PNG Arrival

04-May-2011, 0245AM

The soft glow of the morning sunlight shining on my face was very welcoming as I walked through the Exit pod at the airport.  I immediately felt the tropical heat from the environment that I longed for, especially as I remembered shoveling the 1 foot or so of snow that fell twice a week between December and February.  Immigration and customs at PNG were unremarkable and my entire luggage made it through to destination as I did. 

As I went outside and looked for the placard that said “Mark Gregorio” or “FHI”, anxiety started to creep in because there was no person holding a placard with my name or the company logo in it!  I thought that I should call the office but the phone number was in my work e-mail (so much for being organized, eh?).  So I turned my laptop on with about 5% power (OMG!!!) but Wi-Fi cost about 20 Kina and signing up at this point will prove to be another long process to do.  The airport security personnel tried their best to assist me by looking for the person with the placard to no avail.  Finally, I asked how long of a ride it is from the airport to the US Embassy.  It turns out it is only about 3 km away.  They were kind enough to put my luggage in a taxi operated by Crowne Plaza Hotel and told the driver to drop me off at the US Embassy.  As the driver drove through, then I thought this person is a total stranger and every worst case scenario just kept on popping through my head.  But it turns out this person had a good heart and soul.  He told me that PNG is just like any place in the world, with its shares of negative influences and crimes, but for the most part, Papuans as they are called, like to show off their country to visitors and let them know it is not as bad as it is portrayed in media.  I somehow felt relieved when he said that, so I encouraged him to tell me more about the place, at least until I get dropped off. 

Thankfully, I knew Mr. Paul Berg, the US Ambassador to PNG, because we had exchanged few e-mails when I was applying for the visa.  Shiv Nair, the country director for FHI at PNG mentioned my name to him so Mr. Berg was expecting my arrival since February!  He was not there at the time though so his assistants came down and welcomed me happily.  In the wall of the Embassy, three prominent and very familiar pictures were displayed: POTUS Barack Obama, VPOTUS Joe Biden, and of course Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton!  I was so relieved to be inside this building!  Stacy and Elizabeth told me more about the country, the do’s and don’ts, currency exchange, traveling, nightlife, entertainment, driving, and safety issues.  Then they asked me what I was in the country for.  So, I put on the Pfizer Ambassador hat and explained to both of them what the Global Health Fellows was all about, that I am a nurse practitioner by trade, and that I will be volunteering for Family Health International NGO (non-governmental organization).  They were pleased with the philanthropic mission statement, vision, and philosophy of the program and immediately told me that the Papuans are in dire need of assistance in health counseling, screening, and primary care.  Then Paul arrived and was very pleased to meet me, but told me he had about 10,000 things in his plate for today, but he will be happy to meet with me the next day for some security briefing.  I was also happy to have met him because I can now attach a friendly, smiling face on the e-mails that he sent. 

Elysse, one of the drivers for FHI finally picked me up at the Embassy and drove through downtown to the FHI office.  Finally, a sense of relief rushed through because I now know I am “home” with my new comrades at FHI.  I met almost everyone, including Shiv Nair, the country director, and Rita Pala, the person who was mainly in-charge of handling my work papers through immigration.  I spent about a good hour at the office and was shown at where my desk was going to be.  I used the opportune time to log online and let Stella Carolan (my Pfizer manager) and Oonagh Puglisi (GHF Program Manager) know through e-mail that I arrived safely at Port Moresby.  I also logged in at Facebook, do a status update, and e-mailed my brother Mark C-zar my safe arrival. 

Shiv drove me from FHI to where I will be staying, roughly about 15 minutes ride, but Papuans drive on the right side, there is a lot of traffic, and road structures are not that great, so I thought this probably will be a 30 minute ride if I am going to be one driving myself but thankfully I am not.   The living space is a shared apartment, indeed an apartment within an apartment.   I have my own bathroom and kitchen in my quarters, and then the outside living room and kitchen are shared space.  I am sharing the house with a Kenyan native named Thomas Gowa.  Tom, as he likes to be called, is a nice young man who is also doing similar duty as I am with AUSAID.  Previously, he was working for UNICEF.  I met the two security officers of the compound, the housekeeper, and the gardener.  The apartment has a working shower and hot water, working (flushing) toilet, microwave, TV, refrigerator, sink, washer, dryer, bed with 2 pillows, sheet sets, and towels.  Princess (the housekeeper) will be keeping my quarter every Monday and Wednesday.  For additional fee, she can also tend to my laundry and ironing.  The only items I thought of not present at the Unit just yet are internet connection and a mobile phone.  I am sure Shiv and I will talk about securing this at some point.   I’m thinking, goodness gracious; I am living in luxury here, compared to the REAL Papua New Guinea.  I saw dilapidated houses, latrines on the backyard, simply opposite differences from the provisions that I have now.  And with these, like I mentioned, are security around the clock, with a big, ominously looking black German Shepherd named Kola, I deemed the place to be safe and sound.  I was taken aback with the dog at first but as soon as I became familiar, he was no longer barking and eyeing me with suspicion.  He had another sibling named Pepsi, who died early a couple months ago.  All of the service personnel at the apartment are related to one another at some level, and all were very pleased to have met me today.  Like everyone else, they were also expecting me at some point since February or March.

I tended to my luggage and things, shoot pictures of the apartment for all of you, took a shower, and had a power nap.  I was so tired but I really could not sleep and I attributed this to the fact that I am in a new place (dx: new place anxiety!)  They told me the tap water is treated and safe for drinking, showering, and cooking.  It was so hot, I was parched, and had really no time to go shopping just yet, so I bravely drank water from the tap, but I also made sure that the Ciprofloxacin and the toilet paper were handy, just in case.  My thoughts of Microbiology flashed through me as I pictured my little, tiny, microscopic friends, probably also doing a warm welcoming wave as I drank through the glass—coliform bacteria, E. coli, Vibrio cholerae, Enterobacteriacea, shigella, amoeba,  etc…  BUT, guess what?  NOTHING happened, I am safe and unremarkably well, thank goodness.  So, I made iced tea and ice cubes! (To be continued…)