BITS AND PIECES FROM PNG

 

Greetings to everyone in the States.  We thought we would share a few things we found interesting

       as we try to acclimate to our new surroundings.  Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.

 

1. The nationals are a very warm, friendly people who always greet you with a smile and hello or nod of the head.
2. Whenever someone comes to your home they call out a greeting to announce their presence while standing about 10-15 feet from your front door.  They typically do not knock on your door. (This can be a problem for Bob if he doesn’t hear them)
3. They do not like to call at your home unless your front door is open.  A closed door usually means the owner does not want to be disturbed or is not home.  If you are home you pretty much keep your front door open to be hospitable.
4. Everyone immediately removes shoes upon entering your home.  So bare feet is very common.
5. Cicadas are common every morning about 6:00 am.  They announce their presence by their screeching sound for about 15 minutes.
6. Flowers are in abundance: poinsettias, marigolds, roses of different types, a type of impatience and multiple other varieties.  Very colorful and lush grounds set between mountain ranges make this a lovely place. 
7. The temperature has been down in the mid 50’s at night and gets up to the mid 70’s-80’s during the day. It seems to rain every afternoon/evening for maybe an hour or two.  We aren’t sure if that is the norm or if it is because we are in the rainy season here.
8. Currency is in the form of a Kina.  The bills have a wax-like coating on them which feels very different than our U.S. dollars.  The exchange is about 3.5 kinas to an American dollar.
9. We have many birds who chirp loudly and sing frequently from morning to dark. Beautiful music!
10. The mission is about one mile above sea level, so the air is a bit thin here.  We notice it when we walk for any distance.
11. We have a number of seemingly stray dogs here.  Often, they awake us by their yapping during the night.  We understand that one of the nationals is called upon when the problem needs addressed and he will bring his bow / arrows and shoots one.  He will then take it home for eating.
12. We do not leave the mission station much.  Shopping or traveling to a bush church would be a typical reason to leave, otherwise we stay here.
13. The station has a modern hydro plant in the valley here.  It collects all the rainwater for us to use for indoor needs.  We have a filter for our water that we use for consumption. We need to use water judiciously so when the dry season comes water will still be available.
14. We had a national come to our home and introduce both he and his wife.  They offered to work for us.  So, after checking with our lead missionary, we will have them do yard work here at our home.  This will help supplement their income.  This seems to be a common practice to have nationals working in/out of your home (only those approved by leadership) and then there is a suggested wage of about 30 Kinas for a full days work.  If they work for you then you would typically provide water, biscuits (cookies) or even lunch if they work a full day,  You pay them at the end of the day. It is an opportunity to share your English with them and in turn they teach you Pidgin. Time will tell if we are teachable or too old!
15. Within our station which includes the hospital, MK school, and nursing college everyone always starts their day with devotions.  An amazing experience to begin your job with a group of people sharing God’s Word and prayer together.
16. We have plenty of fruit/vegetables available to us, either by nationals who sell at your door, one of many fruit stands along the highway, or other missionaries sharing their abundance.  Currently, we have a “bunch of bananas” hanging from our porch roof as they ripen.  We learned that there are at least three kinds of bananas here and each has a distinct taste and use.
17. Gayle recently found out that going shopping in Mt. Hagen is an all-day experience.  She left at 8:30 am and returned around 3:30 pm. (Town being about 45 minutes away) She found many similar types of foods that we eat in the States though most are imported from Australia. We have found our diet is similar to the one we have in the US.  There are some items that don’t seem to be available or they are only available at random times: mayonnaise, mustard, baking soda.  All things we can live without.
18. Our time is about 14 hours ahead of Michigan time. An important thought to remember when you wish to talk to any friends or family.