T-shirt(s) Of The Day
10:32 AM, Wednesday, 31 May, 2006
Every single day I see at least one person in Port Moresby wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt. At least one, and often two or three. It's not that there is a random flux of Bob Marley t-shirts as I first thought, because the shops that sell new clothes have many of them there. It's just that Bob Marley is quite popular here.
The thing is, the only time that I have ever heard Bob Marley in this country is when I have been playing his music. Seriously. I have heard heaps of music around - in shops, restaurants, passing cars, etc. but I have never ever heard Bob Marley being played outside my house. I just must not be going to the places where the t-shirt wearers go. The Bob Marley t-shirts get a 9.5/10 in the category 'more common than razor wire'.
Filed under T-Shirt Of The Day
I'm too sexy for my meri blouse
12:16 PM, Tuesday, 30 May, 2006
Saturday morning found Kristen and I venturing out to Ela Beach Market - a fantastico craft market in Port Moresby with all sorts of beautiful things for sale. We each bought some amazing jewellery - my pride and joy is a matching necklace and bracelet made of WATERMELON SEEDS!!!! Not only has somebody sucked off all of the watermelony ickiness (that's where my TB infection will come from), but they have threaded them all onto fishing line to make me some pretty jewellery. 4 kina later, and I'm the spunkiest girl in town!
To add to the spunkiness, I have also bought two meri blouses. I really do look fantastic(???), or something, in them. Next time I have some decent internet access the modelling shots will be displayed.
Filed under Exciting Acquisitions
T-shirt Of The Day
3:13 PM, Thursday, 25 May, 2006
Today's T-shirt Of The Day is a curious one. Wandering the streets of town I spotted:
D.A.R.E. to reject drugs and violence
I really don't know what it was talking about... apart from the obvious, of course. I would normally expect a t-shirt like that to say which organisation produced it or has a vested interest in it, or where you can go if you do dare. And I was quite confuzzled by the obvious acronym... but for what?
This t-shirt receives a 8.5/10 in the category 'Should I be able to understand this?'.
NOTE: Ok it turns out that DARE is an anti-drug organisation in the USA. But they don't work here. So the mystery continues...
Filed under T-Shirt Of The Day
Monopoly
3:06 PM, Thursday, 25 May, 2006
I think that Papua New Guinea is the only country in the world that has only one brewery. South Pacific Brewery has the monopoly over beer consumption. Lucky they make good beer!
Filed under Adventures in Deliciousness
blue? maroon? red?
2:44 PM, Thursday, 25 May, 2006
Rugby League is something that I have just never been in to. Unfortunately, Papua New Guinea differs from me in this respect, to the point where it is completely mad. What's more is that it's mad over the Australian 'State of Origin' matches. I have made many mistakes mixing up the teams, and generally being ignorant to the whole thing.
Last night the maroons played the blues (one is NSW one is QLD but I don't know which). Yesterday evening the streets of Port Moresby were covered in people with their faces painted, wearing their respective team colours. Our local supermarket, Anderson's, had a 'supporter's centre' where you could get streamers and balloons and facepaints and everything. The blues won. A maroons supporter got mad and decided that his bushknife could fix it - and put several people in to hospital.
This morning there were a few balloons flying around, a few streamers stuck in trees, and many hungover people.
Filed under EEEEeeekk!!!
T-shirt Of The Day
9:50 AM, Wednesday, 24 May, 2006
Fashion in Papua New Guinea is an amazing thing. Most women wear 'meri blouses', which are fantastic brightly coloured mu-mu type things (I haven't got one yet but it's on the way, so photos of me will be coming soon!). There aren't many stores that sell new clothes, but the ones that do have wonderful names such as 'Male Arrogance' and 'Tramps'.
The main source of clothing here comes from giant second-hand stores, stocked with used clothing from Australia. This is quite fun for two reasons: firstly, there are great clothes in there for cheap prices and second, because I have seen some of the most amazing and obscure T-shirts ever to have left the shores of Australia.
I have seen an amazing selection: everything from 'Telstra' to 'The Great Victorian Bike Ride'. So I am now introducing a 'T-shirt Of The Day' to my blog, in which I will discuss the relative merits of the various t-shirts that I
have seen in my travels.
CLAUSE 1: Because of the difficulties of dial-up and the general rudeness of saying, 'Hey, can I take a photo of your whacky t-shirt?', I won't put up pictures. I'll leave that to your imagination.
CLAUSE 2: I am, of course, anticipating that I will be too busy/bored/lazy/sleepy/hungry to do this every day, but 'T-shirt Of The Day' sounds better than 'Fantastic T-shirt That I Saw One Random Day'.
Today's T-shirt Of The Day was one of a theme that I remember well from the nineties - The X Files. This t-shirt not only had the great big X in the middle of it, but it also had Mulder and Scully in all of their deep and meaningful glory - those looks that they gave were certainly full of foreboding. What's more is that it was a t-shirt from the earlier days, before Scully went all sexy, and when they weren't afraid to involve a bit of slime/gore in the show. I could tell from the hair. All in all, this was a fantastic t-shirt and I was excited to spot it. Today's 'T-shirt Of The Day' receives a 7/10 in the category 'reliving the nineties'.
Filed under T-Shirt Of The Day
My House
12:32 PM, Tuesday, 23 May, 2006
Following the many requests for pictures of my house, here is a view of the hill that I live on:
Here is my house:
Here is the sunset through the mango trees outside my house:
Yes, I know that I'm not really showing my house, but I will eventually. But hey, how's that razor wire???
Filed under Super Dooper
Zucchini-orama
11:58 AM, Tuesday, 23 May, 2006
Although it was simply beautiful and obviously full of deliciousness, Kristen (right) and I decided not to buy the zucchini (left).
Filed under Adventures in Deliciousness
Green Thumbs
I am feeling a little bit jealous of Cam and Jane (fellow volunteers in Alotau) and their vegie garden. Unfortunately, our garden is all gardened - we have a gardener and thus gardening is not really an option in the gardened garden. I think I might grow some pots of herbs, though, because basil and coriander are both few and far between at the local supermarket. Also super-wilted. So that's my new mission - to go out and buy pots, and seeds, and other necessary paraphernalia, and develop some deliciousness.
Filed under Exciting Acquisitions
Igat Hope
10:28 AM, Monday, 22 May, 2006
I was lucky enough to be invited to an HIV vigil yesterday for the organisation Igat Hope (There's Hope). So I dragged some enthusiastic friends to The Holiday Inn, where the vigil was being held. We arrived a little late, and the service was already running in Pidgin, but it was ok and we sat at the back. It was the most amazing service - all about how there's always hope for people.
The room was filled by people living with HIV and their family, carers and friends - there would have been at least 100 people there. Several people spoke about their own experiences, all of whom were very brave because HIV can be a very taboo subject in PNG. The service was made even more poignant when one woman spoke about having lost her two children recently, and her partner the night before. Everyone in the room knew this man, because he was a board member of the organisation and a real motivator for the sector, but only a few already knew that he had passed away a few hours ago - a wave of grief spread through the whole audience at the news.
Speaking with people afterwards I was taken aback by their courage and optimism, even in the face of such a terrible blow to the organisation. PNG has one of the most rapidly increasing infection rates in the world and with very few education and health services, particularly in rural areas, and little or no surveillance anywhere the outlook is quite terrifying. With this situation it would be easy to become nihilistic when thinking about the work that I'm doing here in the HIV sector, but with organisations like Igat Hope it's exciting and inspiring.
Filed under WOW
Friendliness
10:31 AM, Friday, 19 May, 2006
I love walking along the road to my house from town (note to concerned people: don't worry, i only do it in daylight and it's a very short walk). It is dotted with little stalls of people selling buai, and there are people just sitting around all the way home. And they are all so friendly - grinning at me with their red-stained teeth saying 'moning' or 'avinoon'. It's a nice way to start/end the day, and I think I am going to have to start making more start/end of day appointments in town, just to get the smiles.
Filed under Super Dooper
Instability
10:10 AM, Friday, 19 May, 2006
How is it that it never takes long for people to notice it?
Filed under Heeheehee...
Bamboo Band
11:34 AM, Thursday, 18 May, 2006
The first night that we were in Port Moresby we were lucky enought to see a Bamboo Band from Bougainville.
I’m not really sure how to describe what they do, but they have these pvc pipes all taped together into giant pan-pipe type things, which they whack with thongs (yes, flip-flops!) in this amazing, rhythmic music! So wow! It was beautiful, with singing and dancing. Obviously that is a completely inadequate description, so have a look:
Filed under Super Dooper
Here come the photos!!!!
11:02 AM, Thursday, 18 May, 2006
This is what it looked like when we flew into Port Moresby:
We went to a pre-school during our orientation, here are some of the pikininis:
This is the island, Loloata, where we went snorkelling. It was super dooper! There were lots of nemos and other pretty fish, and I didn't drown, and I didn't get eaten!
This is us leaving Loloata. There is a big storm brewing!
Filed under Super Dooper
Excitement
11:01 AM, Thursday, 18 May, 2006
I'm so excited about having real internet that I don't know what to do with it!
MULTIPLE WINDOWS!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Filed under Super Dooper
REAL INTERNET!!!!!
10:59 AM, Thursday, 18 May, 2006
I am currently in the UN office, using their internet. They fund my program, so they have offered me time here whenever I need to do things that require sites loading faster than 10 minutes.
WAHOO!!!!!
Filed under Super Dooper
The Red Devil
10:10 AM, Wednesday, 17 May, 2006
Crazy redness everywhere. What's the go with buai? I don't really get it. Quite icky, and I bet for those who aren't proficient spitters it's hard to wash out of clothing. It's everywhere in Port Moresby, but particularly noticable around the university. There is an area outside the library (the sewerage spill has been cleaned up, by the way) where the ground is simply stained red.
It is apparently an appetite suppressant, though, so that's good if you don't have the money for food. And it gives a short buzz. I just don't think the potential stainage is worth it. Or the mouth cancer.
Filed under EEEEeeekk!!!
Sleepiness
2:28 PM, Tuesday, 16 May, 2006
Ok, I'm really sleepy right now. I have to write a paper for a conference. That makes me sleepy. Chocolate makes me awake, maybe I should invest in some of that.
WHY ME????? I'm just the little volunteer!
Filed under EEEEeeekk!!!
Adoption
10:29 AM, Friday, 12 May, 2006
I simply can not believe how many wonderful people I have already met in just four and a half weeks in this country. I have literally been adopted by so many people at the university, from the ladies in the Kofi Haus to the Social Work, Political Science, Student Services and Enrichment departments. That's not to mention all of the other people outside my work, both nationals and expats, who have made me feel so welcome.
There are so many horror stories about PNG, and particularly about Port Moresby, circulating around Australia. Whilst security restrictions are certainly necessary, I can't understand why the only impression that Australians have is of an anarchic hell-hole where every step you take outside of your compound is a risk to your life.
Sure, the opportunistic crime rate here is huge and the levels of domestic violence and rape are some of the highest in the world. Yes, the UN is now trying to reclassify PNG as 'least developed country' from 'developing country', in it's scale of development. I'm not downplaying the extraordinary problems of poverty, violence and corruption that this country is facing. Still, the number of well-meaning people who tried to dissuade me from coming here, most of whom have never been anywhere near a developing country, was simply preposterous!!!
This was going to be an entry about how wonderful people here are, and it has turned into a rant. Apologies for that, but it is quite frustrating. I think my point is that whilst it's not a particularly safe country, that doesn't mean that it or the people suck. They are actually quite cool. So if you can cope with having to live in a secure compound as well as seeing abject poverty, the occasional fight (bushknives waving), lots of crazy drivers and the ubiquitous buai spitting - get over it and come see how wonderful it is here.
note - having said all of that and had my little rant, it's really not for the faint-hearted. They don't call it 'The Land of the Unexpected' for no reason, and that includes references to the frequency of electricity, water, services and sanity!
Filed under Super Dooper
Christopher Lambert, eat your heart out!
12:17 PM, Thursday, 11 May, 2006
People in PNG come from two areas - coastal and highlands. So they are Coastal people, or Highlanders. Very easy.
I don't think that the Highlanders have any idea how cool it is to say, 'I am a Highlander'.
I don't think they realise that they're immortal, and that they've got inside them blood of kings.
Or that blonde ladies will get old and shrivelled while they stay young and beautiful.
I often have to restrain myself from giggling when people say, 'I am a Highlander', because that wouldn't go down well. But it's just so cool!
Filed under Super Dooper
Dogs
11:37 AM, Thursday, 11 May, 2006
The one creature prevalent in Port Moresby is the dog. There are dogs everywhere. Lying down on the road asleep (or dead), sniffing around the markets, fighting, copulating, crapping. All of the dogs are in varying states of pestilential filth, with most of the sporting either gaping wounds or giant infected ulcers all over their bodies. Despite the generall ickiness of the dogs, you get used to them and just avoid them. They are always there, though, and every night it sounds like several of them are being slowly strangled.
Apparently one of the silliest things to do in PNG is run over one of them in your car. The victim will inevitably be a prize hunting specimen, revered throughout the country, and its owners will be requesting swift compensation. If you don't pay up the wantok system kicks in and compensation is demanded - it's better to just pay on the spot and leave.
It's lucky I don't drive. Leave it up to your imagination as to what happens when you hit a pig or a person!
Filed under EEEEeeekk!!!
Disappointment
11:06 AM, Wednesday, 10 May, 2006
I am quite disappointed to say that I have not yet encountered, been bitten by, or eaten any crazy animals.
Apparently they are all hiding in the jungle, away from the cooking pot. Why do they do this? So I can't eat them. It's a bit of a dilemma, though, because I don't want to eat anything that's endangered, and I think that most of them are endangered. So I wouldn't necessarily eat them, I'd just take a look at them and maybe poke them. There are just so many crazy animals here that I could see, and possibly poke if they will let me. They should know that I won't eat them if they're endangered, and I will ask permission before I poke them, but they still hide from me.
So I will leave them alone. Maybe that's for the best, because seeing them would probably require me to put on my Sporty Spice shoes, and then trek into the jungle, and get malaria, and die.
Filed under Adventures in Deliciousness
Note To Self
When the little old man with the crazy toothless grin is coming, arms outstretched and giggling, towards your bum:
AVOID. Do not just dodge, albeit safely, at the last minute and stare in wonder as he is led away.
SERIOUSLY.
Filed under EEEEeeekk!!!
11:04 AM, Tuesday, 9 May, 2006
Ok, I'm just reiterating that I will get to all of the emails in my inbox soon, and I will reply to everyone individually. I'm on a shared computer at the moment which is particularly slow and finicky. It also doesn't have one of the special boxes that keeps it on when there's a blackout, so I constantly lose everything I have written in an email and have to start again. Furthermore, it doesn't have a usb hole so that I can pre-write emails and then just copy and paste... point is, it's a little difficult at the moment. Please be patient, I'll get to you soon!
Filed under Waiting
Dry Season
10:44 AM, Tuesday, 9 May, 2006
Apparently Port Moresby is a very dry city. It has been described to me several times as a 'dust bowl' with the dry season lasting most of the year, April-November. During this time one never sees a drop of rain.
Except, apparently, for this dry season. Ever since I arrived, four weeks ago, there has been a TORRENTIAL downpour at least once a week. Last night was a prime example, with thunderbolts and lightning (very very frightening me) and wind and rain just pelting down. It makes me very glad that Port Moresby doesn't get cyclones.
So, it's still a really beautiful city at the moment. The frangipanis and bougainvilleas are flowering like crazy, and we have some beautiful gardenias in our front garden that smell amazing the morning after rain. We also have a giant mango tree which is covered in mangoes, but they are too high to reach - it looks pretty nonetheless.
When this unseasonably wet weather stops, we look forward to all of the hills around Port Moresby being burned to a crisp and taking on the appearance of sand dunes. At this point apparently it's fashion suicide to wear white, because the dust is everywhere and things get a brown tinge to them. Dry tropics. So I'm making the most of the wet, and taking lots of photos which will be posted here as soon as they wire up my office!
Filed under So they said...
FINALLY!!!!!!!!
THIS is why I am engaged to an IT man.
I NOW HAVE EMAIL ACCESS!!! THANKS YEHIA!!!!
Ok, please be patient people, I will get to you all asap.
WAHOO!!!!!!!!
Filed under Miscellany
Explanation?
Perhaps I should explain the custard apple comment?
Ya has a category of fruit and vegetables that he terms as 'snot'. These are all things that he finds both disgusting in texture and taste. On the list of 'snotties' are okra, persimmon, custard apple, guava, quince, and many other things that I find to be delicious.
Whilst it would be lovely to have him here, at least I can eat the above delights in peace.
Filed under Adventures in Deliciousness
Frustration
Ok, I am beginning to get a little bit tired of the technological challenges of this university. My office was supposed to be connected to the outside world (internet) by today, but it simply isn't. My computer seems to be the only one in the university with a web browser new enough to support web-based email, so it would be really nice if I could have some kind of connection. The guy whom I should be complaining to is based in the library, but at the moment the library is closed because of a sewerage leak, making the use of the library unhygenic (according to the sign on the door - I would tend to agree. And how does sewerage leak in the library? Don't ask!!!).
I had a cold over the weekend. I did go out Friday and Sunday nights, but I vegetated all day Saturday in a snotty haze.
Speaking of snot, the custard apples here are great.
Filed under Waiting
AT LAST!!!!
Oh my golly gosh.
I don't think anybody not in this country could understand what I have been through in the last week to get access to the internet. My new computer arrived in my office, but they don't have the cabling organised yet so it's not connected to the network. My username and password came, but wouldn't work on the other networked computer I had access to. I was given access to another computer, but its browser was so old it didn't support either this or my web-based email. I finally convinced the library staff to give me access to the computers in their lab, and now I have access to pinkukulele. Email is happening, I think, slowly... I hope... One of the problems is that the whole country, yes the WHOLE country, is using dialup internet. Think about it.
Anyway, things should start picking up soon as my office receives cables to the outside world next week.
In the meantime, I have been having various adventures. I am settling in to work at the University quite well, despite the techonological challenges. I have a spunky new office, as yet devoid of furniture except for a desk, chair and computer - but I received a shipment of 'sexy' new posters the other day, and my walls will soon be adorned. I am working with some lovely people, including some very enthusiastic students - fantastic! I have never actually worked with somebody who WANTS to learn, normally the word 'learn' comes followed closely by a long list of expletives!
My house is becoming homey. I was meant to move into an apartment on the university campus but various political difficulties, including almost all of the executive university staff losing their jobs, led to my accommodation going the way of the internet here. I am now sharing with another volunteer in a decidedly spacious house with a lovely view over the harbour. The addition of the pink ukulele and some beautiful crocheted coasters have brought some real style to our pad.
Nothing really dramatic has happened - I have seen a few rather large fights on the side of the road, normally due to car accidents, with police standing blithely by. Our hot water system sprung a leak and we had it replaced, and I fear that a mutant cockroach revolution is going to start from Port Moresby as the leaders, all at least four inches long, seem to live here.
Culinary highlights have continued with the consumption of lovely tuna, something delicious called lemonfish, and crayfish. Mmmm... The coffee here is also excellent, and there is soy milk to be had so both I and my belly are very happy.
There has been a lot of rain lately in Port Moresby. People are blaming it on residue from the cyclones in Queensland. I don't like it. It makes everything wet, and an extraordinarily large species of frog hops around the footpath outside my house, right where my feet are meant to be. I quite like frogs, just not kamikaze frogs. They're like the magpies that fly down in front of a car. I haven't stepped on one yet, but I have come close, and I have warned them!!!
I need to apologise to all of the people whose emails are sitting in my inbox. It looks as though I won't be able to read and/or reply to them all for a couple of days, so please hang in there and stay tuned to your inboxes.
Filed under Waiting