Between Two Worlds

  "ye ambu kruo kra, ol masalai bai paulim em lo Dekmba Krukl" "...she is light skinned, the spirits will harm her in Dekmba Krukl". This was the whisper that went through the community when they heard that I would be leading the expedition into a sacred part of their forest called Dekmba Krukl. I arrived from Goroka in the main village of Danbagl bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my first fieldwork but what followed was a long evening of lectures from the village elders on  tambu  rules and conducts that I had to follow for my safety in the forest. Apparently being light skinned and heading out to the forest was considered dangerous as the  makan nem  or  papa graun ( spiritual guardians ) were attracted to light-skinned people or anyone that looked different. Gembogl. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear of this place is glorious organic vegetables. The biggest broccoli, cauliflowers, carrots, potatoes, pe...

You've made it to my blog! welcome! Let's hope you'll find something in here that you can relate to and that my writing is not a headache until you reach the end. I am currently a research student who is undergoing a stage of what many may refer to as the "imposter syndrome" which has led me to a lot of stress, finding relief in procrastinating, thus the result of creating a blog. I'm also a fantastic mother who has done only one-quarter of the work in raising a beautiful 2-year-old daughter. Three-quarters of the time, I have a tribe taking care of my girl, thank you God for family, relatives and a tight-knit community in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific! Through this blog, I'd like to share my experiences through my fieldwork which involves camping out in the woods for weeks and my visits home to Goroka, Eastern Highlands and Kerowagi and Gembogl Districts in Chimbu Province. I also hope to share some of the challenges and victories I've expe...