Campur - Mixture

Here's a little bit of everything over the last few weeks - seems ike longer but checking the calendar it is a short time since my last post!
Starting with today and going back, just finishing the first real rain since last April. It was the rain of the rainy season as I remember it from it's height. It has rained hard for the last two hours and luckily I just beat it home on my motor bike as riding in the rain is something I am bent on trying to avoid as much as possible. First and foremost for safety sake. The potholes and rocks on the road cover quickly in this kind of rain, leading to head over heels transport or skidding off the road. In this rain, just when you think it can't rain any harder it does. It's amazing how fast a lot of water can fall. This afternoon at the office it was so hot the 5 of us there were perishing. Our director came out of his office complaining and I sat in the small room the size of a bedroom with 3 other staff and the one and only fan going full blast. I could hardly keep my eyes open and felt totally drained fromt he stifiling air. We should have known "hujung datang" (rain is coming).

When I got on my bike to head home I could feel the change in the air and got a few drops as I pulled into home. Otherwise I would have been trapped for another two hours and coming home in the dark as by 6:15 it is dark. The kids of the neighbourhood have been playing in the rain since it began, some getting out the soccer ball and others running around with plastic pop bottles collecting the rain and throwing it at each other. By the end of an hour the smallest were shivering as there's nothing like a good rain to cool one off. Problem is our house doesn't cool down even with front and back doors wide open. Seems the heat just rises to the ceiling and hangs there! I have my fan on me as I type, but can join the mosquitoes on the balcony and cool off.

James and my coordinator Rusty

Last week was our volunteer and partner organization workshop to look back over our previous year and map progress of volunteer activity with our partners and plan for this next year of VSO/CUSO in Indonesia.

my coordinator and I presenting our year in review

It was a successful event of two days, hosted by VSO in Bali. This was followed by our Volunteer Conference which is planned by the volunteers here for the volunteers. Staff of VSO are welcome to join us, which they do, but it is our event. We had two days of Lifelong Learning as our theme this year. I was on the committee for the planning of the conference and as some may recall, as part of this I was on the welcome and orientation committee voted in at last year's conference. I handed over my position this year at the new elections and a full new committee of 3 will now take us through 2013.

The conference went very well by all evaluations and in most part due to the number of volunteers who came forward to provide presentations. We had a sampling of Waste Management at our Organizaiton and Home, ( very crucial here!!!), Forestry Management here and in Canada, Sharing Knowledge and Changing Mindsets, and Yoga to stay healthy in placement and after motor biking on rough roads, (very good for me since I went down on my bike yesterday coming from my office down a very broken steep hill) no bones broken, just knocked the wind out of me and bruises.

facilitating but looks like I'm going to be sick!

This is only a sampling of topics and with such a mixture and sharing our skills between us, we realized what an awesome community of volunteers we have here in Indonesia spread over 3 islands, often not seeing each other for months and only once in a year all together. Some of the conference was a bit nostalgic as we said goodbye to Richard who has shared his Kenyan expertise in Indonesia for 3 years! Also Meghan heading home to Canada, soon James and Peter finishing their 2 years and going back home to Kenya and Uganda mid January.

volunteer workshop

Oh and forgot about the kittens! When Laurie and arrived back from our vacation momma cat had decided it was nice and quiet on our outdoor dishwashing area to have her babies. See photo! Unfortunately, we had to get water into our cistern and the big hose and men from the water truck were just a bit disturbing! She moved them her first chance.

My last "so long" is to my housemate Anna who is re-locating partiallly to Jakarta and will not be in Kupang very often. It is hard to see her go as we have shared some good laughs and helped each other around the house. She retains her share of the house though as she promises to drop in. But, a new VSO volunteer has arrived in Kupang by the name of Nelly and she will be with me here in the house, so we are just finding our way around each other and looking forward to getting to know each other better.

So I say good night to all of you, or I guess good morning for those of you who have subscribed and will see the post when you wake. We'll connect again soon.

Satu Tahun - One Year

bike tour Ubud/Mt. Batur

At this one year point there is so much to look back on and so many new experiences to recall. Hopefully the blog over the last year has captured some of those experiences - sure it has! but I can never really explain the day to day life unless you are here exprencing it with me. I have had the wonderful opportunity to do exactly that with my friend Laurie - first on two weeks of holiday then just over a wekk here in Kupang living my day to day life with me.

Ijen Crater and Sulphur lake

Holiday time took us to see some great sights on the island of Java such as the city of Yogjakarta, commonly called "Jogja" World Heritage site of temple Borodradur, temple Prambadan, Mount Bromo, Ijen Plateau and Ijen Crater. Of course we had to have the obligatory "bus ride from hell" and on looking back we were laughing and joking about the day and how we survived it. We forget we aren't 30 anymore. But we survived and have a story to tell.  we've climbed the top of a mountain to see the sunrise - long time since I was up at 3:30 am - maybe last time to feed babies - long time ago since son Robin turns 43 tomorrow.

tofu making at Borobradur

On return to Kupang with Laurie I scurried to sweep up the two belly up cockroaches in the living room and found were pretty much out of water in our cisternas the pump didn't work to fill my water holding tub in the toilet room. So out to the street to find someone to help me call a water truck to come and a neighbour kindly called the truck he uses and made sure we didn't pay too much for the fill. Next step to turn on the pump to give us the water to flush our toilet and slosh over us for a "bath" No pump action! Now a bit of panic as I had drained the tub to keep mosquitoes from finding a home to lay their eggs while I was away so a call to my housemate Anna on holiday on Java to get the number for our landlady. Then a call to Berty to ask her assistance in talking to the landlady to explain the problem and see if she will pay for repairs. Of course not, all household problems are ours but she did send a repair man who in 5 minutes finished the repair and was reluctant to take any money so, 50,000 rupiah and a bunch of bananas late, off he went happy as a clam.

tofu vat

Now with water, a short lesson for Laurie that no, you don't climb into the tub, you use the small bucket to scoop and slosh over you for a bath and you slosh it into the toilet too for a flush.

Traditional Dance Festival in Soe

Several visits with friends in for dinner, our new volunteer in Kupang arriving and staying with us and visits to friends homes  filled our week, rounded out with a weekend to Soe to attend a huge festival of traditional dance. There were at least 50 booths set up selling and displaying local handicrafts and food and a very full evening of watching and participating in the dancing.

 Such fun and an overnight at the organization my colleague James works at as they have rooms for women escaping violence that were not being used at the time.

Laurie the potter

James and his friends took us by motor bike the next day to tour around this central part of West Timor to a beautiful lookout in the hills and a fabulous waterfall like none I'd ever seen, with many plateaus for pools to form and paddlers to enjoy. It is a major tourist attraction in the area and enjoyed by local people on the weekends. It was great to paddle in the water and enjoy the greenery and cooler temperature of the hills. A fine reprieve fromt he intense heat of Kupang.

Ijen Crater

A great holiday and lots of memories added to our repertoir in more than a  35 year long friendship.

Hidup Setiap Hari - Everyday Life

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One year ago I was winging my way to Indonesia and what a year it has been. I have just finished my time with my first visitor, friend Laurie. We had a great time together as we always do, saw new sights for me and for Laurie, Java, Bali and West Timor.

I was going to do a bit of recap of the year but as always “every day in Indonesia is a mystery” – my constant saying.

Very sad news this week that the young man I wrote about in my May5  Blog by the name of War has died. He never got to go to his upgrading and technical training on the island of Sulawesi, which was our dream and his. He didn't get away in May as we thought he would. Not sure of the reason.

He became ill in June and was hospitalized with massive water retention and over the summer his father sought a traditional healer, then he was back in hospital this last month and died of what sounds like kidney failure. I think more than his kidneys failed him.

Laurie was still here, so she came to the village with Berty my colleague and I to pay our respects at his home where he lived with his grandparents. His bed had been moved to the main room of the house, where we had all sat only 6 months ago discussing the possibility of him going away to school. He was dressed in the traditional village wear and covered by a thin lace cover. His family sat on the floor around him and the cries were what Laurie likened to an Irish wake. It was so sad. Villagers came and sat outdoors of the home under the newly erected tarps held up by bamboo poles. This was not an event I wished to record but War deserves the respect of being honoured as a symbol of all of those who die young. Like all of those young people, he hoped for a better future and was excited to finally be moving forward in a life that had stagnated after his polio at age 13.

War Loinati: In Memorium

Photo from May.

War died at age 20 and it was the day the interviews to go to Sulawesi were finally being held. He would have been on his way.

teman teman tua (keluarga) - Old friends (family)

First off - It's one year ago this weekend Don and I shared Thanksgiving in our home with the whole family as the last weekend before clearing out our house to rent and get ready to send me off to Indonesia!!! WOW
Everyone enjoy Thanksgiving, usually shared with family and in our home, was often shared with family and "family", friends who are like family, old and new. The more people around the dinner table to share turkey and give thanks for the freedom and abundance we sometimes take for granted the better.
On the note of "family" you know how maybe as you were growing up there was a particular family friend who was so close to your parent that they became "aunt or uncle"? Well I have such a dear family. My mother's dear friend Isabelle, met in my first year of life and playing a big part as our families grew close. Well, her son I believe found me on my Blog post and has reconnected as we had lost touch in the last few years and his Mom is in her 90's and hearing of my adventures in Indonesia through him and my posts. Ah, the power of communication! This reconnect has given me one of my best Thanksgivings ever.The even better part was the connection happened just the day after my birthday - a double gift!

James in full gear

So, now an update on the athletes who have disabilites, heading to Riau, Sumatra for the national games starting Sunday. It was offered to me to accompany them and provide motivation and general support but as I have committments to greet new volunteers arriving the same week, had to turn down the offer. But, what I could offer was a possibility of my fellow volunteer who is a physiotherapist from Kenya with VSO, in placement 3 hours out of Kupang. James happened to be staying in Kupang this week to assist another organization and I proposed to him (the trip) not my hand in marriage - that's already taken although there is always the possiblity of multiple wives! BUT he is younger than my sons! Ok back to the story - James was over the top excited about the prospect of serving the team as their personal physio/medic as he also has some medical training; we wrote a letter of proposal to his organization in Soe, and VSO and received approval. Next step was to get my organization to arrange tickets and accommodation. This took a bit of organization and once delays, full planes and general travel plans were sorted - no mean feat here - James is finally off two days later than the athletes left but will be there for the opening ceremonies, dressed in full official track suit provided by the athletic association. He is grinning and stunning!

Riau, Sumatra is a long trip - Kupang-Jakarta with 5 hr layover then on to Riau. Just like flying across Canada, Alberta to Nova Scotia.

team and deputy governor in front

For this past week, James and I went to the stadium at 4 each day which is the evening training time once the sun is low and heat abated, and provided motivation for the team. They were so thrilled to have us "bouleys"(foreigners) there each day. James talked to them about their muscle pulls and aches and I went out and walked/jogged - yes I jogged for first time in a number of years since orienteering days! The trainer came out on the track when he waw me going to walk and encouraged me to start running with him so of course pride took over and I managed 400m before I needed to walk. But, each day did a little more and now that I have dicovered the stadium, can get there on my motorbike easily and that it has an excellent cushioned track, who knows, may do more!

James and I were invited to dinner at the hotel with the athletes and to attend the official send off by the deputy governor of our province, NTT. Speaches and formal introduction and good food and everyone is pumped for the trip.

repair work

 Of course the usual electrical outage has to happen just as the team jacket is being formally presented to the team captain but people are so accustomed to this, the presetnation went on the in the semi dark as everyone pushed the button on their handphones to turn on the little penlights in them! I sat and watched as a fellow went up a ladder looking for the shorts in the wiring which would scare any electrician in North America. The wiring here is done in very interesting ways! Even the way the ladder was placed on a decorative outcrop was pretty precarious. But, they managed to find the problem and with just a tool looking like a pair of snips, got it fixed for the time being! Generator then shut off and on we went!
Photos with the governor of course and the group as photos are obligatory here.

So friends and family, savour the turkey and pumpkin pie for me and hope you enjoy the photos.
As a PS - the new volunteers are NOT arriving this week due to delay in visas as usual so gi\ong a bit later to Bali  for the greeting and orientation days which will coincide with greeting my friend Laurie coming for vacation with me. (best laid plans!) She will get first had experience of daily life before we head off to Java for some sight seeing and hopefully great experiences - no doubt of that!!

Bye for now, teman teman tua dan baru - old friends and new - and my wonderful family. I give THANKS for all of YOU!

pointsetia tree by my house

Atlet Atlet - Athletes

End of September, school is underway and Fall in Canada is imminent! In some parts of the country more than others, I'm sure. Here it gets hotter by the day and I am told October and early November is the hottest, just before the rainy season starts. I can feel the change as my fan is again my companion during the night and then moves with me to wherever I sit in the house. Thank goodness for electricity!

Yesterday, Saturday, I received a call in the morning asking if I would come to see some athletes with our organization's founder Mr. Fary who is now an elected official in Jakarta but home is here in Kupang. I was able to understand from my colleague on the phone that Mr. Fary was wanting me to join him as the athletes had disabilities and the event is competition for peoople with disabilites. She would pick me up later in the afternoon.

Now, as usual, there was no advance warning so I had already invited a new friend for dinner that evening but I also knew it would not be good form to turn down the invite, so a quick text to let her know my plan was to be home on time for 7pm dinner but we might need to be flexible. (I did make it) As she is a former VSO volunteer now married and living here, she fully understood. I often do not know how offical these events are and thus, what I should be wearing so decided middle of the road as at times I've been underdressed but also I wasn't sure if Mr Fary was oming in his car - then I can wear a skirt, or Mrs Rusty on her bike; then need pants ("trousers" here). When she arrived on her bike, out came my earings as my helmut and earnings are not friends and off we went to a hotel where we waited for about 45 minutes with many texts to Mr Fary. Finally the word was to go to the stadium and he would meet us there instead. We arrived to 15 athletes, 4 women and 11 men, looking like they are warming up but I'm thinking this can't be much of a competition with so few people especially for the women!  And no spectators. This is the part of being here and not always getting the full story due to language but also due to the way communication takes place.

Mr Fary speaking to the athletes (sign interpreter on rt.)

When Mr Fary arrived I learned this is a training session, the first of the week of training and these athletes are the chosen team from the province of NTT of which Kupang is the capital, and they are preparing to go to the annnual games in Sumatra, leaving next Thursday. Now it all made sense!! He was there to provide motivation and support both in word and a financial donation and his hope was that I would provide motivational support by being there also. Such a relief to finally understand and put the pieces together!!!

athletes

 

 

 

 

What I also was able to bring was information that my VSO colleague James was going to be in Kupang for the week and he is a volunteer VSO physiotherapist in a town 3 hours away. I suggested I bring him to training on Monday afternoon - nothing starts until 4 when the sun gets lower and the heat drops. They were thrilled with the prospect of having their very own physio visit! There is even a possibility they may invite him to go to Sumatra with them - I hope this comes about. It would be a great boost to their motivation and I'm sure James would be helpful. I think there is possibility for me to link Mr. Fary to the local organization that is starting up for persons with disabilities here in Kupang as they are in dire need for some start up support. We'll see.
Tonight, Sunday, James and I are are invited to Mr Fary's restaurant with the athletes for dinner. No, we are not eating the athletes for dinner - they are invited too!!
So, as September comes to a close my friends and family, I hope you are enjoying those cool, lovely scented mornings of Fall and the colours of the trees as they go into hibernation.
bye for now - sampai jumpa lagi

Bertamu Maumere - Maumere Meeting

workshop attendee

As promised, a post about my few days on the island of Maumere for the sharing of skills. This type of meeting is called a technical visit and is initiated by a volunteer who believes another volunteer could be helpful through sharing of their knowledge with that volunteer's organization and other interested parties. So, volunteer Nyamburu (Nancy) who landed in Indonesia last January from Kenya requested that I come to her island and city of Maumere to share my knowledge through a disability inclusion 101 two day workshop. My luck was with me and another volunteer with much greater Indonesian language skills was going to be there also preparing for the end of her placement, so together we developed the workshop for Nancy's group.

mega tuna!

A fellow Canadian volunteer Meghan came from her town of Ende out of interest in the subject matter and it turned into a group event, with all hands on deck with input and ideas to make the workshop interactive and a good learning experience.  Peter, a volunteer from Uganda also working in Maumere attended out of interest and the 5 of us had an evening together before saying goodbye to Sarah. Peter picked up a huge tuna on his way over from a roadside kiosk, uncooked, then it was taken across the road from Nancy's to another kiosk selling baked fish and we asked the vendor to cook it for us. It was so big he had to do it in portions as his gril was too small. It was delicious. Meghan pointed out the lead that a tuna carries in its body being the waste management specialiist she is. It curtailed my eating too many of the leftovers the next day - much to my health benfit I'm sure! Thanks Meg!

Nancy and Pam

I stayed through the weekend to enjoy some touring and off 4 of us went Saturday, visiting a black sand beach with great surf, an old Portugese church built 1800's, a summit of a hill with a statue of Mary, not unlike the Cristos in Rio de Janeiro. The Portugese definitely liked their statues on high hills.
I tasted my first drink of Es Campur - a mix of fruits and some kind of jelly - will have to get the ingredents as it was delicious! sitting on the beach at sunset with friends. Good memories.

band at first communion celebration

Peter the "Ojek"

Just before leaving on the Sunday, went to Nancy's colleagues son's first communion which is very big here. Live band and full buffet to see me on my way, with Peter driving me to the aiport. 



Today was a home day, started with washing my sheets in a pail - have a bad time trying to get all the soap out; sweep floors, dust - never ending; read some VSO material on gender mainstreaming; listen to podcast of Vinyl Cafe. Friends stopped by for a cold drink on the balcony at sunset. Back to work tomorrow but a nice Sunday. Hope yours is too.

Ketakutan - Doktor Gigi: Fear - Dentist

One day past another of the items on my list of fearful happenings while in Indonesia; the need of a dentist. Eating my cereal, minding my own business, looking out to sea on balcony full of love and peace for the world and anticipating a visit to a new village with a colleague I haven't travelled with and voila! think I feel a pebble in my mouth and flick it away over the edge thinking to self "cheap granola with stones in it!" But no, of course, it's a piece of my back molar. Raw and jagged and cutting my tongue with every move, I feel the sick thought of needing to go to a dentist which for me in Canada is bad enough. Enlist my friends, get two references for the same doc and off I go, with housemate Anna's prodding. They are only open to 11 am then again in the evening and no appointments, you just gotta line up.
I spoiled myself and took a taxi as I wasn't really sure of where to go and this driver I know well. The reception person tells me in Indonesian of course that something is broken - I think "yes, my tooth" but she also says "no doktor" and maybe not til next week. With the driver's help - have to go find him, I learn a machine is broken, may not be fixed til next week but they will call me.
Back into the car and I am willing to put this off but my driver will have none of that so he gets on the phone and calls his boss and I gather he is asking for another doc saying it is for Mrs Pam and must be a good dentist! She is afraid.
So off we go to the next one where the MD doc works also and his daughter is the dentist but she works at the hospital all day and in the clinic after 6 but the MD phones her and she isn't busy so she comes over to the clinic from the hospital, looks at my tooth and tells me she needs to fill it and to come back at 6 when her assistant is in. I ask if she will freeze it and she tells me "no, won't hurt". Oh cripes!
But, back at 6, she has all the right looking utensils, sterilized it looks like and off we go - smooths off the rough and fills it in!!! She's right no pain and I am just hoping it all holds. I think it will! Imagine that.

beach fun

Had a good trip to Maumere Flores so will post on that soon - technical visit to share skills with other volunteers in their placement and a day of sight seeing. Here's a teaser pic at the black sand beach with volunteer Nancy from Kenya. Oh yes, she made us chipatis!!! Yum.