Rai Cos

“The Land You Can Sometimes See.”-Peter Cradock, longtime VSO volunteer and lover of all things PNG!
Day 2. Sunday May 25th 2008. I awoke this morning feeling renewed and refreshed. 24 hours ago I jumped onto the earth of Madang. Now that I begin a new day I realize I was a walking zombie yesterday. I just finished a two hour breakfast of fruits, cereal and bottomless cups of fresh juice for me and PNG coffee for Peter. The coffee here is supposedly among the best, if only my body didn’t reject caffeine. Peter is the mind behind my placement. He is here in PNG for the 3rd time, all with VSO but this time as a consultant for the education program. In the UK he worked as a consultant for the National Department of Education. He is absolutely exceptional and has a brilliant mind for development in PNG. His ideas for this country go well beyond the realm of education. He describes himself as a dreamer who doesn’t dare dream of retirement. He dreams of one day writing a book entitled “The Land You Can Sometimes See.” He is speaking of Rai Cos (Rai Coast). It’s a mountainous island that is visible intermittently from Madang’s mainland. Depending on the rains, clouds and spirits, on a lucky day you may be able to clearly see the three mountains ranges of Rai Cos. Canoes bring people to and from Rai Cos daily and you can buy freshly prepared fish along the busy shoreline. Today as I sit and listen to the rough sea crash against the dark coral, I can see Rai Cos. It is spectacular. The heavy rains which I thought were never ending last night…I even got up to check if the floors were flooded…have cooled the heat and have made for an overcast day. There are a few clouds hanging over Rai Cos but it is still visible. Peter says he is a believer that “the land you can sometimes see” has a spirit about it. If you are able to see Rai Cos that morning then the day will be sunny and things will go well for you. Peter reminded me of how I want to live my life here. Living connected to nature, respecting the natural signs of the sea, soaking in all that is this island. I feel confident and inspired. Peter has presented many ideas for my role here in PNG, well beyond the scope of education. His idealism and spirit is stimulating far beyond a caffeine buzz. He was recently asked by a friend whose family grows coffee on Rai Cos about marketing ideas for exporting to the UK and US. Keep your eyes open, one day you may run across a coffee from “the land you can sometimes see.”

Dusk or Dawn?
Day 3. Monday May 26th 2008. Rai Cos is barely visible today. In the distance, the mountains are a darkness against the pale blue sky. The sun is bright and hot-my skin burns. After another breakfast of fresh fruits and my daily dose of idealism from Peter, I feel rejuvenated. Yesterday after my lunch of fish and chips and a swim in the pool overlooking the sea, I took a nap. I awoke sticking to damp sheets questioning if the light I saw peeking through my windows was of dawn or dusk. A quick look to my koloko (as Dalitso and Karen, the girls in my village, called my watch) told me it was 1900hrs. Dusk. What was my body telling me? Should I return to sleep? Do I need to wake? Am I hungry? It was 4:00 am at home. I decided that I was too tired to walk to the lodge restaurant and that I wasn’t that hungry anyway. Another skipped dinner. I read one of the many books that filled my bags, Three Cups of Tea, until my eyes grew heavy again. I was woken by the cries of the flying foxes coming back into town from the villages. It wasn’t quite dawn but I couldn’t sleep another minute, so I stayed in bed and allowed my thoughts to wander until breakfast.

Today I will visit the Creative Self Help Centre and the VSO office to take care of logistical things such as banking, office staff introductions and housing. I must go re-pack my bags and be ready to leave the lodge. However, I do not assume from what I’ve gathered that Madang volunteers ever really leave The Lodge!