Not everyone owns a vehicle in PNG, and often folks are walking up the hills. Many times these people are women, single or otherwise, and so it is our habit to stop when driving around and offer our friends rides up the hill.
We find a nice stop and a 'hi would you like a ride', is much better than driving past and kicking up dust in their faces.
We're in the U.S. now and we don't know everyone like we do in Ukarumpa, PNG.
We live at the top of a hill still, although the road is paved.
So, when you see a female, or two females walking up the hill my instinct is to pull over, and roll down my window and offer them a ride up the hill.
This urge MUST be resisted!
Why?
1 - I don't know these people, and so it looks very creepy for me to be offering complete strangers a 'RIDE' in my 'VAN'.
and
2 - they most likely each own multiple vehicles and are out walking for exercise sake and not out of necessity. They probably also have cell phones and would likely report me to the police.
Thankfully I haven't pulled over yet, but somehow, in my mind, the small community mentality is still there and I think 'oh I probably know them, I should give them a ride'.
I am finding that if I act on these small community impulses here, that it doesn't appear gentlemanly and kind, it appears creepy. People aren't used to strangers helping them for pure reasons. I have found as I walk around though, that some things are still appreciated..
like holding open a door, or picking up trash that isn't yours. Or simply, and this is the biggest one... a friendly smile and a hello.
Furlough adjustment 63: - Isolation - surrounded by people but knowing none of them. Unable to say 'how are you doing today?'. This has caused me to appreciate church more, there I'm in a crowd of people I know and who I can say 'howdy' to.
