Bits and Bites...

*Yesterday Hugo went to the store to pick up a couple things and who did he run into but our "friend" Pak Tomas. Drunk as a skunk of course. He came up to Hugo and wanted to shake hands with his "friend". Hugo was not real eager and said that he couldn't be Tomas' friend as Tomas did not respect me (Erica). Tomas responded saying that he still wanted to be Hugo's friend. Hugo repeated what he had said and Tomas responded with a challenge to fight him. Hugo told him that he shouldn't talk like that right now especially as he was drunk. Tomas' "friend" intervened and pulled him aside. Another "friend" apologized for him and Hugo told him and showed him what Tomas had done. The friend was in complete agreement and explained that Tomas was drunk etc... Hugo replied that someone should tell Tomas what he does when he is drunk so he knows how yucky his behaviour is (of course this needs to be done when he is sober, a rare event indeed). It was probably good that Hugo confronted him in a public place as who knows what he would have done had his friends not been around...
*Tomorrow Papua will celebrate its birthday. On Dec 1, 2002, the Indonesian government gave more autonomy to the province of Papua allowing it to change its name from Irian Jaya to Papua. Many locals here feel that this is just a step in the direction of complete independance... right... For over a week now people have been gathering at the burial site of a leading member of the Fre* Papua M*vement who was assasin*ted before 2002. They plan to have a service tomorrow comemorating the anniversary of Papua being given more autonomy. There are those that fear this event will escalate into a dem*nstration so we are going to be avoiding that area of town tomorrow...
*There is going to be an election here in the near future. So there are different political parties putting up signs promising this and that and everything. Across the road from us at the youth centre, one of the parties has been sponsoring volleyball games. A woman is the representative in Jayapura and one of the local guys here is candidate for Pos 7, our hill. The other day a bunch of dump trucks came and took lots of people from here to her house in Jayapura. Ice wasn't sure exactly what they were going to do, get money or a pig. The plan is to have a bakar batu (bake stones) tomorrow at the youth centre. This is where they cook a pig and vegetables in the ground using hot stones and banana leaves. If I get a chance I'll take some pics and post them.
I've told Ice that I wanted to meet her new boyfriend but she said that when she told him he replied that he was too scared to come and talk with me. She reassured him that I wouldn't eat him but he's still too scared.... lol...