Working in Papua New Guinea
Sunshine English Course 3 (Showa 61) pg. 48-52
| Working in Papua New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 333 |
| Book | Sunshine |
| Grade | 3 |
| Year | 1986 |
One day when I was in high school, I heard George Harrison's song, "Bangladesh." Harrison is a musician whom I loved very much. His music still rings in my ears.
The picture on the record jacket showed a mother with her dying child. I was moved by that picture. I hoped to help the people of new countries.
I joined JOCV after I finished college. I was sent to Papua New Guinea. The local workers wanted to learn how to build roads, bridges, and airports. So in the classroom I tried to teach them about some of these things.
My students looked bored. They could not understand the things which I taught. I thought that they could not understand my broken English, and I began to lose heart.
After half a year I began to use their local languages in class. A student said, "Hey, this Japanese teacher is speaking our language." At first they laughed because of the mistakes that I made.
The students corrected my mistakes. I became their student now.
After that, they listened to me more carefully. They understood me better.
I moved to a small village after spending a year in the town. The village had no running water or electric lights.
I visited an old leader whose name was Bui. I lived with him and his family. There were thirteen people in his family.
The family went to bed early and rose early. They hunted birds and animals with bows and arrows. I used my gun. We also fished in the sea. We lived on the same food.
I sometimes became sick. Mother Bui looked after me like her own son. My one year in the village passed too quickly. When I had to fly back to Japan, Mother Bui cried. She said, "When are you coming back, my son?"
"Some day. Some day soon. . . ." That was all I could say.
I brought back with me the warm hearts of a people who live close to nature.
