Communications Issues in Raja Ampat...

My poor, dear family… they have to go on faith, and the adhere to the maxim that no news is good news! It seems that since being in Raja Ampat we haven't stopped for a minute! And because it really and truly is the end of the earth (probably one of the most remote places on the planet), communications facilities are few and far between. When we’re in the field we have no way of communicating with the outside world – the only time we get email or cell service is when we come back to Sorong. I returned home this time to a message from my folks hoping that the earthquake and resultant tsunami in the Solomon Islands hadn't affected us here. -- Huh? There has been another natural disaster in our viscinity!?!

Being out-of-touch is ok, I suppose. I mean, I DID know where I was coming to begin with! And although the down-side of being in the field is communications... being busy is nice; it seems that every time we arrive back from somewhere in the field, they tell us there's another activity/event to leave for the next day! This week was no exception... I got back at noon on Monday from 5 days in Saunek (helping with a Muslim camping outing - what a way to spend Easter Weekend!) and they said they were sending us off to another event on another island on Tuesday! Anyway, it's good to get to see/know as much of the area as possible... I feel like I'll be able to put together a more comprehensive and locally relevant program, so all this moving about really is for the greater good.

I'm not sure the people in the village I was in for the past while have ever had prolonged interaction with a BULE - they see tourists on their dive boats, but usually they don't come into the villages... so Stacey and I (Stacey is an American who is travelling on a Vanderbilt U fellowship and came to Raja Ampat to volunteer for a month) were quite the attraction on the island. Especially for the kids, who I am sure have never seen a BULE up close before! They are so adorable... so curious, a little scared at first (I wish I could be inside their head and see what they're thinking! - I swear they wonder if I'm a ghost, or a person from another planet). But eventually their curiosity gets the better of them, and a smile is a smile is a smile, so they approach and are thrilled at the interaction! The first day we were in the town, we were napping away the mid-day heat when I heard giggles at the window... I looked up to see a pair of big brown eyes topped by fuzzy red-hair just disappearing below the sill... then again, peeking around the door jamb. I snuck over to the window and looked out, and there was a crowd of 6-7 kids just below the window (just waiting, I presume, to catch a glimpse of this strange creature!) I lay back down, and the fun resumed... peeking around the corners, and as soon as I would look at them they disappeared, went running around the outside of the house (laughing and screaching all the way), came in the back door, and took a peek from another angle!



Martin is actually in Jakarta right now... he had an ear infection that had recurred about 4 times within 2-3 months, so I said I thought the doctors weren't getting at the root of the problem by just giving him broad-spectrum antibiotics, and we got him to see a specialist in Jakarta (insurance is covering everything). For someone who never gets sick, it's funny that here Martin is having all kinds of problems - no doubt the stress is a contributing factor. He should be back tomorrow.

That's just a little update.