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As we hit the ground in Port Moresby (capital city), Hannah exclaimed, "We're in Papua New Guinea! I can't believe we're in Papua New Guinea!!" We've been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it was exciting to see the MAF hanger come into view through the little window as we finally taxied into the Mt Hagen airport later that afternoon. Upon our arrival in Mt Hagen, we were greeted by MAF staff who had a hot meal and a comfortable bed ready for us.
We are staying in the airport community of Kagamuga, outside of the town of Mt Hagen. The MAF compound on which we are living houses about five foreign staff families and six or seven national staff families. Our house and garden are lovely, with fresh garden flowers in every room when we arrived.
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| Our compound. Our house on the left. |
Over the weekend, we rested to get over our jet lag and travel fatigue. Interestingly, we also had to get used the the altitude in Mt Hagen at over 5000 ft. For the first five or six days I felt quite light headed in the afternoons.
Our first week consisted of setting up life and getting used to our surroundings. We set up phones, applied for driver's licenses, met with the various departments of MAF PNG, met the other families on our compound, toured the hanger and headquarters, and took our first trips into town for shopping (so far we've only been into town separately while the other stays home with the kids). Additionally, Tim wrote aviation exams and got his aviation medical for PNG.
As a family, we have taken a few walks around Kagamuga. On Saturday, we went to the little market here with the kids to stock up on fruits and vegetables. The produce at the market is lovely and fresh as well as affordable. We find the groceries in the stores comparable in price to what we pay in Canada; if imported from Australia, the prices are higher. Household goods are quite a bit more expensive. Hannah also looked forward to buying a bilum (string bag) from the ladies who line up their stock along the airport wall. Trust a little girl to adapt to a new culture by first buying a purse!
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| Market produce is a bit more work as it needs to be scrubbed and bleached. |
The kids are settling pretty well into their new environment. For Ethan this just means continuing his busy schedule of sleeping, eating, and smiling. Hannah is enjoying living on a compound with so many other little girls. Living right next door to another four year old girl is certainly an answer to prayer. She spends most of her day either outside or playing in someone's house. By the time we call her in for meals, she is tired and begins to miss her family back home.
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| View of the kids playing from the kitchen window |
I have enjoyed getting to know the ladies who come once a week to help in the garden and house. It has given me a chance to practice some of the language skills that we acquired during our training in Australia. This afternoon, we begin our formal language and culture training course.
