snakes, trucks, potholes, utes, energy, agriculture
blog blong jon
Snakes – at the cruise ship market. A guy was standing there with a snake in a box, and tourists could pay to have a photo with the snake on their shoulder. For us it was the first snake we have seen (apart from last weeks sea snake – we still swim at the reef). We were surprised at its strength and warmth. We didn’t take photos cos we didn’t have the camera with us, and also we felt a reluctance to be part of the tourist scene. I wonder what we will feel when we become tourists in a 3rd world country at a later date? The cruise ship came in, the passengers disembarked to come and see the markets, markets that sprang up that morning, not to be seen again until the next cruise ship. We wondered if the tourists, when looking at the items for sale, assume this is how the ‘locals’ live? Is what they wear. The boys called it a sham, “all the stuff they are selling, the ni-van’s don’t use or wear!” It’s a bit like Crocodile Dundee offering the Yankee reporter an Aussie equivalent Huhu bug for a meal one night in the Outback, explaining how nice they are to eat. When she asks him what’s he going to eat, he’s opening a can and with a huge grin explains that beans are much better.
I drove the truck into town this week. The bus goes into town each morning and arvo, the truck sometimes twice per day, sometimes not at all. Last Friday when walking over to where the bus is meant to leave from, one of the students asked me if the bus was going, I replied I hope so. He was taking his wife (1st baby due in 5 days) to town to the hospital. Well after enquiring we were told the bus wasn’t going cos of the Talua Council meeting. Then it was suggested I take the truck (double cab, around 6 tonne I guess). The principal of Talua gave his permission.
So off we headed, in the wrong direction for a few minutes to get some fuel from Navota Farm. 8 litres of diesel in two 4 litre plastic containers….it brought back memories of North Iraq in 1992, with the filling of our ute from plastic containers on the side of the road, and the person pouring petrol smoking on a cigarette, often I would go for a short walk while the ute was filled….Anyway then we were off, the five us in the double cab and 10 or so on the back of the truck….including the kids. People laughing and chatting. We stopped on the way back past Talua picking up more students and staff, and me explaining they need to pray I don’t drive on the wrong side of the road.
The road is filled with potholes, so in true Ni-Van fashion, I was all over the road, sidestepping potholes for other ones. The truck has 5 gears. I only got out of 3rd a few times. After about 40 minutes we left the gravel road, hitting the bitumen and I finally got to 5th gear. Comments from the passengers went along the lines that I drove to slow. But hey, I said, ‘we had a pregnant lady on board’, everyone nodded that it was good to drive slow. Coming back that evening I was quicker, possibly taking about the same time the other drivers take. But the extra five or ten minutes a trip if driving slower might actually give the Talua vehicles a lot a longer lifespan! It’s a bumpy road and some ruts are quite deep. At times one has to slow right down cos no part of the road is free from holes.
Driving the truck there and back was tiring. Conversely we enjoyed the independence of being “the driver”. As a family it saved the usual “town walking” of up and down, up and down, looking for things. We extended out passports visa’s, looked around the Cruise Ship market, did the usual supply shopping, even had a look at a 2nd hand Jeep that is for sale – took it for a spin. Then out to the airport for one student to pick up some mail coming from another island. After a substantial wait it was back to Talua (waiting is common thing).
Yesterday, the Talua truck headed of to Tangoa Head to the weekly Saturday market. Locals from different villages sell food. It’s a Talua tradition. Glen (Aussie lecturer) took a small Ute owned by the new Dean of Studies (he is still in Aussie completing his PHD). We got five minutes down the road and it stopped. So we waited knowing the Talua truck would turn up sooner or later coming back. It ended being the bus that actually turned up. So we headed off to the market, we brought fresh supplies, William took them back on the bus and Viv and I walked along the beautiful beach back to Navota farm and then along the road to Talua. Lovely walk, time to chat and think……yet very hot. Just a walk seems to wallop any spare resources of energy. I guess we have to learn to walk slower and earlier or very late in the day. Even at 8:00AM the Sun packs a punch.
On the matter of energy. Last Thursday I took morning devotions, more like a 30-minute church service. (I taught the song “Oh the Mercy of God” by Geff Bullock. I chose it cos of the many words that contain important Christian concepts (grace, mercy). It’s a good song to use during English lessons - unpacking the meanings of the words – the aim being to expand the students’ theological vocabulary). Anyway, after devos, cos Thursday is my day off for teaching (class time), I walked to Navota farm to meet with the manager about my role as Agriculture teacher at the Navota Rural Training Centre (but Ure - the manager was in town). The walk, in the 8:30AM morning sun absolutely drained me. If you are the praying kind of person - pray for our energy. I am more and more impressed with previous missionaries to these kind of hot places……cos work is very draining. When I got back from Navota, it was a battle to do any further work. Even after a meal the energy levels remained low.
It seems a lot of effort goes into just living (surviving) and productivity takes a hammering because of this. Take for example the ute mentioned above. To fix it will take a trip into town, and even then it might not get fixed as the mechanic was meant to fix it last time yet the problem persists. Apparently when the ute (2nd hand) was first purchased a couple of years ago it broke down at least once every 2nd week for the first few months until the various problems were ironed out, each time a trip or two to town was necessary to fix the problem. So a lot of time and energy used up for just getting-by.
We have been here at Talua for over one month now. How time has flown.
God Bless
Jon
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