Last Day in PNG

Yup, I know there's a severe lack of posts regarding my trip to Papua New Guinea on my blog. I think that may sort of be my fault? Actually, I think it has to do more with the fact that I was without internet/email for the past two weeks, so there was really no way for me to post on here. At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :)

Ok, so I've discovered that Papua New Guinea is a country that is full of surprises and quirks (like any other country, obviously). For example, on Friday, we (Josiah, Rachel, my cousin Jeph, and I) were supposed to fly out of my uncle and aunt's tribe, the Kaulong, to stay for a few days at the mission base in Hoskins. We had purchased our tickets three weeks in advance, so of course we should be on the flight, right? Well, that would be right in the States. We had to really push to get on the flight, and even then we weren't sure if they'd have space for us. But God provided 4 seats for us so we could make it out to Hoskins. What a blessing!

Another funny thing is that everyone here has a cell phone. They might live in the dumpiest place around, but they have a cell phone. Go figure? Kind of like the States....

Oh, and you know how in planes, they always have the flight attendants saying stuff like, "Smoking is not allowed on this flight"? Well, you know you're in PNG when the flight attendants say "Chewing beetle nut is prohibited in the airport terminal." Beetle nut is a type of nut (shocking, I know). It's actually used here as a narcotic, but pretty much everyone chews it. It creates this red juice, and people spit it out. But, since the airport owners would rather not have red stains all over the floor of their airport, they prohibit the use of beetle nut in the airport (and yes, I did just use "airport" three times in that sentence)

It's so interesting to see the differences between PNG culture and American culture. But I've loved every second of learning the differences and quirks. I love these people here, and I love the way they are laid back and friendly (for the most part). I am excited to hopefully return here soon!

I'll continue to post more about my trip as the days go by. I just wanted to post something quickly before we leave.

We fly out tomorrow morning (July 2 for us) from Hoskins, and we should arrive back in the States on July 3. I'm sad about leaving PNG, but I'm ready to get back home.

Here are a few more pics:

All muddy after a game of soccer in the rain (the brown on my pants is mud)

With a Kaulong believer and her daughter

Eating a meal (that's pig meat in my right hand and taro, a very bland root, in my left)

I'll try to post more soon (soon, however, is a very relative word. This may mean in the next few days, or in a week or so, depending on how much internet connection I have when I get back to the States as well as how often I'm sleeping from jet lag, as well as if my computer is still in my possession by the time I get back to the States... and yes, the list goes on. So, if you don't see any more pictures in a "soon" amount of time, just wait a bit longer and they will probably appear)! And yes, that last parenthetical statement was solely for the benefit of those who actually read all the way to the end of my rather random posts... As you may be able to tell, I'm rather tired at the moment. :)