1. It is home to 800+ languages a quarter all those currently in use in the world.
2. PNG is as well known amongst the world’s sociologists as it is amongst anthropologists. The cause of such interest is Cargo Cults-a series of rituals that were supposed to deliver the secret of the Whiteman’s wealth (cargo).
3. PNG’s lowest point is the Pacific Ocean at 0 metres, and highest point is Mt Wilhelm at 4,509 metres.
4. Papua New Guinea government type; Constitutional Monarchy with Parliamentary Democracy.
5. Papua New Guinea is the world’s second largest island after Greenland and Puncak Jaya (formerly Carsenz Top) in the Sudirman Range of West Papua / Irian Jaya at 4,884 metres is the highest point between the Himalayas and the Andes.
6. The main cultural events worth seeing are the Goroka Show (September), The Madang ‘Maborasa’ Festival (August), The Hiri Moale Festival in Port Moresby (September) and The Mount Hagen show (August).
7. 14.8% of PNG is Urban and 85.2% is Rural.
8. PNG’s land area is 462, 840km2 = 0.5% beaches and ridges; 1.5% mangroves; 11% swamps; 15% other lowlands; 43% foothills; 25% mountains 1000-3000 metres above sea level; 4% mountains 3000+ metres and above sea level.
9. PNG’s major trading partners are Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Japan, United States, Singapore, South Korea and Germany.
10. Ramu sugar is the country’s only sugar and ethanol producer, as well as the largest beef and cattle producer.
11. Papua New Guinea is the home of the world’s largest pigeon, largest estuarine crocodile, tallest species of banana, largest moth, largest tree kangaroo, smallest parrots, longest lizard, largest (and second largest) butterfly, largest bush grasshopper, largest bandicoot, largest orchid plant, tallest moss plant, tallest tropical tree species and the best VSO Programme Staff in the world.
12. People from Bouganville are considered to have the blackest skin in the world.
13. In 1990 the population was 3.5 million. In July 2001 the population count was 5, 049,055.
14. In Papua New Guinea, there are 77 kinds of birds, including 12 Birds of Paradise living only in PNG. 46 of the birds are from Bismark Archipelago, 23 from the mainland, 7 from Milne Bay and 1 from Bougainville.
15. PNG’s longest hours of daylight occur late December and early January, and shortest hours of daylight are late June and early July.
16. Porgera (Enga Province) is the largest goldmine in the world outside South Africa.
17. Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s most bio-diverse nations on earth, harbouring 5% of the world’s species in only 1% of the world’s land area, from insects to crocodiles, orchids, to hardwood, sea-snakes and coral to fish.
18. People were gardening in Papua New Guinea when most of the rest of the world were living in caves.
19. The oldest bank in PNG is ‘Westpac Bank’ which was established in 1910
20. The traditional way of broadcasting news was the ‘garamut drum’.
Taken from the Country Briefing Information for Papau New Guinea by VSO PNG Programme Office Copyright VSO 2004
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
14 days.
Or more. Or less. The unknowns have been narrowed to when. I know I will be working in Madang with the provincial department of education. I have my passport, medical, dental and legal clearances. I have visited family and friends, quit my temporary, one-day a week job, researched development in PNG, and compiled an extensive list of books I must read (thanks Abby). Most of the preparations that are involved with moving overseas are still in order from when I left for Zambia one year ago. No need to stress about creating a living will, appointing a power of attorney, getting vaccinations, quitting my job, or selling and/or giving away all my worldly possessions such as my car, furniture, clothes and all the other things one thinks they must have. Preparations are fairly simple at this point. The day before I leave I will throw a few things in a backpack and find comfort in knowing that I can get most everything else in-country.
It’s amazing what a small blue book can mean to a person. It means freedom to explore, to discover the world, to have endless possibilities. I had to send my book of freedom to Ottawa without knowing when I would see it again. VSO needs my passport to apply for my work visa. To apply for my visa a letter from PNG is required. As previously stated, PNG’s visa process is long and complicated. One couple from NY had been waiting for their letter since October 2007 and finally received it 5 days ago. My visa letter could be on a desk in an office somewhere in PNG. At least I hope it is! VSO informed me that all we can do is wait. So I wait. I check my email in hopes of news of an arrival date. I do not want waiting to mean doing nothing and living in the future. I want to live in the moment, right here, right now. To most it would be a temporary break from one’s life but to me nothing has changed, I have been on a break for 5 months. No place of my own, no job, no car, and none of the things one thinks they must have. A description of a freegan, a nomad, a homeless beggar perhaps? Not at all. It’s just me, who expected to leave in February, soaking up moments like a sponge in the waters of the pacific. No schedules or appointments, no phone or transport, no passport, no idea of when. Would you like it? At times I am not certain that I do. Then I remind myself of a script given to me by my Peace Corps recruiter.
If we do not offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes will not lift to the horizon; our ears will not hear the sounds around us. We pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We soon wake up to find we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days. Fear of the unknown and the lure of comfortable space will conspire to keep you from taking the chances you should take. But if you take a chance, you will never regret the choice. To be sure, there will be moments of doubt when you stand alone on an empty road in the pouring rain, or when you are ill with fever in a rented bed. But as the pains of the moment will come; so will they ever fade away. In the end you will be so much richer, so much stronger, so much happier, and so much the better person for having taken the risk and hardship. There will be nothing to compare to the insight you have gained.
It’s amazing what a small blue book can mean to a person. It means freedom to explore, to discover the world, to have endless possibilities. I had to send my book of freedom to Ottawa without knowing when I would see it again. VSO needs my passport to apply for my work visa. To apply for my visa a letter from PNG is required. As previously stated, PNG’s visa process is long and complicated. One couple from NY had been waiting for their letter since October 2007 and finally received it 5 days ago. My visa letter could be on a desk in an office somewhere in PNG. At least I hope it is! VSO informed me that all we can do is wait. So I wait. I check my email in hopes of news of an arrival date. I do not want waiting to mean doing nothing and living in the future. I want to live in the moment, right here, right now. To most it would be a temporary break from one’s life but to me nothing has changed, I have been on a break for 5 months. No place of my own, no job, no car, and none of the things one thinks they must have. A description of a freegan, a nomad, a homeless beggar perhaps? Not at all. It’s just me, who expected to leave in February, soaking up moments like a sponge in the waters of the pacific. No schedules or appointments, no phone or transport, no passport, no idea of when. Would you like it? At times I am not certain that I do. Then I remind myself of a script given to me by my Peace Corps recruiter.
If we do not offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes will not lift to the horizon; our ears will not hear the sounds around us. We pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We soon wake up to find we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days. Fear of the unknown and the lure of comfortable space will conspire to keep you from taking the chances you should take. But if you take a chance, you will never regret the choice. To be sure, there will be moments of doubt when you stand alone on an empty road in the pouring rain, or when you are ill with fever in a rented bed. But as the pains of the moment will come; so will they ever fade away. In the end you will be so much richer, so much stronger, so much happier, and so much the better person for having taken the risk and hardship. There will be nothing to compare to the insight you have gained.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Defining Development.
What is development? Progress? Access to basic needs: clean water, food? Or does it encompass much more: freedom from oppression, education, industrialism, and democracy? VSO sees development as a complex and continuous process that empowers people and communities to fight disadvantage, take control of their future and fulfill their potential. Human rights, including an education, a livelihood, health care, a safe environment, a say in the future and equal access to opportunity, are all vital for development. The United Nations Development Programme, www.undp.org has an alternate definition which looks at indicators such as education, health and wealth as a measure of human development. The UNDP uses the Human Development Index (HDI) to measure a country’s developmental progress over time. According to the 2007-2008 HDI report, Papua New Guinea ranked 145 with the United States ranking 12th. Iceland ranked highest (1) and Sierra Leone lowest (177).
VSO Canada provides two pre-departure trainings to educate its volunteers about VSO’s development goals and how volunteers’ work contributes to development. Last week I traveled to Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, for VSO’s Preparing for Change (PFC) and Skills for Working in Development (SkWID) trainings. During the PFC training we explored issues involving adapting to living and working in a new environment. We also examined the history of development, disadvantage, empowerment, debt and globalization.
I learned a lot during the course, but I gained the most from my interactions with other volunteers. It felt great to be surrounded by like-minded people. I would like to take this time to note the diversity among VSO volunteers. Our group consisted of a university graduate searching to find a purpose for graduate school, the recently retired man wanting days filled with adventure and discovery, an international development worker, a deaf-blind interpreter, a couple who met while volunteering years ago, and other professionals like myself wanting to experience the world. 
Whether we were a journalist, an accountant, a mental health worker, an IT specialist, or a school psychologist, we all came together because we shared a common goal.
During the week between my trainings my dear friend Ben, whom I met while in Zambia and whom I reconnected with while attending VSO’s assessment day in Vancouver last November, flew to Ottawa to keep me company. We toured the Parliament building including the Senate, Library, House of Commons, and the Peace Tower.
We walked across the bridge into Quebec to the Museum of Civilization to see an exhibition on Peru. Ben insisted that a visit to Ottawa would not be the same if I didn’t eat poutine and beaver tail. For my fellow Americans, poutine is a Canadian dish of french fries soaked in brown gravy topped with cheese curds and it’s very delicious. The avalanche beaver tail (also known as elephant ears) we ate was topped with cream cheese icing and skor chocolate bar. Both were equally fat free of course. Our adventure included a day trip to Montreal, mainly to visit Jazz a dear friend I met during the PFC training. 
We walked through Vieux-Port de Montreal, Old Port of Montreal and up Mount Royal to overlook the city. Back in Ottawa we celebrated Robbie Burns day with friends at their cottage outside the city. We ate the traditional Scottish dish haggis, drank single and double malt scotch, and Ben recited a Robbie Burns poem in his best Scottish accent. After a week filled with adventure, Ben and I said our good-bye after a long walk on the beautiful Rideau Canal.
I was able to practice my skills in patience and flexibility when my original offer in Wewak with the non-profit organization Callan National Unit was cancelled and considered not viable. Fortunately, I was given another offer in PNG the same day. The positions are remarkably similar. Instead of Inclusive Education Specialist, my title has shifted to Inclusive Education Officer. The major differences between the offers are the location, I will now live and work in Madang, and the employer, I will be working for Madang Provincial Education Department. Yet again, this is just an offer and I must wait for employer acceptance. Hopefully I can get my visa in time for my March 10th arrival date.
VSO Canada provides two pre-departure trainings to educate its volunteers about VSO’s development goals and how volunteers’ work contributes to development. Last week I traveled to Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, for VSO’s Preparing for Change (PFC) and Skills for Working in Development (SkWID) trainings. During the PFC training we explored issues involving adapting to living and working in a new environment. We also examined the history of development, disadvantage, empowerment, debt and globalization.
I learned a lot during the course, but I gained the most from my interactions with other volunteers. It felt great to be surrounded by like-minded people. I would like to take this time to note the diversity among VSO volunteers. Our group consisted of a university graduate searching to find a purpose for graduate school, the recently retired man wanting days filled with adventure and discovery, an international development worker, a deaf-blind interpreter, a couple who met while volunteering years ago, and other professionals like myself wanting to experience the world. 
Whether we were a journalist, an accountant, a mental health worker, an IT specialist, or a school psychologist, we all came together because we shared a common goal. During the week between my trainings my dear friend Ben, whom I met while in Zambia and whom I reconnected with while attending VSO’s assessment day in Vancouver last November, flew to Ottawa to keep me company. We toured the Parliament building including the Senate, Library, House of Commons, and the Peace Tower.
We walked across the bridge into Quebec to the Museum of Civilization to see an exhibition on Peru. Ben insisted that a visit to Ottawa would not be the same if I didn’t eat poutine and beaver tail. For my fellow Americans, poutine is a Canadian dish of french fries soaked in brown gravy topped with cheese curds and it’s very delicious. The avalanche beaver tail (also known as elephant ears) we ate was topped with cream cheese icing and skor chocolate bar. Both were equally fat free of course. Our adventure included a day trip to Montreal, mainly to visit Jazz a dear friend I met during the PFC training. 
We walked through Vieux-Port de Montreal, Old Port of Montreal and up Mount Royal to overlook the city. Back in Ottawa we celebrated Robbie Burns day with friends at their cottage outside the city. We ate the traditional Scottish dish haggis, drank single and double malt scotch, and Ben recited a Robbie Burns poem in his best Scottish accent. After a week filled with adventure, Ben and I said our good-bye after a long walk on the beautiful Rideau Canal. I was able to practice my skills in patience and flexibility when my original offer in Wewak with the non-profit organization Callan National Unit was cancelled and considered not viable. Fortunately, I was given another offer in PNG the same day. The positions are remarkably similar. Instead of Inclusive Education Specialist, my title has shifted to Inclusive Education Officer. The major differences between the offers are the location, I will now live and work in Madang, and the employer, I will be working for Madang Provincial Education Department. Yet again, this is just an offer and I must wait for employer acceptance. Hopefully I can get my visa in time for my March 10th arrival date.
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