Hurry Up!......... and Wait

"Hurry up and wait" is a well-known phrase around here.  It seems like here in PNG, this is a pretty typical occurrence.  (I have a feeling this is probably true for most other 3rd world countries around the world as well!)  We rush, rush, rush to get ready to go somewhere/do something, and then have to spend hours waiting (for the plane, for the PMV, for the person to arrive, etc.)

Yesterday we did our "hurry up and wait" for the arrival of my parents!  We arranged to borrow a car from a friend for the drive out to the airstrip (not on the center, but a mile or so away), signed the kids out of school a little early and got everyone ready and drove out to the airstrip.  To find out that the time we had been told was not quite right, and they wouldn't be landing for a good hour or so. 

So we waited.  And took a walk.  And waited some more.

 But the wait paid off! =)

What it Takes to go Shopping in PNG

Shopping is one of those things that I have never loved.  I have never been one of those people that just enjoys strolling around shops looking at things, or just going "just because".  When I go shopping, I have my list ready, usually written out in the order of the aisles in the store, or the shops I want to visit.

It wasn't until I had lived in PNG for a few years and had NO opportunities to shop that I finally started to appreciate shopping!

We do have a grocery store here on the Center that I am very, very thankful for!  At the same time, it can be frustrating to not be able to get staples many times, or know that I can buy them much cheaper in Lae.

So when my friend Sarah organized a shopping/bulk buying trip to Lae, I jumped at the chance!  Now, going to Lae isn't quite like just hopping in your car and driving a mile or two to your nearest COSTCO or Walmart.  It's a good 3 hour drive (one way!) over windey, bad roads.  Just a few minutes after leaving the Center, you get to pass a sinkhole that has taken out over half the road in one place.  Then there's a bridge that is missing some of the metal plates, and is continually settling lower and lower.  We wonder how much longer it's going to be able to maintain the weight of the store truck and fuel trucks that pass over it and supply our Center!

On the Road

Then it's a ride down the windey, steep Kasam Pass, and on into the Markam Valley.  Some stretches of the road are dirt.  Some have huge potholes that the van bottomed out on (before we even had any cargo in it!).  Some are flat and still nicely paved.  You never know what might be around the next corner!

After leaving Ukarumpa at 6am, we arrived in Lae around 9.  With a quick stop to pick up purchase orders and use the toilet, the shopping began.  Many of us ordered meat in bulk, so we went to that store and dropped off the coolers we  had brought with us.  Even though we had faxed our orders in several days before, nothing had been done.  So we re-submitted our meat orders and then left to continue shopping.

Our next stop was to pick up some more bulk orders of cheese and staples like milk powder and sugar.  We found out that the cheese had expired last October, but it was in the freezer, so we figured, "Why not".  Then the other bulk store was completely out of the 25kg bags of milk powder.  That was a disappointment to those who were hoping to get that!

We then headed to Brian Bell, which always feels like stepping into a "sort of" American store.  There's air conditioning, appliances, kitchen items, and other nice things!  I found a mop there, and a few other fun things that hadn't been on my list.

By this time, we were all hungry, so we headed to the Yacht Club for lunch.  It's situated right on the water and had a nice breeze.  It was fun to get a chance to eat out, as that is pretty nearly impossible, unless you are in a big town like Madang or Lae.

Then we headed to the food stores to get items that we haven't been able to find recently in our store.  I got cheap cereal, diapers and wipes, Betty Crocker cake mixes for 5 Kina each (like $2.50?), and a variety of other things.  After our food shopping, we headed back to pick up our meat order and then swing by the SIL Guesthouse one last time to turn in paper work and have our last bathroom stop.

That van was PACKED by the time we headed home!  But I think most of us got most of the things we were looking for, plus a few other goodies as well. =)

Elijah came with us, and he was a great little guy!  He had a few times where he got tired of being in the carseat, or hungry, but overall, he was a happy little guy!  He did have one moment where I was in line at one of the grocery stores, and he decided he'd had enough of shopping and was ready to eat. 

Can you see what's written on our windshield?  I was kinda glad I didn't see this until AFTER we had safely arrived in Lae!

 Attempting to get some shots of the roads around Lae:

 The van, packed for our trip back home:

 And then of course, a few pictures of this cute little guy, to finish off the post!

The 6 of us (+ Elijah)  made it home shortly after 6pm, exhausted, but thankful for a great day of shopping and spending time with good friends!  And thankful to Charlie who drove us and was a huge help in knowing where to to go and pick things up! =)

Party, Party, Party!

Here in Ukarumpa, we like to have parties.  Any excuse will do, but a new baby on the way is a really good reason to have a party!  I would have never expected it, but friends have thrown showers for all 4 of my babies who were born since we came to PNG. 

So this past week, two of my evening Bible Study friends and I planned a baby shower for another friend in our study who is expecting her 3rd baby.  One friend was in charge of the decorations, another the games, and I was in charge of the food.  It was really fun for me to be involved in something outside my house.  I do plenty of food planning and preparation and such in the normal course of the week, but it's just...normal.  So I had a lot of fun getting stuff together for this party.

Thankfully, several of the ladies who attended the shower volunteered to bring treats to share, so I didn't have to make enough food for 20+ ladies on my own.  I did make punch and chocolate cupcakes though.

It was a great morning of celebrating Melody and her coming baby, and just hanging out with friends.  It was fun too, as there were 4 babies there as well:  Elijah, Joshua who is just about 2 weeks older than Elijah, and then Melanie and Gwennie, who were both born on the same day, about 7 weeks after Elijah.

I didn't get any good shots of all the ladies at the shower, but I had a few of the table and decorations.

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Then, Saturday evening, Matt and I had a little "Date Night".  Here in Ukarumpa, there are very, very few options for dates.  So we made our own.  After I got back from the Zumba class, I made a quick meal of grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids.  Then we settled the 4 older kids in the back with movies and we had a yummy meal of homemade french bread and chicken parmesan, and a special treat of sparkling cider, with apple crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Of course, the little guy joined us, but it is just really pleasant to be able to sit and eat a meal and carry on a regular conversation without the constant interruptions and disasters that the kids supply every meal-time!

After our nice dinner, we put the kids to bed and then watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4. 

My New Favorite Recipe

I love Chai tea.  There's just something about the combination of spices, tea and milk (and, I must confess, sugar!) that is just..... perfect! =)
I have searched in the past to find a chai latte tea mix I could make myself, but they always asked for instant tea, which of course, is non-existent here in PNG.
But then I got this recipe from a friend.  It's amazing!  I've made it so many times over the past few weeks that I used up my stock of cinnamon sticks. =(  So I guess I'm on my last batch (unless Mom manages to get some thru Customs in a few weeks!)

Try it!  You'll love it too! =)


Chai Tea
2 cups water
4 black tea bags
¼ cup honey
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 pinch nutmeg
2 cups milk
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add tea, honey and vanilla. Season with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in milk, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve.

I like to double the recipe, but keep the honey at 1/4 cup, but if you like it a tad sweeter, add a Tablespoon or two of white sugar, or up the honey.