New Culture

Even though we don't speak the language yet, there is a lot we can be communicating and not even know it.

1. Walking fast in PNG can mean that you are mad. So you never walk fast into a village or up to any person.

2. Lifting your eyebrows is a greeting. But you would never do this to someone of the opposite sex as it means something else.

3. You never step over food, especially, if you are a woman. If you do, the food is considered no longer fit for human consumption. This goes for all food whether it is growing in the garden or being sold at the market.

4. Men and women do not hold hands in public. When two men hold hands in means that they are good friends. (This is not an easy one for Ryan.)

5. In America 18 inches is difined as your personal space. However this is not true in PNG. For example, Sarah and I were standing the typical distance you give someone in line. We were waiting in line to get an ice cream cone. However, that space was soon filled by someone else, because it was assumed we were no longer in line.