Lingo

I’ve recently realized how many acronyms and weird words I use in my normal day-to-day life; I try to define them as I use them in blog posts and newsletters, but I’m sure I miss a few! So, for your reading pleasure (and, hopefully, clarification!), here are a list of acronyms and words that I think you should know if you read my blog! J

Bilum: Tok Pisin word meaning string bag; usually made from yarn or plastic string

ESL: English as a Second Language; even though many of the kids here speak two or more languages before they start learning English

Furlough: or home assignment; when a missionary goes back to their passport country to spend time with family and friends, speak at churches and small groups, and enjoy WalMart J

Goroka: about a two hour drive (depending on how the road is); bigger than Kainantu, has a nice hotel with a pool and restaurant

Kainantu: the nearest town, about a 20 minute drive; where we go secondhanding and buy groceries occasionally

Kina: Papua New Guinea’s currency; 1 kina =35¢ (approximately)

Lae: a 3-4 hour drive (depending on the road); Papua New Guinea’s major port city, home of Food Mart—when you walk in, the angels start singing J

Madang: a 6+ hour drive (depending on the roads); on the coast, where the Pacific Orientation Course is held

PNG: Papua New Guinea

POC: Pacific Orientation Course; a 12 week orientation course where one learns about the people, culture, and trade language (Tok Pisin); eight weeks of classroom teaching and four weeks of Village Living

RAM water: not sure what RAM stands for exactly; river water, used to flush toilets, wash laundry, shower in (basically everything except for drinking)

Secondhanding: the art of searching through racks and racks of used clothing sent from Australia to find something that may or may not fit properly and that you hope won’t have too many holes that you didn’t notice in the store (not that I’m speaking from experience or anything!)

Tank water: water that is collected from tin roofs into large plastic or metal tanks; safe to drink

Tea: depending on who you are talking to—either a hot drink or the evening meal (talking to an Australian can be very confusing!)

Toea: (toy-ah) Papua New Guinea’s equivalent to cents

Tok Pisin: the trade language of Papua New Guinea; spoken pretty much throughout the whole country

UISPC: Ukarumpa International School-Primary Campus; where I teach ESL to Kinder through Grade 6

UISSC: Ukarumpa International School-Secondary Campus; where I teach Spanish to high schoolers

Village Living: four weeks of the Pacific Orientation Course, when you live in a village with a Papua New Guinean family and learn how to live like they do

Waitskin: literally “white skin” (pronounced the same way); basically anyone who is not Papua New Guinean