IN THE PINK!

12th april 2008

We don't know ourselves now.The carpenter at the school has made us a wardrobe!! We can unpack, we've only been here 2 months!!The fact that it has no doors and the drawers don't work, is simply an aside! Not only that, but we've got two shelves as well, so the toaster, deodorant and cockroach killer no longer get confused!They're not quite straight (John had a pencil and paper to work out dimensions, but no spirit level, so good enough is good enough I suppose).I daren't complain anyway, in case I get a hammer wrapped round my head!Talking of cockroaches, the little devils have slung their hook for now, so the cockroach bombs are doing their job so far.

It was our wedding anniversary the other week, so lovely John booked a deluxe (by PNG standards please understand) room for two nights in a hotel called 'The Bird of Paradise' in a small town, two hours away called Goroka (schools are on holiday this week).So we caught a PMV (public motor vehicle) at the bottom of the road.No bus stop or indication where to stand or where each bus is going to.Buses and trucks roll up in various stages of dilapidation and a youth usually yells from the bus where they're going, but unfortunately, we usually don't understand them - you can't imagine what a b******ised version of 'Goroka' sounds like to the untrained ear.Anyway, we were wandering around looking like 'confused of Bury St Edmunds' when Agnes came along (I'll tell you about her later).She took us under her wing (she's a very large, black lady who's not to be messed with) and elbowed her way to a bus which looked as though the wheels might just stay on for the duration of the journey and waved us gaily goodbye.Now, no PMV goes anywhere until it's full, and I mean every last inch of space has been occupied.So the drivers coast about looking for likely business, whilst the shouting youths yell the destination until no more breathing space is left (a deodorant manufacturer is missing a market here!)then, what seems like sweaty hours later, we're off and shake, rattle and roll on our way, subjecting our spines to inhuman compression over the potholes!

Goroka is a very pretty town, surrounded by spectacular mountains and it's much cleaner than Kundiawa.Someone told me people are put in prison if they spit in the street or drop litter - quite right too I say.The hotel looked promising from the outside and even more promising when we discovered an en suite with not only a shower but a bath too!!!!!We couldn't decide which to enjoy first - the fact that the bathwater was muddy brown didn't matter - it just disguised the fact of how dirty we were!Gingerly, I opened a cupboard to be confronted by two scuttling cockroaches!They were only small ones though, nothing like the enormous monsters of Kundiawa!

The food was good and we had a lovely anniversary meal with a half decent bottle of wine - all was well with the world.My wretched tummy bug was still bothering me though, despite three courses of antibiotics, so as there was a VSO doctor in Goroka, I went for a consultation.Turned up at the surgery and was told the Dr would see me straight away - no-one in the waiting room (no-one can afford to go to the doctor).The receptionist took my details and when asked how old I was she looked amazed and said, 'and you've lived so long?' meaning I suspect - 'why are you wasting the doctor's time when you should be dead?'The Dr was adorable, I want to bring him home with me.At the end of the consultation (more pills) he said if ever I need to consult him again to ring him on his mobile day or night!!I can just see my Doc in England saying that - not!

We got home safely and have spent the rest of the week quietly.Most of the teachers who are our neighbours have gone back to their bush houses for the holiday (psychologically, they haven't moved from there in my opinion) so the place is reasonably quiet.We have had respite from a toddler next door who constantly grizzles (I don't know why he bothers, because no-one pays any attention).His name is Vitus so yes, you've guessed tennis fans, he's been duly nicknamed Vitus Grizzilitus! It had to be done!

Now Agnes.She's a legend and wants me to do some work with her in the community (she's a community development worker of some sort and runs all sorts of groups with endless energy, employed by Informal Education),I think she want me to run some workshops on HIV/AIDS.I've told her I'm not an expert, but she doesn't believe me because after all, I'm white!I reckon I'll just have to blag it.Anyway, she marched me off to meet one of her women's groups, to whom she was delivering a 2 week cookery course.The women here cook things like taro and sweet potato but they just boil everything and don't know about nutrition, which isn't good for the children - we've seen a few pot bellied pikininis.She also tries to educate them about family planning - oh my word, I won't go there.Don't know if I told you, but men here can have as many wives as they like - and they do!So we turn up at this women's group and I'm welcomed like the Queen of Sheba.On the blackboard was the women's homework from the day before and they had to complete it and bring it in for marking the next day.They had to produce vegetable patties, a fruit cordial, a dish I don't know the name of but it was like a vegetable casserole with broccoli and carrots and all sorts plus some jam and peanut butter!!They would be marked on it and wouldn't get a certificate if it didn't taste good. Bear in mind these women have no whizzy kitchen utensils and they smash the peanuts using a strong bag and a big stone. I was amazed when they all turned up with all these goodies - one woman had got up at 5am!Despite being pressed, I declined the offer to feast on these delights (esp. given the state of my innards) and I had a meeting to go to anyway, but I was so impressed by these women.

Well it's back to work next week.The big boss braved the highlands this week (he's an Ethiopian working for VSO in Madang) to see how we are getting on. PNG nationals who live on the coast are often afraid to venture into the highlands - I think they're scared of being eaten! He seemed pretty satisfied with the job we are doing and wants various reports done by the end of next week, so we've got plenty to do.

The English weather must be perking up by now surely - we were amazed by the pictures of snow Richard sent us.Well, we'll soldier on here.We whined to our boss about the lack of anything comfortable to sit on in the evenings, so who knows, maybe we'll get lucky again.All will be well I'm sure - as long as the shelves don't fall down!!

Love from us both - we're still speaking, which might surprise you after all my rude comments!