Bomana Nights

Mville meri comes to visit!!

2007-01-05T21:49:00.000+10:00

The best day of my Christmas holidays this year was when Lady Blue of 10 Yellow fame came and had a day with me in Sydney! Her family were in Australia for a visit, and she called me up to say she was in town - so we had a day cruzing round the city, hitting Darling Harbour, riding ferries, monorails, buses etc - before ending up at Auburn and the movies that night. My dad had his first chance to meet a real PNGn (he was so disappointed not to be able to visit himself, it was excellent to be able to introduce him to one of my girls 'in real life'!) and I got to show off the places where I grew up. But the highlight of the day definitely had to be Luna Park - with Blue laughing at me as my face turned red and then green after being thrown around on rides I'm definitely way too old to go on these days! So great to have her here in my place for a day - gutpela meri stret - mi hamamas tru long lukim yu long ples bilong mi.

Trip back home

2006-12-06T20:48:00.001+10:00

Delphine, another gorgeous girl who also gave me the gift of her beautiful skirt. I felt so honoured!

return to ples bilong mi - July 2006

2006-12-06T20:48:00.000+10:00

The real reason I went back - to see my girls!

2006-12-06T20:47:00.000+10:00

With Janet - I was beaming to see her come second in the competition, and had tears in my eyes when she presented me with her winning skirt. I proudly wore it to school for Book Week when I got back to Sydney.

2006-12-06T20:45:00.000+10:00

Those Simbus are always gorgeous!

2006-12-06T20:41:00.001+10:00

Miss Gulf, at the Mville Cultural Show

2006-12-06T20:41:00.000+10:00

One of the masked men at the festival

2006-12-06T20:39:00.001+10:00

in Rabaul, where I went for the Mask Festival

2006-12-06T20:39:00.000+10:00

Pia's sister, nephew and niece - otherwise known as Little Larissa!

2006-12-06T20:38:00.000+10:00

Pia and I at Laloata Island Resort, July 2006 - my first night back in PNG

The morning of goodbyes...

2006-01-27T20:46:00.000+10:00

Photos posted post-PNG, from a little room in Epping, far from the heat and humidity of home.

That last morning was so surreal, it's a mixture of images and emotions. How could it be true that I was really leaving? How do you say goodbye to people who have been your mother, your sister, your true friends, your daughters - your life - for 2 years?

Standing outside my / our house in the morning with Doris and Veronica and Pia, it was like any other morning as we tried to forget the clock counting down and the minutes ticking by - til Mr Andrew went into the house to put on a CD - and the music drew even the Sisters from their convent as my bags were packed and we were ready to go, Lady A soaking my T-shirt with tears as she held me like she'd never let me go. How can you play leaving on a jetplane when we're all trying to forget that very fact?

We needed the big orange bus to load everyone to the airport to say goodbye - there must have been 50 people there to wave me off, and even with the tears rolling at every hug it was hard to belive that this was really it.

I still can't believe it.

Goodbye Papua New Guinea, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for what will always be remembered as the time of my life. I'll be back, have no doubt about that.

Goodbye Moresby. It's been real.

Roomies' last day - friends forever. Love you Pia

2006-01-27T20:44:00.001+10:00

Catching the big orange bus one last time - we had so many people coming to the airport we needed some major transportation!

2006-01-27T20:44:00.000+10:00

At the airport with Andrew and Lina

2006-01-27T20:43:00.001+10:00

With the girls

2006-01-27T20:43:00.000+10:00

The teachers

2006-01-27T20:42:00.000+10:00

Sister Catherine

2006-01-27T20:41:00.001+10:00

Vero and me - the gentlest and most sentimental of all my Mville mums

2006-01-27T20:41:00.000+10:00

With Josepha, my crazy bush-walking flower-arranging village-sharing mate

My last Bomana night

2005-12-11T08:38:00.000+10:00

there will never be another verandah quite like this one

Backdating

2005-12-10T21:19:00.000+10:00

Incredible - first time to be able to post in over a week!! Just back-filling stories about the last week or so...

Will make my final post tomorrow (if I can) - but for now, about to go and enjoy the peace of my last Bomana night...

disco wantaim ol tisa

2005-12-10T21:10:00.000+10:00

Last night was our much-anticipated staff night out, with a big bunch of us teachers bundling into the little red bus (which Sister had amazingly allowed us to take out for a last party) and hitting Pondo for a final dance.

On the dance floor ALL night - not allowed to sit down because "you wanted to dance, so you cannot escape - you must dance!" - think I danced with everyone in the place - but Pia came a very close second to me there - she was on fire last night!!! (Sitting next to me now laughing and laughing - "Yah, I cannot imagine that this man just brought himself in the midst of us and I had to feel sorry for him. Yah, I really enjoyed myself!")

Mipela givim stret - planti das ikirup!

(we really gave it - lots of dust came up - ie we really enjoyed ourselves!)

2005-12-10T21:09:00.000+10:00

the shark and the dolphin - last night in Bomana

Last Tour of Duty

2005-12-10T20:57:00.000+10:00

Just came back from my very own private concert, with the girls having a talent quest in my honour for my last night of duty. Lots of singing and strumming in groups and by individuals, and a fairly impromptu play too – each of course with their special ‘dedix’ to Ms C – last night for them too and everyone obviously getting into the sentimental swing of things. Nice – especially when they sang their favourite songs all together at the end, asking for requests, and being disappointed when I knocked back the offer to perform myself! Did join them in the chorus of what is now officially my anthem song though – meri lewa (my darling). How they all know it’s my favourite I’m not too sure (though I bet the two Andrew’s girls feature highly in that piece of gossip) but they played it for me at the firehouse, and now tonight was the 50-voice-strong a capella version – including call outs and vocal guitar – love it!

2005-12-10T20:52:00.000+10:00

Lady Andrew and I - Monday morning, and looking a bit worse for wear!

Picnic in the park

2005-12-10T20:50:00.002+10:00

posing with the rok rok