My 1st day at work. Due to heat + new environment sleeping very interrupted. 1st thing met Guaso + Nicolina (IT section). Then on to pres by Dr Allen Raimond in lecture hall whom is candidate for HOD. Lunch afterwards with many staff + VC. All staff extremely friendly + welcoming. Admin building for payroll setup and on to Norri in afternoon for shipment @ Lae. Picked up those damm smokes again ! Dinner tonight with school of business + VC at Aviat club for a chinese meal. Photo taken with VC ! Surrounded by doctors everywhere ! A little less afraid compared to yesterday. We have Wantok !
Day 2 in Lae…
Today a higher level of fear. Moved from guest house into transit accomodation. House run down + empty, no curtains, no sheets. Hopefully my place will be ready to move into tomorrow otherwise should be tuesday. Met John G. tonight at lodge. What a raccas at student mess this morning ! My 1st morning in Lae ! Breakfast cancelled and students thought we were from NCS (Catering). 2 hours of meditation today to settle down the fear. Went to Yacht Club for drinks + dinner with Roger, Martin, Jonika, Alex + Lester. Also met Jane Cousins (also AVI). Don't like much the way people drive here. Still has'nt rained.
At Jackson’s airport (Port Moresby)…
How the fuck did I end up here ? How the fuck do you end up anywhere. Moresby domestic airport on my way to Lae. Waiting, waiting…. The feeling is intense, almost overwhelming. How the fuck did I end up here ? Chance ? Fate ? …or choice ?
Julie, Marcus and Egma from NVS…
The 1st week in PNG was a great introduction into the PNG culture and language. In photo from left to right is Julie, Marcus and Egma. All three National Volunteer Services staff (NVS) engaged by AVI to run the orientation in Moresby. On this particular day we visited the PNG National Parliament and National Museum. Egma was my “Tok Pisin” language teacher for the entire week. There were no other Australians from AVI doing orientation so I had Egma all to myself. Since arriving at UNITECH in Lae, Egma has already visited me once, she was visiting family in Lae and has a husband and children back in Port Moresby. Marcus is the driver for NVS and loves his “Buai” (beetlenut). Julie is their manager and all three gave me a very warm welcome to PNG.
Ela Beach @ Downtown Port Moresby…
This photo was taken at Ela Beach in downtown Port Moresby. A few of us from the Comfort Inn hopped into a taxi one evening and decided to go downtown for pizza. Before eating we went for a stroll down the promenade along the beach. There would have been at least 250 young boys playing rugby and soccer matches, I estimate around 10 games being played at once, on the sand and also along the promenade on grass. Quite a site. I was strolling down the promenade watching the matches being played and decided to take some photos. What an experience. They all wanted their photos taken !! The photo attached is of a team that was sitting around waiting to play, so I got a team photo. See their faces !!! I was touched. This stroll down Ela Beach was a bit of a turning point for me, I became aware of a friendliness and a willingness to interact by the locals. During this hour on Ela Beach fear left me and for the first time I experienced the PNG friendliness and joy. For one hour fear left me and I was filled with a sense of adventure and romance.
The interesting thing is that there is a hill behind Ela Beach. On this hill there are mansions and apartments where all the expats live (mostly Australians). The locals refer to this hill as “Shit scared hill”. The people that live there go from their compounds to work and from work to the club and from the club back home again. I did’nt see any expats during my stroll down Ela Beach. It’s amazing what fear makes us miss out on. We went for pizza later that evening and there they all were !! The restaurant was filled with expats. I did enjoy the pizza though !!! After dinner we caught a taxi back to the Comfort Inn and on route, we were stopped by a Police roadblock. The fear was back !
The Comfort Inn at Port Moresby….
The main gate at the Comfort Inn in
Welcome !
Hi,
My 1st journal entry, in my 1st blog on my very own domain.
I now have an internet presence. Will my 1st attempt at blogging die a natural death ? …or will my page end up with millions of daily readers ? The least I hope is that friends and family take 5 out from time to time to have a look.
