Kerja di Laut - Work at the Sea

stone collecting

stone harves

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This was a short work week, with the first 3 days spent at our office for training for the community workers on poverty assessment. Our director gave the training which included how indicators of poverty are developed along with variables and scoring for levels of poverty. It was a heavy 3 days but is being done in preparation for staff to carry out the census in their assigned villages.

ride to the beach luxury style

We then had two days of holiday, one of which my roommate and I had a great trip to a new beach. She had a colleague staying with us from Jakarta and he had the use of a car – a luxury for us! A new Toyota SUV, just like our old Highlander, just a little smaller. We headed off to the beach Anna had heard about and with rough roads and very tight turns up over the mountainous area – about 170 km took 4 hours, through a village that has major water flooding problems and even now with the rains letting up many homes stand on soaked, muddy ground. In the rainy season the homes oare often flooded. Underground streams coming down the mountain seem to be the problem and although the government has a massive program underway building deep rock lined ditches along both sides of the road, it’s difficult to see how this will help the farmers on either side.

We did arrive at the beach where people live just off the road along the beach of rock and stone. It is the only beach like it on Timor and these people are paid to harvest the stone of all sizes for businesses that buy them by the sack.

Whole families were working collecting the stones in buckets then either piling them according to size or filling the fibre sacks directly. Each family appears to have staked out territory and the one we talked to had mom, dad and two girls working constantly. The winds were high and so was the surf otherwise the dad would have been out fishing. The stones were beautiful, mostly white and polished from the tumbling of the surf. They also collected the small pebbles on the edge of the surf and had to run into the sea when the water pulled back, quicklyscoopt a bucket full with their hands, and run with the bucket when the water came back in or else they would have water mixed in with the pebbles. . Quite an operation and although everyone worked, the children still made games of running in the water and took time to come and stare at us as we ate our take away lunch of fried chicken and rice with tempeh bought at a roadside restaurant called Rumah Makan Padang. Padang is the type of preparation.

The Dad came and took a break with us also and told why they were collecting the rocks and that he was paid equivalent to $5Ca. for each sack and we could see he had at least 20 lined up to go, which is a very good pay, depending on how many a week he sells.
Probably for gardens in far away places! One wonders what happens when all the stones are harvested. Is there a never- ending supply for future generations? I could see the string of families all along the beach working their respective area. Many tons of stone on the move.I have had two long rides on my motor bike; one following Anna, who pushed me to get going this week and led me to the Honda shop to get new shock absorbers. What a difference those babies make! I’m not bouncing off my seat when going over the many huge speed bumps and hitting the pot holes which seem to pull me like a magnet. Then, since I was already dressed in my protective clothing she suggested we ride some more, so hit a busy road and she was kind in taking me on mostly left hand turns. Then as she went out today, called out over her shoulder that I should get out again on my own so got up my nerve and headed out for an hour. Got a bit lost but since we live on the crest of the hill looking out to sea, it’s not hard to get back on track! Did more right hand turns today as it is Sunday and was quieter traffic. Now will ride tomorrow to the conference Anna has squeezed me into for 3 days. The hotel is just down the road from us so an easy ride. The conference sounds very cool, sponsored by Red Cross Netherlands and Care International and others and is called “5th South South Citizenry Based Development Sub-Academy”;  a learning conference in it’s 5th year. This year’s theme of  Resiliency in the South countries. It has invited about 100 people to participate and build a learning community. I will know more once I’ve attended the 3 days, but I’m excited to meet people from all over Indonesia and beyond.

door building

Then lastly we had a screen door made for our balcony doore and the fellow came, measured, took the noney to buy the materials and then came back with tools and did it on the spot. Electric drill, chisel to make it fit in the end and hand saw! Not a bad job, not a tight fit but it will help keep the mossies out. So cool to watch the construction on our balcony! He was very meticulous and took lots of time. Total cost about $25 Ca.


So all for now - selamat siang - good afternoon!