Frustrated in PNG

I try not to post anything negative on this blog, but January has been a frustrating month for us. I realize that we live a pretty interesting and exciting life, so no one wants to hear me whine and complain, but frustration is part of life as an ex-pat.

The shelves of the grocery stores have been empty since we returned from Australia, our internet connection is unreliable, and the garbage floating in the harbour is at an all-time high. The main source of our frustration though is our apartment. The swimming pool is falling apart and is unusable, the ditch in front of the building emits a foul odor, we have mold in growing in the vents, and our air conditioner died a couple of weeks ago and it took 6 days to get it repaired.

It may not sound like a hardship to those who are battling snow and freezing temperatures back home, but when you're living in a tropical climate during the rainy season, an air conditioner is an important feature. It was so unbearable, we moved into a hotel for a couple of nights. The solution was to pillage a unit from an empty apartment and it worked for awhile, but now the replacement A/C unit is starting to die a slow and painful death.

There is hope for us though, because we are moving into a new apartment and I mean a brand new apartment. A new building has just gone up in the same area and we are moving in as soon as possible. All the appliances, fixtures, and furnishings are brand new as well. Plus, everything is clean and works.

I'm not sure why this month has been more difficult for us than any other, but it has. It's been four years since we left Canada and it feels like we've been living like students for the entire time. Sleeping in uncomfortable beds, sitting on cheap furniture (we have outdoor patio furniture in our dining room), and washing clothes in crappy washing machines wears on you after a while. Fingers crossed the move will brighten my outlook on life here.

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