Automatic sinks were deployed in some public restrooms before my family moved to PNG, but only in some places. Today, they are practically everywhere, in fact, now days, I see people putting their hands under sinks or towel dispensers instinctively, often before realizing it is a manual device. I've done it, you feel silly but it is an indicator of progress.
When our kids came back from PNG for the first time, they were enamored with the automatic sinks and hand dryers in the airport restrooms.
Yes we felt like the hill-people come to the big city, with all their fancy doodads.
Parents, what are some terms that no longer hold context for your kids, but that you still say? These things change over the years, and tend to make us feel older.
Sayings like "roll up the window'. Most windows don't 'roll' up anymore. It is a remnant of a bygone technology. (except that actually our car in PNG has the manual cranks).
Think about what those sayings are, there are dozens of them. And then realize this… where we live in PNG, many of those sayings still make sense.
Today I saw a t.v. show where a woman who was locked away from society was confused and enamored by automatic sinks and hand dryers. It was a tool the writers used to show how long she's been out of the world. It was funny to me not because she was out of touch, but because I had been there, in her shoes before.
We are nearing the end of our 1 year of re-acclimation into the U.S. culture and preparing to return to PNG in June. There have been things that have proven really interesting, some super useful, others have been keepers, things that we can take back with us to help aid in our work in PNG.
These are just some of the thoughts in my head, as we prepare to return.
