It pierced my shoulder and pain seared through my body...

I was jammed under a rock hiding and my heart was pounding! Suddenly a man stood up from behind the rock above me and drew a bamboo arrow back through his man made bow. He released the arrow and it flew towards me in slow motion. I could hear it whistling through the air, I tried to duck but I was too slow, it pierced my shoulder and pain seared through my body...

BEEP BEEP BEEP "oh saved by the bell" I say to myself as my alarm wakes me up from that terrible dream. "Yikes that was scary" my heart still pounding. This morning I was going to Banti the village that is just down the road from town. I have heard several stories and not sure what to expect and apparently I am nervous.

I met one of our doctors at the hospital and away we go to the Banti hospital. The road down is bumpy and we arrive at the threshold of "job site" and real Papua -- a yellow gate divides the two. Security lets us through (in some way I feel a little more secure living in the gated confines of "job site"). Now in the area controlled by the Seven Suku (the Seven Suku is comprised of the leaders of the seven tribes within the area) the vehicle turns and there is the bridge that takes us across the river, however, a few months back the river flooded and took out the bridge. The devastation to the bridge was impressive. Since the bridge is gone and the new road isn't completed we had to drive through the river. This can only be done when the river is low and it's not raining as flash floods and landslides happen often (hence no bridge). The river was low and beautifully clear.

We continued down the rocky road. The further we got the villagers began to come into view and sure as sh*t there were three guys walking up the road carrying their bow and arrows. I instantly panicked what did I get myself into? "Breathe, breathe, Kristen" (thank God for yoga). As we drove by them they just looked at us seriously but kept on their way. Phew. I took the opportunity to tell the doctor that I was nervous and he explained that they will not hurt or harm us in any way because they know we are here to help them. The white vehicles and the red cross represent that. Ok, a little relief but my guard is still going to be up. The road widened and flattened and the doctor pulled over so he could show me where the tailings from the mill from the mine enter the river. (I was a little weak getting out of the car.) I stepped up onto the edge of the road and wow, it was crazy! The thick gray sludge rushed down the river splashing over huge boulders. I couldn't believe how the crystal clear water I had just seen was now like gray chocolate milk. But that wasn't all, I was looking over a massive operation. Ropes and pipes were strewn from boulder to boulder. The ropes held up man made bridges and the pipes run clear water to several stations in the river where men stood by their sluice boxes panning for gold alongside their sludge dams made out of sticks. In addition to the configurations of pipes and ropes there were huts and houses built on stilts. It was awe-inspiring. The tailings from the mine carry 10-20% concentrate of gold. These operations line the river all the way to port site and this is how they earn a living.

We got back in the car and continued down towards the hospital. Soon we were confronted by two little piglets. Oh they were so cute. They clumsily crossed the road and then a huge, fat pig meandered across. Awesome! We continued on and shops, huts, pigs, roosters and villagers bordered the road. It was amazing. We finally arrived at the hospital.

The doctor who runs the hospital gave me a personal tour. The hospital is small but is very functional. Today there are only 15 patients which is very unusually quiet. The doctor thought it was quiet as, he predicts, a lot of the villagers have gone down to Timika to fight a war against another tribe. (The war has caused 8 deaths and hundreds of injuries). The common illnesses that are treated at the hospital are TB, pneumonia, malaria, gastrointestinal diseases and domestic abuse cases. In severe cases the patient is sent up to the hospital in Tembagapura for treatment. The employees at the hospital also teach the locals about good hygiene like washing their hands etc.

After the doctor finished his rounds we journeyed back to Tembagapura. I was thrilled to be able to see and experience what I had. Truly, truly blessed. And relieved I wasn't shot with an arrow. Resuming next week a group of ladies and I will head down to the hospital to play with the children. I say resume because they used to go down every week but haven't since the bridge was washed out. (I hope that I can also help them with a little yoga stretching).

As always, to be continued....

In the 1st picture, it's hard to see, but there is a man running a sluice box to the left of the huge boulder...

 More men (on the right) panning...