Off to Bunabun

Imagine hiking through a virgin rain forest with massive trees hundreds if not thousand of years old towering above you. Everything is green, except for the huge leaves, now brown, scattered underfoot. Birds are singing and pink and yellow wildflowers poke their heads out of lush, green leaves. The trails are steep and slick, but the views make it all worth it.

This isn't some expensive adventure travel vacation; it was my experience on the three-day hike.

While most people from the US will never get to have this kind of experience, some do. However, even the most seasoned adventure traveler will never experience what I'm about to do. I'm headed off to live in a rural village for five weeks, to get to know Papua New Guineans, to experience their daily lives and culture, and to be with them.

This Thursday my partner Julie and I will be moving up the coast about 55 miles to a village area called Bunabun. (You can see the location by entering the coordinates S04 36.132 E145 33.289 on Google Maps or Google Earth.) There we'll be living in a house built for us by the village, complete with our own liklik haus (outhouse) and haus kuk (outdoor kitchen). Here’s a picture of the house as it looked a few weeks ago; I’ve heard that they’ve since expanded it into a four-room mansion of a village house!



A local family has volunteered to be our wasfamili (host family). I'm looking forward to getting to know the family, and not only the parents Karis and Agnes, but also their two teenage daughters and three younger children.



During my stay in Bunabun, I hope to improve my Tok Pisin and learn a little of Barem their tok ples (first language) as well.

While many aspects of village life will be a wonderful blessing, there will be hard parts as well. In the village, everyday tasks like cleaning your body, doing your dishes, or washing your clothes take two or three times as long as at home. There are no showers, sinks, or washing machines. There is only walking to the river, bathing by scooping water over yourself, washing dishes in a basin, and scrubbing and ringing out your clothes by hand.

Cooking too is a challenge. Fires must be started to cook food and boil drinking water. Everything is made from scratch and there is no refrigeration. As you would expect, there are no modern conveniences like electricity or internet, so I'll be unable to email or blog until I return to POC in late November.

Many people may be glad they will never have a chance to experience true village life, but I'm looking forward to it. I count it a blessing that a village is opening their doors and their lives to me for five weeks. I will treasure the time I have to spend with them and learn from them.

What an incredible and challenging experience awaits! Please keep me in your prayers as I undergo a huge transition and move to the village on Thursday. During my village living time, pray for health for Julie and me, as well as our relationships with each other, our wasfamili, and all of the people in the village.