I'm Not in Kansas (or Wisconsin) Anymore!

Any place that you visit (or move to) will have little quirks—things that are different than you’re used to. Ukarumpa is no exception to this; there are several things that, when I first arrived, took a while to get used to. After three years of living in Ukarumpa, being in the US for several months and not using or needing these things was even more odd!

The Bare Necessities

When I returned from furlough a few weeks ago, I noticed that there were a few things missing from my house (or that I had missed during furlough) that I considered necessary or life (or just to save my sanity!) here in Papua New Guinea (PNG). I wrote a similar blog post way back when I first arrived in PNG in 2014 (you can read it here), but that post was based more on village living than being in Ukarumpa, which is where I live now (and have lived for most of the last four years).

Just Another Day...

Most days in Ukarumpa are fairly routine (or as routine as they can be when you're a teacher and work with children). However, occasionally something out of the ordinary happens--like when a baby pig gets onto the high school campus.

 

Shortly after the pig was spotted, there was a chase and the pig was caught by a student. (Missionary kids (MKs) are very handy people to have around when a pig gets loose at your school.) The pig's photo is now posted on the community message board, with instructions as to whom to call to reclaim the pig. You just can't make this stuff up, people! 

April Newsletter

I'm heading back to Papua New Guinea very soon! Next Monday, the 9th, as a matter of fact! You can click here to read my latest newsletter and get the details on my flights and what I'll be doing when I return to Ukarumpa.

December Update

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

I hope you are as excited for Christmas as I am--it's my favourite time of year! (Even though it's much too cold here!) I love the Christmas lights and the Christmas music and all the cheesy Christmas movies! :) 

Top 10 Things to Do In (and Around) Ukarumpa

In no particular order…

1. Hamburger Night—head on down to the Teen Centre on certain Friday nights during the school term for a tasty egg burger and chips (fries) or a taco salad and milkshake!

The yellow team pulling on last year's Primary School
Sports Day

2. Any and all school functions—band/choir concerts, plays, sports tournaments, Sports Day, Carnival…some of these events even have food/snacks for sale! What a deal! J

You Might Be a Missionary If...

-the party breaks up at 9:30 and everyone is yawning and half-asleep because it’s past “missionary midnight” (aka 9 pm).

-you find yourself searching for recipes that you can use pukpuk (crocodile) in.

-you get excited when you find a new recipe for pukpuk.

-you pick bugs out of the rice, flour, and various other dry ingredients without batting an eye.

-you aren’t really bothered by the thought that you very likely missed quite a few bugs in said dry ingredients.

Ukarumpa from A to Z

Airplanes: the main mode of transportation for many people going to and from the village, and also from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG)

Bible translation: the reason all of us ex-pats live in PNG—to support the work of Bible translation and end Bible poverty

The kids' backpacks and shoes outside a classroom

Children: need I say more?! J

You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone

Since we here in Papua New Guinea (PNG) live so far off the beaten path, our Store relies heavily on shipments from Australia and the United States…unfortunately, sometimes we end up running out of certain supplies before a new shipping container comes in. Some things are not a big deal to find a substitute for—black beans, for instance. Canned black beans are a lovely convenience, but buying a plateful of black beans at the market and boiling them up isn’t that difficult—actually, I now think that canned black beans are slightly disgusting—I’ll take the fresh kind any day!

A Day in the Life

Although I never know exactly what will happen from day to day, my days do have a certain rhythm to them. Personally, I like routine—but with a few surprises thrown in for good measure! I tend get more accomplished when I have a set schedule and less time to do it in (doesn’t make sense, but that’s how I am!). So here is a peek into what a typical day looks like for me!

I usually drag myself out of bed around 6:30 (I still am most decidedly not a morning person!) and get ready for the day—shower, breakfast, packing my lunch, and making my tea (that I forget at home about half the time). I like to leave the house around 7:20…although most days it ends up being closer to 7:25, due to said aversion to mornings. J

Hamburger Night

There aren’t a lot of opportunities to eat out in Papua New Guinea (PNG), especially in Ukarumpa. In Ukarumpa, the only “restaurant” option is the kai bar (literally: food bar) that is run by the Store. it has pretty good food for the most part, although it does have a (very) limited menu. They almost always have rotisserie chicken and chips (fries) available, and sometimes chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, meat pies, and (my personal favourite) sausage rolls. The kai bar also sells ice cream (or what passes for ice cream here). Think non-dairy, doesn’t-melt-no-matter-how-long-it-sits frozen-type stuff. Yeah—not so delicious, but edible after being in PNG for over a year.

Welcome to the Zoo!

In Ukarumpa, it’s very common for people to move around—a lot. Many language workers are in and out of the village, and the rest of us—the support workers who live and work in Ukarumpa—well, we move around a lot, too. Many people own their own homes, but there are many who rent, as well. As people go on furlough, they need someone to house-sit for them. This is where people like me come in—I don’t own a house, so I can house-sit!

The Joy of Cooking—Ukarumpa Style

I don’t generally enjoy cooking—a typical week of cooking usually looks like me making a large pot of soup or a hotdish that I eat pretty much all week. Of course, that means the pickins get mighty slim by Friday…but that’s what biscuits and peanut butter are for, right?!

My dislike of cooking is compounded by the fact that there are few “convenience foods” available—and if the store does, by chance, have one of these convenience foods, it is outrageously expensive. Or, depending on when the last shipment from Australia or the States arrived, what you are looking for may simply be out of stock.

Veggie Tales

One thing I enjoy most about Papua New Guinea is the availability of fresh produce at the market. Papua New Guineans from all over the Aiyura Valley bring fresh fruits and vegetables from their gardens to sell at the Ukarumpa market. The market is outside with long wooden tables set up where the vendors can display their produce.

The market

Market runs from 6:30-8:00 am, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so one morning a week (Fridays this term) I haul myself out of bed (which gets harder and harder as the end of the school year approaches), throw on my “market clothes” (aka a skirt and sweatshirt over my pyjamas and my gum boots), grab some kina, my keys, and my lowlands string bilum, and head out the door. Since the fire-mapartment is so close to the market (down the driveway, past the store, and around the Teen Centre), I don’t have far to walk.

Down to the River

Today was another typical day in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG): cool in the morning, warm and sunny in the afternoon, and cool again in the evening after the sun went down. During the hot part of the day, I ended up going down to the river that flows near Ukarumpa with my good friends, the Romito’s. We packed up a picnic lunch and headed off (on foot, of course!) to the river.

Where we crossed the river.

When you arrive at the river, you have to wade across (very carefully—the current is surprisingly strong!) in order to get to the better swimming area. After we crossed, we got our blankets spread out and ate our lunches—I brought a peanut butter tortilla sandwich (just so you know, making tortillas with self-rising flour is a bad idea…they start out fluffy, but end up like a lead balloon; I had one for supper—bleh), carrots, and cookies—fantastic picnic food! J

You Know...

      I was thinking the other day about my "new normal," when I realized that, as of this Friday, I've been in Papua New Guinea for eight months. So, in honor of my eight month anniversary of arriving in PNG, here is a list of things that I never thought I would consider normal.

          You Know You've Lived in PNG for Eight Months When...

1. You get up early to hang your laundry on the line…even though it’s cloudy and will rain later in the day.
2. You wear gum boots outside to hang your laundry on the line so you don’t sink up to your ankles in mud.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Any community has a certain set of noises or sounds that are “normal” and expected. At some point after you've lived in one place for a number of months or years, you may not really hear or notice those sounds anymore. Maybe it’s the sound of birds chirping outside the kitchen window, traffic going passed the window in your office, or even the sounds that your house makes. Ukarumpa is no different; there are several sounds that, to me, emphasize where I am and why I’m here.

Bread and Tacos and Cookies, Oh My!

One of my better loaves of bread

If you know me at all, you know that I have lots of adventures—generally having to do with either cars or cooking. Since I don’t drive a manual, or have any desire to deal with a vehicle here, this post is about, you guessed it…cooking! Most of my “adventures” in the kitchen back home involved burned food, courtesy of me getting a little too engrossed in whatever I was currently reading. I’m happy to report that I haven’t been burning my meals—especially since I’ve (finally!) figured out the ins and outs of the gas oven.

Calling All Teachers!

Remember when you were a kid and school was called off for a day, or maybe even two? Why was school called off—snow, ice, -30F temperatures? Now imagine that you are a missionary on the field with school-aged children; there is a school on your mission center, but it isn’t fully staffed, and can’t offer classes until they find qualified teachers. This scenario is exactly where Ukarumpa International School (UIS) Primary Campus found itself last week.

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!