A friend of mine said that there are three ways that you view a new culture, or that you view this Papuan culture specifically; scenery, machinery and finally relationally. I have found this true over and over again. Scenery..of course when you see men in all their war/celebration refinery you want to take a picture. When you first get off the plane you are taking pictures of anything and everyone you see.
After a while, the people are not so much part of the scenery but part of what can make living here more comfortable. They help in the home, around the house, at the store, they become part of the machinery of living here in Papua.
The next step is the hardest...interacting with the Papuans relationally. Would you want these men over for supper, hanging around your living room playing with your kids? There are two men we have built a relationship with here in Sentani. We interact with more but more often then not they either work for us or work for someone we know. These men do neither but one asks for money every time he comes over to visit, the other wants to practise his English. Both men are using us towards their own ends but you can predict who we like to have visit more often. We don't know the language yet but I find it hard to find any Papuan and Westerner just hanging out together. We minister to them...but do we relate with them? It is an interesting dynamic to watch, a love for the people of Papua but not a love that translates into an easy friendship.
1 comment:
That's the drawback of a missions community like the one in Sentani. People end up so wrapped up in the community that they can hardly find time or opportunity to interact with the Indonesians/Papuans.
My parents resisted moving from Abepura (where us kids regularly played with our neighbor kids) to Sentani, but finally gave in. They always went to an Indonesian church (to the dismay of us kids), and in my senior year at HIS, mom made me join the church youth group. I'm now SO glad she did, as I quickly felt more a part of the Indonesian community then ever before. Those are treasured memories.
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