I live a very weird life....

Indeed I do, live a weird life that is. As I sit on my motel bed, preparing to come home for a visit, watching the end of Happy Feet (Oh I do love that movie) and creating shopping lists for the various friends and contacts in Bougainville, I have a moment to ponder. Its hard for me to comprehend, so I know how difficult it is difficult for some of my friends - the contrast of life in Metropolitan Melbourne as opposed to village life in Bougainville is, well extreme. The comfort of home in Melbourne, surrounded by all the creature comforts you could imagine, inside is climate controlled, we have a fridge so food doesnt need to be eaten as we buy or pick it out of the garden, and there is a choice of clean clothes to wear in the morning, as you grab them out of the washing machine.... As opposed to bamboo beds, handwashing daily, gardening to eat, organising your trip to town around the one truck that runs too and from the village daily.

I have to say though, that some of those other qualities of my other life at the moment tha I just wouldnt give up for the world. The change of pace, the fact that people do care, they chat with eachother, every morning you are guaranteed of a number of people smiling as you walk through the village and calling out "Good Morning". Its a hard thing to explain, the contrast is so extreme. What the past 12 months has taught me is that its not about material possessions, its not all about working yourself into the ground, and as a friend of mine said to me just last week - In this culture we dont measure our successes by the outcomes we measure our successes by the relationships. Above all, relationships, connection with others, and a certain simplicity, thats the key to life in Bougainville, to life in the village.

There are many lessons we can learn from this shift in priorities. As I wander around the streets of Cairns in the morning, where I am getting used to all the whiteness of the world, where people dont say 'Good Morning' unless they want to sell you something, and is it just me or are we getting really fat?

I can honestly say that in 12 months, in my mind, there has been a real shift in my thinking, in my priorities, in my pace of life. And why do I put all of this up on a website for the world to read? Well like i said I think there are many things that we can learn from this in Australia - measuring successes by relationships, taking a moment to smile and say good morning, taking a moment to share a story or a thought - it makes for a richer life.

Dont get me wrong, there are also many things that my new world can learn from my old - the frusteration of things changing in a heart beat, plans are never concrete, the lack or inconsistency of electricity or the clear inequity of the way the law deals with their cases, the contiuual shifting sands, the inability to get hold of a variety of food, and fuel prices soaring... And the lack of good strong infrastructure makes life in Bougainville challenging. But its not without its benefits.

So as I catch up with some of you over the next few weeks, you might see a change in pace, or a different twinkle in my eye - I am essentially the same person, the same old Bec, but I hope with a little more richness in my smile, and a little more peace in my soul!

Boy those Sisters of Nazareth, they must be rubbing off on me....

Cant wait to see you all.