Coconut tree

Once day my friend Mana Jeni and I went for a ride out to see her family's natar (rice field). We had a nice morning, just hanging out, meeting a few random people and some of here family who were working cutting the rice ready to harvest.

It was getting pretty hot by the time we returned to Maliana, about 11am, and she invited me into sit in the shade on the small grassy patch in their yard. We were sitting there chatting when her father, who is probably about 60 (which is really old for East Timorese), decided that I needed a coconut. So, he sent his brother up the tree to pick it for me.

As I sat with Jeni I watched this old man scale a coconut tree in a matter of seconds, pick two coconuts and throw them to the ground for her and I to have. Next thing, he was back on the ground and had decided one of them was not good...so back up he went to find another one.

Jeni's dad who was ready with his machete, hacked it open for us and sat back to watch us enjoy it.

It was such a lovely moment. Sitting on a rare patch of soft grass in the shade, with my friend drinking from a freshly picked young coconut under the watchful eye of her father.

Where did that year go?

First of all I need to apologise and try to justify my total slackness over the last month! Once again my dear friend Timor Telecom had a slight issue with the internet which meant limited access for 3 weeks, and my poor little Maccie laptop finally succumbed to the heat and humidity by having a nervous breakdown, and as a result I have been treating her gently and only using her occasionally.

I do have lots more photo's and a few more thoughts to put up here, so I will continue this blog for a while longer yet. Right now I am sitting in Ende on Flores Island in Indonesia. My time in Timor Leste is basically up, and as you might expect this has been cause for much thinking and reflecting about Timor Leste, my time there and it's impact on me. I am happy to be here, and to have a break before I head back to Australia, to take some time to think about the year, the people I've met, the stories they've shared, the places I've been and the things I have tried to learn and understand.

It's nice to be in-between - no job, no home, no pressing requirements, no timelines to stick to...no responsibilities. I've had a great year, a challenging year, a fun and exciting and happy year, lots of ups and downs, and hearing and seeing how East Timorese live, but I'm ready for a break. No doubt I'll update again soon. I'll put up some more photo's when I get back to my computer but in the meant time, over the next week or so I might tell you some stories.

...but right now, I'm going to drink a mango juice and go for a swim.

Friday morning Exercise in our hot green trackies

A storm approaches Maliana from Indonesia

We're, you know, working...

My first big rain after arrival. (AKA: When I got stuck in the rain on my moto.)

Second hand clothes shipped in from Australia and China for sale in the Timor Leste markets

Udan boot mai - big rain on its way

Friday morning cleaning in the front of Centro de Emprego in Maliana

The big Cheeses at Christo Rei

Maliana market day

On the nakroma ferry to Atauro Island

Classic Example

Well, it’s 3.45 on a Friday afternoon and I find myself at home eating Oreo’s. Why? I’m glad you asked.

Being Friday, this morning was Limpeza (cleaning) in the office. I decided not to go to work as I’ve been out of action for most of the week with a bad back and thought that weeding the ground, picking up cigarette butts or whatever else constitutes cleaning might not be the best idea for me.

I texted my counterpart (the preferred method of communication) to say that I wasn’t going in this morning, but that I’d be in this afternoon and I was looking forward to speaking with him. Why was I looking forward to speaking with him? Well, on Monday morning he is heading to Darwin on a study tour about Career Guidance in Australia (which is great), but unfortunately I’m not able to go with him. I wanted to speak with him before he goes, and last Monday morning he received a phone call saying that he had to go to Dili "immediately", so I haven't seen him all week.

So, this afternoon I get to work and notice that Leandro’s motorbike is not there. Hmmmm. Not a great sign.

“Where is Leandro?”
“I don’t know.”

“Do you know where Leandro is?”
“No. He was here this morning but hasn’t come back after lunch.”

Hmmmmmmmmm.

So, I pick up my phone…
“Hi Leanrdro, where are you?”
“Oh, Mana Susan, I’m in Dili.”
“You mean that big city 3 and a half hours away that you just returned from yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I got a phone call to say that I needed to come urgently.”
“And you didn’t think to text me and tell me?
“No.”

Ok, so there goes basically my entire plan for the afternoon. Not to worry – it’s not the first time, nor will it be the last time that happens.

So, back to the drawing board.

“Guys, where is Silvino?” (The only other person in the office that I work with since two of the other staff got moved into different positions.)
“Well, you see, this morning the police had a motorbike check point…”

Pause. (For them to just look at me as if this is enough explanation…which to be honest it was. I had an idea anyway, however, I raised my eyebrows and indicated I didn’t understand, just to make sure.)

“…and they seized his motorbike so he’s at the police station sorting it out.”

Oh, help me God.

(and, this was after one of the admin staff greeted me with, “Mana, you didn’t come to work this morning. Me either – my sister got married this morning so I went to the Church.”)

After a minute of silent swearing, some anger at the idea that it’s ok to go to weddings and get your motorbike back from the police on a work day, and some quick mocking of the so called organisation of my department…I shook my head, took a deep breath and smiled (well, I smiled in my mind – it may not have reached my lips).

And that, my friends is a classic example of a day at work for me.

Of course Leandro was going to Dili – his boss had told him to go. One of the multitude of things that East Timorese people do well is respond to the demands of their superiors. Wouldn’t you, if you and your ancestors had been taking orders from other people since the early 1600’s? And it’s likely that Leandro’s boss's boss told him to get Leandro to Dili. And he wasn’t going to say no to his boss, so why would Leandro?! (And neither would I, let’s be honest.)

And why, when you motorbike has been seized by the police would you not try to get it back? Financially, it is the most valuable thing that Silvino owns and is likely to own for a long time. Apart from that, it’s his only means of transport and a means of transport for his immediate and extended family to go to market, school, visit family in the mountains and lots of other things. Besides, it’s his independence. I would try to get my car back as soon as possible too!

And, of course, when family is the most important thing in Timorese culture of course you would skive off work to go to a wedding. And weddings don’t work the same way here – they’re not the big pre-planned events that we have. They happen at short notice (like pretty much everything here), and you need to be able to just go. I’d have gone if I were her.

Timor Lesson: It’s not your country, it’s not your culture.
You can get cranky and grumpy about things not going to plan (even after you’ve spent days talking about it and think it’s a sure bet), but the only person who’s going to be upset is you. So take a deep breath and move on. It’s really not that big a deal. It’s just the way it is.

Tunu Bibi

Continuing on the theme of goats there is a village just outside Maliana that is called Tunu Bibi. I asked Leandro why it was called that, “well, Mana, it is called that because a long time ago there were a lot of goats there and that is all the people ate – tunu bibi – barbequed goat.”

Love it.

It’s simple, has historical context and it is about food.

And it’s about goats, and lets face it – goats are cool.

Bibi bibi everywhere!

Bibi (goats) are every where!

They are so much a part of my everyday life - when I look out my window, when we drive to Dili, when I ride to work in the morning, when I ride back home at lunch time, when I ride back to work after lunch, when I ride home at night, when I go to the market, when I go for a run in the morning, when I'm sitting on the balcony reading, when I'm sitting in my office working, when I'm just hanging out with my mates, when I'm crossing the road, when I'm going to the airfield for the helicopter, when I'm sitting in a restautrant...just all the time, they're there!

The kids are so cute - I love them!

But just like the pigs, once they're beyond their childhood and turn into adults they get a little less likeable.

But, all in all, they're interesting animals and they're always around!

...and in Tetun the word for goat is Bibi. Say it - it's fun.

A little hard to see, but these bibi are making a dash across a main road of Dili

The goat is on the left.

From my balcony, they love this spot and there are often bibi just hanging around.

This one is from the back of a motorbike on one of the district roads, I don't know what it is about this photo, but I love it. Maybe because this is what they look like when you're driving past them after they've scattered from the middle of the road!

Words words liafuan

Haveyoueverfeltlikeyouhavesomanywordstumblingaroundinyourheadand

you’renotquitesurewhattodowiththem? SometimesIhave English words

sometimesIhave Tetun words andsometimestheyareallintheretogetherlikebananamangopineappleand

guavainamixedjuice. WhenItrytomovefromEnglisttoTetunorviceversamy

braindoesn’tlikethat,mywordsgetalmixedupandIendupspeakingastrange

mixtureofEnglishandTetunweliketocallTenglish. OthertimesIwanttosay

thingsandmybrainwon’t

work so
it
takes


a long

time
to form a sentence.

And I feel like an idiot because I can’t speak in either English or Tetun properly!

Beep beep

At home it takes a lot for me to beep my horn, but here in East Timor, it's a little different. Honking your horn is part of everyday life, in fact its a big part of everyday life. On my 5 minute ride to work I beep my horn at least a couple of times - it is strange if I don't get at least one in during the morning. It's taken me a while to work out what the beep can mean, but really, the list of meaning is endless...here are just a few that I've figured out...

• Hey there, how are you?
• Hi!
• Just letting you know I’m here
• You’ve got white skin and I think that’s weird
• Just wanted you to know that I can see you
• Goats, seriously, I would move if I were you, otherwise you’ll be road kill bibi
• I’m going to overtake you
• You might think I’m going to move over but I’m just going to continue hogging the road until you are forced to drive into the scrub…ha ha ha, I made you drive into the scrub
• Just felt like honking my horn
• Look out dog, I’m coming through whether you move or not
• Thanks for letting me overtake you
• You beeped, so now I'm beeping. Nice teamwork!
• Nice day, isn’t it? I hope you have a good one!
• Look out I’m coming around the blind corner
• See you next time
• Get out of my way you bloody idiot
• Oops, I accidentally hit my horn but nice to see you anyway
• Yay for life!
• I’m not quite sure why I’m doing this, it just seems to be the right thing to do. Isn’t it fun?

No more rain

So, the wet season has finished, finally. Almost every afternoon since December there were massive storms. Sometimes, the rain was so loud on the roof we couldn't hear each other speak. The land was so lush and green, the air turned cool just before the rain came, and the kids would play in the rain.

The end of the rain means the land has already started to go brown and dry up. What little grass there was is dying, all the rice has been harvested and smell of smoke is in the air as the farmers burn their waste. People are preparing their yards to plant gardens, the dust is beginning to return and the winds have picked up to gale force speed everyday.

I miss the sound of the rain on the roof, the kids playing in the rain and the insistent remark that "udan boot mai", a big rain is coming. But, the weather is cooler and I find myself cold throughout the night. The roads can be fixed in time to be damaged again next wet season, and clearly, riding a motorbike is easier when you don't have to carry an umbrella.

Baa Dili ho avion

Sometimes, instead of the gruelling three and a half hour drive avoiding goats, cows, buffalo, dogs, goats, pigs, chickens, motorbikes, gangs of goats, (occasionally) monkeys, motorbikes, potholes the size of small towns, crazy UN drivers, goats, people sitting on the side of the roads, cliffs that beg you to fall over the edge, school kids, toddlers playing on the road, buses laden down with a ridiculous amount goods, the occasional witches hat or drum full of rocks, convoys of cars that drive down the centre of narrow roads transporting important people at high speed, other cars and goats I am lucky enough to jump on the 20 minute scenic flight that is the UN chopper.

It's not every day you get a free ride on a helicopter!

This is the helicopter….it’s hard to tell in the photo, but this thing is HUGE! It lands just outside of town, not far from my work. When I first arrived I would go out and watch it every day, but now I’m so used to it that sometimes I don't even hear it. Didn't think I would ever get used to a massive UN helicopter land 200m away from everyday.

Sometimes it feels like the chopper came just for me. They are big old rattly things...but i don't think it's going to all apart. At least, I hope it doesn't.

This is the Nunaro Plain, which Maliana is located on the edge of. Bobonaro (the name of the District) is one of the biggest rice growing regions in Timor, as you can probably see! This was taken in the middle of the wet so there are lots of “natar” – rice paddies.

Just on the right of the photo you can see part of the UN Compound (the blue roof). The building with the red roof is right next to my office.

Natar and mountains in the distance mostly surround us. It is beautiful. A quick walk outside is a good way to calm down when things get a bit much!

I went for a ride with a friend of mine down this road one day to visit her family’s rice paddy. It just goes on and on and there are heaps of people walking and riding between their homes and their natar. If your family owns a rice field and you don’t have a paying job you have to work the fields. The vast majority of people here (90% of rural poor) rely on agriculture to survive. Depending on the season sometimes they have some spare to sell and make money, but mostly they eat it. If there is not enough rain, too much rain or any other crop damage there are serious food security issues. For families in the Bobonaro district this season is not looking good. Many crops have failed due to the too much rain.

You can just see the meeting of two huge rivers. During the wet these river beds usually have some water running through them (which you can see on the left), but are not normally full, unless there has been a series of days with big rains...and if that's the case there are most likely several families who have lost homes because of flooding.

Mountains mountains mountains. They are spectacular and never ending. I am blown away anytime I head into the mountains with how beautiful it is here.

The north coast of East Timor flying into Dili.

Yes, I really am that lucky.

Hau nia kolega sira mai visita hau!

My friends have come to visit me!

At the beginning of April (a long time ago now!) I was lucky enough to receive two lovely visitors in the form of Alissa and Steve (who came bearing Hot Cross Buns all the way from Melbourne). Al and Steve are very good friends of mine from Melbourne. We met several years ago when Steve and I worked together and he became insanely jealous of my poster making abilities.

Al and Steve had arrived for an 8 day tour of East Timor, and of course, to hang out with me!! I was so excited in the lead up to their arrival – I could barely concentrate on work and kept annoying all of my friends with stories about Alissa and Steve and how wonderful they are. We had a whirlwind tour of East Timor traversing the East-West extremities of the country and heading into the centre of the country to visit Maubisse.

It was so fantastic to have them here, and rather than bore you with words, please enjoy some photo's from our trip!

It was nice to be reminded of how fantastic my family and friends are and how important they are to me. I had a great time. Much laughing, some great chats, several beers, a beautiful bottle of wine from home, and lots and lots of fresh and delicious fish!

Fresh fish! Delish! We bought these beautiful fish off some of the local fishermen whose livelihood is dependent on the tourists that come to this far flung corner of East Timor (Jaco).

I don't have any photo's of Jaco...but it is spectacular! (Sorry, I'll do better next time!)

Our hotel room. Incredibly cheap, amazing views, and a free wake up call.

Just a few minutes after this a boat came by with that mornings' catch...so we bought some more fish for lunch!

The road from Jaco up to Tutuala. This stretch is pretty good...some of them are terrible.

The road from Baucau to Dili...beautiful, isn't it?

The town of Maubisse

Steve shopping in the Maliana market!

Steve and Alissa on the Risky Balcony enjoying a beverage.

Thanks for coming guys.

Kapaas loos

Every week my counterpart Leandro and I try to have a meeting to talk about work issues. Because there is no privacy at our office we go to my place and sit on my balcony, drink a cup of coffee and talk about things we couldn't talk about in the office.

I commented to Leandro one day that I love the view from this balcony. It's wonderful to see the mountains, or to watch big rains come in - sometimes you can be forgiven for thinking there are no mountains there they are completely obscured by the clouds. Almost every day the sunset is reflected spectacularly on the mountain, and the light is amazing. I love that it's a corn field and that I have watched it grow from when it was planted, and how people use it as a thoroughfare. Sometimes I just sit there and watch people come and go. I told him it is "kapaas loos", very beautiful.

He agreed, "Sin, Mana, kapaas loos."

A few days later we were standing around at work and he said to me, "Mana Susan you know that corn field opposite your home that you like to look at everyday?"
"Yes, Maun, I know it."
"In 1999 my best friend and a group of others were shot there."

A little history lesson

I realised the other day when I was thinking about Timor that I am still learning so much about its history, and not just it’s recent history. I thought you might also be interested in learning a little bit about East Timor and what has been happening here for the last few hundred years…

In the 1500 and 1600’s the Dutch and the Portuguese were taking a look around this little patch of the world and both wanted a piece of the island of Timor. After some scuffles the island was divided up by treaty in 1860. The Portuguese got the East and the Dutch got most of the west, all except for a little enclave on the coast of the western part of the island, Oe-Cusse. The Portuguese held on to that. Apparently it had good Cod restaurants and the Portuguese weren’t willing to give those up. No, Oe-cusse was the first Portuguese settlement on the island and they wanted to hold onto it.

During World War II Australian and Japanese soldiers fought in East Timor. Around 50,000 Timorese died as a result of a Japanese occupation from 1942 - 1945, which was a staggering 13% of the population (or thereabouts). My friend Kirra tells me that she met people in the mountains near Baucau that tell stories of the Australian Soldiers, this is I guess the beginning of a great affinity between the Timorese people and the Australian people. Near Venilale in the mountains in the East there are caves that the Timorese were forced to build for the Japanese to store ammunition.

In 1949 the Dutch withdrew from its colonies in the region and Indonesia was born! East Timor remained a Portuguese Colony until 1975, when a change of Portuguese government meant a change of policy, and so, after around 450 years of colonisation East Timor was left to defend for itself. An independence movement had begun with East Timor (Fretliin) and an independent East Timor was established on the 28^th November 1975. Portugal, Indonesia and Australia did not accept the Declaration of Independence…

Nine days (yes, 9 days) later East Timor was invaded by sea and air in a brutal and bloody operation by the Indonesians (using equipment supplied by the US). This invasion was sanctioned by many countries, including the USA and the occupation lasted until 1999. During this times many Timorese died, estimates are in the vicinity of 180,000 people dying from massacres, torture and starvation. (Considering the current population of East Timor is hovering around the 1 million mark, and this in the middle of a population boom, this number is astounding.)

East Timor was officially annexed into Indonesia in July 1976, although the UN never accepted this annexation.

While the Resistance Movement for freedom continued in East Timor with support in may other countries, the world continued on its merry way not thinking too much about what was happening on half of a little island 800kms north of Australia… until November 12 1991 when footage from the Santa Cruz Massacre was smuggled out of the country and shown to the world. The Massacre occurred at the Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili at a memorial of a young man who had been killed by the Indonesian troops several weeks before. 270 East Timorese were killed.

This event was a turning point in many ways, as it captured the attention of the world.

In 1996 Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Belo received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in seeking independence for East Timor, and with the departure of President Sueharto from Indonesian politics in 1998 the Independence movement gathered momentum, resulting in the UN run referendum in August 1999. The year or so leading up to this referendum was marred with incredible violence and horrific fighting and murders. However, at the end of August 1999 98% of the 451,000 registered voters turned up to vote in the face of significant intimidation and threats of violence from the militia. 78% of the voters sought to sever ties with Indonesia and be an independent nation. The result was a outbreak of violence by the militia, to which the UN sent peacekeepers to try and restore order.

In the weeks and months leading up to and following the referendum thousands of Timorese were killed across East Timor. There were several massacres and many smaller attacks. Approximately 200,000 Timorese people fled to the mountains or crossed the border into Indonesia as they were understandably scared for their life.

Indonesian troops withdrew from East Timor from East to West destroying almost everything they could in the process - the scorched earth policy. I see the ruins of buildings everyday, and often my friends will tell me stories about different places around Maliana.

20^th May 2002 is the official date for nationhood of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, (or Timor Leste or Timor Lora’sae). Timor Leste has since faced a myriad of challenges…which need several entries on themselves!

Yuck

There are a couple of things that happen regularly in Timor Leste that I have slowly gotten used to...

The nose picking is definitely off putting, but I guess I can understand it. I just don't understand why it needs to be public. Yuck

The cutting of nails in any public place is a bit gross. I thought it was bad enough when a housemate cut their nails in the living room, but cutting them in the office is something else entirely. Yucko.

But, the one that takes the cake for me was when one of the guys and I went to a meeting with a local senior official. We were discussing a new employment project that we are working on. All was going well when said senior official reached into his pocket and pulled out a cotton bud (a q-tip for my Canadian friends).

Well, that’s a little werid.

There aren’t too many things you can do with a cotton bud, and surely none of them are appropriate in a meeti…oh, how wrong I was.

Within 10 seconds I had completely lost track of the conversation. As I struggled to remain focused on the meeting and suppress a giggle, he proceeded to clean out his ears…and inspect it.

Yuck. Double yuck. Yucko.

Nia koalia Tetun

The other day my work mate and I went to a meeting. When we walked in they all started speaking in Tetun, then when one of the guys noticed me and started speaking in English...at which point my work mate said "la problema, nia koalia Tetun."
"No problem, she speaks Tetun."

That was a very nice moment.

Dili - Maliana B.M.

On my way back to Maliana after my Dili Christmas/New Years break the bus was the only option, and so my friend Su-Lin and myself caught a lift out to Tasi Tolu to catch the bus last Monday morning at 6.30. There are many stories about buses in Timor Leste, and most Malae won’t/ don’t/ aren’t allowed to catch the bus due to the condition of the buses and the condition of the roads. But, I think it’s all part of the fun...right?

So, Su-lin and I sought out a Dili-Maliana B.M. bus (B.M. means Baa & Mai, or going and coming). It was certainly an eventful day, and there are several things I will remember next time I need to catch a bus…
• When catching a bus just turn up and hope that the bus fills up sooner rather than later so that you can leave.
• Set aside an entire day for the 153km trip.
• Don’t put your pack on the top of the bus in a tropical country during wet season.
• Your bum will get numb. It’s unavoidable.
• Two malae (foreigners) sitting in a seat made for Timorese is perhaps a little squishy.
• Don’t forget to take your travel sickness tablets before leaving. They work wonders.
• Don’t step on the chickens.
• Don’t step on the chicken pooh.
• If you only have to stop for an hour when the bus breaks down it’s a good day.
• The bus WILL break down.
• Yes, the bus leaks.
• Be prepared to spend some quality time with sacks of rice, boxes and bags of various shapes and sizes…and smells.
• There is a reason there are no safety signs limiting the number of people allowed on the bus.
• …and limiting the number of people allowed to hang out the door.
• …and limiting the number of people allowed to sit on the roof.
• Don’t forget to look out the window – it’s really pretty out there!
• Smoking is allowed and it’s best to sit in front of someone who likes to exhale directly at your head, or better still – right in your face if you happen to turn around at the right time.
• Don’t freak out too much when your bus turns away from your destination towards the Indonesian border. Chances are it will get back on track soon.
• You will feel uncomfortable when random Paksitani soldiers ask to take a photo with you when stopped at the border while your bus is being repaired. Don’t try to understand it, just say yes and smile.
• Don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll be home in 10 minutes when you pass the town limits. The bus driver will probably need to pop by the office to do a little business on the way. Just be patient.
• Buses in Timor Leste drop you off at home. That’s nice.
• When you are within 40 metres of your home and can see your bedroom the bus may reverse back down the road AWAY from your home to drop off someone who lives up the next street first.

Christmas in Timor-Leste

Hello everyone!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am so sorry for being such a slacker and not updating this for a while.

I have a lot to tell you and lots of photo's to show you, but I thought that maybe for now I would stick to Christmas! There are some lovely traditions here in East Timor that I wanted to share with you, and of course I wanted to show you what I got up to on Christmas day!

As for New Years...well, we might just leave those photo's for another time (and place).

As East Timor has a very high number of Catholics, Christmas is of course an important time of year. For me it felt a little odd. I almost kept forgetting that it was Christmas without the constant reminders that I really need to buy everyone I've ever met presents. While there were western influences here, mostly it was easy to forget what a big event Christmas is - especially in Maliana!

The first day that I was reminded it was Christmas was when my workmates had the radio on and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" came on. I started singing along and then realised I was singing completely different words...as it was being sung in Tetun. It was kind of strange, but nice to hear.

In their generosity, our central office in Dili sent us a Christmas tree with lovely accompanying ornaments and some very special lights that played music...my workmates loved them, except that the only time we could have the lights going was when we turned on the generator (as we have no power in our office). So, over the noise of the generator there was the very faint tinny sound of the Christmas tree lights playing music! It was very funny. Unfortunately I had a little malfunction with my camera so I am unable to show you any pictures of the Chritmas tree. But, it did make me smile everytime I saw it.

One afternoon we had a massive storm (which is common at the moment), with huge amounts of rain and wind and the poor little Christmas tree, which was sitting out on the front verandah of the building was blown over. Everyone rushed outside to rescue it. It really was a very valued part of the office, and there was a real sense of pride that we were able to have such a beautiful tree at our office.

Having the Chrismas tree out the front of the office was common throughout Maliana. If anyone had a tree at their house they would also put it on their verandah or at least in a place where other people could see it. It was kind of nice to see the trees around town, and certainly being able to afford a Chritmas tree indicates a degree of wealth...but I like to think that they just wanted to share their beautiful tree with their neighbours!

Aside from the Christmas trees around town there is also a nice tradition of people building mangers. It is actually a competition, but the work that goes into them is impressive. I have some photo's for you...

This nativity scene was put together by my friend Eugenia's family. There are around 5 houses on the street that are all the one family and so they worked together to make this one. It is probably my favorite one in Maliana. It's not in this photo, but they had a star suspended above it, as well as shells dug into the walk way (a special trip was made to the beach which is about an hour away to get the shells).

Just because I thought you might like a photo of me, this is Eugenia and I!


...and these are her nieces and nephews. Cute, huh?!

This one is on the main road in Maliana so I ride past it at least 4 times a day, which the guys building loved. I would occasionally stop and chat with them to check on the progress of it (which they also loved!) I really like Eugenia's but this one certainly gets points for innovation. These guys have not only pulled up grass from somewhere else to lay it inside the stable, but they've also painted the bamboo fence that they built...and the pole of the sign, as well as the fence and part of the drive way behind them which belongs to the electricity department.

But, as far as I am concerned, this is the best bit. While Eugenia and her family have a beautiful painted picture in theirs. these guys have got hold of a very small nativity set (kind of like one you or I might have) and set it up on the grass entwined with little Christmas lights. I love that they have spent a week building this enormous stable and then put tiny figurines inside it. Love it.

This is also one of my favorites. Again, it was built by a family who all live in one neighboruhood. These guys actually built stairs for their nativity scene.

The first day I saw people building these I had not idea what was going on, but all of a sudden there were heaps of them - I reckon one just about every 200 metres. They were built over the period of about a week, and were mostly finished on the 23rd of December. It was so nice to watch them be constructed, and such a nice idea that the families and friends combined their resources and creativity to build such pretty structures. Dili also has many of them around, but in my opinion (and I'm not at all biased) I think the quality in Maliana far exceeds that of Dili!

I decided to stay in Maliana until Christmas day and make the trip to Dili in the morning with some other Australians that live in Maliana. We decided to go to Christmas Eve mass together, as it was a nice thing to do, and very obviously a part of the Timorese Christmas tradition.

Driving up the hill to the church was amazing - there were so many people heading up there, we had difficulty getting through! There were so many people there, it was incredible. I think the mass lasted for just over two hours, with a few interesting moments - including the incense burners catching on fire (twice), the priest telling people that if they didn't come inside they weren't allowed to have communion, and the entire congregation scrambling to the altar to kiss a statue of baby Jesus (of which they had to have four as there were so many people). The singing was absolutely beautiful - the Timorese are very musical people. The photo above is not very clear, but that group of people in pink shirts is the choir. The church is a like a big open shed - it has no walls, which is kind of nice as it is so hot here!

Timor Leste is a place that just keeps on giving...this Christmas tree is actually a fountain near the Dili airport covered in green plastic. I love this. I can't explain how happy this made me - or why I think it is so funny. I just had to put this in for anyone who has seen the fountain (which is actually a series of replicas of woven baskets, each smaller than the one below). I thought those who know the fountain might appreciate it. You can't see it in the photo but there was reindeer the whole way around bottom of the tree. Nice.

So, I arrived in Dili at around 12.30 on Christmas day, and went to my friends' house for lunch...which we spent the afternoon preparing (all the while having a few drinks)...

...and finally eating at 5.30. It was de-diddly-icious. The fish was (on the Tiger box) was absolutely divine (thank Lizzie!).

And of course, what is Christmas day without people whose company you enjoy?! Lizzie in the red dress (and two of her friends visiting from Australia on either side of her) and Jemma in the purple dress (with her partner Justin who was also visiting from Australia)...

...and some more of my lovely ladies Rachel and Michelle.

So that's my story of Christmas! in Timor Leste. Of course, there was much more to it (but we'll save that for another time!). I have been having a little holiday in Dili for just over a week now and am heading back to Maliana tomorrow morning. (Well, I had a few "meetings" here in Dili last week, so I had to stay in town!) I am catching the bus back to Maliana for the first (and hopefully the last) time. I am not particularly excited about the journey, but I am very much looking forward to getting back to Maliana. I enjoy coming to Dili and seeing people, eating lots of good food and having easy access to things (well, easy in comparison to Maliana!), but I am looking forward to returning to the quiet life in Maliana. (I'm sure that will last about a week and then I'll want to come back to Dili!)

As yet I do not have a permanent home in Maliana. I have been lucky enough to stay in friends places while they have been away on holidays. Unfortunately it looks at though my friend Rachel (from the photo above) will not be in Maliana permanently. We had planned to live together, but until she finds out for sure whether she will be based in Dili or Maliana things are a little up in the air. While it has been a little difficult not having a place to call home, I really do feel lucky to have met some wonderful people in Maliana and made some great friends. I feel well supported by my friends in Maliana, my friends in Dili and of course my family and friends from every part of the world.

A big thank you to all of those that have sent me emails, messages, called me, skyped me and sent me parcels! On that note, if you have skype please let me know! I try to get a few skypes in when I am in Dili. The best way to contact me is by email - susiemaggie80@gmail.com

Big love to you all - boas festa ho feliz tinnen foun.