Selasai yang Dekat - The End is Near

 

One month before finishing in Kupang.

I have decided that as of June 25^th I will be finished with my placement in Kupang and wrapping up. The projects that I’ve been working on will be finished, local volunteers with be trained and able to carry on the interviewing and linking of people with disability to appropriate resources, the  awareness DVD on “abilities of people with disability” is done and the resource poster will be finished and in two venues in each of the two villages. That means it’s time for me to move on and allow local people sustain it all as much as possible.

Berty's birthday

So, to that end this month is busy with all the follow up of the volunteers, yesterday being a day of hearing how they made out in their meetings with people in their village, and us helping them understand the resources available for the people who expressed desires for change in their lives or that of their child.

Beach at Wini

One such possibility we are helping them to follow up on is a man who had polio as a youth, now married with a family, but with no use of his legs who is mobile by using his arms to propel himself along the ground. He has been making money my building door and window frames, does not want mobility aids but does want better tools to do more of his carpentry work. He does not want to go off the island for extensive training as he has a family to support. On investigation we have learned there is the possibility of a sponsored 3 month training in Kupang, an hour and a half from the village, and at the end he would get the tools to carry on his carpentry work more efficiently. I sure hope this comes to fruition and hopefully will know before I leave.

Breakfast in the garden

Another is a young girl who is mentally challenged and also physically and her parents want her to receive some education. We have confirmed she can come to boarding school in Kupang and the fee is within the means of the family as it is a government-supported school.

I’m also busy trying to remember to take photos of the everyday sights that I don’t want to forget, but have become such a part of everyday life I forget they will soon fade from memory. A couple of videos taken while on the back of Berty’s motorbike should prove fun to watch some day!

Wini sunset

Dinner at Wini Beach

So, there will be a couple of more posts from Indonesia before I depart on July 10^th.

Berty at market

We've also had Berty's birthday celebration with dinner, carrot cake baked by Angela and great music from a friend's guitar.

Also a visit from a CUSO volunteer working on another island along with his girlfriend visiting from Canada. 6 of us, including my former CUSO volunteer housemate Nelly rented a car and driver and went for an overnight trip up island to a village and beach named Wini. It was mountain driving all the way, so winding narrow roads. A good trip and excellent souvenir shopping at a shop sellling weavings from a local women's group. We started with a lovely breakfast at Angela and Morton's in the back garden then off we went for a full day of driving. Great dinner at the beach when we arrived - fresh fish, of which I'm getting loads of these days.

Also, on the way to the village this week we stopped and Berty bought fresh fish - cleaned on purchase, to offer to the family and have for our lunch during our visit/meeting with the local volunteers. Grilled to perfection - the fish, not the volunteers!

So, there will be only a couple of more posts from Indonesia before I depart on July 10^th but I'm sure a few more stories to go!