Tablet

My tablet is in there somewhere (H.Schulz)

I am not an early adopter of new technology, but wait to see if it might be useful as well as fashionable. As I could not see much use to a tablet beyond a fancy photo album, I was unsure if I should buy one, but did so as people always want to see photos of where I live and work. it is true that I mostly use it as a fancy photo album, it has proven its worth in this respect, both in Australia and in the village.

When in Australia it is handy to be able to carry photos around so easily, and to throw in some videos for good measure. These can be videos I’ve taken in the village, or the carefully crafted ones promoting our work in Bible translation. Kids love to watch the videos on repeat, but adults enjoy them too. As a picture speaks a thousand words, this album of photos does more to describe my life and work than I could ever do using words. The pictures also prompt questions about aspects of life that I would not think to mention otherwise.

Just as the translation team was about to leave, it started pouring

 with rain, so we watched the Jesus Film on my tablet for an 

hour while waiting for the rain to pass. (H.Schulz)

In the village though, is where my tablet is proving its worth. Firstly there is the ease of using it to show portions of the Jesus Film as part of Bible studies. With a small speaker attached, I can share the film with a medium sized group before we spend time discussing what we have seen.

Sharing an album of photos of the Jesus Film dedication has been a huge hit this trip. Learning to swipe between pictures is never a problem and once I have the album open, I hand over my tablet and stand back and watch as a crowd gathers to enjoy the show. It is interesting to see what people do and don’t recognise, which pictures they stop at or not. A photo of the local mill and airstrip taken from the air confuses people as they do not recognise the view from above. Stretches of river, which to me all look the same, are quickly identified as to where they are. Small figures in distant canoes are also named, along with where they are from and how they are related. As with all people in the world, they pause for the familiar faces, and skip the strangers. Aba Robbie is a favourite with everyone, but their circuit minister is always skipped. Close ups that whiteskins comment on as beautiful portraits, are seen as a bit odd by locals.

It is remarkable how quickly
a crowd can gather! (H.Schulz)

While I was worried about having technological toys when very few locals do, the joy that the tablet has brought to many people has made it worth having. I’ve also been shown that I’m not the only one with technological toys, as one day I was charging a far more expensive tablet for my neighbour’s in-laws.

One side-effect of tablets is that kids expect every screen to be full of fun things and are a bit disappointed that my phone and computer seem so boring. When I go down to the riverside to check emails (the signal doesn’t reach my house) there will always be a kid or two who comes to stare hopefully at the screen. They soon wander off disappointed, or are called off by their parents. I’ve also learnt to say ‘Only words, no pictures’ to discourage them. Checking email is when I’m grateful for low literacy rates, as I can leave my phone beside me and not expect anyone to be  able to read small print, at a distance, upside down, in English, and so my emails remain private.

While I am not an early adapter to technology, the locals are. They enjoy using my tablet, seeing photos, taking photos if their phone is capable and at least one person has asked me to blue tooth some of the dedication photos to their phone. It is a reminder to me that the culture gap is not always as big as it might seem.

Flight of the Blackboards

Loading the cargo, including
the blackboard collection (H.Schulz)

Before my most recent flight to the village, I had packed two blackboards (90cm x 120cm) and sent them ahead to Aviation. They were wrapped in plastic, ready for their canoe ride after landing. When I arrived at Aviation I was surprised to see a pair of boards, without their plastic wrap. I need that wrap for the boat ride! Looking closer I saw a pile of personal sized blackboards beside it and remembered that the Kasua team was sending out literacy supplies. Looking more closely again, I saw that it was labelled for the Kaluli team. It was the flight of the blackboards! Two for Kaluli, two for Kope, six big boards for Kasua and piles of small boards too.

While amused by the collection it was a clear reminder of the importance of literacy in the work we do. Here were three different teams putting together supplies to ship them to remote locations for the local community to use in their vernacular literacy programmes. The blackboards are a sign that other literacy efforts are in place. Local teachers have been trained, books have been written and printed, curriculums have been developed, but more resources are always needed.

Day one using the blackboard (H.Schulz)

Who pays for these resources? Most often it is the expat translator working with the language community. Often the community will contribute, but the expat carried the bulk of the expense. Where do we get our funds from? Mostly it comes from family and friends at home who believe in the work we do and support us financially*. The Kasua team had a special fundraising effort to pay for these literacy materials. There are some project funds available for literacy, but they are for specific things such as printing books. The purchase and the flight costs of blackboards are not usually covered.

Sometimes there is funding that comes from local government to support local literacy efforts. I had been speaking with a friend about this happening in her area the day before my flight. Sadly, hers was a tale of corruption and vanishing funds. Large amounts had been given, but not been received at the community level. Changes in the committee managing the funds had only made things worse. Currently she is choosing not to go to her language area until the problem is sorted out, to keep herself as far from the mess as possible. I am sure there are other circumstances where the government funds reach the village literacy programme and are used well, but not in this case. It makes me sad when the government has the will to help, but the help is not received and people continue to struggle with literacy.

My blackboards are for translation rather than literacy
and allow everyone to read and contribute to the
draft as it is written. (H.Schulz)

Literacy is a skill that opens the world to people, giving access to many things. Starting to learn to read and write in the language people are most familiar with is the best foundation. Once they have learnt these skills, they can then take on new languages, new ideas and the whole world in a whole different way. As we fly blackboards across the country, we do so to help the remote and forgotten people have access to the world beyond their village. We are also doing it to let them know that their language and culture is just as worthy of writing as any other language in the world.

 *If you would like to support my work in Bible translation (including literacy) with the Kope people, please contact Wycliffe Australia or the Lutheran Church ofAustralia

Staying healthy

Working in a remote location has many challenges, one of them being how to stay healthy. It is something I attack from many angles.

Local cuisine: fish

First there is the problem of dehydration. I work less than eight degrees from the equator, at sea level. Life is hot and sweaty, and I sweat a lot. This means I have to be constantly diligent about remaining hydrated. This is more than a question of drinking at least 3L of water a day, as salts become an issue with sweating. As I am aware of this, I add far more salt to my meals than I do elsewhere, plus I have vegemite with lunch every day. Vegemite is a tasty way to have my daily salt lick.

Also on the dietary front is the limited diet with not much fresh fruit. My friends who are doctors at the local hospital have commented to me on numerous occasions of the poor nutrition in the area and what that means for health. I bring with me a lot of my own food, which helps to combat this problem. I dehydrate fruit and meat to supplement my diet. I also take multi-vitamins to further boost my system. My favourite multi-vitamins are not synthetic, but are achieved by sprouting dried mung beans so that they are fresh, crunchy, yummy and nutritious snacks. Strengthening my system to help me fight disease and infection is particularly important in a remote location.

I am constantly aware of the possibility of infections and my distance from help. Australians will be familiar with the story of the asylum seeker who died from complications from an infected wound. For wounds to do this is a sad reality of life in a tropical developing country and is the reason I fight sources of infection however possible. I use hand sanitiser on a regular basis and attack any and all scratches and bites with tea tree ointment. The soap I use when I wash each day is anti-bacterial. Still, sometimes a bite will get infected and even with lots of careful wound cleaning and care, I am not winning. Then it is time to speak with a medical person, either at the local hospitals where my friends are, or via radio with our base in the Highlands, and attack with antibiotics instead.

 Local cuisine: sago

Bugs and the diseases they bring are another problem. At night I sleep under a mosquito net, when outside my net I wear some sort of insect repellent. Sometimes I burn mosquito coils or sandalwood incense sticks to drive the bugs out of the house, but as these things give me a headache I do it rarely. In wet season, when mosquitoes are more prolific, I take anti-malarials. During the dry season I give my body a break from those drugs. All year I travel with malaria rapid tests and a course of treatment drugs. The rapid tests have one major flaw: I’m not very good at hurting myself on purpose. It is a very good thing that self harm is not my strong point, until I need to prick my finger deeply enough to draw blood.

Getting enough rest is also part of staying healthy. Life on the coast is hot and exhausting. Having a siesta rather than pushing myself in the hottest part of the day helps me to remain well.

The biggest health challenge for my area is tuberculosis, or TB. It is everywhere and it is spreading. Although my doctor friends do their best, they are fighting a battle that is much bigger than them. Living in that environment and hearing the stories from the hospitals, it is something I actively seek to avoid. Having my own house gives me a big safety margin, as I am not breathing in others air all day. Having better nutrition and being generally healthy means I am less likely to succumb. Being alert to TB means that should it ever get hold of me, I would be likely to catch it early and treat it successfully. Still, I hope to never be in that situation.

Maintaining my physical health while in the village requires planning, vigilance and an acceptance that things do not always go to plan. It means being willing to recognise when I am unwell and to go for help. It means thanking God for the good health I have had so far.

PS As per usual, I left writing my blog until the last minute before I went to the village. I wrote enough posts for one-a-week for the first half of my time away, hoping that I'd write more in the village and be in a place with internet to post them before the second half of my stay. If my blog is quiet from now until late March, you know that did not happen!

All Creatures Great and Small

All things wise and wonderful,

All creatures great and small.

All things bright and beautiful,

Our Lord God made them all.

…and I would like to dispute the place of a few of them! Ants, rats, mosquitoes, spiders, snakes and crocodiles are all on the list. Here are my gripes with these animals and why I struggle to join in the joyful tone of this hymn when I think of them.

Ants. They get into everything. The little ones get into clothing and body creases, where they bite and then I itch. The big ones scare me. All sizes are capable of getting past almost every defence to eat my food before I can.

Rats. If a group of workers in the developing world go quiet, ask them if they have any stories about rats and they’ll talk animatedly for hours, each story more disturbing than the last. These plague carriers have a death defying abilities as they run up posts and outwit the smartest traps. They drive us to distraction as we try to keep them out of our houses and lives, but they constantly find their way back in.

Mosquitoes. Malaria, dengue, Ross river virus and more. I’m not sure there is anything to like about these flying disease bearers. Their buzzing keeps me awake at night. Their bites itch and remind me to keep putting on mosquito repellent and taking anti-malarials. I’m not sure what chemicals I rub into my skin a few times a day, but I choose them over the alternatives the mosquitoes may bring.

Spiders. Their redeeming feature is that they eat mosquitoes, so often they are left to live. The one who likes to build a web by my front door though, where I regularly walk through it in the mornings, shall eventually be exterminated. They are small and creepy, and much of my dislike of spiders is to do with coming from a nation with so many that are highly poisonous.

Snakes. What is that rustling sound I hear in my grass roof at times? Is it a rat or a snake? I think I prefer the snake, as it might eat the rats, but only if it stays on high and never ever comes to visit me inside my room. The mere thought of it in my kitchen makes me squirm with discomfort.

Crocodiles. A bit like sharks, people eat more crocs in a year that crocs do people, but their sheer strength and killing ability puts me on edge. As they lie on the river bank, watching us through one half open eye, I am sure they really are imagining how well we’d fit within their skin.

So, next time you look at my photos and think ‘Wow, you live in Paradise!’ remember that there is more than meets the eye. I do understand that each of these creatures has their place in the ecosystem, and that we live in a fallen world where our relationship with creation is not the way it was designed to be. Still, I am happy to have fewer of these creatures in my life.

Home Alone

Now that I have my own house in the village, life has changed dramatically. Before my only space was my room and my only quiet time was my siesta. Now I have lots of quiet in every day. This has its own ups and downs.

 Hanging out in the kitchen (D.Petterson)

Having more space to myself has made a huge difference to my energy levels. Before I was in a busy and noisy house. The people were lovely and I’m very thankful for the time spent building those relationships, but I felt like I was surviving each day and then crashing into bed. Now I need to be deliberate in going out to spend time with people. Often I end up back with the family I previously lived with, sitting in the kitchen and hanging out with the women as before. The difference is that when I leave, I return to a place of quiet.

Having more energy because I have more space allows me to focus more on language learning. Previously I was immersed in language all day long, but was often too tired to concentrate well. Now I have my blocks of language immersion, then time at home to go over my notes, listen to my recordings and slow language down to a speed that I can comprehend. Ideally, this means I am building up my language skills for the next round of immersion. Rather than drinking from the fire hose of language learning all day, I have breaks to try and sip at it instead. Being disciplined about continuing my learning at home is a challenge, as it is very easy for me to read a book in my own language rather than continue working at a new language.

Having my own kitchen gives me more control over my diet and the timing of my meals. Small things like familiar food and a variation from fish and sago make a big difference to my ability to focus on other things. The familiarity of food I cook and being able to eat earlier in the evening allow me to invest my energy better in the multitude of other unfamiliar things going on around me.

 Hanging out with the women (H.Schulz)

Returning from my first language learning trip, when I had lived with a family, I was exhausted. I hid in my house for two weeks as a hermit and only came out and socialised after that because I had to. Returning from my second language learning trip, when I was living on my own, I was out and enjoying the company of friends within a few days of my return. The biggest factor in the difference in my social energy levels on my return was having my own house. Having the space gave me the energy to better invest in relationships and language while in the village, even though it does take more discipline.

Language Learning Moments

 Mo gega ka. I am big, compared to locals,
I just wish they wouldn’t always highlight the fact
(D.Petterson)

Language learning is a never ending process, but in these beginning stages there are some moments that leave me somewhere between a smile and a grimace. Usually it is because I have become familiar with common phrases.

Early in my last village stay I realised I was recognising everything the person behind me was saying “Oobo gega ka. Bogobogo gega ka. Merebehe gega ka.” …but I wished I couldn’t … “The woman is fat. The whiteskin is fat. The lady is fat.” I know they were commenting, not judging, but coming from a western culture in which ‘big/fat’ is so often equated with ‘bad/lazy’, it is hard to hear it as just a description.

Another series of words I recognise but wish I didn’t hear so much was the parents in the house across the path telling off their children. “Piroha!” “Be quiet!’ “Hepui eito!”... which is literally “Go to ground!” In context is not telling people to go into hiding, but to get out of the house by going down the ladder onto the ground.

A word I hear directed at me is “Ahu!”, “Be strong!” In context, they are telling me not to fall in the mud, off the log bridge, or roll the canoe.

 My neighbours, they look far away,
but I can often hear them (H.Schulz)

Recognition of the word “bogobogo” always makes me wonder what people are talking about, as I am the only bogobogo, or whiteskin, in the village. I recognise the reference to me, but not the content of the conversation. One day I’ll understand.

If it is not common phrases causing me to be caught between a smile and a grimace, it is non-recognition of words I knew a minute earlier. As I slowly learn, I am able to use words in context. If the context changes and the same word occurs, I can find myself knowing I should know the word, but not knowing what it means. This is most frustrating.

Then there are the moments when I do manage to put an idea into words, or understand what someone has said to me, and there is a moment of victory. I look forward to the day when comprehension is more normal and confusion saved for new events, rather than every event.

Day two

It is day two back in the village and I am settling back into life here. Having my own house sure makes for a quieter life, which will hopefully give me the energy I need to really focus on language learning.

My day starts at 6.30am when I turn on the radio for the aviation sked (schedule). When the pilot had dropped me off the day before he had made a comment that alerted me to the fact they had the wrong airstrip booked for the Jesus Film dedication charter flight. I need to fix that in a hurry! Listening to the sked I find that indeed it is going to the wrong place. I thought we had changed that a few months ago. I radio in and request the change to be made. When I listen in the next morning, I am able to confirm that the request was followed through on.

7am and it is Wednesday, the regular sked is replaced with the Director’s sked. The Director of Language Programmes comes on the air to encourage us all and give us updates about the work going on in different places around the country. It is good to hear her voice as I eat my breakfast by the radio. After the Director’s sked we have the regular sked and I’m finally able to officially open my radio station… having already used it a few times! Monday and Thursday are my roll call days, when I call in to confirm that all is well. I can call in any day if I have a message to pass to someone (‘traffic’), but those are the days I must call in.

8am and I am outside greeting people whom I have not seen since I arrived the day before, and showing them the DVDs, SD cards, books and bookmarks I have brought with for the Jesus Film dedication. There is general excitement that the film really is done and here in their hands. I am told there is a meeting ‘at 11am, in two hours time’ about the dedication plans. Although 11am is three hours away, the ‘two hours’ is an indicator that the organiser really would like people to be on time.

8.30am and I’m nailing down the floor of my kitchen. The boards had been laid but never secured, and their wobbliness is annoying me. Armed with hammer and nails I set out to fix the problem. Soon enough someone turns up to do it for me and I hand over my hammer. I’m not sure if this is a gender thing, a help-the-white-person thing or something else, but I chose to hand over the tools rather than argue. A village carpenter also comes to fit out my kitchen with shelves, as until now it is just an open space.

People talk of ‘galley kitchens’ as if they are a real estate highlight. Having worked on ships, I disagree. My favourite definition of a galley was the cook who said she had got herself a job cooking ‘in a wardrobe full of pots and pans that move’. At 2m x 1.2m my kitchen has all the space of a galley, but the crockery is unlikely to attack me unawares. By then end of the day, my kitchen is tidily fitted out and has since proved itself most useful, but only big enough for one.

 The kitchen before… (H.Schulz)

While the kitchen is being built, I put together the two burner cast iron stove which I had brought with me. Hopefully the gas bottle arrives with the Jesus Film guests coming from Kapuna Hospital. There have been numerous plans made and remade about that bottle.

Having defeated the stove, but still having workmen in the house and it not yet being time for the meeting, I have to decide what to do next. First I review all my language learning flash cards. The vocabulary is slowly coming back to me, but it is going to take time and effort for me to both recover what I knew before and learn more. Flash cards done, I move on to reading a theology book. Reading books like this is professional development for me.  A plumbing book would probably be more practical as I set up my house, but theology is what I have available.

At 11am the committee chairman arrives and tells me he is going to go and inform the others that it is time to gather for the meeting. I do my preparation, by putting together supplies of mugs, hot water, tea, coffee, sugar, milk powder and crackers. All meetings go better with a cuppa and a snack. We probably started with the cuppas at about noon, with the meeting then going till 3pm. Most of the meeting was in Kope, with occasional changes to English when I needed to be included. Last minute details were finalised, prices of DVDs and SD cards were negotiated and a second round of cuppas consumed.

 …the kitchen after, including the gas bottle
(H.Schulz)

By the time we were done, the kitchen fit-out was done too. Wow! With basic tools, timber off-cuts and the nails that I provided, I have a lovely little kitchen. I packed all my things into it in no time and set to making curtains to cover the front of the shelves.

The kitchen got done efficiently under the handy excuse of ‘getting ready for visitors’, with my toilets next on the list to use that excuse. Indeed, by the time the day was done, the finishing touches (ventilation pipe) were put to my loos and I could commission them. The luxury of having an indoor toilet is not fully understood unless one has first slid through the mud and walked precarious walkways to reach one, or deliberately dehydrated in the afternoons just to avoid having to go after dark, when an escort is required to go with you. Now I can pee in comfort and privacy, day or night!

During the afternoon I head down to the riverbank to attempt to send and receive messages on my phone. With visitors coming in two days, communication with the outside world is a higher priority than usual. This time it is a case of win-some and lose-some, as some messages got out, but others refused to send. Sitting by the river, waiting for messages to send, I chatted with some village ladies. Apparently I’ve been away too long, as the kids are all scared of me again.

While sitting with the ladies, two pigs arrived in a canoe. They were exchanged for two good canoe-making logs and will be dinner for the dedication feast. One pig seems resigned to its fate, but the other protests with piercing squeals. The discussion turns to the size of the pigs and if they are a bit small for the logs exchanged and the people expected at the feast.

My solar control panel, for those of you
who like such things (H.Schulz)

I’m home before dark so that I can wash off a day’s sweat and dirt in time to put on fresh mosquito repellent before the twilight round of mossies attack. As the daylight fades I turn on my new LED light that is connected to my solar power system. The light is lovely, but it draws another round of bugs into the house. This includes beetles with poor navigation, who crash into things until they knock themselves to the ground and end up stuck on their backs with their legs waving in the air.

As I don’t yet have a gas bottle, dinner is cooked for me by my neighbour, who also boils hot water for me to put in my thermos and use at breakfast time. I’m looking forward to being my own cook from tomorrow!

The village quietens down for the night. Crickets and frogs are the main soundtrack, with the flapping of a bat or a kid in a distant house joining in at times. I sit in my chair (another luxury item) and enjoy the quiet after a busy day of preparing for ‘the programme’. I’ve done little language learning today, but it has been a good day for relationships.  Tomorrow the first visitors will arrive, and I am in bed by 9pm.