June 11 2007

Wrote this on (my) June 11 - last night. Off to the field tomorrow. Last of the information superhighway for me for a while....

More of the same in Lae. Today we did a variety of tasks from working on a publication that Toby and I will be editing together from half way across the globe to sorting out the first aid kits. We tried to buy remaining items but it being the Queen’s birthday, a lot is shut down.

One of the guys who works for us is missing in action. Toby isn’t worried as this guy is a bit flakey when he isn’t in the field. He was supposed to be here Saturday and still no word. He better show tomorrow because we are leaving on Wednesday! A new guy, Mellie, is coming from Goroka and had to delay his arrival until tomorrow to finish up a few things. So that means we have been left to finish up a bunch of the duties that we were thinking they could help with. Tomorrow will probably be crazy last minute stuff and trying to get to stores once they open – so I probably won’t write again until we return.

Last night I saw my first flying foxes (fruit bats). They are huge! It rained so hard last night that it woke me up over the generator and the air conditioner. Right now is the rainy season in Lae and the dry season in Port Moresby. It seems that it is always the rainy season in the highlands unfortunately. I have a wet two weeks ahead of me.

I’m really looking forward to the field. The plane ride I’m not so sure about. I know it will be gorgeous. Being in the middle of no where for two weeks does not bother me, but the small plane and grass landing strip to get there is my main concern at this point. But they don’t fly in bad weather – so it will be fine.

We will be in Yawan village for about 2 days once we arrive. We have a research “house” there (bamboo and thatch hut). We will sort out all of the stuff into smaller sacks and hire all of the carriers from various villages. The same hunters and trackers are usually hired each season, but since we won’t start collaring the tree kangaroos right away they probably won’t come up to the field site until the rest of the folks from the US and Australia arrive on the 18th. It is a 2 day hike up to the field site, called Wasaunon, so we’ll probably be there on Saturday. Then we have until the following Wednesday to set up camp, hang out, read books, look for echidnas and tree kangaroos and use my new 5 pound flora of alpine plants in PNG from 1980 to figure out the plants up there before every. Oh and improve (read: start to learn) my Tok Pisin skills. So far I can understand words but not sentences. Many of the words are quite obvious (when you say them out loud), such as:
Lukim – see/saw
Nogat – no/I don’t have
Manmeri – people (they call all women “meri” – I’m sure I’ll get funny looks when I tell them my sister’s name is “woman” J)
Kwiktaim – soon
Husat – who
Nem bilong mi – my name

June 11th is also another anniversary besides the Queen’s birthday. Wonder if Dad would have expected his youngest to be working in Papua New Guinea. He certainly wouldn’t like the planes!!