Family history across the seas

This series of blog posts is part of the A to Z 2019 Blogging Challenge in which I will write snapshot memories of my early married life in the then Territory of Papua New Guinea.

My husband’s “place”

Has a place in my heart

Our first home

Many memories

Some clear, some faded.

 

A horseshoe shaped bay

The mouth facing the east

Edged on both sides by jungle and mountains

In the Wet Season the clouds descend

Wrap around the ranges

Obscure the bay

Stops the planes, mail and deliveries.

 

A friendly people

Smiles and hellos for

Sinebada and Taubada[i]

Now called dim-dims

Which doesn’t sound so pleasant.

Peace and tranquillity

Belie the recent history.

 

Milne Bay District, then

Milne Bay Province, now

PNG’s most eastern area

His father on the Kamonai,

The Education Department trawler,

Inspecting far-flung island schools

His mother home worrying

When the weather closes in

Or a cyclone is imminent.

Vacancies on charter flights

Offer opportunities to visit

Those islands more easily

Expanding my knowledge of this country

The excitement of seeing surf and white sand

On landing at Guasopa

A day trip or two to the Trobriands.

Decades later we return

Brimming with anticipation

It meets our expectations, memories and hopes.

The magic of a place that lives on in your heart.

 

Tok Pisin:

meri – woman

maski – forget about it – often used with children to tell them to leave something alone

muli – lemon

You can read more about our return to Milne Bay on this blog here which includes links to other posts.

[i] White woman and white man. I loved this quote I found online “Stop sitting like a sinebada reading. One day when you get married your husband will be cleaning the kitchen while you will be like the sinebada and reading a book”.  http://bukbilongpikinini.org/index.php/about-us?start=9