Weir in PNG

Just a quick post before the week-end....

This past Thursday, we met with our was famili again. This time, we went to their house in their village. It was another great night filled with Ben "showing off" and trying to be the center of attention. Our was famili's kids were great with Ben again. They were showing Ben their games, and we were teaching them "Ring Around The Rosie". We talked about our was famili's parents and siblings. Honestly, the dynamics of this culture are so different from our Western perspective. It truly is amazing to learn about the history of PNG from the very people who have relatives who were a big part of it. I think I mentioned this before, but there are no orphanages or nursing homes here....there isn't a need for them. Families take care of each other. It's part of life....built into who they are and how they live. There are other things about this culture that may break your heart, though. I just don't feel right posting them on this site. Hopefully you are on our newsletter!
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Caleb is getting a little restless. I don't want to speak for him, but just know that it is hard since he already knows so much of the language. He is having to watch the 6-week participants gear up to leave soon. I know he wishes that we were going with them...but instead, we are in the 14-week course.

I'm trying to think what else there is to talk about! Oh...I know....I have totally given up on make-up here. It is too much work to put it on in the morning and it is all sweated off by noon. Also, I have purchased a meri blouse that I wear with pride, though I still think I would not be caught in it in the states. I also wear this big brimmed Target hat with just about everything even though it probably only matches one outfit that I brought with me. Most of my clothes are beginning to be ruined....either by bleach that we use to wash our fruits and veggies or because they do not dry properly. We were fully prepared for this, so all the clothes we brought we assume will be thrown out when we leave. But, it is a little piece of information I thought I would share....so you could get a feel for what it is like here.

I think that is about it for now. We really hope that the internet will be up and running this Sunday when we visit a nearby "resort" for swimming. It hasn't been working the past two Sundays, so I am not holding my breath. I would love to upload pictures so you could all get a feel for what it is like to live here!

On a side note....we are considering to begin potty training. A staff member here told me about a book called "How to Potty Train Your Child in 24 Hours"....or something like that. She has a print out with all the information on what to do. So, we are going to give that a try soon. If it doesn't work or go well, we will wait a month and try again. Initially, we purchased everything for cloth diapers, but upon advice from the staff, took it all back. Disposables are relatively the same price here as in the states....since Ben is so close to the "potty training age" (if you can even say that), we thought it best to try once we were here and had the help of the nursery ladies. Time will tell. Also, since he is the only one in diapers for this course, we are able to dispose of the diapers without too much hassle.

Also, we did find a water filer...I think it is a Catadyne Siphon one. I think it is a drip mechanism- gavity feed. That's all I know! =0)

Good Night, All!