Tuesday 27 December 2011

Salamat Tahun Baru: Happy New Year


dancing in the rain before changing into whites for the Dark Moon Ceremony
Didn't think I'd post before the New Year but it has been such a full time in Ubud I had the fortune to have another woman staying at the home stay who is studying yoga at an Ashram here - she is 26 years old, from Neslon BC! she has been great to be around, invited me to come with her into town on her motor scooter and given me a lift to get a few groceries. We've had such fun together. She invited me to come with her to the Ashram Christmas Eve for the Hindu Dark Moon ceremony which is very special ceremony each new and full moon. It is held in the temple area of the Ashram which is so amazing to be in let alone part of the worship/ceremony. Mostly Balinese people there with about 15 Europeans who are studying there or have moved here and participate in the temple. It was about 11/2 to 2 hours long - lost track of a variety of singing/chanting to music on a congo drum, huge accordion type instrument sitting on the floor, then up on our feet - I was grateful as I do not sit crossed legged well for long! I followed some very graceful movements that al had meaning and were similar to other Hindu worship movements I've seen int he movies. I'm afraid I was not as graceful as them but did my best. Then moved on to the centre of the temple with many shrines with very significant meaning, again more dance type moves then circling the shrines with all the men and women single file moving and pausing at each to acknowledge its meaning.  Under the Dark Moon, following an afternoon of intense rain it was so fresh in the air and temperature about 25C. It was truly magical. Then onto the area for general gathering and the music began again and the musicians sang and led us in song and the Guru led us in singing and the party began with much laughing, and dancing around the raised platform SO much fun, love and sharing exuding from everyone there. We sang Hahlleluia  (how DO you spell this?) over and over to music led by the Guru to acknowledge those of us who celebrate Christmas which was very kind of him and the local people. They sang Silent Night with us and Away in a Manger as those were the only written carols we had with us. I just kept pinching myself for a reality check and was so very moved to be accepted/invited into this gather ing of people. I am uploaded - oops can't seem to get it so will have to research how -  a video of one of the celebration songs/dance honouring the servant in all of us and in the Guru in his work at he Ashram.
ready for the Michael Franti party
THEN, Mandy ran into Michael Franti while I was shopping at the market, introduced herself and the upshot was he invited her and a friend - ME - to his home/retreat centre here in Ubud for a small party Christmas night. Don and I saw him perform in Ottawa summer of 2006 when I volunteered at the Blues Festival. WE loved his energy and his music. He is a really kind individual, and we arrived in our little black dresses on Mandy's motor scooter and he created us warmly then carried on being a normal host with his friends. We ate snack food, tried a drink of Arak (rice wine ) and 3 ounces was enough for me! No more to drink that evening for either of us. Potent stuff if one had more. We bopped and hopped to the dj above the pool on terraced areas. Go to his website and you will see the retreat centre in Ubud. It was like going to a movie star home party in Hollywood although these people seemed very genuine and real. Many are studying or practicing yoga as Michael is known as a practicing yogi. Well, enough for now my friends - this little reprieve in Ubud has reinvigorated me for my return to Kupang next Tuesday, ready with more ability in language and ready for some work. Will keep you posted as always. Love to all as you journey into this new year.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Salamat Natale: Merry Christmas

rice paddies beside our study area
Six hours a day of language training plus homework and review but in Ubud, Bali; what more can I ask for? Well, to have my friends and family here but that aside, this rural setting for my home stay in a villa style spot in the countryside outside of Ubud fits me perfectly. This is the last push for language to get me ready to study on my own in the New Year and to start at least basic communication with my colleagues as we begin to assess their expectations of this placement and what they want for their disability inclusion programme which will be new for them.
BUT, let's talk Ubud, rice paddies, slow country living. I sit on my open porch outside my room looking  at the Bird of Pardise "plant" more like a small tree, and the Lobster Claw plant again like a tree and orchids growing all around in the garden. The young woman upstairs who has been staying here and studying advanced yoga at the local ashram a 4 months has offered to lead us right here on the porch overlooking the rice paddies and the distant mountains (volcanic).
study porch
So, overlooking garden and  rice paddies with very intricate hand made irrigation ditches running off into the fields and men and women harvesting the rice stalks all around. Temperature at night is about 22C and in the day about 25 so very pleasant next to Kupang and the high humidity and heat. I will be back on a long weekend into the next year I'm sure. Also supermarket with all North American foods, so bought muesli and Greek Yoghurt!!! I've only been here about 7 weeks but already really appreciating those items not available in Kupang .
Buddist Shrine
So, to all of you who are following me and my adventures,  A very peaceful Christmas and may the year ahead hold good health, togetherness with the people who enhance your life, and may your dreams advance the way they are meant to. Sometimes we don't know what lies ahead, but isn't that the adventure in itself?

irrigation



other end of study porch look out over fields and garden

porch outside my room 

Berti and I at Rotterdam Steak House Kupang
James' sitting room in Soe
I will post my latest pictures, a few are of my visit to James, fellow volunteer in Soe, a 3hour bus ride from Kupang up into the mountains in his home, then shots from a night out at an expat bar with Berti and Rachael who departed this week for good back to London, England. Other shots are round the home stay I am in now. I saw the rice harvest, sheaves lying on a big bag that someone will carry on their head, cloths hanging and waving on a line that is wriggled by a man or woman standing at the end to scare the ducks off from eating the harvested sheaves before they are picked up, and just scenes from the porch where we study and look out of the open air room. VERY conducive to working hard and not feeling dragged out at the end of the day!
Hope you enjoy. Sorry, no Balinese Christmas trees - Just a Hindu shrine and offerings placed outside the entrance to our place. Offerings are on every doorstep, hood of their car and on the motor bikes too. the Hindu people are so very gentle, quiet and respectful. they are a pleasure to be around. Til the New Year, I am thinking of all of you and thanks for your comments and emails to keep me going on those tough days. I am truly blessed with the people in my life.

Thursday 8 December 2011

Rumah Tinggal /Home

I have now settled into my three areas or rooms or more precisely, 4 areas including my "kamar mandi" toilet and bath room. As I sit here on my one chair at my little table I use for eating, writing, computer work etc - you get the picture, at the foot of my bed -queen size and new! - I am running water to fill the concrete tub in my kamar mandi as this is the water that runs every two days - I thought once a week so this is great! The water in this tub is scooped to "flush" my squat toilet and also to dump over me for bathing usually at bedtime and in the morning as I'm pretty sweaty most of the time. It always feels a bit cool to start with but as my body starts to appreciate the cool down I can dump more over me!
My sitting room is inside the front door and is 6 feet by 9 feet long. It is a narrow room just inside the door and I sit there after work with the door open as sometimes there is a bit of breeze and I don't like running my fan all the time. It already goes all night blowing across my bed. Thank goodness for it as my bedroom is the next room beyond the sitting room and has no windows and the rooms are concrete, which is a bit close in this heat. Even though it cools down outside it doesn't get below 27/28c in my rooms. Leaving the door open as long as possible helps a bit if it rains and cools down but then all the flying things come in as it gets dark and that is at 6:30pm.  The bed/eating/and room where my fridge sits is about 13 feet by 9 feet and is my big room. Oh, it also has a wardrobe for my clothes. That is my total storage for those of you who know of my walk-in closet at home!
Then through another door to the back of my home is my kitchen. I have a little table for my dishes to sit on and a bit of space left for food prep. My one burner stove sits on a concrete slab and operates on canned gas which is used is less than a week but they tell me the bigger bottles are not always readily re-fillable - don't understand why and the seller wants me to get an even bigger one but I have no room for it. Another problem to solve but will in time. Everything takes time, supplies are bought at several different spots, which I have trouble finding without help and several trips. Just to find chicken pieces was a chore but my fantastic landlady of 25 years old came home tonight after phoning to tell me she was out looking for a bigger gas canister for me and found chicken pieces that I can trust, instead and wondered if I could settle for that and she would just pick up another small bottle of gas for the week for now. That is how it works. You go looking for one thing, don't find it, but something else you looked for days earlier pops up. All in good time!
Back to my rooms! Off my little kitchen at the back, which has my one other window besides the front door and window beside it, is the kamar mandi - really small for us big North Americans - I feel like a giant here - stand at the back when we have group pics! The photo is dark but you can make out the tub of water and the pink scooper I use for flushing and bathing.











I am adjusting to such changes in living and starting to venture out beyond my one little street. I am walking to work about 15 minutes and other staff couldn't believe it. Most in the shad so bearable and it feels so good to move. I now have 3-4 of them joining me to walk home and I may have started my own little walking club. Usually many of them hitch a motorbike ride but they think maybe this walking thing is kind of fun. We all stop at our rooms, mine and my landlady Berti's who is a colleague as well as we are the first home to reach and sometimes share a drink of water and someone runs across the street and buys deep fried bananas for a treat. Ok, enjoy the pics friends and family! I have survived a month today, and must say there have been times I wasn't sure I could. sure there will be more but one day at a time! I have lots of support from these lovely people who try so hard to understand the culture shock I am experiencing.
I have included the scene from my front door - looks a LOT quieter than it is! The brown doors on the yellow building are the various doors to the rooms and mine is the furthest to the right, at the end behind the white wall, which is good as it shields me from the street. looking out my door I see the green house across. Usually this street is wild with motorbikes, bemo minivans blaring music to get the public riders for this interesting transit system!

Thursday 1 December 2011

Satu Hari di Kantor - Day One at the Office

Day one started with my last purchase to start up my digs - a small fridge with a little freezer even! The cost was under $200 Can. and because it was such a big purchase rupiah-wise, 1.2m, I got free delivery! This was better than us on Berti's motorbike yesterday laden with shopping bags of household start up goods, sheets, towel, cleaning supplies etc. what a picture we were, but this is very common as it is the best way to get around. At our next stop we bought my floor fan - splurged for a floor model rather than a table top as only have two tables and think I need to save that space and will want my fan to move with me from table side when eating to bedside for sleeping!
Now for the office..We rode up a very narrow, slightly winding road full of potholes up to the office which is a hilly part of Kupang "suburb" and such a welcome sight to have so many trees, banana and coconut around the area. slightly cooler - but that's just relative! Probably still high 20's and in the office area I have to be by the fan as do the local staff, so I don't feels so bad. We sat out on the veranda most of the first few hours, trying to talk - my interpreter Berti had a funeral to go to in one of her villages she is responsible for so there I was, with two staff with a bit of English, others with not much or none,  and me with my bit of Indonesian. We laughed a lot, used the kamus - dictionary - and generally did ok. Then they had reports to write and a powerpoint to prepare for a big meeting tomorrow with 4 other community partners in their Access programme serving maternal and child health in 10 villages around Kupang. I will attend once I check out of my hotel and into my new room(s) at Berti's. Kind of like a row house with her two doors away and I have a small sitting room at front, large bed/eating/kitchen room and small area beyond this for my stove - one burner propane - and toilet room/wash room for dumping water over me for a bath from a large cement tub. Water runs out a hole in the floor.
BUT back to  my first day. My first month or 3 will be mostly getting to know staff, them me and slowly assessing their stated objectives  for the disability inclusion work they proposed to  CUSO-VSO. I am to assess these objectives with them and need to encourage their involvement as we develop them further or change if needed, and develop goals, and measurable outcomes. Full SWOT analysis is requested by VSO. Sound familiar to those of you in the community development or other planning work? I'm sure it is. And, adding comfort for me, recognizable! I might really be able to manage my first 6 moths, and be able to produce a report to VSO with the staff on our 6 months of assessment and project planning.
Friendly young staff, all single, mostly devout - we pray before eating our meal, both protestants and catholics. I can use all the prayers I can get, so welcome their well wishes before our lunch. We pack our own lunch as no places in the area to go for food, which will be good for me to manage my eating healthily.
So, must go now and pack up and see if my pet mouse has left more droppings on my bathroom counter! We met at 2 am this morning quite suddenly and me moving to the lobby for a bit to recuperate then decided to "woman up" and return to bed, flip-flops in hand for protection!!





I am enclosing photos of us getting ready with bags no the bike, Christmas in the supermarket - trees very expensive and very skimpy plastic - and the office and surrounding. Enjoy.

Saturday 26 November 2011

Tempat dan Belajar: ; Places and Learning

Following 3 weeks of being the newbie and being cared for accordingly by the VSO staff in Denpasar Bali, they believe I am ready for a trial launch. Being here in Denpasar is considered luxury by other volunteers who have been on islands of Indonesia for some time. For me, it has been such a new place o sights and sounds and learning all about volunteering in this country and of course its language. Add to that the frustration of not getting onto my email and Blog site, not being able to get to my banking to pay my credit card and phone, it can be imagined Pam's patient self was tested. The feeling of total incompetence has been a friend of mine on a few occasions and I am sure will visit me often as new places and new learning continues. Skype with Don and friends has been a blessing!

I launch to Kupang on Monday Nov. 28 until Dec. 18 when I return to Bali in Ubud for intense language classes, about 6-8 hours a day, with 23,24,25 off for Christmas. But in the meantime here I am sitting outside my room in Denpasar in about 30C heat and accompanying humidity and blue blue sky. Once 4:30pm hits I am off to a park with walking/jogging path to join others and get a solid walk in. Exercise has not been with me so far and I sorely need it. Tomorrow will be my 2nd day off since arrival and I intend to go to the tourist area at Sanur beach, sit under the trees, walk the long sidewalk along the beach and test the water, then follow with a pizza. A little change from my local eateries, the "warungs" small eating places run by one or two family members making nasi goring, mei goring and all the rice and noodle dishes with bits of meat or seafood and veg.






I have had a welcome party with staff on day 1 with food, a volunteer conference with dancing and games and lots of workshops and food. goodbye party at the office with Canadian and Kenyan (other new volunteer colleague) designing the menu. You may see that food is important here! We had baked potatoes with sour cream. and bar b que chicken! It was SO good and a little taste of home is possible here in Bali, even if one is away from the tourist areas. Interesting item on cutlery. Knives are never put out or used. Most food doesn't need a knife and if something needs cutting people use a spoon, usually a large tablespoon. Very common to eat with a fork in one hand and the spoon in the other.

Hindu is the religion of prominence and little offerings are seen on the ground at driveway entrances, doorsteps, on motorbikes and on statues on walls. Everywhere one looks. It is quite lovely and makes one think of gratitude for all around us and the safe travels on a daily basis.
Urban farming is alive, with rice paddies and cows seen on the little street on my walk to the office each day. Huge lily pond full of lily pads blooming in the morning are harvested daily for the offerings. Each evening my landlady puts out a little basket made of banana leaves woven together with an incense burning and a bit of rice on it and sometimes a lily flower. there will be one in our courtyard regularly to ask for safety and health.

Motorcycle practice took place and I'm afraid I was not too sure of myself. It remains for me to get more comfortable in Kupang, but apparently the traffic is just a crazy as here but I do need it to get around and to go to the villages as otherwise I have to ride on the back with staff. Not too comfortable but may be my options if my ability lags.

Rooms have beds with one sheet for under and one little blanket with a disney character on it. Not sure why one would need a blanket unless of course there is air con. Then, the blanket is made for small stature Indonesians, not the giant from Canada! I have used my air con little, trying to get acclimatized, but must confess I have in the last few nights as needed a better sleep.
Language training is coming along, I have learned many words, can talk about family and places so still pretty superficial. It will come along better once I'm fully immersed I know. Does take a lot of concentration though as you who have studied new languages know. The funny thing is my French pops in once in a while. My brain is so confused with this new stuff.

I am hoping my photo album will load and you can see some of what I'm talking about. My little street outside the room with the man and his pushcart of food, the cows, our Canadian/Kenyan lunch with yummy ugali, motorcycle training. Two students, and the rest instructors to make sure we don't crash in the parking lot! Hindu ceremony and offerings. Enjoy. and will bring you up to date on Kupang once I have a home by end of next week and meet my organization staff and begin all new over again!

Tuesday 8 November 2011

On My Way

I know, I was supposed to be sending a post from Indonesia by now but another delay due to Visa hold up at the Consulate in Toronto. Should have flown there myself to get it! BUT, here I am at Heathrow airport ready for the next leg of the journey in a few hours. I will arrive in Denpasar, Bali on Wednesday evening, Bali time, 14 hours ahead of Alberta, and expect that I will be a few days later than other volunteers who arrived the previous Saturday. I believe the schedule is that I will move in with a local family on the weekend, and begin real language training and continue for 4 weeks of cultural, language training and some motorcycle riding to get me onto left side of the road and other intricacies of Indonesian transportation.
So, as Mark Twain so eloquently said: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the things you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbour, catch the Trade Winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Life, huh? Doesn't it offer opportunities? Talk to you next from Bali.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Movin' Along

Time does not creep along these days and take off is approaching. In the meantime, some special dates with friends for lunch, quiet coffee and just plain good conversation about the paths we choose as life moves along, with or without us. Sometimes we set things in motion and really have no idea the ripples that will move out from us. It has been a very heart warming time these past few weeks with these visits and a very full Thanksgiving at our home with all of our family and close friend Pearl, both the Newshams and the Ralstons - 24 in total (there could have been more if they lived closer) at our home for turkey and all the trimmings. I was on the receiving end of many good wishes to send me off, culminating with a speech from Don - so much appreciated, and kind words from brother John who also played some familiar tunes on his bagpipes that of course had us in tears - tunes my grandparents used to sing, one translated loosely to : "I am going away but I'll come back to see you". A moving finale to a day of great thanksgiving for all we (I) have in our lives - namely family and friends and a country of plenty. Our vegetables all came from our garden so a true harvest celebration! I've included a photo of some of our family - Kayla, Lee and Lily missing as granddaughter, son and daughter in law of the immediate family not around when we wandered into our park and saw the fantastic Fall colours.
OK, the move: picture Don unhooking cables and electrical connections from PVR, TV, computer, Bluray, printer, tuner - all wound around each other and Pam handing labels so that he can try to put it all together in Toronto. Good luck Don!! Last minute realization that we didn't save the TV box for the 42" flat screen. Up at the crack of dawn on moving day to run to find a suitable moving box and more packing tape that ran out the night before at midnight. All was located by the time the movers arrived at 9 am.
The bulk of the goods into a storage unit with three strong men from United Movers then Don and I loading living room furniture into a Uhaul to take to Calgary to store in the homes of two friends ready to babysit the good stuff. We are not what we used to be as we hauled and hoisted two heavy love seats into the truck! What happened to youth and muscle? But what would we do without these friends who just came forward to offer taking on our orphaned goods as they never would have fit in the storage unit (the goods, not the friends). That would have been a sight - our living room furniture lined up on highway 2 looking for a home.
Our drive to Calgary was a perfect autumn day, all gold fields, harvesters finishing the last touches before winter and a sunset that sent a red glow over the golden fields and into the cloudless Alberta sky. It was all quite mystical and again brought thanks to my lips for all the bounty in my life as Don and I talked of my preparations and how to stay connected to home when I'm so far away. I am grateful for all of his ideas.
Next post will be from Bali, Indonesia as I embark on language training - I've got a good start already - cultural orientation and of course, motorcycle upgrading to left side driving and who knows what else. Stay tuned!

Tuesday 20 September 2011

I've been "SKWIDDED!"


Just back from 5 intense days of "SKWID" which stands for Skills for Working In Development and is a course given by CUSO-VSO to all volunteers who are ready to go to their placements. I've learned about the profile of an Interculturally Effective Person, Power and Privilege, Advancing Gender Equality, practiced Participatory Facilitation, and met with a woman from Indonesia who was ready to answer all of my questions about living and working in her country of origin. AND, on top of all that I met 30 other volunteers ready to head out to their placements in South America, the Carribean, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, and many other countries. What a great group of knowledgeable people with such magnificent enthusiasm.
Now for the final 5 weeks before I leave - packing up a household of stuff, helping Don decide what he wants to have with him in Toronto, making sure we have Skype and all methods of communication set up between us.
I've also loaded a photo of our group at CUSO training and the Okanogan picking peaches in August that we are now enjoying - must empty out the freezer and fridge! And the big item, how to pack no more than 50lb. and how to carry on my motorcycle helmet???
And soon, visiting with friends and making sure we can stay connected.

Monday 29 August 2011

Project Information

Just a little bit about how an organization in Kupang ends up with me!
Last December, INCREASE submitted a proposal request to CUSO-VSO with all of their details of the type of person they require to work with them to adddress an identified need in the communitites in which they work. CUSO had my profile; I had undergone a phone interview and a day of assessment in Vancouver and they thought I would be a good match for this organization and their work in the disability sector. Once matched, I completed more detailed forms so that the organization could determine the best "fit" and whether I might be it.
Guess what? they did!
I am so glad that they had plenty of detail on my background and experience because the last thing anyone wants is to have me there if I can't be of use or the organization feels they were "given" me without their input.
Here is what I know so far from their proposal. Once I arrive there, we will see how it looks on the ground!

Position:

Disability Inclusion Advisor

Where:
Kupang and surrounding villages, West Timor, Indonesia

Organization:

INCREASE Institute of Cross-Timor For Economic and Social Development.

· Non governmental organization involved with Desa Siaga or Alert Village, a Government community empowerment programme which was part of the Making Pregnancy Safer initiative (2007-2010), with the aim to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.

· Village communities are mobilised to prepare themselves during emergency/high risk delivery through formation of five networks

§ Notification, Transport, Health Saving, Blood donor, Family Planning.

· Some villages in the community added another network. Ex. Nutrition network.

· Now want to include disability issues including early detection, disability prevention, and care for children with disabilities (my area of work).


Why:
INCREASE started to look at disability issue and found some babies were born disabled, there are people with disabilities being discriminated by the community and their basic rights are ignored. INCREASE needs assistance in supporting improvement in their staff capacity, reporting that they currently lack knowledge about disabilities and in promoting disability issues in the community. This will take place through regular village discussions as well as through partnership with other stakeholders in the villages.

Friday 26 August 2011

Welcome to my blog

...and my communication hub while I'm away in West Timor. For those of you who weren't aware, I'm heading to Kupang, West Timor at the end of October for two years with CUSO-VSO. I'll be working on a project in the disabilities sector in local villages in the surrounding area.

I'd love to stay in touch with you while I'm away, provide more information on the project and thank the people who've generously sponsored me. There are 3 ways I'll be doing this:
  1. My CUSO-VSO sponsorship webpage
    Thank you to everyone who has financially supported me in this project. 35% complete towards my fundraising goal!
  2. pamralston.blogspot.com
    I'll be posting on this blog pre departure and while away. I welcome all comments, notes, and frequent readers to keep me connected to home.
  3. pamr4810@gmail.com
    I love to read emails from home that maybe don't fit into the blog setting. Please keep me updated on your life, whether it be the daily grind or special events, your personal emails will connect me to the love at home. 
  4. of course I also need to say: "The contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of CUSO-VSO or VSO.”
Happy reading!