Honeymoon Stage

I am in the honeymoon stage here at PNG and so far I love it. My 'house' is the only down point, but it's better than many PNG houses. The Sisters are trying their best to make it cozy for me - poor ventilation and they still want to put in an A/C. Yes, cold showers.

I work for Bishop Bill and he is originally from Pittsburgh and is really wonderful. He is very smart- PH.D from Oxford and a philosophy teacher at heart. He made me feel at home from the beginning and now that Ron and Karen are here as well- we all are getting along just fine. Bishop loves having Americans here with him and the other priests and Brothers are great too.

I am currently working at Caritas Technical School in Kimbe and will begin teaching English the second term - a week or two after Easter. I am already observing in the classroom and it seems very easy. It's a girls’ school and they are very respectful. Sister Florentina is the mastermind and the Caritas nuns originate in South Korea. Sister Sarah is the person in charge of the work projects, Sister Romero is newly arrived and is in the English classes and Sister Benedict is their first PNG sister to join them. I live across from their convent.

This past weekend was so awesome!! Karen, Ron and I got in the boat with Bishop Bill and other native clergy. We had to get on a banana boat and went to the villages of Kaliai and Baliai. The welcome ceremonies from each village and even one here in Kimbe were so special- just as I imagined. The drums, the native costumes made of leaves and flowers and their dance were wonderful. Then each person in the village came by to shake our hand. Babies are so honest- they are frightened- such white faces!! Ha!!

The masses, one on Saturday to confirm about 200 or so people and the Palm Sunday mass were both packed at each location inside and out We were able to sit up front and  - it was awesome!! I still don't have the right words to describe it - I will have pictures as soon as I can get my laptop to work.

To get to these villages, we had to take a ride through the country roads filled with potholes to the ocean (took about an hour or so) then we took a boat for about 5 hours. The first three hours were calm and smooth, but the last 2 or so hours were rough wet and choppy. I am so glad I had a pillow to sit on that I brought from home. I got the worst of it - splashed in the face repeatedly. We had a Vatican flag on our boat to let everyone know the Bishop was on board. Karen sat on one side of him and I sat on the other, protecting him from the ocean spray that seemed to last forever.  Ron sat up front- uncomfortable, but glad to come along.

I was severely sunburnt and the Sisters brought me some cream to ease the burn. Ouch!  Bishop Bill has a sense of humor and all I could do was laugh, the alternative is not even an option. We stayed with the parish priest- no electricity and no running water, but survived. On Sunday after mass in the afternoon, we went to an island to swim in the ocean and took some picinini's (children) with us. They covered themselves in sand and then dunked into the ocean. I asked them to do it again, and they did...Beautiful- I can't wait to show you pictures.

This is Holy Week and there will be a chrism mass on Wednesday night. Many priests are gathering in Kimbe for this special mass before returning to their own parish churches for Holy Week services. I go to church (mass) every morning at 6:30 at the cathedral- nothing like any cathedral in the US. This is a very humble place and is why Ron is here- to help build a better church. On Wednesday morning there is a mass at the school at 6:45am. The girls are not afraid to sing and their voices harmonize very well. The other mornings, I hitch a ride with the sisters- funny scene- 7 of us in a SUV pounding over potholes to cross the street to the cathedral in the morning. Something like an 'E' ride at Disney- if some of you are old enough to remember such tickets. So far so good.

Like I said, this is supposedly my honeymoon phase and I hope it does not end too quickly.

 God bless