...looking back over our 1st month...

(Part 2)

I went to wash the lettuce yesterday, and had to fill a bowl with the filtered water, just b/c the tap water is yellow and filthy.  We gave the girls a bath because, as every day here, they were covered in dirt...sand from the sandbox, dirt from the roads, black feet with little white places where their flip flop straps were.  THEN we go to fill the tub to clean them, and put 2 capfuls of bleach in with the bubble bath to make it seem cleaner :)  The tub water is yellow and dingy.  We at least get their skin looking clean again.  Whether it really is or not, that's another story. 

Today, as every day, I swept over a dozen Rhinocerous beetles off my 2 decks.  The hardest to get off are the ones that latch onto the clothesline on my front deck.  I've decided that they can stay. 

I was ready to heat something on the stove today and got out the matches to light the burner, cuz that's how we do it around here. 

  This morning, several ladies (within a 1/2 hour's time) called or came by with ideas for recipes I can make with all the common PNG food available.  I thought, "could this be a coincidence?" Then I realized that Josh had shared in the staff meeting that we were struggling with cooking and could the ladies all share their favorite recipes with me.  Aaaaah...now I see.  So I guess pasta dishes almost every single day isn't cutting it with my man :)  hahaha...well, now the new girl has LOTS of new recipes to try, and I'll keep you posted on which ones work out and are given the thumbs up from the fam.

• Monday, I cooked a "pamkin" (pumpkin squash) by cutting it in 1/2 and baking it in the oven for an hour.  Something many of you may have done before, but I never did -- simply b/c I'm not a big pumpkin squash fan.  I learned, after the mumu and dry sweet potatoes we ate there, that moist baked pumpkin is DELICIOUS! ...so I will attempt Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Soup, and Pumpkin Pie Waffles this week.  A pumpkin squash goes a long way! :) 

As I threw away my pumpkin rind and seeds, I was reminded that at my mom & dad's house, we had 2 trash cans...one to recycle and one for all the other trash.  Here, we have one can for "burning", one bag for cans/ tins/ plastics that hold their shape, another trashcan for "wet trash" (food scraps)...and this is just in the kitchen!  In the bathrooms, we have cans for "burnables" and a separate bag for "nappies" (diapers).  Tell your men not to complain when they have to take out the trash!  (On top of this, we have to cart it off ourselves and put it in it's respective barrels on center -- except for wet trash which gets hung in it's bag on the clothesline for the nationals to take it to feed their pigs.)  The UPSIDE?  We don't have to wait for "trash day" to get our cans emptied :)

This afternoon, we made a trip to the bigger NTM center, Lapilo.  They have a store there and carry some things you can't get in town.  One of my favorite finds:  TOOTSIE ROLLS!  In a HUGE bag!  And I'm not ashamed to say I've eaten 1/2 the bag while typing this blog.  Nope, not one bit.  They are new, not stale, same 'ole bad for you, yet SO good Tootsie Rolls.  YUM!  (We just don't have a lot of familiar candy options...our other fave here is Starbursts...something I'm willing to splurge to have.)  Another new favorite is TANG.  For $0.31 each pack, it's so worth it!  (apple juice is over $11/gallon, and OJ doesn't exist...and forget all the fancy juices).  So, you want OJ with your breakfast?  We got it....TANG!

This morning, Josh and I both took cold showers.  We've had all sunny days for a month STRAIGHT until Sunday.  So our solar hot water heater that sits on our roof didn't get much solar power with the overcast days, and left us with nice cold showers.  You just try to get used to it like getting into a pool for the first time in the late spring.  You eventually tell yourself that it's getting warmer :) 

Tonight, when putting the girls to bed, I kicked a little piece of gecko poo out of the way in the hall, then did a quick glance to make sure no geckos were in sight.  We haven't seen but about 5 in the house.  They're grayish and only the size of my index finger.  But hey!  If they eat bugs, I'm good enough with that!  Just hoping the girls don't see them :) 

Tomorrow morning, I'll go to the small market down at the soccer field on center here.  Nationals come and lay out their tarps and produce.  The first time I went, I didn't even know what money was what!  Tomorrow, I'll take my 2Kina bills and 1Kina coins with the hole in the middle, and my other toya coins (like our "cents"), and I'll tell Josh "Ating bai mi go lo maket lo soca fild, na baim kai kai."  (Perhaps I'll go to market at the soccer field, and buy food.) Then I'll go ask simple questions like "Hamas?" (how much?) and "Em wanem?" (What's that?) and greet everyone with "Moning" (morning) and then leave with "Lukim yupela behain" (see you all later).

IT'S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN ONE MONTH!  Tenk yu tru, Papa God!

All in a month's time...(this is a long one so get your coffee mug and stay awhile...I'll post it in 2 diff. posts)

(Part 1)
Today marks ONE MONTH since our departure date from Virginia!  I can hardly believe it!  The changes and shockers and newness now becoming common-day...and all the lessons in between.  These make me so grateful for the life God has given me, and excited about all the new things ahead.  Here are some things that happened JUST IN THE LAST 4 DAYS that give you a taste of my new life here in PNG.  

 Saturday, we hiked to a mumu at the Roja haus lain.  The closest thing I can describe it as is a PNG cookout for special occasions...except that WE were the special occasion I guess (more typically, they mumu due to weddings or funerals or something).  The citizens of PNG can sometimes be labeled a certain way just because of people who stand out.  It's many times a negative connotation.  BUT Josh and I have been so welcomed on the whole, and blessed so much by the PNG people we've crossed paths with.  Most are eager to help us learn, eager to show us their culture, and eager to hear us talk their "tok".  At the mumu, my new friend Rebeka "storied" with me (as they call it), and taught me some of their cooking methods with bamboo (mambu).  Her 14 year old daughter, Rut (Ruth), knows a lot of English (as they start teaching English in grade 2).  Rut would listen to me say something in English and then immediately say it in Pidgin and be sure I repeated it correctly.  Sarah had a whole audience of pikinini (children) sitting on the ground in front of her as she taught them all about the body and what muscles and bones are in it, etc.  They giggled and also listened intently...and Sarah all the while just going on and on, happy to have  I'll be going to see Rebeka again on Thursday morning to "stori" more and maybe even get to "do life" a bit too...whatever's part of her routine around 8am :)

 

Sunday, we went to a PNG church that was "open air" I call it.  Just a thatched kunai grass roof and bamboo posts with a bit of tarp and other thatched places along some of the sides.  We all took off our shoes before going in to sit on the tarps that covered much of the cement floor.  We sang songs that were in pidgin and even several in English.  We didn't get there until 10:10am...but they had already been singing for a while.  We sang for about 45 minutes or so and then people gave testimonies about things that had happened during the week (of course, I only understood a few things here and there).  Then came the offering and prayers and the message.  All the kids went out onto the dirt and amongst the garden area and played while we listened.  I even had to take Hannah and Morgan to the "bathroom" during the service.  No automatic paper towel dispensers or foaming soap to be found.  No toilet.  No door on the ladies bathroom.  Just a thatched 3-walled structure with a deep hole in the ground.  Let's just say that "Wet Ones" disinfecting wipes and toilet paper get carried everywhere we go.  But back to the service...it was sweet to see the excitement as Nicky, our first language helper, led the music and really worshipped the Lord.  Makes me excited about heaven! 

Cultural Differences...

Some interesting facts about life here compared to America (and new things that even if they happen in America, I never realized it):

• In the states, we greet people with "hi" "hello" "howdy" (depending on where you're from)
• In PNG, we greet people with "moning" (morning) "apinun" (afternoon) or "gut nait" (good night)
• In the states, roosters wake us up with the dawn.  
• In PNG, roosters (kakaruks) crow all the live long DAY!!  (and at dawn...and through the night...why haven't I heard a hoarse rooster YET?)  :)
• In the states, mint gum tastes minty.
• In PNG, mint gum tastes like menthol cough drops.  
• In the states, people are in Walmart complaining about the price of eggs being SO high when they hike them to $1.88/doz, or when Milk costs over $4 per gallon, or even when meat is getting high and they have to stick to chicken instead of so much red meat.  
• In PNG, eggs are sometimes spoiled when you get them and sometimes not.  They're about $3+ per dozen, while Milk is about $12/gallon (and you can only get "shelf milk" or powdered, and chickens are freshly plucked and for the buying at $13 for a 3 lb. chicken.  They don't get much bigger.
• In the states, eye contact is considered good manners when you're talking with someone.
• In PNG, you can only make eye contact with people of the same sex (except for special exceptions).
• In the states, we only used to get our umbrellas out in the rain.  
• In PNG, you take your umbrellas out in the sun just as much as in the rain.
• In the states, our age is marked from the day we were born...our birthday.
• In PNG, they ask you how many Christmases you are.
• In the states, we eat 3 meals a day, and try to be all balanced with protein, carbs, veggies, fruits, and dairy servings.  
• In PNG, you just eat whenever someone offers food and it doesn't really matter what it tastes like.  Spicy, flavorful, tangy, sweet, bland...it doesn't really matter to them.  It's just food.  (I think the food network and cooking shows would go out of business here.)  i.e. - our language helper had a piece of bread and a cup of tea in the morning, then a scone in the afternoon, and no dinner.  He had no complaints.  They don't have set times of day when they have a meal.  
• In the states, we tend to be more boisterous in our conversations.
• In PNG, you see people having "normal" conversations but it's almost as if they're talking quietly so no one else can hear.  We'd be wondering why they don't speak up.
• In the states, we are frustrated if we have to run out to Walmart right before a meal because we ran out of something.
• In PNG, many people live a 30 min. walk from their garden and when it's time to make some food in the evening, they just go to their garden and get what they need for that meal and come back and cook it.  30 min walk?  No biggy!
• In the states, we wear  shoes anywhere public, and especially outside.  Especially for our children if we're gonna be in dirty places.  
• In PNG, it's rare to see a child with shoes on.  They jump out of trees onto gravel in their bare feet, and run across logs and walk through the mud with no second thought.  It's also not the norm to see adults with shoes on.  Talk about calluses!
• In the states, we shake someone's hand with whatever hand we want, and usually multiple "shakes".
• In PNG, you ONLY shake with your RIGHT hand, and usually just one shake downwards.
• In the states, our cell phone have 7 #'s plus an area code.  
• In PNG, they have 8 #'s and no area code.
• In the states, there's every form of diet soda you can think of.
• In PNG, pretty much the only diet soda you can get is Coke Zero.  (unless you go to the American store on our base, and pay $1 for a can of Diet Coke that's smaller than the normal cans in the US).  Is it a surprise to you that we have gone off of soda? :)  probably a good thing, but MAN!  I sure crave a cold Diet Pepsi in the can!!

....well, those are just a few of the things we've learned so far...more to come later.

Super Random Pics in No Particular Order...Just some of the oddities and cool things we've experienced!

Bananas by the masses...YUM! (many kinds...shorter fat ones sweet...my personal fave!)

Girls on their first hike...this stop, the ducks!

Hiking up the village "stairs" (now's when i wish i'd have p90x'd or something!)

I was SO proud of the girls for walking pretty much the whole way!  Stairs and ALL! (Go Hannah!)

Looks GREAT, except I forgot the cheese, used ham that tasted like dead fish, and after 1.5 hours to bake, our disaster pizza went into the trash as it cause gag reflexes all around (though Sarah tried to make me feel better by saying, "Mom, this tastes good...kinda like seaweed!")  YIKES!

Girls finally got un-shy and started greeting everyone...Morgan will say "Apinun!"...but Hannah thinks we just don't know how to say it right and says "Afternooon!"  haha, cute.

Hannah just dying to pet the kitten...you gotta be careful around the village animals...this one seemed to be pretty tame.  Pretty, eh?

I was given a "Pamkin" by someone's mother in law...sweet lady.  I didn't know if i was to accept it or not b/c they have a system of giving things knowing that the person will owe you later.  I found out it was just a no strings attached gift though.  Maybe i'll have to make some Pamkin bread and take some to her later  :)

This pikinini meri (little girl) was washing dishes, so that of course drew my girls in.  They thought she was just getting to play washing dishes.  But she really WAS washing the family's dishes.  Cute how kids can break through barriers :)

Hannah got the puddin' scared out of her when she went to look in this "house".  This huge pig jumped up just as she was peering in, and she about jumped out of her skin!  Guess that's what she gets for snooping :)  haha

I thought I'd give it a go with carrying something on my head.  This was NOTHING compared to the 50lb. coffee bean bags that most ladies carry on their heads...sometimes even while they carry a child!!  I'm gonna have to up the Pumpkin size and strengthen my neck!

ALREADY...I've attempted a blog post and it has erased and quit unexpectedly :)  Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come.  I am starting this blog for all those women that want to know the day in, day out LIFE STUFF we live here in PNG.  I had this great starting post about that, but it erased into the PNG internet world of what almost feels like dial-up....even on the 3G network sometimes :)  Welcome!  My intentions for this blog are to give little snapshots in our new life here in PNG.  They'll be super laid back and I may annoy some (unintentionally) and type all in lowercase just b/c i wanna be lazy that particular day :)  I'm not promising the ultimate blog.  Just promising to give you some unique perspectives on life, compared to what mine was in the US.  Hope you enjoy...or at least learn some new things along the way.  Here's my first pic (on our back deck with some of the fruit trees and jungle behind me).  Just the daily Mel.  Wife, Mama, Missionary orientee in training, Language learner, Far-From Betty Crocker, Loves big earrings, Loves hanging out, Hates washing dishes, Loves sweeping, dislikes bugs but is learning a great golf swing b/c of them, Loves that geckos eat the bugs, dislikes finding gecko poo upstairs when i know that i have to go upstairs in the dark some nights to check on the girls, Loves meeting PNG citizens and understanding them more and more each day....and the list goes on...but there's your glimpse.  Until my next post, Mel (or Melly, as many of the native PNG'ers call me)  :)