Observations for Krismas time bilong PNG!

A Merrrrrrry Christmas & Happy New Years.

For the family/friends back home who have been asking- here’s a super-Quick “Nathan’s first PNG Christmas” wrap-up:

Had a small little Work-Christmas gathering up on my 2nd floor balcony on Friday afternoon – a lovely little afternoon of it. There’s some photo’s of said event here... Closed the office early, did a little shopping, and we had some pizza, some sn-ausage rolls, some fried chicken, some fruit, some chippy’s… and lots more. But with this many kids around it didn’t last too long! The kids seemed to enjoy the chrissy crackers I had around the place. They’re a great bunch at the Anglican National Office. Photo’s tell the words best for these ones – I’ll get around to commenting (names etc) them properly a little later on this week.

Flowed on (after the usual Fri night at the yachtee) to Sat. night Christmas Eve dinner with Jonika, Alex, Roger (Jonika’s dad), Marian (visitor from UK/Moresby), and yours truly. Speshial, special food – lovely sweet potato & pumpkin curry, beans & cashews, fish… good company, good wine – purrrfect. Lovely little intimate candlelit dinner.

Christmas Day arrives! Had my own personal little opening of presents session (thanks Mum & Benny!). Then it was off for All Souls church, for all 300 people on Sunday morning @ 9am. Nice service, if a tad high-Anglican for my personal taste on Christmas day! Anglicans seem to “vary from a theme” for about 15 minutes (of a 2 hour service) on their special days. However the 3-part harmony choir was lovely, enough for a tear in Nath’s eye, and was great to see everyone and wish people a merry chrissy.

Then began-eth Sunday lunch at Lae International Hotel for a buffet around midday - - an epic campaign ensued, replete with heroes, villains, bounty and takings. There was also lots of seafood, champagne, turkey, seafood, salads, desserts & drinks. We had a table of 7, and there were around 150 (I think) total there in the hotel. Finally we ambled back to retire in the afternoon to J&A’s place for more drinks...

Once again – good company kept it together!

It’s kinda quiet around here (Anglican compound) the rest of the time. People seem to vacate Lae to the villages to a certain extent – maybe not unlike the pilgrimages of ppl in Melb to the country/coast!.

So - This is da first Christmas away from the fam-damily since I was 20yrs old. Back then, finished my 3 yrs at Uni, borrowed $10k from a bank at a nasty rate of interest and went to New York. Ended up arriving in Rome on Chirstmas Eve (and couldn’t find a hostel…) and hanging out with American backpackers I’d just met. Then on Christmas day was blessed by the pope (or at least standing in the Vatican with 15,000 other people)… But every year since then for yours truly has been Chrissy with basically only Mum & Dad & Ben.

Christmas 2005 bilong me was a nice one – thanks be-(eth) for gutpela peoples.