It has been an interesting few weeks since my last Blog post. A bit of an emotional roller coaster is the best description I can give and even though we are intellectualy prepared for this, still not a reality until it is experienced. Thanks to my friends and family, I feel very supported! I keep being surprised at who is reading the blog and it really makes a difference there are so many of you out there!! And thanks to Kelsey for her little packages she sent with me to open on those tough days. Last evening's was a lovely note and 3 Stash herbal tea bags! I SO enjoyed one before bed and re-grouping my emotions!
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| mom and kids at the well |
Since my last post I have been back to Bali as part of my elected position as a volunteer representative along with two others from another island, on a committee with VSO staff. This also entails greeting new volunteers when they arrive in country, so I had the pleasure of picking up a new Canadian volunteer from Vancouver Island, Meghan Larson two weeks ago and helping to greet two others, Nyamburu from Kenya and Charles from Uganda. They will all be placed on Flores Island so after our 5 days together while my colleagues and I did some orientation, I had to say so long until we meet again! I was a bit envious of them having fellow volunteers in their towns on Flores. I think I miss that, but on the other hand, I am forced to make friends locally and establish a local life, and that is what this is about in addition to our formal work. I know that takes time too.
The "little things" of daily life: walking to work along my broken and rutted road saying salamat pagi - good morning to the same people each day. they look so serious as I approach but as soon as I smile and call out to them, I get a huge warm smile back! That makes my day. The boys on the motor bikes who pass me both ways coming and going morning and afternoon, always offering me "ojek" lift even though now they are used to me saying I like to walk. Here, walking means you are so poor you cannot afford a ride in a bemo bus or the more expensive ojek, or a spedomotor - motorbike, of your own, and they see my hwite face and it doesn't compute that I might be too poor to afford a ride.
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| village home |
Noticing something new each day - today was a sad looking pomegranate tree in someone's front yard. Took me back to our hike in Turkey but those pomegranate trees were SO healthy. Yesterday was the various colour of hibiscus flowers along the route. I don't know if they are just starting to flower more, or if I'm looking around more! I think the latter.
The not so little thing is not being sure of anything, not really getting the lay of the land, people's routines and just generally not counting on anything until it really happens. Not easy for a North American used to pretty much knowing how things go, counting on timeliness, and being abe to understand the fine detail of what people are telling me.
For example: Last week our Director told me staff were ready for me to "do some knowledge transfer". I felt I might be able to do something even given my limited language but he followed with asking if I wanted 2 or 3 days for this workshop! (I'm thinking 2 hours will stretch me at this point). So of course I opt for the 2 days. But I do know to ask the manager what time we will start, and she confirms my suspicion by telling me 10 am. Now I know that we might sart by 10:30, an hour for lunch and finish no later than 4. Reality? Started at 11 am when most of staff are there - one staff - the one who I rely on for interpretation had a prior meeting she could not get out of. Problem being, I didn't know she had this meeting or we could have chosen another day. It might be culturally not acceptable to ask for this to happen - makes for a problem now and then. We stumbled through day one with my language, a dictionary on the table and a couple with Blackberry translation! We did laugh a lot too! (oh, lunch went for 2 hours as the felllows had to go out to pick lunch up for those who didn't bring a lunch and took longer than expected). they tell me I was fabulous!! So very generous of them. They reminded me I have been here only two months and a bit.
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| family kitachen |
The way sentences are formed changes the meaning just like English. I often don't know if I am being told something is being planned, looked into or if something is definitely scheduled, or if someone will
consider checking into it for me or if they think it is a good idea I do it. Example: I say that I would like to meet with Handicap International here in Kupang to find out about their disability inclusion program. I say I don't have a name or contact and ask if someone does. I had to triple check to see if I understood that my manager is going to call the person who's name she has and will take me with her to be introduced as the new volunteer with INCREASE (my org). Not sure though, will see... Was told two weeks ago that they would take me this last Monday to meet the government people, then when I arrived at work the Friday before, they told me Monday was a holiday so they were trying to set it up for tht very day. I am NOT dressed to go to meet the government folks! Good thing was, it was last minute and the Gov folks were too busy. Not sure when that will happen now. Not sure how meetings happen here - not sure if they are planned well in advance and put into daily planners. Don't yet know how to ask! would be helpful for me to have some advanced planning for outings.
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| new mom and babe - and me |
I've always prided myself on being able to "go with the flow" but there are days when this ability is surely tested! Was supposed to be picked up tonight at 6:30 to go for dnner and a meeting with our staff and their Australian funder. BUT, my ride is a no show and although I sent a text, no answer as to the problem. Since I'm not sure where the meeting/dinner is, no way I can catch up. Good I had my chicken dinner left overs to warm up! I gave it 11/2 hours as that sometimes is the time difference, but no go tonight.
In no way is this story that I ramble on meant to be negative nor to put my Indonesian colleagues in a poor light. It is the cultural reality here and I am the one out of sinc. I know some of my roller coaster is the not knowing, not being sure and still feeling like an infant some days, and probably some lonesomeness.
I am hoping a couple of my colleagues - maybe the guys, are taking me out to a local practise field for my first foray on my motorbike which has now arrived via post - yes post - all wrapped up like a parcel. We had to go to the Post Office to pick it up like a registered letter. It had come from Bali on a boat in a Post Office truck. Imagine that! BUT, although I am really hoping we have planned to get me and my bike out for my practise session, I won't count on it this week - everything seems to have "belum" "not yet" - attached when one asks if something is really taking place, or there's no comment at all, it just happens on another day - never know when til it happens.
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| role playing "inclusin" |
SO my friends and family, I continue to truly live one day at a time, which has taken on a brand new meaning for me. I have done day one of my first workshop in another language; I heard some insightful discussion around inclusion and diversity and I think I saw a couple of "lightbulbs" go on as I asked people to reflect on removing the barriers to inclusion that people with disabilities experience.
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| pantomime facilitation! |
Also had my first visit to a village this week and look forward to getting out to more. I was lucky, it was pouring rain so we had to have a driver take us vs motorbike, as we had two visitors from the funding organization who wanted to do some filming of the program they are funding through INCREASE. THAT was a luxury I won't have next time. Rainsuit here I come! Tropical rains are something to behold. Will include some photos of the family we visited with their new baby and some of our workshop today.
Bye for now teman-teman (friends) dan keluarga (family).
