Mar 7

Today we received a tour of more of our facilities. In Papua, we have 160 person technology team. In addition to traditional desktop support and help desk functions, this group provides cable TV, power, and telephones to not just our mine sites, but to the entire area - company housing, the airport, our partner facilities. So, with 160 people, we are not just an IT team, we are also three utility companies. Pretty impressive.

Tonight is my last night in Papua. Tomorrow I fly back to Jakarta after first dropping my colleagues in Bali. I thought I would take this opportunity to share what I've learned about Papua.

1) I learned that they don't have sheep on Papua. This surprised me as I had ordered, and ate, the lamb chops at the golf course. Turns out, I ate goat.

2) I learned that the native Papuans will steal anything they can - often at any cost. As you drive around town, you see many Papuans using our mining helmets as their motorcycle helmet and they are wearing our steel-toed boots. They also will destroy the pipeline that feeds the copper slurry from the mountain to the port site. This they do at serious risk of life and limb. The pipes are pumped at a very high pressure. What the theives typically do is find a mentally ill person, have him break the pipe, and lose his arm in the process. All this to steal about six feet of piping that they can turn into about $1,000 - which is about a year's salary for the average Indonesian.

3) I learned that all of the art in Papua is either about sex or death. All of the totems are covered with symbols representing fertility or mortality. Anthropologically speaking, however, this is what I would expect from a society that lives hand-to-mouth.

4) I learned it rains every afternoon, most evenings, and some mornings - though I was here in the rainy season.

5) I learned that Papua is a land of beauty. I've seen at least 15 different species of butterfly and the flowers seem to be always in bloom.

6) I learned the people are friendly - if not economically desperate - but you always want a local to haggle the price on your behalf. Out here, there is regular price, and white-guy price.

7) I learned that Papuans love Karaoke and are CRAZY about American Idol. Apparently, a few years ago, we lost our feed of the channel that carries American Idol during one of the elimination rounds. The Papuans rioted - literally.

8) I learned that "ole-ole" (olay olay) means "little gifts", "pak" means "Mr.", "ibu" (ee-boo) means "Mrs.", and "poca" (poe cha) means "child".

9) I learned that you are supposed to bring "ole-ole" with you when you come (wish someone had told me in advance) and that anything American is much appreciated - but stickers are the prized item. Next time, I'm bringing bumper stickers that say "I Love Arizona".

10) I learned that teakwood is dirt cheap in Bali. You can buy a large, 6 drawer teakwood dresser for $50.

11) I learned it has some very scary snakes. One of the locals told a story of a time he and another were returning from a night drinking. They came to an intersection and his friend said he wanted to say something to the gentleman standing at the corner. He looked at what he wanted to speak to, and it was a python with its head lifted up over the top of the SUV. They gunned it before it could crash through the window of the car. He also told us of the 44 ft python they found in his backyard. Yikes!

I really liked my time in Papua. The staff here was very hospitable and shared of themselves as well as their knowledge of the area and our work here. Though my project does not change as a result of this visit, the socialization we will need to do to the rest of our team, and the policies and procedures we will need to create, have definitely changed as a result of our visit. I would return any time they ask it of me.... though hopefully I'll be home for a while after this trip.