Out-of-the-ordinary now familiar
The longer I’m here, the harder it is to write.
Maybe I’m just tired, but I sit and gaze at the computer screen and hardly know where to begin. So much of what we are doing here has become routine.
We go to class. We eat. We visit the village. We shower (ahhhhhhhhhhhhh). We eat again. We go back to class, and then it’s time for bed.
In the midst of the routine, we are learning. But sometimes I wonder if coming home will be more of an education than being here. Things that used to seem out of the ordinary a couple of weeks ago have become familiar. I wonder if things that used to seem familiar will appear out of the ordinary.
This week we had a break in the routine -- a mumu in the village. Just after breakfast we headed up the trail and gathered with our language helpers to prepare a special feast.
First we peeled kau kau (sweet potato) and bananas. The men built a fire and covered it with grass and banana leaves. The kau kau and bananas, along with lamb flaps, greens, pumpkin, cabbage and more were piled onto the leaves. More leaves were placed on top, then covered with dirt.
They poured water down the center and let the food steam for almost two hours. We played with the children, practiced our Melanesian Pidgin, and worked on our bilums as the food cooked.
Then the men dug the food out of the ground, tossed it onto more banana leaves, and we sat around it and ate, with our hands. It was an experience.
We are scheduled to leave for a side trip on Friday. It will be a little shorter than we thought -- only four days -- and it will be in the highlands. We will fly on a much smaller plane to get there, so this will be a new experience for me. We are looking forward to it.
Learn more about Interface mission trips >>
Maybe I’m just tired, but I sit and gaze at the computer screen and hardly know where to begin. So much of what we are doing here has become routine.
We go to class. We eat. We visit the village. We shower (ahhhhhhhhhhhhh). We eat again. We go back to class, and then it’s time for bed.
In the midst of the routine, we are learning. But sometimes I wonder if coming home will be more of an education than being here. Things that used to seem out of the ordinary a couple of weeks ago have become familiar. I wonder if things that used to seem familiar will appear out of the ordinary.
This week we had a break in the routine -- a mumu in the village. Just after breakfast we headed up the trail and gathered with our language helpers to prepare a special feast.
First we peeled kau kau (sweet potato) and bananas. The men built a fire and covered it with grass and banana leaves. The kau kau and bananas, along with lamb flaps, greens, pumpkin, cabbage and more were piled onto the leaves. More leaves were placed on top, then covered with dirt.
They poured water down the center and let the food steam for almost two hours. We played with the children, practiced our Melanesian Pidgin, and worked on our bilums as the food cooked.
Then the men dug the food out of the ground, tossed it onto more banana leaves, and we sat around it and ate, with our hands. It was an experience.
We are scheduled to leave for a side trip on Friday. It will be a little shorter than we thought -- only four days -- and it will be in the highlands. We will fly on a much smaller plane to get there, so this will be a new experience for me. We are looking forward to it.
Learn more about Interface mission trips >>