I had been in Papua New Guinea for 7 months and I was really struggling. The job as a category manager/buyer wasn’t at all what I had expected. I felt extremely isolated. I was warned that it was dangerous to travel alone in PNG, especially as a female. I couldn’t take it anymore and I was feeling trapped. I needed to get out of Port Moresby and needed a break from it all. I was feeling lost and didn’t know what I was even doing. I decided to research a safe enough place to go. I found Tawali resort which was in Milne Bay. They pick you up at the airport and transport you all the way to resort which included a boat ride. I mean that sounded much safer than the other solo trips I had done in the past, I had always just had to figure it out on my own. I did just that ,in December of 2021 I went to Tawali to celebrate Christmas. I am so glad I listened to my gut and did it. On one of the days I decided to go for a walk. That has always been my favourite thing to do. You get to meet and talk to people. On our walk back, I asked the guide why we were walking on the outskirts and not talking to anyone. After bugging him he finally introduced me to some of the people he knew. One of the ladies even said she was glad that I stopped for a chat because people just walk past and look. She said it’s great to learn about people from other countries and for them to learn about them. My point exactly. She took me around the back, to see her families cemetery. It was one of the most beautiful cemeteries, I had ever seen. They would sculpt the head stone to represent what you were known for, when you were alive. A lady who made Marie blouses(dresses), had hers sculpted into that shape. A teacher would travel on his boat to teach kids from different parts of the island. His was sculpted into a shape of a boat to represent what he would do, to help kids learn. It was magnificent. That is when I started to feel alive again. I got to connect with people and learn.