Visitor from Texas

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

Although my work load is so crazy I still can't consider a trip back home, I am thrilled to be entertaining a visitor from south Texas. My husband Leo is coming for a 3-week visit, and I am so very ...

Learning the Language

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

The three primary languages spoken here are English, Tok Pisin, and Motu. As I become acquainted with more members of the expat community, I struggle a bit with a fourth language I can only call "Aussie English". Here are some ...

Negotiated Thievery

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

I'm the first to admit that, try as I might, I don't always "get" the cultural aspects of where I live. As a case in point, I'll tell you about a friend of mine who was recently robbed. My friend ...

Women, Culture, and Negotiation

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

While waiting in the queue at the bank this morning, I overheard bits of a conversation between two national women. When I was finished with my business, I had to walk over and join in for a few minutes. Although ...

10 Things I Miss About Home

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

The photo above is the sunset view from my apartment in Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaAccording to my calculations, it has been 89 days since I've seen my home in Port Lavaca. I have no idea when I will get ...

My Summer Vacation 6/6

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

Some of the performance highlights were truly memorable:There was one group from the Gulf province that had girls with wonderfully thick grass skirts that hung to their ankles and had shells around their waists. Many of the girls used a ...

My Summer Vacation 5/6

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

The early announcements from the stage were all in English with just a touch of pidgin thrown in. As the day wore on, the comments switched over to being predominantly in Tok Pisin and I struggled a bit to catch ...

My Summer Vacation 4/6

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

I did wonder a bit about some of the student dancers as I took their photos. While many of the groups smiled for the cameras and laughed together, others took a much more serious view of the events. Occasionally unsure ...

My Summer Vacation 3/6

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

For the longest time, I thought I was the only white in attendance. As the day progressed, however, I did see three others in the crowd. Two of these were older men who appeared to have native wives or girlfriends, ...

My Summer Vacation 2/6

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

We arrived early to the event. My hosts were worried that it was "too early", but I was glad of it as it gave me a chance to get my bearings and to watch the groups prepare and the crowds ...

My Summer Vacation 1/6

By BeaAmaya in Working Abroad

My driver and my administrative assistant decided that I needed to attend the Sogeri Singsing a couple of weeks ago (July 24) in order to get a taste for some of the cultural diversity of PNG. I had an absolute ...