Divine World

Day 1

I can see now why they call it Divine World…. it is a world in itself. 99% of all the students plus most of the staff live on campus because it's safe, they don't have to worry about public transport to get here, and this is the only place in town with a back-up generator which kicks in during the regular, extended black-outs. I would live here if I was on staff too. So there are people with young families, kids and dogs running around, and there's a staff dining room where I can get 3 meals a day if I want, served by a very smiley guy, and where you only get a table cloth if you dine at the VC's table.

So the whole business of being a university is different here. The uni has a consultancy firm to raise funds to help students afford the fees as only about 40% get public support. There's a travel agency on campus too, but unlike in Australia where their business is cheap backpacker deals, here it is designed to plug the gap in the transport infrastructure. There are no taxis in Madang, a town of 50,000 people, and the PMVs (mini buses that have designated bus routes), and some of the airlines are pretty unsafe, so universities have to organise travel for their own staff and students. A mini bus has just drawn up bringing the flexible learning students in from their campus in town to the dining room here for lunch.

The campus is beautiful, immaculate tropical gardens dotted with shady shelters where people sit and work or just relax quietly, very quietly. I woke this morning to a chorus of birds and bats, so it wasn't too different to living in North Queensland in that sense… a lot of the plants and trees around here are the same as I have in my yard which makes it feel familiar.

I am getting my first city tour later this afternoon once Brother Hugo comes back from meeting the afternoon flight. He waits till he hears the plane and then heads off to the airport rather than relying on the schedule. That makes sense: this morning's 9 am flight has not yet arrived (it is 1 pm).

I had lunch with a selection of staff who spent some time debating this morning's church service where the priest took umbrage at the choir saying they would lead the liturgy, as he feels it is the priest who leads the liturgy. I did not feel able to contribute greatly to that part of the conversation. Fortunately, the rest of the meal covered domestic violence, honour killings in Muslim countries, the prevalence of arson in PNG and the fire service's unpreparedness to cope with it; topics where I was much more at home!

I know that Townsville is not the fastest-paced place on earth, and yet I have got used to living my life at quite a high speed, always with a packed schedule and never enough time to pack in all the things I want. One of the things I have been looking forward to about this placement is the lack of a timetable, the freedom to just make it up as I go along. And so I arrived late on a Saturday, tired and ready for a day just chilling ('malolo' or 'rest') on the Sunday. Or so I thought. Turns out … I feel incredibly restless. I can't leave campus safely alone, and on Sunday everything on campus is closed except the chapel. There is a beautiful beach not far away which I can't walk to. The library and the little shop are closed. There is no gym. I have no internet access yet as I won't get my logins till the IT department opens tomorrow. I have explored every inch of the campus, unpacked and had my lunch. I have no chores to do, no outstanding emails, and I am not quite ready to start on my scholarship topic. I am not bothering to do my hair or put make-up on. So I can just relax. For the first time I can remember in the last ten years, I am not on holiday and yet I have oodles of time. For some reason I am finding that hard. Perhaps some of the pleasure of relaxation comes from knowing there are things you should be doing. That would be somewhat perverse so naturally can't be true…..

My little unit in Society of the Divine Word (SVD) House has everything I need, and I am grateful for the tip to buy a coffee plunger, and for my decision to bring some Ethiopian coffee. The TimTams I bought as gifts are unlikely to make it out of my room. I have AC, and a decent shower, and amazingly, a flat screen TV with SBS, CNN and BBC World. While flicking through last night, I also came across the religious channel which had a talk show where a group of women in pearls discussed earnestly how bitter childless women inevitably are as they have not had the opportunity to 'give of themselves'. Not sure that one will be featuring high on my list!

And it is hot!!! Like an NQ summer but without the pools and the freedom to wear practically nothing….so I am feeling languid and vaguely purposeless…. time for a wee siesta…..

Day 2

Well, I didn't end up getting my tour of Madang Town as Br Hugo got busy. So my activity yesterday consisted entirely of walking round campus and unpacking while going slightly bug-eyed stir crazy.

Today has already been a huge improvement – I had a 9am appointment which I was delighted about as it gave me a purpose….wonders never cease…!!! I have met and had a good conversation with my supervisor, Brother Alfred, got my computer log-in, been to the store (a whole shelf of savoury biscuits, another wall of soft drinks and one of tinned meats – it takes effort to eat healthily here), I've drafted a vague timetable of meeting key staff (starting next week) and got the key to my office which I am sharing with a young researcher called Irene. It feels good to be a bit organised though, I now have a local mobile, some sunscreen, bananas and Wheetbix so I don't have to subject myself or anybody else to the ordeal of talking to me in the mornings… Turns out I love a bit of structure/activity after all… I am still in transition though so will reserve judgement on whether that lasts!

They hold a staff morning tea here at 10 am each week day so I got to meet staff from Physio and the Health Dept as well as a communications lecturer, and a research student here from ANU. It is a really eclectic bunch of people and very international.

I also finally made it off campus and into town – yay! Leonie, my lovely contact/Ms Fix-it in the VC's office arranged for 2 very helpful guys, Connie and Terence to drive/escort me into town and to the shops. It is not advisable for anybody obviously foreign to be out on their own pulling cash out. Town is right by a beautiful lagoon, and a gorgeous palm-fringed bay, but the paradise similarities end immediately you hit the streets of potholes, run down shops, the remains of a burnt out building, stray dogs roaming and general air of poverty and neglect.

I completed my shopping without incident, but when I took too long fiddling with the cash I'm not yet familiar with at the market, Connie quickly stepped in to pay and then said, 'Let's go now'. I wouldn't say he was panicking but I definitely felt him relax once we were back in the car and driving off. I am heading back into town twice more today – first for the historical tour from Br Hugo which I missed out on yesterday, and then for dinner at the Madang Resort with Fr Jan, the Vice-Chancellor of DWU and some other visitors. So off campus three times in one day, I am excited!!! J

Just had a couple of electricians, one of whom looked like Bob Marley round fixing my bedroom fan. My pad is not exactly the Mandarin Oriental but I've got everything I need (well, a non-lumpy pillow would be nice but in the scheme of things I think I'll survive…! J