Tyler and Emily in PNG

I am preparing for village living in which I will be gone for 5 weeks. This is my final week here at POC. I leave on Friday, March 25. I have been busy buying supplies and food for my village experience. Buying for 5 weeks of village living is hard as I have no experience living in the bush. I trust what my roommate and I have bought will be enough. One comfort food I have found in town are Oreo’s. I have bought a few packets that shall be a nice treat. My village allocation is south of Madang in the Transgogola area. The language group is Sihan and village name is Karadou. If you want to look up the specific location here are the GPS coordinates:
S              5.16.317
E              145.32.205
I will be staying in a hausboi which is a house built just for men. This house is approximately 7’x24’ split between 2 rooms. It is 6’ off the ground built on posts with a morota roof. Morota is woven leaf from a Sago tree. They usually weave 6’-8’ sections and overlap them like shingles. I am not sure the floor but more than likely bamboo or buai. The walls are typically woven bamboo blinds. Windows are cut and often open to the outside. Living in such an environment will definitely be an experience, one that I may or may not want to do again. I am reminded that being a follower of Christ, you are often called outside your comfort zone. Being a missionary, you are very much outside your so-called comfort zone of life.

Last week, we were split into groups of 5-6 for the 3 day survey hike. My group make up was 2 Papua New Guinea guides (1 male/1 female) and 5 students (3 Americans, and 2 Koreans). We left on Monday morning and returned mid afternoon on Wednesday. We had 2 village overnights on our survey hike. The first day we hiked 4.8 miles to Betelgut.

We got to Betelgut in the mid afternoon and the school kids just got out of school. Many of the young primary children were playing in the dirt yard. They were very entertained by the whiteskins in their village. 3 of the children were playing marbles on the dirt floor.

The picture has rice that is drying on the ground with the hausboi in the background where we stayed for the night. Once the rice has been dried, you husk the shell then you are ready to eat the rice.

That evening we sat on a big blue trap, ate dinner, drank coffee/tea, and then ate popcorn while we told stories. People here love to sit and share stories. They especially love to hear funny stories. They like to laugh but they are forgiven when we stumble over our broken Tok Pisin words. After a somewhat restless night, sharing a mosquito net with another man which was meant for a single the next morning came with gray clouds. The family said it was going to rain and they were right. It did rain so we waited for it to let up. We finally made a group decision to pack up and start on the trail. By this time the rain was a little drizzle and it soon dissipated while on the trail.

Day 2 was a long day, 8.1 miles over 6.5 hours going up and down through the jungle terrian. We were making our way along the ridge to the village of Balbul. We stopped at the village of Belan for lunch and a quick rest. We made it to Balbul about 4:30 in the afternoon. It was a very long, hot day on the trail carrying a 10 kg (22 lbs) backpack.

This village had a very nice creek that was available for washing. Of course after a long hot, sweating day I took advantage of bathing and cooling off in the water. I found a deep hole, 5 ft and cooled off. Back in the village the family was eager to sit and story with us. They want to know where you came from, about your family and what you will be doing here in PNG. I try to explain that I come from a very cold place in Alaska. I try to make it sound terrible, but I don’t think they have any concept of snow and ice. The Tok Pisin word for snow is ice. I say, ‘Liklik ples bilong mi, em i gat plenti, plenti ice na kol tumas.’ (Place I come from, has a lot of snow and it is very cold.)

Again after dinner of rice, tin of braised steak and onions, kaukau, taro, and tulip greens the family was ready for hot tea and story time. They make sure that no one is missed and everyone gets equal time to story. They had many laughs and so did we. Life is good and all went to bed happy. The saying or phrase used is ‘gutpela sindaun’ or good life.

Day 3 I woke to a petting zoo of animals making their usually noises. Roasters crowing all hours of the early morning and pigs snorting around the yard looking for food. They also have cats and dogs that roam the place at will. Day 3 was a nice hike back to POC. 5 miles up hill from about 100’ up to 1300’ was a bit of hike. Being the last day we were motivated to get back. Overall, we hiked 17.9 miles in three days.

One thing I learned on this 3 day hike was their relative proximity of distance and time. Since they have no real concept of distance and time they use phrases such as longwe (long distance), longwe liklik (short long way), klostu (not really close), klostu liklik (getting close but still not close), and klostu tru (close). When you ask a question such as how much farther or how much more time, you have to be prepared for a very vague or broad answer. This makes it difficult for time oriented whiteskins to judge distance and time. You have to learn just to go with the flow and trust your guides.

Overall, it was a good experience and I enjoyed the time with the Papua New Guinean people. I do feel much more comfortable with my ability to speak the language. It also has calmed my nervous and anxiety for 5 weeks of village living.