Well Sjoerd is off to Madang after lunch. I was just about to check my emails when he burst into the library with a demand that I update his blog for him with some breaking news. Of course I told him “meh… I’ll try”, but I’m a very busy lass at the moment with just five weeks left in Papua New Guinea (and about a year’s worth of work to complete before my departure). Of course, Sjoerd knew when he made the request (demand) that when I was brought up as a good Catholic schoolgirl, my education came with a cripplingly guilty Catholic conscience. So, of course, it followed that I would do his bidding.

So the news is…… (drumroll, please….)

Our dear Sjroep just got the results back from his second HIV test and… relief of all 2006 reliefs, it came back negative!

Unfortunately for Sjoerd, pathology also discovered he suffered an unusual humourectomy some years back. It’s a rare condition where the patient can suffer from a minor blow to the head or might laugh at a particularly bad joke, only to find they lose their sense of humour altogether. Sjoerd’s medical condition became clear in recent weeks when doctors, patients, PNG family and friends noticed an increase in the number of bad jokes he had been telling in the physio department and – increasingly in other wards, administration buildings and at times on the telephone and internet. Doctors suggest that those around him will need to support him through this incredibly difficult period as he discovers his humour-less state.
It’s a dark time for Sjoerd. And, indeed, for those who have to listen to such poor jokes as…
“What’s yellow and if it hits you in the eye, you die?… A train!!!”
Dark times indeed.

Meanwhile, to keep you reading while Sjoerd’s away, I highly recommend a visit to my blog – http://ahighlandfling.blogspot.com where you’ll all discover that not only Dutch people conquer important international landmarks.

Keep smiling, everyone. Just not at Sjoerd’s terrible jokes.
Heaven knows, he doesn’t need the encouragement.

J

Well, I’m back.
Sorry about the lack of correspondence, people. But I promise I have a great excuse. Truth is, I was almost sent home to Australia. The past couple of months have been stressful, to say the least, but I now have the utmost pleasure in being able to inform you that I am now one of Sjoerd’s newest colleagues! You’re looking at (well, reading about…) the new Media and Communications Advisor for the Mt Hagen Haus Sik. And getting the position was no mean feat. If you think bureaucracy in Western countries is bad, you should try changing placements in-country when working in the so-called “Third World”. An absolute logistical and diplomatic nightmare. And this was after the very difficult decision to give up on my first placement. For those who know me, I find it VERY difficult to give up on anything…

My former position as journalist/writer/producer with a local NGO’s media arm soured considerably in its dying days. The boss was constantly in Moresby, the staff STILL hadn’t been paid (since prior to my arrival in October `05) and I wasn’t even getting picked up for work. Essential as a “wait meri” with a laptop computer constantly slung over her shoulder. My colleagues always had an excuse… “Sorry, no petrol!”, “Sorry, no car”, “Oh, sorry! We just forgot about you!” I found it incredible that a team of people could manage to “forget” on a daily basic about a free volunteer who could help them out around the office. So, as my boss and I began to have more arguments over the telephone (he’s in Moresby all the time, remember…) and I became more and more agitated with “work” life, I started looking around for a new job.

I’m not sure if Sjoerd has explained to you all about the Friends of Mt Hagen (FMH) committee I began back in February (of which he is now a member) but this team and its extracurricular developmental pursuits (and, of course, Sjoerd’s fabulous counselling skills…) were what got me through this period. I mention the FMH because one of our distinguished members is Dr Kintwa, CEO of the Mt Hagen General Hospital, and the person who was instrumental in ensuring I would stay for the remainder of my 12-month term in PNG. His support through this very trying time was amazing. In just under a week, we had devised a six-month plan, organised a counterpart for me and sent off a full submission to AusAID. The waiting was the hardest part. Knowing that your future (well, six months of it…) is in the hands of those pen-wielding gods at the High Commission is an unnerving thought. Suffice to say, Dylan (the newest volunteer on my program), Sjoerd and I celebrated with sparkling wine and chocolate when I found out that the Haus Sik position had been approved.
Life at the hospital has been wonderful. I’m blessed with a brilliantly proactive and capable counterpart and last week I even got to photograph my first operation! Orthopaedic surgery on a complex forearm fracture. Absolutely brilliant.
And now, with my boyfriend arriving for a month-long visit in four more sleeps, I don’t think I could possibly be happier!!!
With internet back up at the hospital and my head firmly back on my shoulders, I’ll try to guest-write a little more frequently…
Jo

Well, well, well. The power, THE POWER!! The power to post whatever one likes on another’s blog. Rather an intoxicating thought! It is indeed a privilege. And one that I, of course, will do my utmost not to abuse.
So, as Sjoerd said, I guess I should introduce myself.

My name is Joanna McErvale and I am a journalist. (Sounds like an Alcoholics Anonymous statement!) I love writing, taking pictures “as you can see below“ and generally anything multimedia.
Back home in Melbourne, Australia, I once only answered to Jo. Here, in Mt Hagen, I’ll answer to pretty much anything. Jo, Joanna, Joanne, Joan, Joy, Aaaaiiiiiiiii Wait Meri! (“exclamation” white woman), Hey You… I think I must be relaxing somewhat, as none of this bothers me in the slightest. In fact, it’s one of the many things I love about this place.

Well, unlike our dear friend Sjoerd, my placement in this very interesting highlands capital will last for just one year. Already I’ve managed to chew through five months of this time and I feel confident enough about my love for Mt Hagen now that I am already dreading my October departure date. A year is definitely not long enough time in which to do everything I plan to achieve here. I’m already toying with the idea of finding another contract and returning (my program does not offer the opportunity to extend) but, in life, one must obviously consider other factors like poor, loyal boyfriends stuck at home!

Well you’ve no doubt read some of Sjoerd’s wild experiences. And though we’ve shared many of them, I have certainly had an overall different experience to that of my new Dutch friend. While Sjoerd can sprawl out in his three bedroom houses and sip SP Lagers on the verandah, I live in a tiny hotel room in the centre of town. However, the hotel is run by a wonderful family who have now claimed me as their own “ in some ways a bit like Sjoerd’s relationship with his friend Agatha and her family“ though, the Wilsons are much more Westernised.

People are so very kind here. It’s hard to believe that the place has such a bad reputation or that I am the first person (let alone woman) my program has allowed to live here. Despite a couple of hairy stories, most of the time the security warnings feel overblown. I’m definitely not the jungle trailblazer my friends back home think of me as.

Well, as it’s Friday and I should be working, I’ll sign off, but I look forward to sharing with you another point of view of life in the Highlands every so often.

On a personal note, you can be assured that Sjoerd is doing really well. He looks and feels much healthier, so I think the kickboxing has been good for him. But, I promise, if he starts dragging his knuckles on the ground like a Neanderthal, I’ll forcibly remove him from classes…

Can’t wait to meet those of you who will be visiting in the coming months! Especially Mrs Jongerius!

‘Til next time…
J