We're Playing Basketball

Coaching basketball here in PNG is a bit different than coaching in the States. First, our season is only about 8 weeks long. That doesn't give a lot of time for conditioning and play learning, so we have to stick to the basics and work toward the best we can achieve. Limited time is definitely a hurdle that is difficult to overcome. Another hurdle is tournaments. Coming from the States, I'm used to tournaments that last a week or so. Here, we have one day tournaments. These are difficult because we usually play 3 games before even getting into the elimination part. Couple that with the lack of time for conditioning, and it can be difficult to keep up stamina throughout the day. Also, the conditions are a bit different. Have you ever been to a tournament where you had to sweep water and rocks off the court and put up your own nets before play began? These type of idiosyncrasies definitely make playing basketball in PNG memorable. Do I say all this to complain? No, I just want to give a picture of what it is like. Yes, those things are frustrating, and there are many unknowns: will teams show up, who will ref, will it rain, etc. Those frustrations and unknowns can make it difficult to be competitive. But working with a great team and a great co-coach make it all worthwhile. We had 8 girls on our team this term, and they made it a very fun season of achieving goals, working hard, and laughing a lot. I often get a little too serious and competitive when it comes to basketball, and they tend to even me out a bit. Besides, where else will a team mom give you a pie for coming in second place in a tournament?

Almost Doesn't Count Except in Hand Grenades & Horse Shoes

I have a rather interesting travel record. When I traveled to New York in college, there was a city-wide blackout. When I traveled to Indonesia, I ended up getting stuck in a town with no phones or power unable to let anyone know where I was, and friends came very close to flying in to the rescue. I just recently traveled to Madang, but the two incidents that took place there were cases of almosts. And almost doesn't count except in hand grenades and horseshoes. My three friends, Carmen, Hannah, and Gail, and I went to Madang for a break from our routines as teachers. While there we were part of an almost car wreck and an almost tsunami. On our second day in Madang we went with some friends to a resort on the beach in order to do some swimming and relaxing, and we did just that. But on our way back, we hit the side of a small bridge that was hidden from view by overgrown grass. This caused us to have blowouts on both tires on the drivers' side of our van. Our driver showed great presence of mind by being able to pull us off to the side of the road. People can out of the woodwork (literally) to help us change the tires. The Lord was definitely protecting us. He kept us from getting hurt from the accident and sent people who helped. We later heard that a van had hit in the same place we had, just a week earlier, and had flipped off the bridge. On our last day in Madang we spent the morning relaxing before our flight arrived to take us home. As we sat near the ocean playing cards, the manager of our hotel came to inform us that there was a tsunami warning, and they were evacuating and heading to higher ground. The tsunami was supposed to hit at 11:30 and our flight was at 11:00 so they were going to drop us off at the airport. On our way to the airport we found out that our flight wouldn't come until 1:00. We were able to rely on our friends to help us out. They picked us up. As we went into town, the scene was a little eery with everyone leaving. Fortunately, the warning was called off, and we were able to have a nice lunch by the water in town. For all those who believe there is no God, I think my travel record and the fact that I'm still alive and well disprove your theory.

Love Thy Neighbor

Living on a mission center in Papua New Guinea has many advantages and disadvantages. The community is a close-knit one, physically, emotionally, and socially. We share one another's joys and pains, we socialize with one another at Pinochle parties, movie nights, and sports events. We also share more than anyone wants to by living so closely with one another that we hear neighbor's kids being punished, movies & music playing, and even toilets flushing. You may decide for yourselves whether these things are positive or negative. But one thing that I must point out as positive is the care that each person has for one another here. As it states in Matthew, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." I definitely feel loved by my neighbors, the Hoskins family. They technically aren't my physical neighbors, but they take care of me. It is fairly widespread knowledge that I'm not a big fan of vegetables. This information apparently placed a burden on Jenny Hoskins' heart for me. She wanted to make sure I was getting my daily requirement of fruits and vegetables; therefore, she began leaving carrots for me. I found one on my porch, one on my desk in my classroom, and the latest one in my shoe. While some people may see this as strange and wonder about these strange people who live behind that fence in PNG, I'm thankful for neighbors who have my best interests in mind.

Who's on First, What's on Second?

On Friday our school was a part of the provincial tournament in Papua New Guinea. Our boys were playing volleyball and our girls were playing softball. Often at these tournaments we have to provide our own referees/umpires. As one of the softball coaches, I was pulled into ump one of the games between two national schools. It was quite the experience. I walked over to the diamond to find one team there but the other team not. After being told that they were somewhere around there, I yelled out for them and they eventually showed up and we started the game. The team that took the field first only had about 4-5 gloves among their whole team, so they began shifting gloves so that the players who really needed them (catcher, 1st base, etc.) would have them. The game was then underway. After a bit of sloppy play, we were stopped by an announcement on the PA system. One school would have to leave the tournament due to a large group of people that had come into town just to cause trouble with them. Not often do you see a team have to leave a tournament because of a mob forming outside the gate with axes and other handmade weapons. We continued our game. Not long after, though, one of the mission schools that was there had to leave. Unfortunately, they were the ones who brought the bases we were using so we were now without bases. I asked the players if they had anything we could use as bases, shirts or bags perhaps. They suggested stones. I quickly told them that probably could be a bit painful and we settled on using people's flip-flops. The game continued and we eventually came out with a winner, but it was quite the interesting experience, especially for my first time umpiring softball.

Changing Looks

My sister-in-law is an amazing blogger, and I am striving to be like her so I've changed the look of my blog. Obviously, it is nowhere near the caliber of hers (Britt, love the new look) but I have not the talent nor the true desire. So I'm good with just changing it a little and hopefully this will motivate me to keep it up a little more than I have over the last couple of years.

Tribute to Erika

Erika Stucky is truly an amazing woman. She leaves PNG, yet does not forget the people there. She checks their blogs for news despite having better things to do in the States. This is why I write a tribute to her.

Erika Stucky, what can you say about her?
Well, for one thing, she's a great hockey player.
We miss her on the court -
She plays well even when she loses
And she'll always give you plenty of bruises

Erika Stucky, what can you say about she?
Well, for two thing, she's really fun at parties.
We miss her great costumes -
Her husband wasn't as great
But she would always participate

Erika Stucky, what can you say about her?
Well, for three thing, she's a gamer.
We miss the great competition -
Balderdash and Three Thirteen
Even in Hand and Foot she was never mean.

As this tribute comes to an end
Know that you are missed, my friend.

Mumu

Living in PNG gives me the opportunity to partake in different cultural experiences. One such experience is a mumu. A mumu is a traditional way of cooking for a group of people here in PNG, and they are often used in celebrations or for saying you’re sorry. The process consists of heating stones and building a banis (fence) around them with sticks and banana leaves. You then place grass over the stones and pile in the food: kakaruk (chicken), kumu (greens), and kaukau (sweet potato). Then you cover the food with more leaves, dirt, and flour sacks, add some water, and the food steams to perfection. I was invited to this mumu as a part of a Pidgin “class” I have been attending. Tok Pisin (Pidgin) is the trade language of PNG. Most missionaries coming into the country spend their first few months here learning the language; however, teachers often don’t get this opportunity as we have to jump right into school. So several of us teachers have been meeting once a week at lunch time for a “Pidgin Lunch.” We speak only in Tok Pisin and often have guests come and help us out. I’m still nowhere near fluent, but I have enjoyed learning a bit more. One funny story that came from this mumu was that a few of the young ladies were showing a few friends and me how to turn rope in order to make bilums (string bags). I got better but am still pretty bad at it, so I have a long way to go before I can get married. Apparently, in PNG you have to be able to make a bilum to carry your baby in before you can get married. Oh well!