“Leif writes home about his Experiences in New Guinea” from the March 11, 1969 Door County Advocate
LEIF GIGSTAD has two “supervisors” at the school in New Guinea where they are putting in the post for a tennis court.
Leif writes home about his Experiences in New Guinea
Leif Gigstad, son of Mr. and Mrs. Goodman Gigstad, R. 5, Sturgeon Bay, is a mission teacher in New Guinea. Following are excerpts from his letters since Christmas up until March 2.
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Christmas in New Guinea sure was different but in many ways good, in that it helps you to appreciate things back home. Can you believe that I never heard Santa Claus mentioned once or the number of shopping days left until Christmas? A couple of the stores had a sign up advertising Christmas, but otherwise nothing is done in the line of decorating.
We do have some evergreen trees here that people put up in their houses, and decorate with lights and trimmings, but 90 degree temperatures and 90 per cent humidity most of the time just squelched the whole idea for me.
To the New Guineans Christmas is a time for having a big feast and a sing-sing (dance). The Christians have church on Christmas Eve and Christmas day but no gift exchange, etc. like we have.
New Year’s is nothing special here either. I was saddened to find that many New Guineans have learned from the Europeans that the only way to bring in the New Year is to be stoned (drunk).
I spent Christmas with the Rev. Paul Jordahls along with some 40 or 50 other people, mostly teachers, and we had a very nice time. Activities included church, 10 year old movies, swimming in the mighty Pacific, reading, eating and best of all, socializing. We all find great enjoyment in sharing experiences from home.
One of the big changes coming is that the Australian government is planning to take over all the schools and then the question comes up, what happens to the schools run by missionaries? This country is working toward independence and the mission is working toward the day when everything will be turned over to the New Guineans. Some think they will be ready in a couple years while others think it will be a hundred years yet.
School starts again Feb. 3. . .I feel quite unprepared to teach tropical agriculture but think it will be interesting to learn. The crops down here are coconuts, coffee, bananas, rice and a few vegetable crops.
The humidity of this place is really demoralizing. All those expensive books sent from the States have begun to curl up, my shoes lay on the floor half white with mold, envelopes have all sealed shut and most metal things are beginning to rust. It is hard to get used to those big blotches of mold on the walls, but it does give the housewives something to complain about.
I have been assigned to teach 20 periods of agriculture and 10 periods of science a week, but it’s those outside duties which wear you out. One of my duties is the dining room. . .also have to preach sermons. . .then there is the garden work and the steady job of checking up on everything that is done. Although we usually swim in the Pacific ocean, today we went to this river a short distance from school. It was rather interesting as it was a typical tropical paradise as you see on TV at home. There are vines to swing on, hanging from the trees along the river, so you can really get a ride (if the vine doesn’t break).
A word heard often over here is Maski (pronounced muskie) which means “never mind, or forget it.”
Maybe a word about the school plantation since I spend much of my time out there. It is 450 acres and the crops are coconuts, bananas and coffee. The land was purchased as an experimental plot and partly to provide food for the students. So far this has been very undesirable since the students have stolen all the food which was supposed to be brought to the mess hall to be served. Now a beetle has come into the coconuts and destroyed about half of the trees and it looks as if the rest will have to go, too.
A big day in the church for New Guinea. The New Testament has been translated into Pidgin English and that is being dedicated. New Guineans are running New Guinea it and they are great ones to give speeches and say the same things over about 20 times. Another crisis is getting started with the service. No one has a clock so they come when they think it is the right time.
We had a two hour communion service this morning which is quite a challenge for the bottom end sitting on those hard benches. Among the things that took so long is that the sermon was preached twice, once in Nabag the local language, and then after that the same sermon in Pidgin English.
I was annoyed by all the noise and confusion going on during the service. It is custom in New Guinea not to discipline the children and often I couldn’t hear the preacher even if I could have understood him.
We should have about five acres of rice ready to plant this week. We had about five acres ready to harvest when the students came back in February but the insects got that. We worked this past week on getting what we call practical agriculture gardens ready for the students.
In agriculture I require every boy to have a garden where we experiment with new planting methods, new crops, fertilizer, insect control, etc. You can’t believe how hard it is to get these kids to change any of the things they are used to. They have done things the same way for hundreds of years and see no reason to change now.
One of the biggest problems here in gardening is the heavy rainfall. Many plants just can’t stand all the water, so I am hoping to get the boys to plant almost everything on ridges. Some of the things we are going to experiment with are carrots, beans, peas, cucumbers, corn, pumpkin, cabbage, etc.
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If any of Leif’s friends would like to write to him, his address is: Leif Gigstad, LMNG Bumayong, Box 80, Lae, T. P. New Guinea.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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