Classes at UNITECH are back in full swing this week. Technically the semester began last week but with the Monday being a Public Holiday (Remembrance Day) and with the four day volunteer conference at Loloata Resort, this week is when work really begins.
My workload for this semester is reasonable with 11 contact hours of lectures and tutorials. The subjects I am taking are ones that I have taken in the past so with a structure already in place – the challenge should not be too difficult. All of my classes take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Thursday and Friday being free days. The last two days of the week being free will give me time to prepare for the following week.
On another note I seem to have come down with another bout of Malaria. Have had the sniffles for the past day or so and right now I feel like shit warmed up. One of the facts living in a tropical country is the potential for illness. Although lucky to have been born with a very strong constitution this will be the third time I have experienced the big “M”. It sure sucks.
With UNITECH's internet connection being almost next to useless from about 8:00am onwards – I have been getting into work by 7am to do my blogging and email. The slowness of the link is due to student labs now having access to internet resource. With a 256kbps link for both students and staff it all but comes to a standstill during student lab times – which happens to be between 8am and 10pm in the evening. Its interesting to observe how we end up relying on certain resouces and the internet is one of those “musts” in this day and age. Why doesn't UNITECH upgrade the speed of the link. That's a good question and like with most issues in PNG in can be attributed to management issues. And believe you me there are plenty here at UNITECH – let alone PNG.
Living and working in a developing country sure comes with its challenges. Frustration seems to be a common reaction but I suppose the key is to see through the “mess” and push on regardless. At times I wander why the hell I would want to stay on here in PNG and continue to battle with this frustration and the challenges. I suppose at the end of the day I believe that I can make a difference. Its a difficult one and an issue that probably all volunteers confront on a regular basis. Perhaps my degree of effectiveness as a non-national lies in my ability to deal constructively with this internal stress and negativity.
Perhaps at the end of the day, all I really need to do is just keep meditating… an excellent tool for dealing with all sorts of internal turmoil and neurosis, not just frustration.
Lets push on for now…
It's 8:29am and the library is about to open – better get this post up there before I miss the “window”.
Hoping you are all well.
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