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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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. 
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!