5k Kate

An end. A beginning. I’m settled in at Kwale and Aruwa’s house. Our second home in Upiara. The run up to this departure was so exaggeratingly slow, that I’m surprised at how fast the past two days have felt.  Tuesday was my last work day in Limol, and consequently everyone who had ignored my requests for language help in the last two weeks came at the same time to help. I was able to get a few good recordings in and I also recorded some tutorials in Ende for how to use the camera and video cameras. Otherwise I spent the day organizing the corpus for leaving here and finishing some last minute transcriptions.  I spent all day Wednesday packing, giving things away to friends, and organizing what I’m leaving for Catherine as clearly as possible. The men all went hunting and the women went for fish. I went with Wagiba our dog Maya for sago and got my 18th run in a row! Wagiba said some really nice things to me, like how nice my Ende has gotten and how I’m everyone’s daughter in th...

To say that the past two weeks have been rough would be an understatement. Though as much as I’ve been “roughing it” this past year, I guess it was bound to catch up with me eventually. As my departure date comes closer (ever so painfully slowly), I’m trapped between the pleasant feeling of having wrapped up all my major projects and investigations and feeling confident that I’ve accomplished an enormous amount and the unpleasant feeling of not having enough time/energy to start new projects and feeling guilty that maybe I haven’t don’t enough. My self-confidence and to a certain extent my whole personality I feel is fed by a constant rush of movement forward. To have that stalled whether voluntarily or involuntarily shakes me to my core, making me very unstable. Things that didn’t bother me too much before have now become unbearable (meager food provisions, the disparity between men and women, the low quality of life here, an unfortunate academic drama back home (which is ATM entirely...

Today was a big day! As the women came back from Malam just two days ago and the entire village will be returning to Malam to head to Wim in just a few days, we had only a few days to do a few big community events. And since events keep the village from doing other important work, we fit them all on the same day.  First up was the much anticipated anti-violence march, followed by a celebration of Diwa Nägäm, Wäli Wäziag, Dipa Nägäm, and Mangkol Sobam, the first Ende pastors and the stars of the documentary, Ende Tän e Indrang, then the closing of the technology class, which made this documentary, then some goodbye words for me, and finally the premiere showing of the movie.  The anti-violence march accomplished exactly what it set out and thus was a success I think. Mostly I wanted a forum in which I could tell the entire community exactly what I think about the domestic violence in Limol, support the women, and not enrage the men but push them to do better. I wanted this for ...

Today marks my second run day in a row since I took a break at the beginning of rainy season. It’s still a bit rainy but the paths aren’t as slippery as they used to be.  I felt the need to run after my birthday celebrations which left me feeling pretty overwhelmed and over socialized. Thirty minutes of heart pumping alone time did the trick and I’ve felt a bit calmer past two days.  The women came back from their ministry trip to Malam late this afternoon and I was so happy to see them! They were greeted with songs and a big feast of 5 animals in pots with frying pan sago. The men in general seemed pretty incapable of feeding me, themselves, or their children with the women gone. Every meal was late and many were just dry sago. A few Malam women here for technology class saved the weekend surprising me with a coconut, some bananas, or a fish. The incapacity of the men really infuriated me, though I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me. The running only made me hangrier, so pe...

A list of things I’m grateful for: I am so, so grateful for Andrey, Tessa, Elizabeth, and Grace who reply to my clunky sat phone messages, ask how I’m doing, and listen to all my thoughts. They google my random questions, keep me updated on the news, and generally supply me with a wealth of friendship that would be sorely missed without their wonderful stamina.   I am so, so grateful for my satellite phone app. I love being able to communicate with my friends and family with the ease and emoji inventory of my iPhone.  I am so, so grateful for my unlimited satellite phone plan. I love being able to send and receive as many messages as I want. I am so, so grateful for my satellite phone! It works and has worked constantly albeit with some weird glitches for two years now! I am so, so grateful for my mosquito/spider sanctuary. I almost couldn’t sleep the summer of 2016, because I was so freaked out by the house spiders. When I see one of these spiders, there’s something inside me...

What a magical birthday! And full of surprises! I went to sleep thinking that today would be nothing special. I knew I had a card from Grace and could expect some sat phone messages from friends, but I had planned my birthday feast for next Wednesday and planned to celebrate when everyone returned to the village (all the women left to do ministry in Malam two days ago!) Well, I should have remembered from how giddily everyone here planned Grace’s surprise birthday party that mine would be no different. I woke up to the bird calls at 6:00 am as usual, but this morning I also heard Jerry’s voice outside. Jerry lives across the village and has a very distinctive laugh and tenor. I knew something was up! I got up and instead of my usual morning routine of an hour of work and hydration before greeting the world, I got dressed, grabbed my camera and walked outside. The entire house was decorated in flowers, young bamboo shoots framed my veranda and stairs! Upon clearing the steps, I was gree...

Today was the yam harvest - a day I’ve been waiting for all year! The yams were planted rather late, around Christmas time, right when I arrived for my fourth trip. I was told they would be ready in April or May or June or July. With such a wide spread, I rescheduled my fifth trip to be here during that entire time so as not to miss it! I started asking people about it in April and May, making sure people knew I wanted to film it, especially the special dancing tradition that I heard rumors of amongst the older ladies. But as May turned into June and as June came to an end, I wondered if it would happen at all! But happen it did and very abruptly. Wagiba rushed into my room at 8am saying, “We are leaving to harvest the yams right now. I thought you were going to film us?” I quickly assembled the video camera, mic and headphones, packed a bag with extra battery, phone, gloves, umbrella, folding stool, water, and two bananas, slapped on my hat and hiking boots and we were off! Quickly we...

I was woken up to the sound of knocking  on the steps at around 3am. I called out in Russian and when that didn’t work I realized where I was and had to wake up and see what was happening. It was Wareka, Georgina was in labor and things weren’t going right. Could they take my fuel and stretcher? I slipped on my shoes and got the fuel canister from below the house. Just a few litres left, but should be enough to get to Upiara - at least most of the way. I followed Wareka to Georgina’s house and dropped the fuel, then headed straight off to aid post to get the stretcher, in case the transport had to be fast. Two women followed me and lucky because my headlamp died on the way. When we reached the aid post, we found Matthew there who came to help but didn’t know what the stretcher looked like. We grabbed the stretcher and some gauze then rushed back across the village in the fading solar light.  When we arrived at Georgina’s there were plenty of women gathered. About fifteen feet ...

I may have just enraged a violent village leader but (1) I’m on a post-birth high (see last post) and (2) he enraged me first.   Last week Geoff Rowak burned his wife with fire when she didn’t cook for him. Let me be clearer, HE HELD A FLAME IN HER FACE, BURNED HER NOSE, CHEEK AND NECK, AND LEFT BRUISES ALL OVER HER BODY. This is a man who has helped me many, many times, was the jokester at Christmas, shares a passion for writing lists on whiteboards...and he set his wife on fire! Because she didn’t listen to him! Well, after getting his wife some medicine, I took to the streets   street  path and told everyone how angry I was. Then I went to the women’s fellowship meeting and demanded that next weeks feast be replaced by an anti-violence march. I asked the very religious group - what would we do if someone burned the village church? They gave appropriate responses: take him to court, hold a meeting, make him fix it, hold community lectures to stop the behavior. I said, y...

This trip, though my longest, has not been a great one for blogging. This is partly due to the fact that (1) Grace was here for a little more than a month and is a wonderful listener, (2) a month of nearly straight rain eradicated my running and though it’s stopped raining, food supply is so low, that I can’t bear to be more hungry, and finally (3) my return home (home!) is drawing ever so nearer that in the evenings I often think of nothing else but avocados, regular exercise, and cuddles. Oh and my to do list which broke my app when it surpassed a million items.  I can tell you about the movie we are making -  but I hope it will also speak for itself when it’s finally ready. This trip was partially funded by the Firebird Foundation to support a project in which knowledge is passed on - from elders to youth and also from me to the community. This has manifest itself in the form of a community movie, in which the stories of four of the oldest Ende people are illuminated for th...

This Saturday, I went on a family trip to beat sago with Wagiba, Warama, Tonny, Wendy, Uba, Ibetty, Nicole, Nicky, and Willie.  Although I’ve witnessed sago processing before, I’ve never been actively involved besides carrying the heavy bags back to the village. However, most of the old women in the village seem to think I’m ‘built for sago’. Often when in close proximity to me, they mutter things like, “Ae mälla gullbe” (What a woman!) “Bogo ai dan aoli patkoll bîtne?” (How many sago bundles you think she could beat?!) “Matta? Ddîll?” (Eight? Ten?). This is a very flattering number and makes me forgive the otherwise uncomfortable chatter about my size. So off I went to see just how much sago I could beat. Sago processing involves (1) chopping down the sago palm with an axe, (2) debarking the tree with the use of an axe and a pointed stick, (3) beating the palm’s pith into the consistency of fine wood chips using a tool called an abor, an instrument with one hitting edge the size o...

Hello from inside my sanctuary but now I’m tucked into the far side of a large sleeping room in a tall house owned by an incredibly hospitable Lewada couple named Kila and Sibi. We arrived in Lewada this evening after a very long trip. We took off on Thursday morning from Limol. First stop was Upiara for Grace to catch an MAF’s Friday plane to Daru. The journey was a little stop and go, but we arrived with plenty of daylight to settle in at Kwale and Aruwa’s house and have one of Kwale’s famous meals. We did a bit of exploring in Upiara, which is a much bigger village than Limol. We normally stay with Aruwa on the school compound as he is the headmaster. The other families in this corner also speak Ende or Kawam. We got to greet plenty of Ende school children. We walked out to the furthest point in search of a man named Darema who was the main consultant for one of my linguist friends Phill. He gave us some updated files he had been working on for us to send to Phill with Grace.  F...

The journey of a flying titi Wind rustling the coconut palms A single note from the kokopasi Foreshadows a darkness soon to come.  A stir creeps over the village As they expect the mourning wail Whose name will be in the message? From near or far has it sailed? “ Ngämo män, ngämo män, ngämo män! ” Leaps from mats, houses, and stairs. Collective cries and sighs of kandärmang. A strain as the village prepares.  A blast from the conch for loved ones away, Fronds chopped for filling the hall. New wails arrive in every language to say, That shovels clang to turn a hole far too small. An avalanche of coconuts for scraping, Beating starts of the sago towers. Hymns carry the girl through the weeping. A final prayer as the grave fills with flowers. Titi - ‘bat’ Kokopasi - a type of bird known to bring messages of death Ngämo män - ‘my daughter’

Travel update: I’m back in Limol! A very quick trip through Sydney, Cairns, Moresby, Daru, and Upiara in just two and a half days! Running update: Back to my every other day routine, trailed by a gaggle of children. I would write about it more if it were more interesting. Lack of food, abundance of sun, and rolled ankles keep me at a cautious pace, but I’m feeling happy. A, meanwhile, is killing it - he ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in 32 degrees this morning! Language update: this week has been about settling in and typing up all the transcriptions that Tonny and Warama completed while I was in Canberra. They did amazing work! Hope to get to some more fun activities soon.  Writing update: I’m very excited about my writing progress! While in Canberra I was able to complete rough drafts of four chapters to send my advisors! I’ve decided to devote weekends to writing this trip, and each weekend I’ll spend two days on a different chapter. This weekend was Chapter 1, the introduction...

What a crazy past ten days it’s been! Ten days of extreme contrast. February 17-21 were my final work days this trip and I finished gathering 61/64 sociolinguistic interviews and one special 4-hour recording by Tonny before I left. Conducting the interviews really improved my Ende. It was 16.5 hours of actively interacting in Ende with lots of different people in the village. Not only did I learn a lot about the language but I also learned a lot about the people in Limol, their histories, their families.  On Feb 22, we set off for Kapal in the 40HP community dinghy. No goodbye feast this trip, save a delicious fish and rice meal at Wagiba’s the night before. My send-off was happy and quick. Plenty of hand shaking, and picture snapping before we were off racing down Taolang road to get started in the dinghy before it got too hot. We made it to Kapal in record time - the huge engine sucked up 15L of fuel.  Once in Kapal, I mostly hid in my room away from the constant...

It wasn’t until late in the evening after I wrote that last blog post that I really realized what I might have lost from my computer. Not only was I missing 18 days of FLEx work, but the most recent copy of my Verbs Database (containing information on 500+ verbs and the meat of my dissertation) was also on my computer and I couldn’t find a back up. This resulted in a worry-filled frantic night in which Andrey came to the rescue and found a copy in one of my back up accounts. In the worry however, I made up my mind that it was worth it to return to Australia to fix the computer. Dineke helped the idea along suggesting I simply lengthen my second trip and then I won’t even be losing any fieldwork time. So today Grace bought me my tickets back to Canberra for one week from today. Conversations with Nick and Penny have been reassuring and Andrey and I are shifting our schedules around so we can still see Australia together in the summer. Work has been difficult without my computer but not ...

Well my computer died today. As they say, it’s not a question of IF you’ll lose your data it’s a question of WHEN and HOW MUCH. Luckily, I’ve been well trained and I made regular backups and three back up drives of all my recordings, transcriptions, translations, photos, etc. I last backed up last night and I was able to grab a few transcripts that I typed before my computer really crashed. These data were irreplaceable and completely saved! However... I wasn’t regularly backing up my FLEx files which include all my text analysis and an enormous amount of work that I’ve done mostly at night the past seven weeks. I also potentially lost all the documents on my computer. So I feel like a back up queen and a total idiot at the same time. Luckily I have a back-up laptop (!) but doing my work for the evening felt like someone took my beautiful well-oiled machine and replaced it with a stick. I’ll be able to keep doing my work and an evening run persuaded me that in fact I will still do ever...

Today is Saturday, the first day of week 8 and officially the longest I’ve ever stayed in Limol in one go. Because of Grace’s 60-day visa restriction, we’ve only been able to stay in Limol for 7 weeks, using the last days as cushion to travel and get out of Port Moresby. My visa allows me to stay for three years, and just mentioning that enormous amount of time makes my “eight weeks” seem insignificant, but I’m celebrating and feeling grateful that I haven’t run out of anything I really need, that I’m still healthy and happy, and most importantly that my hosts/family have not gotten tired of me or the work yet. I sent Nick a text yesterday catching him up on the past two weeks: we’ve recorded five instantiations of what’s called the Family Problems Picture Task which include four recordings each of two speakers each. They are supposed to be interactive speech so this dataset is really diversifying my corpus which is mostly narratives and songs. This task has also been done throughout m...

I love, love, love Mondays. They are my actual favorite day of the week unlike Thursday which is what I like to say is my favorite day.  This Monday was particularly wonderful because it involved so many of my favorite things: a schedule, a to-do list, heaps of productivity, new notebooks, and a tale of female bravery overcoming a horrible situation.  Warama shares many of these favorite things and yesterday when I went for a visit and to pay him for his outstanding transcription work, he showed me a blackboard on which he had drafted a potential daily schedule, beginning at 8 am with morning prayer, including breaks at 10:00, 12:30, and 3:00, and ending at 4:30. I loved the idea and so started a fresh moleskine notebook with lists of all the tasks that need doing, followed by five daily schedules for the coming week. In the schedules is room for to-do lists and notes. So in the morning, a time for planning the day is penned in after “opening prayer” where all language workers...

Yesterday’s run was exceptional. Huge dark clouds were rolling in right at 5:30 when I was wrapping up language work for the day. As people hurried to bring in their laundry and solar lights, I hurried to tie my shoes and get as much of a run in as possible before the heavens opened. This particular run I was chased by about 20 kids. We ran ‘the loop’ twice before drops began to fall, at a record pace since I didn’t know how long the clouds would wait for me. When it really started raining we turned the group around and raced to the house Grace and I call “the bachelor pad” which is tall enough to stand under comfortably. Together we all did my 8-minute strength routine as the sky poured and huge gusts of wind blew the water into our circle. The kids love jumping jacks and high knees and think squats and jump squats are hilarious (they like to make pooping noises). During the other exercises like push ups and lunges they mimic my breathing. We laughed when my feet slipped out from und...