The first sms I received on my phone the next day was a reminder from my mom, 'find a church there and attend mass, it's your first day in Timor'. Even without the reminder, I already made a plan to go to church. My boss picked me from the hotel and we went together for prayers.
The 'English mass' was at 10:30, and I only realized now, I did not even bother to find out the name of the church. Anyways, the church was a mix of foreigners including police from the UNMIT which I found a bit surprising because they even received communion. Like any other countries, there were so many Filipinos in the church, although it was a bit tricky to know because of the same features, colors and built of Timorese and Filipinos.
After church, we went to the 'pinoy carenderia' where 'dinuguan' was available but the container was almost empty when we arrived, so I was not able to have a serving. Nonetheless, the 'nilagang baboy' and 'halo-halo' were already a treat for me. I learned that this carenderia which is open from 11Am to 2PM was a converging place for Filipinos who wanted to eat pinoy foods after church.
In the afternoon, Fi (a colleague way back Bangladesh-time) picked me from the hotel and we went to a Vietnamese restaurant by the sea and introduced me to her circle of friends. I am really grateful to Fi for helping me settle in and introducing me to her friends. One of them is a Filipino, the other one is from Peru while the rest I still have to meet. All of them are in different sectors of development work which makes it all the more interesting. From the vietnamese restaurant, we went to the 5-star hotel in Dili for cake and coffee.
We checked 2 houses which are potential for renting, and finished the day in a Chinese restaurant for dinner.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
First Glimpse of Timor Leste...
After a relaxing transit evening in Bali, I started the last leg of my journey to Timor Leste at 8 o’clock in the morning. Looking forward to setting foot in Dili, the excitement faded off when the flight that was originally scheduled at 10:15 was able to leave two hours later. Through informal chats with other passengers, this situation was not a surprising one, it’s normal according to them and this is even better than 3-5 hours delay which occasionally happen.
After the long wait, Merpati finally took off. Being in Singapore Airlines for the first two leg of my journey, I would like to justify my complain, Merpati aircraft was below the standards i.e. my seat fall back the moment the aircraft was 45 degrees up, in-flight magazine dated April 2011, although it is still a bit better than other cheap airlines.
The flight took 1 hour and 40 minutes which was the first time I ever felt nervous of all the flights I had as it descent seemed to be only few meters away from the ocean. The ‘international airport’ was along the coastline which made me figure out why the ocean was only few feet away as it prepares for landing. Compared to other international airports, Nicolao Lobato International Airport was very basic; you won’t see any tube but the typical stairs where you have to walk through the runaway in order to reach the arrival area. The baggage conveyor was probably just 10 meters long and limited trolley. I got visa upon arrival without any question from the officer however, the immigration officer asked about the purpose of my trip which I said a visit to a friend and when I answered 30 days when asked how long, he said, it’s a long visit nonetheless he stamped it with the number of days I specified.
All passengers were crowding around the conveyor, while I struggled to find a trolley but eventually resorted to waiting for free ones which were retrieved outside. I patiently waited for my huge suitcase and started to felt nervous when I couldn’t find it only to discover after a few minutes that porters have put aside in one corner the suitcases which were already in the conveyor but not picked yet. As I queued at customs in the line ‘nothing to declare’, the officer requested me to move to the opposite line. I asked the officer what I should do next, then another guy asked me to open my bag. Good enough, the first bag I started to open was my hand-carried suitcase with my UNDP business card as the bag tag. When the officer saw the bag tag, he told me, so you work with the UN which I did not hesitate to say yes knowing that it would make a lot of difference which really did as the immigration officer told me, no need to open, you can go. Now, I would really be missing the perks of being with the UN system.
The smiling ChildFund Logisitcs Officer and my boss who is a Filipina were there after a long wait. I was relieved to have finally arrived in Timor! One striking observation was the several UN cars moving on the road, and a helicopter at the airport.
Dili reminds me of Chipata, so many unpaved roads, box-type buildings although there were also new structures which were mostly government offices. Litters are a common sight, stray pigs (which made me worried as this sight might affect my appetite for pigs), small shops, and other basic infrastructures. However, this is of minor concern to me as I have no problem with laid-back and slow-paced city. The first question I uttered, what would my life be in Timor for 2 years?
From the airport, I checked in at Hotel Audias which I have no idea in terms of its ‘star-rating’ but it is fine although I am hoping that I would get a house soon.
New Post with ChildFund Timor Leste
After 13 months of my ‘stint’ in Viet Nam, I decided to take on another challenge. Working with children was my first job after university. Now, the same road leads me back to where I started. Spending quite some time pondering upon the job offer, I finally accepted a job offer in Timor Leste and this is the plot of another chapter of this road less traveled. My new employer is ChildFund Timor Leste.
ChildFund International is inspired and driven by the potential that is inherent in all children; the potential not only to survive but to thrive, to become leaders who bring positive change for those around them.
The heart of ChildFund International remains the one-to-one connection made through child sponsorship. Our work began in 1938 with an effort to build orphanages for the children who had been left without homes or families in the wake of the second Sino-Japanese War.
These orphanages were funded by individuals in America who "sponsored" an orphaned child in China. This approach continues today.
What began as a modest effort to build and operate orphanages, has evolved into a global force working for children encompassing the globe. Our area of excellence and great strength is our deep understanding of children's experiences of deprivation, exclusion and vulnerability, and our dedication to placing those experiences at the center of our policy and practice.
We work in 31 countries, assisting approximately 15.2 million children and their family members, regardless of race, creed or gender. Our distinctive approach focuses on working with children throughout their journey from birth to young adulthood, as well as with families, local organizations and communities globally to create the environments children need to thrive. --- http://www.childfund.org/about_us/
Another Road Less Traveled --- TIMOR LESTE
According to wikipedia, TIMOR LESTE is....
i /ˌiːst ˈtiːmɔr/) (Tetum: Timór Loro-sa'e), is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor. The small country of 15,410 km²[5] (5,400 sq mi) is located about 640 km (400 mi) northwest of Darwin, Australia. East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timor until Portugal's decolonization of the country. In late 1975, East Timor declared its independence, but later that year was invaded and occupied by Indonesia and was declared Indonesia's 27th province the following year. In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002. East Timor is one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia, the other being the Philippines.
East Timor is a lower-middle-income economy.[6] It continues to suffer the aftereffects of a decades-long independence struggle against Indonesia, which damaged infrastructure and displaced thousands of civilians. It is placed 120th by Human Development Index (HDI).
For more information, check out the official website of Timor Leste:
Goodbye Viet Nam
Thirteen months after setting foot in the lands of Viet Nam through Ha Noi, I was at the airport on my way back to the Philippines before I take on a new assignment. My stay in Viet Nam was an interesting one I would say, interesting both in the positive and negative sense of the word.
I was impressed by the intact culture of Viet Nam slowly being infused with the modernization of the world around. It is full of history and the very impressive one was the battle with the Americans which they have won and this pride is still evident in every Vietnamese which is understandable because it really made a mark in the history of the world. However, the pain of the war is still fresh which makes it difficult for some to move on.
This is the 3rd country I have lived, as in a home to me for a significant period of time. It was here that I had so much difficulty as regards to adjusting. Moving from a country with smiling and warm people, the adjustment made it very challenging for me. I would describe it as a survival of the fittest. I wouldn't regard language as a barrier because I have lived in a country where communication was also a real challenge; however, what made it difficult to interact with people in Ha Noi was difficult to describe.
Working was interesting because of the unique political system. I don't want to elaborate on this, knowing how Viet Nam protects so much its political affairs. Coming from Philippines where freedom abounds and sometimes subjected to abuse, being in the midst of this form of government was another challenge.
In general, I have learned a lot of things during my short stay in Viet Nam, I knew in my heart that I would visit it again one day, this time I hope to explore other parts of Viet Nam given the limitation of my holidays when I was working.
Definitely, Viet Nam would occupy a big chapter in the history of my life. Tam biet....
I was impressed by the intact culture of Viet Nam slowly being infused with the modernization of the world around. It is full of history and the very impressive one was the battle with the Americans which they have won and this pride is still evident in every Vietnamese which is understandable because it really made a mark in the history of the world. However, the pain of the war is still fresh which makes it difficult for some to move on.
This is the 3rd country I have lived, as in a home to me for a significant period of time. It was here that I had so much difficulty as regards to adjusting. Moving from a country with smiling and warm people, the adjustment made it very challenging for me. I would describe it as a survival of the fittest. I wouldn't regard language as a barrier because I have lived in a country where communication was also a real challenge; however, what made it difficult to interact with people in Ha Noi was difficult to describe.
Working was interesting because of the unique political system. I don't want to elaborate on this, knowing how Viet Nam protects so much its political affairs. Coming from Philippines where freedom abounds and sometimes subjected to abuse, being in the midst of this form of government was another challenge.
In general, I have learned a lot of things during my short stay in Viet Nam, I knew in my heart that I would visit it again one day, this time I hope to explore other parts of Viet Nam given the limitation of my holidays when I was working.
Definitely, Viet Nam would occupy a big chapter in the history of my life. Tam biet....
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