Mark_Murphy Meanderings

It is either raining, just stopped raining or starting to rain here at Tabubil - mind you at 11 to 13 Metres of rain here annually I guess I shouldn't be surprised.The outlook is nearly always ringed by cloud or fog but the good part it is always nice and warm. Sorry to rub it in to all of you shivering away in Victoria! Tuesday was the start of pre-assessments, where they had allocated 3 whole days to talk to the 12 participants about their backgrounds and why they were taking the course. Well I had that shot to pieces in just one day so instead of starting the delivery on the following Monday we got into on the Wednesday. I figured it would ensure I didn't have to rush the last couple days and it would give them time to complete their assignments etc. I spent a great deal of time getting them to understand the Aussie VET system which is so necessary if they are to get through this course. It has made them very jealous of our VET system but also it will drive them to make the changes here in PNG. Many of their training programs/packages were last reviewed in 1998! The first week seemed to fly along and on Friday I said goodbye to Brad as he had to return to Australia and prpare for a trip to Malaysia. It was good to have him here for the first few daays as he was able to show me around and get me settled into the PNG way. People who know me know how I hate beaurocracy and this place is absolutely full of it!! I am surprised there isn't a form required to get a form! Everything is a pantene moment - it won't happen overnight but it will (eventually) happen. The first weekend I was able to wander about and have a look at the locals all playing touch footy on gravel pitches - the idea is to stay upright as it instant gravel rash if you come down! The TV up here is really good and has a lot of extra cable sport and lifestyle channels. Probably better than at home actually. The food at the local central mess is quite good but unfortunately it is just too bountiful. Will power Gerard, remember you came up here to get fit and loose about 5 kgs! Actually it has taken two weeks to get access to the Gym - remember you have to fill out the form, then get it signed by ..........AH! The second week was really good as the group had settled into a good pattern of theory followed by computer work and researching on the net - something most of them can't normally do as internet access is severely restricted up here. I was hoping to get up to the mine this weekend but the dreaded paperwork and associated permits couldn't be completed on time. Ah well I've still got two weeks left who knows I might get up there eventually. Today, Sunday I went with one of the Expat guys doen the river about 30klms south of here to have a look at some local market stalls. It is a really beautiful drive on just the best rally roads I have seen in along while. However the little Suzuki didn't rerally have the grunt to make the trip exciting and the locals rarely seem to exceed 60kph any where. In fact in town 40kph is max anyone does. Maybe I haven't adjusted to the laid back lifestyle yet. To ad a little bit of interest to this mornings jaunt we discovered that we had a flat front tyre when we had finished our swim so it was a very slow first gear only return trip. We eventually stopped about 10klms short of Tabubil and hitched a ride back into town to get the spare (Where else would it be?). We then returned and rescued the Suzuki from the side of the road. Well I had better get back to preparing a few more lessons and catching up on some work for Jayne. I will post some photos on this site tomorrow. Bye for now, Gerard.