me of the great faith
and love for the Church these people have.
They are true witness for me!
Also,
along the way, folks will greet me and often will chat as we walk together. One Sunday, a young girl named Daisy, about
16 years old, walked up to me, greeted me and warned me of a truck coming
behind me. As we moved over to let the
truck go by, I thanked her and thought she would continue walking ahead of me,
but much to my surprise, she continued to walk with me. We chatted along the way and I found out she
is a 10th grader at the local public high school (Kimbe Secondary
School). She asked how the U.S. is and
if I live near New York. I shared with
her that I come from Texas and that is very far from New York. She then said she hopes one day to go visit
New York because she sees it many times in movies.
As
we neared where I needed to cross the street go buy some things, I bid her
farewell, but she said, “Oh no, Sister, I will come with you and help
you.” I really didn’t need her help but
seeing her desire to accompany me, I thanked her and she went with me to the
store. I offered her a drink and some
cookies and she was delighted. As we
left the store, she insisted on carrying the bag with my purchases. So we continued and finally when we got to
the Caritas gate, she gave me the bag, thanked me and said, “See you next
Sunday.” I assured her of my prayerful
support as she continues her studies and will sit for her national exams on the
same week as my students, and we parted ways.
I
was so touched with her kindness and willingness to help me out. This is just one example of the kindness that
folks here are always so willing to offer others. I continue to pray for her and I am sure some
Sunday in the near future we will see each other again.
(Coming soon, Part II: Technical Day & Sports Day)
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