How would i move to 'Paradise'?

Blog post 3

After seeing Papua New Guinea marketed as an idyllic tropical destination i decided to think about how it would be to move over. 

The thought of living in Papua New Guinea to me is one that would be exciting and extremely daunting, as there is no doubt that it is incredibly different to my life in Melbourne.

Logistically there would be some adjustment i would need to make, but i don't think anything that would be too complicated. Some living expenses will be more, some will be less.

living in a city compared to living on an island would influence the adaptions i would need to make, the diversity and expansion of the cities would make moving to a city like Port moresby easier than moving to an island.

Port moresby

Bougainville Island

It is the thought of moving to and island location that intrigues me the most (even though it would seem far less likely).

The complete culture shock would definitely be overwhelming, with different foods and daily activities defining my life it would be quite an adjustment.

with crime being quite an issue in PNG and with an apparent 'aggressive' culture i would limit the amount of unnecessary valuables i would bring along.

I think most of all i would try and experience this enriched culture, although coming from the 'western world' where the status of women is more or less equal to men, it may be difficult to adjust to a culture where brutality of women is rampant.

Overall i think i would take my safety with a grain of salt, there seems to be quite a bit of caution advised when merely travelling there it would no doubt be an experience i would never forget, but not one that i may necessarily jump straight into without serious decision making.

Papua New Guinea - what it is?

Blog post 2
Travel sites market Papua New Guinea as an idyllic place to travel, similar to Fiji and other countries in the Pacific. Where snorkelling, diving and culture are abundant and beautiful. With the added bonus of Australian history in the Kokoda trail.

http://www.tonywublog.com/journal/diver-in-eastern-fields-papua-new-guinea-coral-reef-with-flat-calm-water

http://www.pacific-islands-travel.com.au/kokoda-track/kokoda-track-map

But this seems to go against what the common thought among the public is. Often when discussing PNG with other people the topic of danger comes up. There seems to be a strong assumption that all people who go over there have some sort of negative experience with the native people.

These are very opposing views on the safety and on the perspective of a country, especially at a time when globalization has such an impact on everyone and everything. But it seems that PNG has escaped this tourist overhaul even with best efforts to sell it as a tropical holiday location

Being an anthropology student assigned PNG I often discuss the topic of cannibalism when I talk about PNG. When it is brought up with people they tend to think that it still exists, almost as if all native tribes in PNG partake in it. I guess it is part of PNG's Primitive appeal.

Although there are reports that cannibalism does still exist in PNG, it is localised in a specific area, and is certainly not a widely practiced or accepted act. They seem to be somewhat restricted by the ‘primitive’ stereotype that is being perpetuated. Their space and place is largely being represented as a primitive land with primitive people, which may, in few places, be true, but progress has been made in PNG since the colonisation in the 1800’s. I think it is important to think about where a place has ‘come from' when considering it in the modern day.

http://www.janesoceania.com/oceania_postcards1/index1.htm

http://topuriro.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/top-10-most-dangerous-cities-in-world.html