Just Where are you going?

For all my piano students (and anyone else who cares to read this.)

Tomorrow is the day we get to sit like sardines on a plane for 30+ hours. I'm looking forward to the trip, just not that part. I've never been a fan of airplane food, crude movies, or sleeping in a sitting position.

You ask, "Where is it you are going again?"

To

 Yehebi station

in the

Western Province

in the country of

Papua New Guinea

to visit the

Gobasi tribe

Did you get all that? It's a pretty big mouthful.

Let's talk about how to pronounce that first word, "Yehebi." It's kind of like saying, "Ya heavy." Except it's Ye - he - bee (Short e, short e, long e). See? It's not so hard to pronounce! 

Now, for the name of the country, Papua New Guinea. It's easy except for the first word, "Papua."

It's almost like saying the nickname for your Grandfather: "Papa." Except you string it out a little Pa - poo - ah.  

Now that you know how to pronounce where I'm going. You ask, "where is this place?" It's in the South Pacific on the second largest island of the world, just a little north of Australia. Check out the map which I found on the National Geographic website (at http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/papua-new-guinea-guide). 

 

We fly into the capital city of Port Moresby for two nights. Then we fly into the mountains to Mount Hagen to buy supplies and a couple water tanks. On February 5th, we fly to Yehebi station - a very small remote village in the jungle lowlands where it is very hot. On the map if you can find the Fly River, then we will be up somewhere between the "F" on Fly River and below the "o" of Mount Hagen - on the east side of the river that runs up into the "M." Yehebi is not on the map at the moment, but that gives you an idea.

We are going to visit the Gobasi tribe. (You pronounce that Go - bah - see).  Lots more about them later. We lived many years out here in the 80s and 90s...way before you were born!

For now, it's time for bed before the long trip tomorrow. 

Stay tuned.

(C) 2016 Carin G. LeRoy