The daily schedule:
POC
pacific orientation course
at 7am we have breakfast in the dining hall. Each day is typically the same,
home-made granola, home-made yogurt, bananas, milk, toast
at 8am the kids go to school, at school they learn their normal subjects plus tok-pisin and they have occasional hikes to meet the locals
at 8am we go to school.
from 8-10 is usually tok pisin lecture or learning with a national teacher
from 10-10:30 is tea time when we talk in tok pisin with our teacher
from 10:30-12:00 is more lecture time usually, anthropology of the country, or some other such culture related information, this time can be a very information rich time.
they mix up the day with a lot of out of the class stuff as well.
For example, we built a Haus Kuk (like a little hut for eating in) and we go on hikes and swimming and other such items to help us gain appreciation for how the nationals live as well as for how the Translators live.
12:00-2:00 is lunchtime and quiet time, the kids rejoin us during these hours. It's the hottest time of the day and it is when we stay inside and nap or read after doing our chores in the dining hall from eating lunch.
2:00-4:00 is usually exercise time, we go on a hike, or swim, or do some outdoor activity. It depends on the day and the task at hand. The hikes are tough hikes but beautiful. The swims, are long swims, with my personal goal being reached at a half a mile, I am trying to extend that to perhaps a full mile but I'm unsure if I'll reach that goal.
4:00-5:45 - free time, usually a game of soccer or volleyball strikes up, which I've been engaging in, simply to be doing something. It isn't as if our rooms are a nice place to hang out, there is no furniture and it's hot, so being outside and social is preferable.
5:45 - dinner
depending on your night, dinner can go as late at 7pm if you're on cleanup
6:30-10pm is internet time, during this time a lot of people have questions for me, so I try to make myself available by playing games in the dining hall where people can reach me. I'm not on staff but I can help, so I do.
I typically hit the hay around 9pm, wake up at 6am.
And that is my typical day.
Now... that you have the schedule... this is PNG and nothing goes according to schedule, and everything is flexible, and.... while they gave us a schedule I haven't looked at it because I like the surprise and variety that each day brings.
I rarely know what is going to happen in the morning when I wake up, and I like it that way.
My wife however, knows the schedule and she prepares for it. She is studying very well, and I'm very proud of her. She is doing so well at this course. I knew I'd be the weak link, but honestly, I think we're doing swimmingly.
Syd and Calvin are doing well. Sydney is making a lot of friends, national friends. The other day they were on a walk and some national boys ran up to Kendal and gave her a bag of fruit and said "a gift to Sydney".
Calvin hasn't been very grumpy as of late, so I think he's adjusting better now. He was very helpful in building the Haus Kuk and kept eyeing the machete waiting for his turn. Of course he never got one. We did have a discussion on knife safety, but it is obvious by the way he swings sticks that he isn't yet ready for the responsibility of anything sharp.
