Papua New Guinea: first day, first ever blog

Ok, so I haven’t even really got here yet… I’ve reached Port Moresby en route to Madang where I’m about to start a placement at Divine Word University for a couple of months…. but I haven’t exactly immersed myself in the culture. Quite the opposite - I got myself picked up and taken to a swanky hotel patronised by ex-pats where I’m sitting in a French deli by the pool, sipping latte. So far, this is a breeze!

Until I got on the Air Niugini flight in Cairns, it could just have been a day at the office… early flight up to Cairns for a divisional exec… only difference was the 34-kilo suitcase which I had to repack on the floor at Townsville. I also caused a bit of a commotion when the personal alarm a mate had lent me went off in my handbag. It is certainly effective!! My second commotion was when the Cairns security staff made me pull out the nodding dashboard Jesus I am travelling with (a wee mascot given to me by a staunch atheist to help me keep a sense of perspective when surrounded by the brothers at DWU). They took it in good faith though!

I have found the run up to this really interesting, with a sense of excitement and trepidation that I haven’t had about travel in years, and it’s great to get a reminder of what students must feel before coming to study in Australia. It is partly the extreme cultural and social differences I’m going to encounter, but it is also the length of time I’ll be away, as I won’t be just skimming the surface like I normally do now when I visit places for just a few days.

I am also interested to see how I cope with the restrictions to my personal freedom which I’m going to have to get used to. Everyone has heard horror stories about crime in PNG, but I also know people who have spent years here and managed to survive unscathed, by taking precautions and having a bit of luck. I do like taking off on my own, and am obviously going to have to curb that instinct. I think it will really stick in my craw!!

Ok, that's enough for one day given that I havent even got there yet! If this works, I will post more from 'Divine world'....