Black Saturday

We here in Ukarumpa had our own little post-Thanksgiving shopping—complete with line outside the front door of our store.  Yes, there is only one store so choices are limited and thus shopping is pretty easy.  Easy, but not entirely painless since prices reflect the cost of getting such things as Legos, scented candles, art supplies and gardening tools to our remote location.  But even if you don’t plan to make any purchases, it’s still a fun social event.  I confess I spent most of my time at a picnic table with a friend, a cup of coffee and a homemade biscotti.  Even Santa stopped by to hand out candy to all the good little (and big) children!

A Little Welcome

Welcoming new colleagues and helping them adjust to life on our center is another ministry opportunity here in Ukarumpa.  It’s the “Fellowship Family’s” responsibility to make sure new arrivals know how to find reliable house help, how to buy produce at the market, how to connect to internet, and how to make sure the water coming out of their faucet is safe to drink.  Re-training yourself to do things we take for granted back in the US can make the learning curve pretty steep at first.  But having someone nearby to field questions can make those first few days a little less stressful.

For the past year, we’ve been eagerly praying for our friends, the Littlefields, as they progressed through training, partnership development, and the Pacific Orientation Course (POC).  Then all of a sudden during the final weeks of POC, the littlest of the Littlefields broke her leg and had to be medically evacuated with her mom to the clinic here in Ukarumpa—and only a few days before her birthday too.  It wasn’t the most ideal way to spend a birthday, but we we count it a privilege to have helped her celebrate, and help her family as settle into their new home.

Carnival

We’re back in PNG and our trip to Australia already seems like a distant memory.  We’re readjusting to life without paved roads, shopping centers and McDonalds.  But it’s good to be “home” among friends, and back to a regular schedule with home-cooked meals.  (Remind me in a few weeks that I said that latter part.)  And fortunately, we made it back in time for the biggest social event of the year—Carnival!

Every October/November the high school students from Ukarumpa International School put on a carnival to raise money for a local ministry.  It’s pretty amazing the activities the students put together especially considering we’re in the middle of the PNG bush.  Claire and Isaiah enjoyed watching teachers get submerged in the dunk tank, riding on the muscle-powered Ferris wheel, navigating their way through a maze, surprising a friend with a gift from “The Secret Admirer’s Booth”, and jumping in a real, live bouncy castle.

Of course, Mom’s favorite part is the food—a barbecued chicken sandwich, corn and mashed potatoes.  Yum!  The best part:  I didn’t have to make it myself!

Photo by C Koens.

Not Forgetting the Beach

Of course, no trip to the “Far North” would be complete without a visit to the beach.  Palm Cove is our favorite and since jellyfish season doesn’t start till November we were free to pick our own spot to swim.  (Other times of year, it’s recommended that you swim only within barriers intended to block the stingers.)

In my opinion, the beach is best enjoyed while knitting. <grin>

Science Field Trip

Claire and Isaiah have been learning about different animals around the world with Sonlight’s Science B curriculum.  Would you believe that this week they were to study animals from Australasia?  I didn’t even plan that, but it’s pretty cool how it worked out.  So not only is our visit to Australia a medical trip and a vacation, it’s also a science field trip!

First we got on the Skyrail and got an awesome view of the Queensland rainforest via a gondola ride right over the canopy.  En route are two mid-stations where we explored the forest floor and learned about the plant life and creatures to be found there.

At the end of the cableway is the town of Kuranda.  A tourist town—almost an Australian Eagle River, WI for those who know what I’m talking about.  But it’s a fun place to visit with opportunities to sample all things Aussie.

Jon and Isaiah decided to visit the Australian Venom Zoo—where as Jon described it, “We saw several critters that could kill you in 30 seconds or less.”  I’m assuming that the animals they’re holding below were NOT venomous, but I’m not sure because Claire and I decided to skip the venom and taste some Aussie coffee and scones instead.

Later we re-grouped to visit the Rainforestation Nature Park.  After a visit with Jack the Ripper*, a dragon and Claire’s favorite—”kuddly” koala…

…we rode on a duck (DUKW) through the rainforest.  Ironically, our duck is also a misplaced American from Pontiac, MI.  <wink>  Our tour guide gave an excellent lecture on much of the local flora and fauna—much of which is entirely unique to Australia.  And which one do Claire and Isaiah remember?  The Stinger which can cause a painful rash for weeks.  Good one to remember since it’s fairly common in Queensland.

We finished our field trip with an aboriginal dance demonstration and a lesson on how to throw a boomerang by a real pro.  Wouldn’t it be great if school could be like this everyday?

Next week we’re studying the animals of Antarctica….

*A 16-foot saltwater crocodile weighing 1433 pounds with a reputation of having killed 12 of his girlfriends in times gone by.

Granite Gorge

When we’re in Papua New Guinea, the kids and I don’t get out of Ukarumpa very often.  (Imagine never leaving the square mile around your house for months on end.)  So one of the things I look forward to most about going to Australia is just the freedom to roam.  When Jon asked me what I wanted to do while we were in Cairns I said, “After I have my big brekkie and a flat white, I just want to get in the car and drive.”

So we did.  A local friend mentioned that Granite Gorge Nature Park might be a good bet for our little nippers*, so we packed our swim suits, drinking water and a snack and headed west into the Tablelands of Far North Queensland.  It’s amazing how quickly the lush, tropical climate of the coast turns to dry, scraggily bush—although still beautiful in its own wild way.  An hour and a half later, we found ourselves here:

The kids were initially disappointed since they were mainly interested in swimming and finding kangaroos.  But shortly into our hike these rock wallabies came out to see who was intruding on their domain.

After we paid the toll in food pellets, we were allowed to pass and follow the short trail to Granite Creek.

We spent some time enjoying the slippy moss-covered rocks and cold water.  And it’s a good thing too, because afterwards our ankle-biters* got addicted to following the white spray-painted trail dots and we walked…

…and climbed,

 

and hiked some more.

(Can you see “dino” and his footprints?)

It might have been a very hot and miserable hike had we not been wet when we started.  When we reached the end, we all agreed it was a grand little adventure, but the best way to finish it off…was with ice cream of course!

*Australian for “children”

“I Can See All the Way From Here!”

--quote by Isaiah upon trying on his new glasses.

The first order of business upon arriving in Cairns, was to get our eyes checked—right after a big brekkie* and a flat white from Stratford Deli.  <sigh of contentment>

I was diagnosed as glaucoma suspect a number of years ago and now that I’m reaching that magical age of 40, <gasp> it was recommended that an ophthalmologist check my eyes once a year.  (Actually, more often than that, but this is what we can manage right now.)  Praise God, I have no signs of the disease.

Claire had her yearly eye exam, and we were pleased to learn that she would not need new glasses this time around.  This was Isaiah’s first eye exam and as we had anticipated, he left me as the only un-spectacled one in this family.  Maybe that should be the only unspectacular one in the family, because I think he looks pretty adorable handsome!

*Australian for a breakfast of sautéed mushrooms, thick bacon, poached eggs, toast, and a grilled tomato.  May or may not include baked beans, sausage and/or hash browns.