Papua: We Are “Home” At Last

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Our Bandung Friends that kept everything running smoothly.  It was hard to say good-bye. ((Nathaniel and Jacob are standing on a rock, just so the Grandparents don’t think they have grown that much! : )).

 

To say that we have just zipped through our first Christmas overseas…..my heart is filled with gratitude to the love and welcome we have received during our first week here in Papua.  Upon flying into the airport we disembarked onto the pavement, Jan Roberts and the Stump family were there to greet us.  Jan took the boys and I to our “new” home while Darron stayed at the airport with other friends to gather up the luggage (I loved that).   Our home is great.  It has huge windows everywhere (gives new meaning to “air” conditioned). A large kitchen complete with a new stove.  4 bedrooms.  2 Indonesian style bathrooms.  So we are getting experienced at squat potties and dip bathing (with cool water).  Actually the water is quite refreshing and we take at least 2 “splashes” a day because of the heat.  Between 10a.m. and 2p.m. the heat is very intense.  The house is also complete with lot’s of lizards, cock roaches and a mouse.  Unfortunately, cock roaches are just a fact of life in the tropics.  Much to the test of my shrieking abilities.

 

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Looking out our front door, early in the morning.

 

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Our temporary home.

 

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Kitchen and dinning area.

 

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Shot from the opposite perspective. 

 

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A little covered porch/living room before the dinning room.

 

Since arriving we have been spoiled everyday with at least one meal at either the Robert’s house or the Stump’s.  The food has been outstanding.  I am left marveling at the skill of both of these ladies.  If I thought ingredients were limited in Bandung, it is even more so here.  However, under Jan’s teaching….we may actually gain weight here!  Though I’ll leave that to the guys…..

The boys are very happy here.  They have more freedom then ever in their lives.  We now live on a fenced in aviation compound with approximately 81 acres.  The boys are free to roam.  Every afternoon the kids gather to play soccer.  We think around 15 or 16 families live on this property. 

 

 

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Town (Sentani) is about 15 minutes by car.  Jan took me to town 3 times last week to get things for the house and food.  Also there is a swimming pool in Sentani.  There is a very small mall, complete with Dunkin Donuts and Papa Ron’s Pizza.  Monday night is buy one large get a medium free.  You know what night the Boyd’s will show up!

Supposedly our car and “furniture” arrived last Friday into port.  But that “door to door” delivery has just not quite happened yet!  Not sure what week or month it will arrive…… 

Our future home is under way.  Darron is trying to relieve Bob Roberts of having to oversee it so much.  We noticed there was no plumbing in the kitchen and the rebar was randomly spaced…..so this is building with a new twist.  Everything has to be made from scratch.  The bricks were created on site.  Currently, all the window frames are being built.

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These are the window frames being created.

 

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These are the bricks that have been made right here.

 

Already we have met some amazing families.  We marvel at the dedication of many of these people.  Many are living in villages only reached by airplanes.  Many of them fly out only every several months to do shopping trips.  Some of the high school students board at the international school in Sentani and see their parents on breaks.  Translating the Bible is a big focus of the work “interior” Papua.  In order for a Bible to be translated it often takes at least 8-10 years of language learning…..unbelievable!  

 

Christmas was sprinkled with lot’s of little surprises from America.  Thanks for all the friends and family that blessed us with so much thought.  We had a fantastic Christmas dinner at the Roberts house.  And we laughed and laughed at stories from a couple who have lived here for over 39 years…..their stories ranged from a crocodile in the bathtub to the King of Belgium showing up at their house to see a rare bird (unannounced).  We missed being with family, and some of our familiar traditions, but I must say….. I think Papua is great and it is a land that we love already and will come to love all the more.  Thanks for reading.  Check in again…. we have no internet in the home and the cell phones are a bit lacking in connection clarity….but we are alive and thriving!

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Christmas morning.  Please note our sweet little Christmas tree, sent by the Jordan family! : )

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Christmas dinner at the Robert's house. 

Comments

  1. American Swede PhotographyDecember 30, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    Sounds like a good Christmas and a good time settling in. You are ever positive, Ruth! Your temporary home looks very nice. Hoping the plumbing gets placed in your new kitchen. ;) . . . In all the pics of this post, I see very few girls. Are they not allowed? ;) Looks like the boys have plenty of playmates, and the soccer and 81 acres sound fabulous! Thank you for your continued updates. I like knowing what's happening with you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. marianDecember 31, 2011 at 7:18 PM

    So interesting following along on your adventures.
    Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, and looking
    forward to your next posting... Marian

    ReplyDelete

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