Blogs from Papua New Guinea, Oceania - page 6

Security Guards and Puppies The security guards at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital are hired through a third party, Asila Security Services (conveniently abbreviated ASS, with badges places on their hats and sleeves). These guys are pretty nice and friendly when you talk to them, but most of the time they strut around, empowered by their uniforms. Sometimes they carry a bushknife or a club as guns aren't legal in the country. At the front gate, the guards will often question each person entering the hospital area. They will act like they're doing you a favor when they let you pass. White people are an exception though; they hurry to open gates for us and greet us. Again, they're really nice guys, they just like having authority. Anyway, one day after I finished in ER, I made the ... read more

Sunday night I was walking around the station at sunset. I walked past the ER and saw Dr. Bill inside with several nurses, leaning over an exam table. I went inside to see what was happening. Remember, this is Sunday night, if something is happening in the ER, it is actually an emergency, not someone needing a bandage changed. A little girl (2 months old) had been brought in and was clearly underweight and having severe difficulty breathing. Dr. Bill was hesitant to make a diagnosis, but suspected meningitis, possibly with other complications. The baby gasped for breath, exposing her ribs each time she inhaled. She was clearly not aware of her surroundings, as her eyes floated around the room, unable to fixate on anything. The nurses could not get an IV started in the girls ... read more

Lessons in Language As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the main language in PNG is Tok Pisin, which literally means, "to talk like a bird." This language was developed from a mixture of English, Spanish, German, and a few other languages. I've been working with four native guys who don't speak much English, so this has provided me with the opportunity to learn some Tok Pisin. The following are things that I have gathered about the language thus far. Pretty much every preposition is "long", with the exception of on top, below, and a few others. This means that you must know the context to know what a person in talking about. "Yu kum long haus bilong me" can mean "You come to/in/out of/through/by/from/on/beside etc. my house" Verbs don't get conjugated, as far ... read more

Wednesday May 8, 2013 I made it. After two more short flights, we touched down in Mt. Hagen, PNG and were picked up at the airport by 4 of the missionaries from Kudjip station. The best part of the whole day was having Kumi, a native guy with whom I worked construction last year, call me out by name and give me a hug after seeing me come out of the airport. The 45 minute drive from the airport to the mission station was beautiful. It hasn't rained in the past 6 days and so many villagers were burning the grass off of their fields to prepare them for planting. We past trucks carrying loads of coffee cherries and there were natives selling fruits and vegetables along the entire stretch of the road. I rode in ... read more

Every great meal need an amuse-bouche, this time, the amuse-bouche is average, and the meal was amazing. What do I mean? I've got too many pictures to sort out, so here is already something to start with. As it happened the last summer, Tiffany and Leslie are spending few weeks in Vietnam with their Mum. July is not high on the business agenda, beside being connected, so this is my little yearly holidays...I've checked, Leslie and Tiffany are doing well....they don't know yet what I've dived, neither do you... Pretty soon, I'll have dived in more countries than my age. Could have been done faster...but I'd better aim for quality than quantity....so her it is...one more diving adventure. Cindy, I'm in your garden...Shane....would have been fun to have dinner in the most expensive Holiday Inn in ... read more