A week experience in Marum village.

A teachers house at Marum Primary school, Bugati area of Rai coast
District

It was so cold that I had pulled my bed sheet over my whole body. Yet cool breeze finds its way in through the betel nut stamp floorings, through the spaces in the bamboo blind walls and open riche cap of the semi-permanent teacher’s house. I breathe dust from the bamboo blind the whole night.

My back ache from the rough flooring but it wasn’t troubling compared to tiredness of the five hours walk to Marum Village the previous day.

After an hour of a vibrating phone, I woke up. Sparks of light was now penetrating through the blind walls.  While birds were singing welcome songs of dawn in the trees nearby, children were already playing outside. I tip toed outside screwing my eye to avoid stepping on sleeping bodies snoring in the house.

Once outside I had a true glimpse of a slice of paradise. Marum primary school sits on a small plateau surround by a range of mountain in the Bugati area of the Raikos District. Raikos district one of the mountainous regions in Madang. At the southern side of the school the great Yowor River meanders its way to the coast and another stream flows on the northern side of the school providing drinking water for staffs of Marum primary school. Everything was pristine.



An early morning picture of Marum
 primary school.

At 7am the sun still hides behind the highest peak on the eastern side of the village traditionally named as Mt Ujili. The mountain has it long traditional tales. Every time when it comes to taro harvest seasons, the villages around the foot of the mountain hear a rumbling sound of land slide at the top. It marks taro harvest season. At the western side of Marum primary school stood Mt Opo’ou. It cast shadow over the village at 6pm.

The village was misty in the early hours of the morning. Village people were already outside to meet us. They could have heard yesterday from the school principal and ward councillor that a group of Divine Word University students were going to spend a week in their village.

Although Marum primary school was isolated, I couldn’t believe that loans around teachers’ houses and the playing ground were well mowed. Power cables were connected to all teachers’ houses. The school had a generator set that runs at dusk fall up to 10pm for the school resident. We were treated as staffs. Villages came in with food contribution for our stay. Taro, sugar cane and greens were piled up under a torn tree next to the house we were sleeping. Among the 22 of boys we had a girl. Some of us had to help her do our cooking for the day.

To reach Marum village we had to cross Yowor river five times.
 It took us a five hours walk by foot

It was March 28, an introduction day for twenty-two of us from Divine Word University students to teachers, students and the people of Marum. We went as Divine Word University Adventist Students Association for a Gospel outreach and also to run seminars on various topics to help the people. Some of which include how to start a small business, health and sanitation and the importance of education.

The next day was Easter Friday; therefore the principal asked if we could talk to students and staffs of Marum primary school. It was such an opportunity for us to share our experiences. But above all, an eye opener for Marum primary school students to have a group of University students visiting them.

Although Marum primary school is isolated, the school had semi-permanent classroom. Classes range at grade one to eight. Walking into the grade one classroom, I feel for the students. The desks were made of round sticks and split bamboo seats and top. Most other classrooms had bamboo blind walls and fewer desks.

During the day I tried to memorize as many names as I could. So were my counterparts. Students came and offer us fruits, peanuts and sugar canes. They were all competing to at least give us something. I couldn’t hide it any more but let my tears have it way. As I turn to look at all my colleagues, they were blinking regularly .I knew it was an attempt to hold back tears. The hospitality was more than we expect. We could fell that we were special to them than the little possessions they have.

Taking pictures with Marum primary school Students
at the school ground.

Although it was a long Easter weekend, the students, staffs and villagers remained for a game with us. We had a touch of soccer, rugby touch and volleyball the whole afternoon.

However as it was getting dark the thought of securing a space to sleeping in the cramp house came to mind. After a dinner, a couple of us sat around a dimly lit fire till late telling all the tales we could remember from childhood. Feeling like dropping, I left for the house.

As I opened the door I almost stepped on three bodies lying like logs. I had to crouch and feel my way to the position I slept the previous night.

Lifting the mosquito net we tied, I lowered myself wearily.

Before my bum could touch the floor I sat right on a raised knee and jumped over another body to gain my balance.  Someone had already taken my space.
Sitting and sleeping the whole night I dreamt of my bed in school. I shouldn’t have stayed back in school and enjoy my sleep.

But the cry of dawn became a refresher. It would be our second day at Marum. The enthusiasm to engage with the community had grown. Friday was our community service to Marum and the nearby village. As a team of DWU Adventist student, we were divided in separate groups again to visit Old people and orphanages in the villages, pray with them and distribute second and clothes

We had to cross this river five times to reach
our destination.

we have brought with us for the purpose.

I was proud as a visitor among all the Adventist students on that trip. The people and lifestyle taught me a lot about the uniqueness of Papua New Guinea, my own country. A country so blessed with natural resources. The life style was simple.

At the end of the week we prepared for the five hours walk back to Yowor bridge construction site. This is where the government road ends. W e would get on the truck there back to school. It is a five hours walk down from Marum village. To get there we also had to cross the Yowor River four times, each time crossing our fingers that the river doesn’t flood.

The day arrived and we were farewell with a big Mumu of chicken and vegetables. The entire Marum villager and surrounding villages came for our farewell. They all lined up along the road as we shook hands along our way. The happy days we shared turn into wailing as they saw us left. I had never experience such a heart fell hospitality while in University.