Happy to be back in Chiang Mai with an engaged twin brow!

Dear friends, it's nice to be back in Chiang Mai. Great food, nice people, running every morning, climbing, yoga and exploring the city. See here a picture of me with Guora from Russia who just lived 7 years in a monastery in India and now gives yoga classes here. A great guy with a special view on the world and very energetic. He often tries to battle me on the dance floor with some of his crazy yoga moves :).

I also got a visit of Marijn for about 2 days. That was really good fun to have a small Ormetikos gathering in the chilled-out Chiang Mai.

The day I got back I received the awesome news that my twin brother will get married. With a truly too romantic proposal on the top of a 6088m mountain in Bolivia, he proposed his future wife (that sounds weird :)). It's great to hear and I feel very happy for them. It remains a special commitment and I am very enthusiastic to be the witness that day. So first week of October, this boy heads off to the Netherlands again. Am looking forward to that and catch up with all my friends.

As you can read below our experience was incredible in PNG. I will just share a story I wrote in my hotel room half way the trip:

"Here I am, sitting in my humid hotel room in Lae, reflecting on one of the most impressive days in my short Aids Competence Process (ACP) career. We just witnessed two extra-ordinary community visits. Those visits, where you don’t even think about getting your notebook out, because the discussions are flowing like a waterfall, where young men open up about rape, where women are talking about ‘eye-openers’ and where a young woman begs his councilor to take our process on board.

Lae was the fourth province I visited. Every time, the ACP is characterized by different challenges, but in all cities an almost magical commitment from community leaders strikes me. Once leaders touch the very meaning of our process, they transform into allies. Like Chris from Pis Wara, Goroka province says: “With the ACP I can finally do something back for my community”

Papua New Guinea, what a country! The rough Port Moresby -most unlivable capital of the world and more dangerous than Baghdad- sticks in my mind as being a prison, with an unpleasant UN working atmosphere and a truly distressful UN security briefing. I remember that our driver (a local from the Highlands) sat next door and could hear our briefing. What would you think if an expat explains every Friday to visitors that your country is an uncivilized and dangerous country with men that most of the time drink, take drugs and rape. That we risk being attacked, raped and eaten afterwards if we don’t take an escort to all support visits. Of course, we react serious and respect his UN advice. But is it really that bad? Let’s find out for myself and take a bag full of smiles…….

We head to the provinces. The first visit to Walis Station. The names comes from ‘ wireless station’ because there is a big mobile tower in the slum. We join the community leader and the SALT team. Our welcome is characterized by smiles and committed people that live in a difficult context. In a small group I share with boys of my age. I talk about my friends, my vulnerability, my own two HIV tests and the difficulty of being a young man. The youth leader shares about their difficult situation. How alcohol and drugs spins their mind. How they engage in rape. They share everything with me and tell me they are changing already. “I try to have sex only two times a week now and we organize a weekly coffee night to discuss these issues with the young men”. Laurence interviewed the leader afterwards as you can see below. Incredible piece of art!

This is just one of the maybe 25 examples of the impressive stories I experienced. The common denominator is that the people in the settlements are the most human, kind, hospitable and friendly people I have ever met. Every one of my smiles is received with another smile (often with red teeth of chewing betelnut). I have been greeted more often than in my home country. The only difference that exists between settlers and myself is that they grew up in a different environment. If I was born there in that context, I would probably be the same, fighting for my survival every day. At the same time, working with the 6 community leaders in Goroka is like spending time with 10 big brothers who just found out their new hobby: facilitating our community process.

Every night I am sitting in my hotel room, reflecting on the enormous human experiences every day, transforming my enthusiasm in writing three proposals during the evening hours in 1 week. ACP must continue in PNG! It feels like I am living for 200% every day. Suddenly the world becomes so small. I even reflect on whether I could live in a settlement for a while. It would be so interesting. I will ask the UN security guy what he thinks of this……,.

I would almost forget to say that PNG is one of the most beautiful countries with a tremendously rich culture and nature. See here one of the islands. We dived 1 day which was the best in my life. Sharks, manta-rays, seasnakes, incredible corals. Like all locals say: 'the land of the unexpected'