I should have visitors more often

Lindie and Em are busy in the kitchen, and here I am, kicking back in front of the computer, Missy Higgins playing cooking (and typing) music from the lounge room while my tummy rumbles appreciatively, anticipating the prawn stir fry Lin shopped so scrupulously for this afternoon. (BTW, just for those who may need to be in the know, never make the mistake of assuring your aunty you have light soy sauce at home unless you are ABSOLUTELY certain, because my mushroom soy did not meet the required standards of this particular gourmet…) Smells good though.

Today was a fairly chaotic day for me, realising upon my return to school after a 4-day-legal + one-day-extra-long weekend that I have a whole heap of assessment marks still to enter into the database – and first I have to collect them – and before that I have to have a marking criteria – and now only 3 days to do it. Bugger. Not going to be the relaxed week I was hoping for while my visitors are here, but they did come down to my English classes today and had fun meeting the girls. Once again those Yellows played possum, pretending to be quiet and shy, but the Purples were more relaxed and got a bit more into question time.

Lin and Em talked a bit about our weekend and the Show up in Goroka. It wasn’t as big as last year’s, but it was still amazing: magnificent bilas – the paint and feathers and fur and skirts; the smells of pigs grease and betelnut mixing with the steam from the hot rain; the little kids all dressed up and following their mums and dads around, trying to copy the dances and chants; the face paint of flags and flowers spouting over all the spectators… It’s so hard to describe because we have nothing like it in Australia. Sure we have crowds for footy games, and celebrations with traditional Aboriginal dancing and costumes, and even big shows like the Easter Show – but nothing compares with the spectacle of a PNG Cultural Show, with so many different groups so totally different from each other yet all from within the one country, and all competing with each other for the most incredible costume. It’s something unique to this country, and an experience that I’m sure will become the benchmark for everything I ever do for the rest of my life - hard (impossible?) to beat.