The Heartwarming Legacy of a Remarkable Old Woman in Gavstore settlement - DWU
Two years ago, as I was adjusting to life as a student at Divine Word University in Madang, I met someone who would leave an unforgettable mark on my heart. She was an older woman, living in the Gavstore settlement just beside the Maritime College and the university’s main gate. Her days were spent selling betel nut to students, staff, and passersby, quietly supporting herself through this simple trade. Yet, despite the modest nature of her work, it was clear that this woman’s purpose reached far beyond the items she sold. She had a small stall, unassuming in appearance, but it became a place where we, the students, often found refuge. When the pressures of university life weighed us down—when assignments piled up, exams loomed, or homesickness tugged at us—her stall was a place we could go to breathe. Every time I approached, she greeted me with a warm smile that seemed to say, “You’re welcome here.” And in that moment, the stress of the day would melt away. There was something deeply...