The United States Ambassador, Leslie Rowe, formally opened the mathematics lab at Divine Word University in Madang. While she was in town, she and her husband welcomed all U.S. citizens as well as all Papua New Guineans who studied abroad in the States to dinner.
It was an intimate event with the Ambassador, her husband Tim, 4 VSO American volunteers, 3 DWU lecturers, and an interesting (yeah…interesting… that’s what I’ll say) Irish-Australian. (I’m not really sure how she fit into the picture, but she definitely added an element to the event.)
Over the main course of filet and lobster (and I thought we were in a financial crisis), I was able to discuss the details of inclusive education with Tim. As a Peace Corps volunteer, he taught English in the Philippines during the late 60s. It was interesting to discuss the similarities and differences of our services. We shared our ideas of job placement, vocational services, and internship programs to help PNG vulnerable youth. We discussed books and recommended our favorites. We shared our concerns with development projects.
I had to ask myself, how does a girl from Springfield, TN manage to attend an elegant dinner party with the U.S. Ambassador? And more importantly, was I really able to hold an intelligent conversation regarding development issues? I surprise myself daily. I am truly thankful for enriching moments such as these.
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