June 5 Friday: God has such interesting ways of leading us where He wants us. I'll just say that and as I make my notes for the day you will start to see what I mean. Today was our first open water dive day. We have completed the pool sessions and all but the final written exam, so the real dives are all that is left. I got picked up just after 8 by John, Thomas, and another girl that works at the shop. Thomas is the guy who will take us on the dives today. His is a local. At Airways, we dropped off the girl, picked up Sibile and Christian, another passenger and all our gear. We dropped the extra passenger at the International terminal at the airport and made our way to the boat dock at Bootless Bay, which is actually a ways outside of town. It also serves the Loloata Resort on a nearby island. On the way we also passed a sign for a SDA high school. Thomas and Ghetto, his dreadlocked right hand man on the boat, got everything on board and we motored a short distance to Lion Island, passing the Loloata Resort and a research station on another island.
Thomas gave us a very brief review, watched us set up our gear to make sure we know what we are doing, then we discussed our dive plan 12 meters for 40 minutes. This would let us experience equalizing as we descended, practice our neutral buoyancy techniques, and a few other things while we visited a sunken yacht and some reef. For this first dive we suited up on deck, did our BWRAF checks, and took our big steps off the side, dropping about five feet into the water. This is a normal water entry from most boats and we learned what to do to make sure our masks, regs, and weights don't pop off while doing this. That was easy. Ghetto was kind enough to take pictures of me while this was happening. Thomas had us follow him down the guideline and equalize as we went. The visibility was about 3 meters he would tell us later, so we could not see the bottom at the start. Equalization was not as easy as I had hoped it would be and I'll have to either get better with practice or just plan on taking my time when initially descending. Once I was down and equalized everything was fine. I am using a 3mm full suit and I need five weights, which seems like a lot. No one else had that many, but I'm also the only one in a full suit; it is the only one that will fit me. At the bottom we got our neutral buoyancy and set off behind Thomas. First we went to the submerged yacht and immediately learned why this is known as Lion Island: two beautiful lion fish greeted us at the yacht. The guideline for breathing underwater is slow and steady. When I take slow, deep breaths I tend to bounce up and down quite a bit, even with the extra weight, but as the day goes on that does improve. As a group we continued to a point a hundred meters or so from where we entered the water and Thomas had us do a practice safety stop during our ascent and we were back on the boat exactly in our planned 40 minutes. Before completely exiting the water we practiced helping our fellow divers in distress, doing a tired diver tow and fin push and also doing an alternating snorkel/regulator exchange while swimming around the boat. That was just to practice clearing our air sources and switching while in the water.
Even though it was only about 10:30 we ate noodles and some cookies during our surface interval. The Germans had tea and when I did not, Christian asked if I was SDA. He said he had wondered the previous day when I did not have coffee with the rest of them during class. He works with a couple SDA geologists on the project he is working on. They are doing a complete survey of Papua New Guinea. He spoke very favorably of SDA's and our presence on PNG. He knew about our schools and the fine reputation they have here. He did not know about the medical work, but was not surprised that we would be involved in that as well. He mentioned that one of his coworkers is a local and even though he is SDA he chews betel nut (which I have been told by a number of locals is one of the major food groups in PNG) and drinks on occasion, but they are good workers. Thomas chimed in that there are many SDA churches all over the country. I mentioned that I had only seen the address of one in the phone directory for Pt Moresby, but he said there were many. Both Christian and Sibile were slightly surprised I was not working on a project through the church, since that is the type of thing I plan to do a lot of on this trip and I told them it was basically because I had not been able to find a way to contact the right people before hand. I had mailing addresses, but no phone numbers or emails until I actually arrived. They know I have two extra weeks of flexible time and I could quite easily find something for that period of time. Sibile was also telling me a little more about her work as a freelance book copy editor and how that works for her spending the split time between Germany and PNG.
Our second dive was again to a depth of 12 meters for about the same amount of time. This time we would be doing some exercises and visit the top of a sunken prawn trawler (it extends down to below the depth we are supposed to go as novices). We also did a different water entry this time: suiting up in the water. Then it was underwater. Again, it takes me some time to equalize, but once I do it is golden. We got to partially fill our masks with water and clear them, remove the mask completely and put it back on, 'lose' our regulators and retrieve them, “run out of air” and get emergency air from our buddies, and then do a few fin pivots (for the only time we will ever have to do them according to Thomas), just to get the sensation. We went over some hand signals and how to convey how much air we had to each other. After the exercises we followed the reef until we approached the trawler. On the way, I saw needlefish, clown fish, angel fish, parrot fish, several schools of shimmering silver and blue fish of various sizes. We could only see the bow and some of the rigging of the boat, but it was alive with groups of fish and other creatures. Again, we did a safety stop on the way back up and got out of our gear in the water. Then we had to snorkel 300 meters to a buoy and do our 10 minute treading water test. Everyone passed. As we headed back to the dock, Thomas reviewed the dives with us and we logged them in our dive logs.
During the ride back we again passed the SDA High school sign and this time John said that they were having a youth camp meeting there this weekend. There were many many tents already up in a large meadow visible from the road. He said that the SDA school system runs a farming operation that provides 70% of the fresh vegetables found in Pt Moresby. If that figure is true it is absolutely amazing and I really have no reason to doubt him as he has lived here nearly all his life. We arrived back at Airways to drop off our equipment and take our final written exam. The German couple wanted a half hour break to shower and change (they conveniently live just up the hill from the hotel), so I read a book and waited. I also was able to remedy a situation I had inadvertently created on Wednesday. After classes on that day I had a Greek salad outside the deli on the premises, while waiting for a shuttle to take me back to Magila. Partway through John had joined me and we talked about diving spots in PNG and other things to do. After a while we just got up and left. It wasn't until Friday that it dawned on me that I had not paid anything for that salad. So while waiting on Friday I went in and asked if my recollection was right or not. They hesitated at first, but then said yes they had been short. The girl who had served me was not there, but they thanked me for being honest and I felt better. The test was multiple choice and I got a 98%, so did Christian. Sibile was only able to muster a 96%, so we all managed to pass.
I got a ride back to Magila after the test, changed and went outside to read and hang out with the locals. I was sitting with Paul Kaimx and Terry, when Terry asked if I was SDA, since I did not drink and several people had offered in the few days I have been here. He apologized for the rough language he uses and asked if I needed a ride to church the next morning. I told him I wasn't even sure where there was one, that I had only seen one listed in the phone book and it was quite far away. They both said no there are a couple very nearby. Paul told me a friend of his was coming in a bit and I could talk to him about where the church was. That friend turned out to be a local policeman named Manasa. One of his two wives is SDA and he said if I would give him a call in the morning he would take me to the church in Gordons, a nearby neighborhood. There was a church closer, but it is in a settlement and he did not think it was very safe to go there. Since I have been here people have been exceedingly helpful. I get the distinct sense from them that the area is not the safest, but they all are willing to take me places and make sure someone is with me so I will be safe. The Magila Backpackers Hotel is located in Six Mile, the neighborhood in Moresby with the roughest reputation. The Hotel itself is partially a brothel and you see the girls around every night, but the people have been so happy that I would come to their part of the city. They know they have a reputation and respect that I am really interested in meeting them and talking to them and spending time in their world. There is also a palpable sense in which because I am from America (and what it still represents) I am welcomed in a way a white person from Australia would not be. There is still enough of a colonial mentality that brings up resentments on both sides. This is similar to the feeling I experienced in South Africa a few years ago. So many people have come and treated meeting me as a rare privilege. It is undeserved on my part. Some can barely make themselves clear with pidgin, others are well educated and interested in discussing the world, the problems in PNG, different cultures, rugby, etc. etc. I think I am the privileged one to be here with them.
One guy I met tonight was Kennedy, a young man from a small coastal town, trying his hand as a machinist in the big city. He is going to stick it out until Christmas time, but has pretty much already decided to return home. What was interesting about him is that when I mentioned going through the SCUBA course he lit up. He was certified for Open Water (what I'm doing) back in 1997 and got his advanced cert a year later, followed by a Dive Master cert in 2001. He was employed as a dive instructor/master at a resort near his home town for five years. The money is not as good as he thought and he just does not like city life, so he wants to go back and get his old job again. The issue of money comes up every time. PNG has a population around 6 million, but there are only 160,000 people on official tax rolls. That should give you an idea of how much goes on under the table and how many people 'back home' depend on each of these family breadwinners.
June 6 Sabbath: When I first got up I was filtering water and brushing my teeth after eating and I noticed a guy sitting at a table in one of the common rooms. He was reading the lesson quarterly. I asked him if he was SDA (kind of obvious) and he said yes. His name is Tony Walwal. I asked him if he was going to the local church, he said no because he was going home to his family outside of the city, but he wanted to call the pastor and make sure I got to church. I told him I already had someone taking me there, but he wanted to call anyway. He says the Magila is not a good place to stay and the pastor will find me a place to stay with church members. He is only here because he is visiting for a couple days unexpectedly (but just when I could run into him). He also said he is traveling to the far end of the country near the Indonesian border with his friend, a pilot, who I also met and wanted to know if I would like to join them. I'll talk to him again in a couple days to see if this might work out. This is getting exciting!
I called Manasa at 8:20 and he said they would pick me up close to 9. He and a friend came when they said and quickly had me over to a church compound. Sabbath school was just starting and the place was packed. I got a seat on the front row and there must have been nearly 700 in the building. Partway through the service a rain shower hit and when I looked out the window to see that, there were probably another 150 people outside sitting and standing with umbrellas. I happened to walk into the compound with a pastor and he wrote down my name as a visitor (I was announced as the White Man from California during SS and church). During the few times we stood to sing songs, I could see that I was a head taller than almost everyone. I had not really paid attention to that, I rarely do, but with that big a group it sticks out more. During SS, each of the children's divisions played a part and there was a general lesson study. I understand they normally have a number of groups, but because of the special presentation they did it this way. There was also a child dedication (something that happens once a year, I learned later at lunch). In the US that is usually for babies, but they included children through about the third grade and that meant there were 118 kids in a mass dedication. The normal service followed this. I can keep up with about half of what is being said when they use pidgin, which is what most of them have to use. That is the common language in a nation with over 800 distinct languages. When the service wound down and I checked a clock it was about 1:15. I do not want to hear anyone in the US complain about having to sit through long services. We are sooooo soft. Think about what the day really means before you do that.
Because the service had run so long Manasa could not pick me up, which was fine since a girl with very good English came and asked if I wanted to have lunch at her parents home. She just graduated from Oakwood College/University last month with an IT degree. She had convinced 7 other students from a singing group at Oakwood to come and spend a little over a week traveling PNG and singing as they went. Her name is Lala Gilis. And so I met the whole family, dad Tom, an accountant for the government finance administration, sisters Diggy (still in school) and Susan (a teacher), and her mom, whose name I embarrassingly did not get, although I know she is also an accountant. Two other girls, both their cousins, also live with them and they had also invited a new church member. So we all had a pleasant afternoon and a fabulous late lunch. There was fresh grilled tuna, chicken, fried rice, greens, two kinds of sweet potato, potato salad, fresh peanuts, bananas, papaya, and a carrot cake. The best food I've eaten since I arrived. Lala plans to go back to the states in a few months for a job with Intergraph, the makers of Microstation CAD software, among other things. The end of May is the end of rainy season, but it rained slowly and steadily all afternoon. I learned over the course of the afternoon that there are at least 30 SDA churches in Moresby, with 10 of those in the 500-1000 weekly attendance range and the other 'small' churches each with around 200. In the South Pacific Division 2/3rds of all SDA membership comes from Papua New Guinea. Tom also told me about a project he is working on with some property he owns on the island he and his wife come from, Kavieng, that will be like a bed and breakfast. If (or more like when) I come back to PNG, I have an open invitation. The girls said if I am not busy next Sabbath, after church the youth are all going out to Pacific Adventist University. That sounds fantastic to me. I will just be getting back from my trek next week and I had told David, the Burmese contract teacher in the Marshall Islands that I would try and go there to pass on greetings to his aunt and uncle.
I got a ride back to Magila with Tom Gilis and spent some time catching up on my notations for the past week and getting ready for diving again tomorrow.
June 7 Sunday: We did two dives again today: one at Susies Bommie and one at End Bommie; Bommie being a local word for 'world'. I also clarified what seemed so obvious on Friday: Lion island is so named because it looks like a reclining lion with mane, much like the Sphinx, not for the coincidence of the lion fish that do live all over the area. When we dove on Friday, we were at an angle to the island which did not show the lion profile. This time there were five others finishing their courses with me, two extra dive masters, and a French speaking diver with a large underwater photography rig. He dove on his own with one dive master and the rest of us were paired up to complete our requisites. There could have been as many as 8 more, but due to less than ideal weather outlook (which turned out not to be the case) the others had cancelled. Our first dive was to 18 meters and it took quite a while for me to equalize. It was more awkward because before in the shallower depths we had followed a guideline down and I could clearly measure my progress. Now we only had a short starting line and then were free swimming before dropping to the lower depths. I seem to have the most difficulty with this aspect of diving. Everyone else adapts quite quickly. More exposure will let me know if it gets easier with time/practice or if it is a long term issue. We did full mask removals and regulator removal/retrieval at that depth. Outside of the equalization everything does seem to get easier as we go on and get accustomed to doing the various tasks. At this lower depth we saw many much larger fish hanging around the edge of the reef. The visibility was much improved over Friday and there were so many fish. Due to the depth we could not stay under as long and started for the surface after 24 minutes. At the end of the first dive I got a longer break than the others, who still had to do their 300 meter swim and 10 treading water requirements. Two in the group are Indian Nationals and the swimming proved to be a huge hurdle. There is no time limit on the swim and they used a lot. One called the rest of the day off after that, he could not tread water and was going to try that in a pool setting and do his final dive on a later date. We had noodles again for 'lunch' at 11am and after an hour and a half we were ready to enter the water a final time. This dive was to 17.6 meters (approximate only) and our only real skill challenge this time was learning to navigate by compass underwater. In pairs, one using a compass picks a heading and follows the lubber line after marking a couple set points. The buddy holds on to the first diver and makes sure both their elevations stay reasonably level while the other is concentrating on direction. You also keep a rough gauge of distance by the number of leg kicks you have made in a specific direction. It feels like a lot to keep track of all at once, but I'm sure it gets easier with practice. We took a slightly longer safety stop, due to our depth again, and got back into the boat.
Our dives complete, we headed back to the dock and The Dive Centre. We filled in our Dive logs, got signed off on our coursework and I just need to stop by sometime after I get back from trekking to pick up my temp PADI card. The real one will be delivered to California in the next couple months. The temp is good for three months, which would cover Australia and New Zealand anyway and I should be able to have an address long enough at some point to get the real one sent to me on the road. John, the director said actually any place that will rent equipment will be hooked up to the PADI diver registry and we will be entered in there almost immediately, so they only need to verify my ID and see that I am registered and current. A side note: on the return trip we passed the SDA campmeeting which had grown into a small tent city with many people milling about.
One of the locals has been asking to take me to a few places and since this is my last night in Magila for a while (and since the only other option seems to be watching a horror movie called Midnight Meat Train with a small group of people), I said lets go see what you want me to see. Well, it turns out he wanted me to see a few of the happening night spots in Moresby. The first one was Mustang Sally's, a decent sized club, playing much the same music as they often play at the Magila club, and filled with people from PNG. I had a Sprite while we watched the entertainment for the evening: a transvestite beauty pageant. There were seven contestants ranging from the startlingly believable to the almost hilarious caricature. We left after a highly entertaining second round talent portion, which consisted primarily of very good lip synching to bland diva music, but also included a tremendously skilled hula dancer. The second club was called Penthouse and this was an international hangout. There were all sorts of Asian, Caucasian, Indian, Middle Eastern faces mixed in with the locals. The music was slightly different, with more of a hip hop flavor (not really an improvement, for me anyway). The dance floor was much busier here, but I found myself watching one of the pool tables where a string of bad players faced off against each other and through sheer luck and stick-to-it-ism the balls made it into the pockets eventually. We had arranged for a ride to get us at midnight because I knew I had a long day planned for Monday, but things broke down slightly ahead of schedule. A drunk man ran into a woman seated at a table near the men's bathroom. Some name calling and pushing later, the drunk took a good swing at the woman. He missed. But as security closed in, the woman squeezed out and grabbed a pool ball from an active table. You could see she meant to use it as a weapon. While people were trying to tell some of the security that she had the ball, the man got loose and there was some wrestling before they were separated again. But not before an Asian guy got kicked in the stomach and a table overturned. Things appeared to be calming down when the woman yelled some more comments at the man and he was off again, this time snatching a pool cue from a player. He shattered it in three pieces against a table in one mighty swing at the woman, again missing her, but one of the broken cue pieces did ricochet and cut another woman under the eye. He then grabbed three billiard balls while about 12 security guards tried to handle the situation. They shut the pool games down, got the balls out of sight, removed the parties involved, and seemed to have restored order, but we had had enough excitement for the time being. As we were leaving we saw the injured woman with a lot of blood on her face. Back at home I made a few adjustments to my bags, but am basically packed and ready for tomorrow.
Volcanic Madang coastline
The successful pig hunters with their prize
Rabaul volcano from higher vantage point, some people continue to live under the cloud.
