Well we are back in Dili from our trip to the eastern districts Manatuto and Baucau. I wasn’t able to get on the computer the whole time because I left my charger at the Hotel Vila Verde in Dili. After calling about a dozen times they finally ‘found’ the charger, something I was really excited about. Happens it was right where I told them I was in room 7.
The car ride to the eastern districts was a lot less exciting, but also a lot less scary. We got a new driver and a new company that cost quite a bit more (glad I’m not paying) who is also Jaoa. He is a really nice older man that has I think six kids between the ages of 8 and 28. We may not have gotten there as fast as with AJ, but I didn’t feel like I was going to die once. Plus about ¾ of the road was coastal and absolutely gorgeous. However, I was still amazed at how bad the road was. Baucau city is the second largest after Dili, and the main road between their two largest cities wasn’t even two lanes and was full of potholes. A trip that far in The States would have only taken about an hour or 1.5 hours, here it took 3.5.
I definitely liked the west more, but the east was nice as well. We had great views from the place we stayed in Baucau, and the hotel in Manatuto was just as nice as Vila Verde, so it was a fairly comfortable few days. The main problem in Baucau was that there were literally at least seven roosters staked in the yard below the communal balcony, so sleeping past dawn was not really an option. We’ve also been getting a crazy amount of work done. Our boss in Colorado gave us a minimum of five field sites to go to, we have been to 11, one in Dili, two in Ermera, three in Aileu, two in Baucau, and three in Manatuto. Today instead of going to the last site, Fatisi, Grant and I stayed and got all of the computer work done that we could, catching up on finding the projects we went to in spreadsheets and going through census information. Don’t worry, we had already driven past Fatisi before, so we didn’t really miss out on much. We also met with at least 16 different organizations in an official capacity and another 5 at least in an unofficial one – at this point, I don’t think we could have been more successful here.
Our time is really winding down too. It’s already Thursday evening, and we fly out Monday morning; it’s been such a great experience. I’m really glad that I was able to go to a developing country before I leave for the Peace Corps to live in one. I know it won’t be the same, but there will definitely be some parallels, especially the people staring at you all the time and watching everything you do. I swear, every time I’ve put on my sunscreen/bug spray, the Timorese people have laughed at me.
It’s also just been eye opening seeing how little people have. One town we went to in Baucau, called Hau-Robu, was described to us by the head of the Australian Red Cross here as ‘a lunar landscape,’ and I couldn’t have said it better myself. There are volcanic rocks everywhere, and really no place to farm. Plus it is incredibly dry, even with the Red Cross project the people said that they only have water for about half of the week. Entire households make only a couple hundred dollars a year, and a household is usually around 10 people. They said that they had never actually seen anyone from the government in the village before – really anyone from any organization before the Red Cross got there. Everyone chews the beatle nut, a mild stimulant, so their mouths are always red, and most people have rotten teeth.
On our way back we stopped at a place called Ilimano and went on a hike through the jungle to see how the water system works. It was absolutely beautiful, and my first time eating papaya straight from the tree. Back in the village we watched a boat being made and a bunch of kids play soccer while we interviewed some households.
Tomorrow PVA is actually going to give us a day off, the first we’ve had since June 3rd. Grant is going to go diving; I’m going with him, but since I’m not certified I’ll just be going snorkeling. I think we are going to the Tice Market after, try to pick up a few small things for a couple of people. I’m looking forward to it, but a part of me just wants to stay here and sleep, we’ve been working hard fairly non-stop and I’m exhausted. I’ll really be looking forward to when we get reimbursed for our money we’ve spent here – between my vaccinations and other money I should be getting more than a thousand dollars, plus our honorarium. Hopefully enough to see me through the next couple of months and a trip to NYC if I can swing it.
I can’t decide if this trip is making me more or less nervous from the Peace Corps. I’ve gotten some great advice from Bear Cub, and I think I’ve got a lot better idea what it will be like, but definitely a more realistic idea too. I know I’ve got to start getting my butt moving on learning this French as soon as I get home. Alexis, the EU Election Observer we met in Aileu, said that Cameroon is actually starting to speak a lot more English, but I really want to walk out being fluent in French, so I’ll make sure I tell the placement specialist that I want to be in a French-speaking area.
Well it’s only about 8 pm here, but I am pretty much ready for bed. I want to make sure I can take advantage of my one day off here, because we will be working all day Friday and Saturday.
A ceremonial house and tree in Tohumeta with some kids underneath.
One of the more terrifying bridges we went across. That's right, there are holes out of each side and we barely had enough room for the car to get across. I don't think it's making it through another storm.
The Joaos, our Timorese counterpart Joao Bano Suni and driver Joao. We definitely wouldn't have gotten a quarter of the work done that we did without Bano.
A 'bridge' we had to cross to get to the top of the water system
Firewood for sale
Making a boat
The cost of independence. By the way, that's not an arrowhead but a general outline of the country. Each of the skulls has the name of a different martyr from the area.
Bear Cub and I got cozy on this trip. We now know each other a little too well.
Fresh papaya?
Great pictures. I am so glad you have a safer driver, and that the roads were not so dangerous. Hope you were able to download the files I reformatted for you. Enjoy your day off!
ReplyDelete