So I'm finally here in Dili! Monday was a looooong day starting 5am and finishing somewhere around 10pm Dili time (I think midnight in Melbourne). It was great to see the other AYADs on the plane, and to have the chance to catch up with my cousin Amy who took me out on the town in Darwin. It was a nice distraction during the 4 hour lay over to Dili.
Monday was a funny day...it was a real mix of emotions - sad to say good-bye to my lovely parents who had come to Melbourne to see me off, impatience to get going and surprise that the day had actually arrived. At no time did it not feel right though. I have no idea what lies ahead, but I am so glad to be here.
We (the 11 AYADs - Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development) flew into Dili at around 4.30 and were met at the airport. We threw our gear in the back of a truck, jumped in a mikrolet (like a tarago) and headed into town to our Hotel...Dili is pretty much like I remember it from my brief time here: busy, dusty, lots of movement and colour, cars and motorbikes everywhere, roosters, goats, cows, well manicured memorials and parks dotted along the esplanade and lots and lots of people.
We dumped our stuff and were taken straight out to dinner at a restaurant on the beach (I mean literally on the beach) to meet AYADs who have been in Dili for anywhere between 3 and 9 months. It was nice to meet them, and mostly be reassured and encouraged by them, although it was a little overhwhelming to suddenly be surrounded by so many people.
Incredibly I slept like a log on Monday night - and even used a blanket! Yesterday we started out Tetum lessons at Dili Institute of Technology. We will have lessons every morning this week and next - so hopefully I will be able to speak little when I head out to Maliana in a few weeks time.
While the lessons have taken up most of our days, the rest of the time has been spent trying to wrap my brain around the fact that this will be my home for the next 12 months or so. I am slowly getting used to the idea, and am looking forward to being able to understand some Tetum so that I can understand more of what is going on around me.
Monday was a funny day...it was a real mix of emotions - sad to say good-bye to my lovely parents who had come to Melbourne to see me off, impatience to get going and surprise that the day had actually arrived. At no time did it not feel right though. I have no idea what lies ahead, but I am so glad to be here.
We (the 11 AYADs - Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development) flew into Dili at around 4.30 and were met at the airport. We threw our gear in the back of a truck, jumped in a mikrolet (like a tarago) and headed into town to our Hotel...Dili is pretty much like I remember it from my brief time here: busy, dusty, lots of movement and colour, cars and motorbikes everywhere, roosters, goats, cows, well manicured memorials and parks dotted along the esplanade and lots and lots of people.
We dumped our stuff and were taken straight out to dinner at a restaurant on the beach (I mean literally on the beach) to meet AYADs who have been in Dili for anywhere between 3 and 9 months. It was nice to meet them, and mostly be reassured and encouraged by them, although it was a little overhwhelming to suddenly be surrounded by so many people.
Incredibly I slept like a log on Monday night - and even used a blanket! Yesterday we started out Tetum lessons at Dili Institute of Technology. We will have lessons every morning this week and next - so hopefully I will be able to speak little when I head out to Maliana in a few weeks time.
While the lessons have taken up most of our days, the rest of the time has been spent trying to wrap my brain around the fact that this will be my home for the next 12 months or so. I am slowly getting used to the idea, and am looking forward to being able to understand some Tetum so that I can understand more of what is going on around me.
The weather is of course hot, and it is coming into the rainy season so the build up is beginning. Hopefully as I am in Maliana it will be a little less humid and disgusting and a little cooler. I really have no idea, and everyone tells me something different about Maliana! "It's hot there", "it's cold there", "it rains a lot there", "it's beautiful there" and my personal favorite..."Maliana at its best, is boring". Nice - sounds like a fun place to be! I am trying to take everything that is said with a grain of salt and not have too many expectations. I want to take it as it comes, (some might say PIBE it).
I am heading out now to meet one of my work contacts. It will be good to see her and hopefully get a few questions answered, and find out a little more of what I will be doing for the coming year.
I am heading out now to meet one of my work contacts. It will be good to see her and hopefully get a few questions answered, and find out a little more of what I will be doing for the coming year.
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