Sally, the newest member of the Zoe Committee, is taking some time out to volunteer in PNG. We look forward to seeing her return with this amazing experience under her belt!
Well PNG is truly amazing; we are surrounded by ancient culture. This place feels like it hasn’t been ruined by fast western ways yet.
It is something like 95% of people own their own traditional land and people still live very traditional lives due to financial situations and lack of outside influence.
The highlands are so beautiful. Luscious green rolling mountains with valleys filled with jungle life. People still hunt with bows and arrows here, our security guards have bows and arrows too!
The highlanders are really small people; around 4-5 foot tall and so damned lovely I can’t believe it. We are cuddled everyday by everyone in Goroka just about!
Dwayne, Lozi and I are stared at everywhere we go, most westerners come here to make money or as missionaries and I think Goroka is real happy to meet some down to earth whities.
Me and Dwayne chew lots of beetle nut which everyone loves, at first I didn’t like it but now I am quite addicted, we will come back with black teeth! Argh!
Our work is really dysfunctional and I guess that’s the reason they needed volunteers but sometimes it is all a bit much, the performers are all lovely but it just is all over the shop. We work full time and it is so tiring, just because of the lack of structure, hygiene and time management.
We have made really good mates with our security guards, with one in particular his name is Reuben and he doesn’t speak English. He is so beautiful and comes from another world, he has taken us to his village and cooked us a Mumu with his family, they have all sort of adopted us, it is very sweet and makes life up here feel full.
It is still really common for people to get all their traditional gear on and dance for almost any special occasion. We have seen quite a lot of sing sing.
Only one generation ago, people used to eat other people and killing people was like playing soccer they say, the highlanders dressed up and went to war nearly everyday, so wild!
Dwayne has also been volunteering at the Goroka museum which is really cute, so you can imagine the collection coming back to Aus if they let him!
Lozi goes to a school where he wears a tie! It is so weird, but he is slowly fitting in. The kids here are encouraged to play rough, there is no such thing as time out for hitting, they think it makes babies and kids tough. Poor Loz has been getting whacked but a lot of it is out of pure love but it has been confusing for him. I’m slightly worried about how wild we might all be soon!
I love it here it is so amazing and raw and real and fucked up and beautiful and confronting and wild. It is definitely worth seeing, and it really isn’t that dangerous, just few people have given the whole place bad reputation.
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