A different perspective

I don't have a picture for this story. However, it was an interesting experience and worth noting. Yesterday after work I was heading out to the bus that takes us from the airport back to Ukarumpa and I noticed that one of the carts we use to carry luggage to and from the planes was outside the fence near the bus. Normally, they are put away at the end of the day. As I got closer to the bus I realized that the cart had a casket on it and a national man was standing close beside it. I learned from one of my coworkers that the man's wife had died and he was trying to find transportation to her village to bury her. It is our policy not to keep bodies in our buildings overnight for sanitary reasons as well as cultural problems that have occur ed in the past. There is a lot of cultural implications surrounding death here that I do not fully understand. However, it is always an expensive affair and lots of family members and friends are involved. We could not offer any financial assistance but one of our national employees at aviation offered to allow the man to spend the night at his house and bring his wife. My coworker and I volunteered to transport them to the house a few kilometers away. The truck quickly filled up with about 20 people and we began the drive. The drive was eventful with deep mud, very small narrow "bridges" made of various sized logs spaced roughly tire width apart. We were pretty nervous about getting stuck as well as losing some of our passengers including the casket as we four wheeled along the small jungle road. Eventually we made it and the man was grateful for our help. Even so, he has a long road ahead of him to find money to get to his wife's village and make the journey. The people here have difficult lives.