The volunteers (left) are welcomed with crowns made of palm leaves at Korak village, and (above) Fleur has a lesson in how they are made
”There was lots of fun and laughter, sometimes originating from confusion of language or different cultural habits,” Fleur said. The couple also took the chance to explore as often as they could, including driving through the jungle, seeing an active volcano, and leisure activities such as swimming and snorkelling, with Jais Aben Resort near Madang a favourite destination. “This is a resort with interesting birds to see, absolutely stunning flowers and a great beach,” Martijn said. “We were able to swim there and while snorkelling, encountered amazing sea creatures like the peacock mantis shrimp. We could also rent kayaks and paddle to a remote island.” It also gave them a sense of home to enjoy familiar western foods – like
pizza – on the resort menu. This made a welcome change from the staple diet at the Madang base of potatoes or cassava every night. Another new food were the
red fried sausages. “To this day we are not sure what meat it was!” they said with a laugh. Another fun experience for the team was finding many unusual shells, some of
which were turned into jewellery to sell and fund their mission work. Amid their impactful work, Martijn also pursued his passion for photography, capturing the vibrant colours
Boys smile from a tree branch in Korak village. When the couple learned the name of the boy on the right was Jude, they started singing the Beatles’ hit “Hey Jude” – which he thought was very funny!
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