Love/Hate Relationship [PNG]

I wrote this post right after we got back from the Pei tribe so that I wouldn't forget the little things. Wanted to post pictures first, though, so am just now posting this :) Just wanted to share some things that I grew to have a love/hate relationship with while in PNG, and particularly in Pei.

-Rain: I know some people always love rain. I don’t mind rain (or thunderstorms) particularly when I’m inside… but when I know we’re going to be outside a lot, I don’t love rain. I don’t love the mud that it creates, I don’t love that you’re just a wet mess then. But I also love rain. When it’s SO STINKIN’ hot, rain cools it down incredibly. In the tribe, rain was also necessary in order to have clean drinking water. You use the water that comes from rain to get clean drinking water (and clean shower water and washing water). You also need rain when in the Pei tribe because you get there by boat, so the water has to be high enough in the river to keep the boat moving. So it’s a big deal.

-Sun: I’m a summer girl. I really love the summer. I would be completely happy to live in Florida my entire life. But when you live in a place with no AC (and in the tribe, no fans), the sun is FRYING. In the tribe, it was pretty hot inside (thankfully I deal well with heat even when pregnant, but it was still hot, especially when cooking). I felt most bad for the guys who were building homes and working right in the sun for 8+ hours a day. I would walk outside for 10 minutes and be ready to go back in or find shade. But I also loved the sun because it meant no mud, less mosquitos, dry clothes,  and clear flying weather.

-Clothes: For the most part, I really love clothes. I’m so thankful I have the luxury of owning many clothes and I enjoy new clothes. But when it’s hot out and the dress code expects more clothing than you would prefer to be wearing, clothing is just a hot, sweaty mess. Plus, it gets dirty. And stays dirty. Plus, it gets ruined easily when it is continually being dried in the hot sun.

-Planes: I really don’t love to travel long distances in cars or in planes. But I particularly don’t love to travel when I’m pregnant, and traveling in a hot plane while pregnant and holding your toddler on your lap is unpleasant. I have puked on two flights so far during our trip. As much as I do not enjoy being in the plane, I am SO thankful for how much quicker travel is because of planes. I can’t imagine the months that it took for missionaries to get to far off lands in years past when boat was the only way to travel.

-Being a Mother: I feel like I shouldn’t even put this as a category because I don’t ever hate being a mother even though there are parts of parenting I particularly dislike (disciplining, the early sleepless nights). Moving to another country  - or visiting another country- that is very different from your home country is particularly stressful as a mother since not only do you have to adjust, but also you have to help your children adjust. You feel bad that they have to sleep in uncomfortable situations and be stared at and grabbed at. And it’s just harder to get things done in awkward living situations (a bush home that has shaky floors and holes and no lights) when you have to keep an eye on a toddler. However, being a mother is such a blessing here as it naturally draws attention to you. Everyone loves the white baby. It’s an easy “in” to getting to know the people. I can go out and sit with the ladies and learn some language without particularly feeling like I need to say or do much. It happens naturally when a child is involved. The Pei tribal ladies (and children) ADORED Sophie.

-Bush Houses: I feel like I also shouldn’t put this as a category, but for the opposite reason as the one above… it’s hard to say that I actually LOVED the bush home we stayed in. It was dark, the floor is shaky, there are holes in random spots, it’s hot, you can hear everything really loud outside (including in the middle of the night), and there are bugs abundant. Oh, and there’s no toilet or shower, let alone any other luxuries (I did get to sleep on a blow-up air mattress and sit on a camping chair- both were blessings at 7 months pregnant). However, there were a few things nice about a bush home. First, it didn’t matter if you poured water all over the floor. It would dry. So Sophie played with water on the floor a lot. Also, you could drop food right down the holes in the floor and the dogs would come get it (so if you have a messy child or have uneaten leftovers, you have an easy solution). Also, because it’s so dark, you don’t notice the bugs (ants, mosquitos, cockroaches… and also rats) as much as you would if there were lights… which is a blessing to me. I’d prefer not to know how many are crawling around. And it was always important to keep in mind that there were people who spent a lot of time (a year, we found out) building this home that had walls and a roof over our head who were giving it up so we had a place to stay while building more permanent homes for our friends.

-Mosquito Nets: Pretty simple. Mosquito nets are hot and kind of a pain to have to crawl into all the time. But you gotta love the fact that they keep you from getting bit alive by mosquitos all night long.

-Hair: I love my hair. I love Sophie’s hair. But I completely understand why the people in the tribe have no hair. It’s hot, it’s dirty, and it’s sweaty, and when you think about how easily lice spreads within these tribes… it makes you want to check your head often.

-Tools: This one is for Ben. Tools, particularly ones that run off of batteries or gas, are an amazing invention that makes building (or fixing) a much faster process. The problem is when they don’t work, though. Or when they stop working and you’re in the middle of nowhere and can’t easily get one. The guys had a lot of problems getting the sawmill to work, which is what cut the trees into lumber for the house. Therefore, it was very important. Praise the Lord that the morning we left Pei, a new sawmill came in that was working consistently (please continue to pray that it consistently works until all the lumber is cut)!