SILENCE AND SPIDERS

29th March 2009

We survived Karamui once again, the 'we' being John and I, Jake (team leader), Phil (geologist), Joe (senior standards inspector for primary schools), and Philip, who works in conservation.Our arrival caused the now customary silence.Hundreds of pairs of eyes meeting us quizzically from the side of the air field and a gang of willing helpers, who materialise from nowhere, carried our baggage to the house - no question of a tip.The house was as before, not a stick of furniture, no electricity and swarming with enormous cockroaches.Sleeping on the floor, even though we'd brought our own mattresses, was not a pleasant prospect with all the wildlife teeming around us. For the first fifteen minutes, the house rang with the crash, bang and wallops of cockroaches being exterminated.Luckily, I had remembered to bring cockroach bait with us, which was duly deposited in every dark corner we could find.They soon did the job, with only the occasional renegade putting in an appearance, only to be speedily dispatched with whatever implement came to hand.

The balcony of the house is interlaced with incredible spiders' webs, in the centre of which sat a huge one (see photo).Also, one evening there was a shriek in the direction of the bathroom where Jake, not one to be frightened easily, called us to see an enormous spider, black and hairy (see photo).Philip (he is a collector of insects) ran to grab a jar in order to catch it, which he tried to do but had great trouble getting the legs into the jar as they were so big and ended up chasing it round the bathroom - everyone else had disappeared pronto, once the spider had started to move and fast!It was captured and will be displayed as a specimen in a cabinet in Kundiawa somewhere.To reach the light, airy and spacious main room of the house, some stairs have to be climbed and shoes are left at the bottom.One morning, the inspector went to put shoes on, but luckily shook them out first and tipped a poisonous millipede unceremoniously onto the floor - after that, we all did the same!

The first morning we set off to attend assembly, to be introduced to the Karamui High School students and Philip was presenting some garden forks to the school, which had been safely stored in the head teacher's cupboard over night.As we walked into the school grounds, we jumped, as something snuffled and snorted in the gardens beside us - a pig!This had recently been received as payment of school fees.Students were assembled, sang the national anthem and a song or two.The singing is stunning and the students are completely untaught.The majority are male and the result is a deep, resonant sound which they harmonise naturally.Then came the moment for the presentation of the forks.Ah!The head teacher had lost the key to the cupboard, so the presentation had to be postponed - nothing changes!

We left the school later in the day, having observed lessons, interviewed the management team and run a two hour workshop.Jake, John and I were walking out of the gate (Phil had stayed behind to talk to a teacher).A man with a huge bush knife passed us and immediately started to chop down a banana tree and slashed shrubs and flowers.We kept walking, and one of the teachers said that the custom was that if you chop down a banana tree in someone's garden, it means someone is going to be killed.We distanced ourselves swiftly but observed at a distance, conscious that Phil was still in the grounds.There ensued shouting and pushing, but no real violence much to our relief, and the head teacher came out to try to calm things down.This guy had some dispute with the school and wanted money.There was lots of standing around, a bit of shouting, toing and froing, and the guy tried to chop down the gate post of the school, then Phil appeared.He sensibly waited a while and when things appeared calm, he sauntered out.In UK if this happened, the head would lock him/herself in the office and call the police.Guess what, there are no police in Karamui.This is a really scary place to live.If you are sick, there is now a health centre, but, guess what, no medicines!During our time, we played doctor to the staff, providing eye drops for a nasty case of conjunctivitis and ibuprofen for a sore back.The senior inspector came to the rescue and suggested a 'peace' meeting the following morning.The guy didn't turn up.The day we left, the meeting actually took place and I believe the situation has now been resolved.The head teacher, the only female secondary head teacher in the province,was pretty shaken up and said she was not prepared to risk her life, as this was not the first time such an incident had occurred and the community had not rallied to help her.She threatens to leave and if she does she says her staff will go with her.That will be disaster for the school and the students of course.We shall see - we hope she will still be there when we return in July.

The day came for us to leave - up at 6am, hoping the plane would come and take us safely back to Kundiawa as we had been promised when we booked our tickets.Various rumours abounded about the time the plane was expected - the favoured time was between 12 and 2pm, but it would not go to Kundiawa but Goroka, this would mean a 2 hour ride on a PMV (if there was one) at the end of our flight - we were not happy bunnies, but the agent was adamant.We were on the air field by 2pm, baggage weighed and excess baggage (mainly rice and peanuts) paid for - 90 Kina.The plane eventually arrived at 4pm!Jake attempted to negotiate a flight to Kundiawa and not Goroka - the pilot was not for turning!There then ensued a debate about the cargo and an ordinary pair of bathroom scales was produced from the plane and the baggage weighed again.It transpired that although we had paid 90Kina for excess baggage, the agent had only given the pilot 50Kina and pocketed the rest!Corruption in rife everywhere you go.The pilot took pity on us and deposited us at Kundiawa, much to our relief, so no PMV ride to endure at night on the highway.

It is still very wet here but the general temperature is very pleasant, not the searing heat of the dry season.We are due a holiday in a couple of weeks time, as it is the end of term one, so are planning either a trip to Kavieng ( New Ireland) and Rabaul ( New Britain) or a sortie into Brisbane.It all depends on diving conditions.Cairns is supposed to be the place to go for diving, but it has an epidemic of dengue fever at the moment, which we definitely don't fancy, so that's off the agenda.

Spring must be nearly sprung now, as I believe the clocks go forward this week-end, which means we are now only 9 hours ahead of you.Hope it heralds a wonderful summer.

We are both fine, though a week's holiday would be lovely and much needed.

Love to you all from us both

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