HIJACK

4th May 2008

We were due to go to Karamui High School by air in a couple of weeks to do some work. The headteacher just visited us to tell us that our trip may have to be postponed.

The plane due to go toKaramui last Thursday, had some thousands of pounds in election money on it and it was hijacked at gun point.Money was stolen and all planes grounded for the foreseeable future, until this villain is caught. This hijacker has some vendetta against the school in Karamui and has terrorised it and the staff, refusing to allow any lessons to be taught and students and staff are all locked up in the school, terrified for their lives.They're talking of trying to walk out of Karamui, but to do so they have to cross a river by raft, which is apparently very dangerous, and some of these teachers have young families. Can you believe, there is no police force in Karamui and mobilising another force has funding issues.The head went to the Provincial Education Adviser today who said he'd WRITE to the Police Commissioner. WRITE!! - a letter takes forever to reach its destination here, even if it's local.This hijacker is a wanted criminal and will be shot if found, but he's a wily customer and knows Karamui like the back of his hand.Last year, he and his gang raped a nurse at the health centre there, resulting in its closure and babies are now dying for lack of medical attention. He sounds a charming character.

Hey ho!Never a dull moment!We have had a second landslide, not as big as the previous one and VSO have offered to get us out if we want to go and some have accepted.However, we have discovered that some 4 wheel drives are getting through and the hospital is OK for emergencies, so we're staying.We are doing our first training session at the school tomorrow and don't want to let them down.We would be quite confident if we were delivering to a staff in the UK, but things here tend to be somewhat unexpected.We suspect the staff are wanting us to tell them how to implement the new reform curriculum.However, our workshop is very much participatory and intended to make them think, so goodness only knows how they will react. We shall see - I have nightmares about all the teachers just sitting there like stuffed dummies and not contributing at all - yikes!

02.05.08

It's May and I can't see any blossom!As consolation, another VSO volunteer who is a botanist has given me some orchid cuttings.They grow wild here and are exquisite.We've attached them to a stump in front of the house and put some in the ground in the hope they will grow - not the same as blossom though!

Workshop was a great success.The staff contributed, everyone attended, no-one walked out and they were all on time - a miracle!We had great comments afterwards and the head said he had learnt a lot.One member of staff said he was so frightened about the reform curriculum and outcomes based education, but now he wasn't afraid anymore and realised he really knew what it was about.We also did a bit about 'what makes an effective teacher' in groups and they all presented viable characteristics.One of the main responses was the importance of punctuality and as they left we asked them to put post-its on a sheet to say what they were going to change next week towards being a more effective teacher and more than half put 'be more punctual', 'just turn up' might have been more appropriate!Sadly and cynically, we feel they are able to 'talk the talk', but the actions are another thing.One of the comments was, 'an effective teacher needs to be aggressive'! Interesting.Needs challenging I feel.

Now, hijacks and landslides apart, things really are getting serious!John has become partial to pancakes with lemon (lemons really are deliciously different here, much more lemony) and sugar.He went into the shop to get more flour yesterday and there was none to be found.Not only that, apparently the one shop which sells wine is running low - major crisis and evacuation may now be a reality!

03.05.08

Someone please reassure me we are in the 20th century!Front page headlines in the paper yesterday, 'Sorcerers' Burnt Alive'.Two women, originally from Simbu, were thought to have caused the death of a man by 'taking out his heart' by sorcery.They were tortured, beheaded and burnt! They weren't a couple of hags either, as I imagine a sorcerer to be, one was in her twenties and the other 60.Apparently Simbu is the hub of sorcery in PNG and very much alive (or not, as the case may be!).

To-day we were pretty traumatised.We went into town to shop and as we were crossing the road, a woman came towards us followed by a man who was shouting.He came up behind her and hit her in the head with a full fist and nearly knocked her to the ground.Onlookers just stood there - domestic violence against women is commonplace and accepted as part of the culture.Our next door neighbour, who is a senior teacher at the school and has just trained as a guidance counsellor, has just broken his wife's fingers and given her a black eye - nice!

Then, we met the headteacher from Karamui who informed us that the villain who had been holding her school teachers captive had been caught.He hadn't been shot but brought to the jail in Kundiawa where the police had severed his Achilles tendons so he couldn't run away!!He wasn't even being taken to hospital and in the opinion of the headteacher he could either live or die.I suspect shooting would have been a better option from his perspective.However, until I am convinced that none of his gang are still roaming around Karamui, I ain't going there!!

The two boys who took us 'antap mauntain' last Sunday came round today to ask if we would like to go up again and do a different route - they also brought us some peanuts (straight from the ground and sweet as sweet) and oranges picked straight from the tree.We said we would love to, but not this week-end (we have a serious amount of work to do) but possibly next. Anyway, I can't find my shoes, I think John's hidden them!The children next door have dug us a garden and we have grown some lettuce, courgette, sunflowers and other bits and pieces from seed to put into it.The soil is very fertile and anything you stick in the ground grows.

I've tried John's wallet but it doesn't work!

Oh no, next door have just hung up a live chicken - I'm retreating inside until the deed is done, John will give me the signal when it's safe to emerge!We were having chicken for dinner!!