Wednesday 20 August 2014

Return

We are home at Ukarumpa from our three week Gulf round trip. These are our activities, by Catherine’s calculation:

34 songs recorded
20 Days (and 20 shell books made)
14 Stops
13 Dingy trips (longest: 4 hours; wettest: 2.5 hours in driving rain)
12 drafted chapters of Acts typed up
11 Villages
10 Crocodile sightings (some wild, some captive, some dead...several over 3 meters long!)
8 languages (Koriki, I'ai, Urama, Kope, Gibaio, English, Tok Pisin, Police Motu)
7 Liklik houses (i.e. outhouse experiences...)
6 team mates
4 Nationalities (New Zealand, US, Canada, Australia)
3 different boats
Countless hands shaken, children’s literacy tested, sago, fish and crabs eaten, miles waded through mud (up to knee deep at times), photos snapped, memories made, and blessings given and received.
1 remarkable trip!

Riverside croc
Photo: R Drew
Monday was the last day of our trip and the day of the wettest dinghy ride. We rose at 5.30am with the roosters and packed away our mosquito nets one last time. As we started down the river it was a picture perfect morning, with the river showing off how beautiful it can be. Half an hour in, that changed to driving rain. Even though we were wrapped in rain coats and tarpaulins, we ended up soaked to the skin.

On arriving at Purari airstrip, the rain had stopped the oil company workers from their riverside works,
 but they kindly helped us unload the dinghy and carried us and our cargo along the airstrip to a sheltered area. I think they were glad for something to do and an excuse to drive their little all terrain vehicle. I was just glad to avoid one more muddy walk! We changed into dry clothes and waited another few hours for the plane to arrive. As we waited, we played scrabble, laughed at stories from the trip and greeted Aussie oil workers flying in and out by helicopter and plane at the start or end of their swing. The contrast between the company expats and the drowned-rat, post-village expats was amusing.

Another challenging walk to the outhouse
Photo: C Rivard
At this point in the journey, we were all so tired that life was getting a bit silly. Debbie is an extrovert and a clown who becomes more extreme the more tired she is. The other four of us are introverts, and become more giggly the more tired we are. The combination was much silliness and laughter to bide the time until we heard the sweet sound of our own plane coming to retrieve us.

Stepping off the plane at Aiyura was like stepping from one season to another. The sun was out, but not cooking us, and the ground was dry and easy to walk on. The air was cool and home was in reach.
Since being home I have skim read nearly a hundred emails, savoured hot showers and different food (there is a limit to my sago, rice and fish consumption) and caught up on news. Locally, the bridge at Kainantu that connects us to the Highlands Highway fell into the river during our absence. In a few short weeks, the wreckage has been cleared away and work has started on the new bridge. The efficiency brought about by necessity surprises me. The local national high school had a fire in one of the girl’s dorms earlier on Monday. No one was injured, but the building and much personal property was lost. As my home is on top of our fire truck’s garage, I heard plenty of comings and goings downstairs as our volunteer fire crew cleaned up after helping at the school.

Laundry has been done, family have been phoned, chocolate has been purchased and consumed, facebook has been informed of my return and mail has been collected. For all the connectivity of fb, blogs and phone calls, there is something precious about a hand written letter and the journey it took to find me. I spent twelve hours in bed the first night and if it wasn’t for the appeal of fresh vegetables from the market on a Wednesday morning, the second night would have been a repeat performance!


Mud!
Books have been read and movies are lined up and ready. Having not had a proper day off in over three weeks, I am taking the rest of this week as ‘time off in lieu’ to catch my breath before jumping back into life here. I may work on blog posts (I have plenty to write about after this trip), or a prayer update… or I might not! I love the work I do and trips like this are great, but afterwards I need a few days to recover physically and personally. Village work and team work is intense. Solitude and slowness are needed for my recovery.

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