5k Kate

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...