After reflecting on my experience studying Papua New Guinea, I realize how much I have truly enjoyed and benefited from this journey. The time I have spent learning has been incredibly rewarding, and the skills I have gained are invaluable to my academic and professional growth. Through this experience, I have expanded my understanding in several critical areas. I deepened my knowledge of ecology, gaining insight into the diverse ecosystems that characterize Papua New Guinea. I also developed foundational skills in dendrology, allowing me to identify and understand various tree species native to the region.
Additionally, I learned about conducting soil surveys, which provided practical skills in assessing land and environmental quality. My understanding of taxonomy and classification systems improved significantly, equipping me with the tools necessary to categorize plant and animal life accurately. Finally, I explored a range of advanced AI tools that supported my research and learning, enhancing my ability to analyze data and approach problems with a technological perspective. Overall, this experience has not only broadened my academic horizons but also equipped me with a versatile set of skills applicable to many future endeavors.
The confirmation that my choice of Papua New Guinea was the right one occurred yesterday. My step-father has recently passed, and I am currently in Montana with my 91-year-old mother going through mom and dad’s things, so that she can downsize and move. My parents instilled in me a love of learning, and reading has always been a passion that they have shared with me. Going through the (I am not kidding) thousands of books that they have read, many of them with sticky notes commenting on if they enjoyed the book, etc. has been such a treasure to me. One of them stood out to me, and would be considered a “God wink” is a book called “Voices from a Lost World.” The topic of the book was Australian women and children in Papua New Guinea before the Japanese Invasion. The author (here is another God wink) was Jan Roberts. The name of my older brother is, Jan Robert. A coincidence you may say, no, I say it is God smiling down on me, saying, “Janie everything is going to be okay, I’ve got this in my hands.”