Differences

Many of you have been asking me if I’ve experienced any culture shock during my three weeks in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Up to this point, I would say no; Ukarumpa is a very unique place—there are so many different countries and cultures represented and mixed together here that Ukarumpa has its own culture. That being said, just because I haven’t experienced culture shock, doesn’t mean that everything is exactly the same as it is in the United States!
There are many differences, and here are a few:

1. Tea—after a meal, it is customary to offer your guests tea (or coffee or Milo, which is similar to hot chocolate). This is especially different for me because as of about three and a half weeks ago, I didn’t even like tea! (Or coffee, but I still don’t care for coffee.) Now when I get home from school, I think, “Oh, a cup of tea sounds good right now.” Admittedly, I do use milk and sugar, but I actually do like it!
2. Going to the store and not finding the one ingredient that you absolutely need to make your supper…but it was there yesterday! I’ve been told that if you see something at the store that you maybe might want…buy it, because it may not be there the next time, and we may not get any more for several months.
3. And along the same lines as #2: substitution is your friend! Know what substitutes will work for different ingredients or even knowing how to make things from scratch is a tremendous help! (And potentially much cheaper, as the canned goods and such are imported, which means more expensive.)
4. A Finnish dish drying rack/cupboard. This is just about the best invention ever—the cupboard over the sink has wire racks and no bottom. So you do the dishes, put them in the cupboard to dry, and voila! Your kitchen is clean and you don’t have to worry about drying all those dishes! Ingenious!
5. Walking around the center, you can hear any number of languages/accents. It’s really neat, knowing that although we are all from many different countries, we are here for one purpose and are working to glorify the One who created all these differences.