Being in Silom

A breezy, cool (yes…), about to be stormy late afternoon. Just back from Silom, that place of jungle-juiced village leader fame. Again some tenting for me, to the sound of breakers on the reef and often rain drumming down as I lay peacefully inside, wedged there in the village, between ocean and rainforest-coated sheer limestone escarpments. In my little world. We drove back on potholed roads on old sea floor, mud, driving rain, blowing oil palms, greys upon greys misting the mountains, but gentle waves on that continuous line of reef. A group of people in the torrential downpour, standing precariously huddled in the back of the truck, some with yellow raincoats offering little protection, and…still smiling. Back in my house, which feels so cosy today. The work went well. The reef looks good. The kingfisher sat and observed, as I observed him. The lagoon was alive at night and sparks flashed from the bottom. There was so much friendliness, so many smiles, that incredible innate happiness that is life in the villages here. Who is poor? Pots of delicious food, of generosity and kindness. Children, smiling and smiling. Curiosity, stories of “where I came from”. My first time inside a haus boi, at night, with the oldest man in the village, telling stories for me. Magical stories. Of times when he was young and caught sharks with cane twine and hauled them onto his canoe. When he called out to them, sang to them to come, to fish to come to him. He is the only one left in the village who knows of those ways. And then of the magic shark, who rescued the woman and brought her back safely, who always comes when called and when someone tried to spear him turned himself into two sharks, who still come, again and again. And people there who want to adopt me into their clan. After years in PNG, my first time perhaps, if it comes to eventuate and I am adorned with shell money. But mostly, it was so welcoming and easy there, and the work is going well. It was not the spiritual, soul-captivating experience of Ungakum last week, but a different kind of warm feeling that…maybe…things will work out.