Home Away From Home
By Michell Victorino (CFC Singles for Christ)
Last 8 June I entered one of the most dangerous places in Papua New Guinea; a town called Gerehu. The place is notorious for being the hiding place of the most wanted criminals in Port Moresby, a grave yard of stolen and stripped vehicles and the battle field for the 2 tribes that lived. And for the next 3 days and 2 nights this is where I’ll be staying with a host family along with 5 others Singles for Christ members from Sydney. But 5 years ago it was transformed into a GK village. Long gone were the skeletons of the stolen cars and up came 2 homes and a garden. Soon it grew to 10 houses. Now there are 20 houses, a small classroom made from a Freight Container for the little kids and a newly built Medical Centre and soon 30 more homes will be built. In addition the two tribes have made a truce and are living happily together.
Before going to the GK Village, I kept an open mind as to what I was to experience. I was ready for roughing it out and being shut down from the rest of the world. No TV or radio or running water or mobile phone (as my roaming didn’t work). So after the boys were “initiated” with Betel nut, lime and mustard seed, we were introduced to our host family. I was hosted by the chief of the village – Uncle Dikana and Aunty Sila with their daughter Kay Kay and 2 grandsons. After settling in with my host and made our little introductions, we went to their local market to buy our dinner along with 3 other families on the back of a truck. Dinner was cooked outside the home at the back on an open fire. Dinner was a great introduction to Papuan cooking. That night Aunty served grilled fish, boiled taros, cassava, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn and greens; companied with rice and a soup made from coconut milk, water and salt. After dinner Aimelle and I went for a walk (for a place that once deemed as a place of violence, it was where I felt the safest in PNG that you can walk outside after dark) with Nestor (CFC Full-timer) who was telling us the story as to how much this place have changed since he 1st arrived there. Nestor was the person to speak to Uncle Dikana if it was okay to make this place as the site of the 1st GK Village in PNG. Soon we were being entertained by the children with singing and dancing. All their songs were taught to them by their parents or from older children.
For the rest of our short stay there; the villagers gave us everything. They gave their time to talk to us, share stories or take us to their hunting ground to show us how to hunt for wallabies, wild pigs and deer or fish for tilapia. Sharing their homes, food and mostly especially sharing their love, I knew that we were placed with the perfect host family. On the last day our good byes seemed endless as if no one wanted to leave the place. All of us knew that a piece of our heart was left there and that one day we’ll be back to share some more.
For the rest of our short stay there; the villagers gave us everything. They gave their time to talk to us, share stories or take us to their hunting ground to show us how to hunt for wallabies, wild pigs and deer or fish for tilapia. Sharing their homes, food and mostly especially sharing their love, I knew that we were placed with the perfect host family. On the last day our good byes seemed endless as if no one wanted to leave the place. All of us knew that a piece of our heart was left there and that one day we’ll be back to share some more.
