Persiapan Pengungsiang - Evacution Preparation

We are into the dry season now, with strong winds many days or often just at night - varies. I am noticing a distinct change in temperature - humidity way down and evening temps are very nice for sitting out as long as I have mosquitoe spray on although they aren't bad but they are still around. In January asnd February I couldn't imagine not having a fan on me even to sit and do computer work but haven't had the fan on for the last two weeks! It's still hot but so much easier as long as I'm out of the sun.
There was a bit of excitement around our house as we have a big undeveloped space across the road and due to dry and wind, a small fire, probably someone burning rubbish, was soon a big fire and coming directly toward the house. The whole neighbourhood was in our front and kids hanging off our fence to get a good look, which was pretty scary to see as with the wind whipping the flames we were in direct route and it was to the edge of our road. A neighbour came over and started talking to me - me using the language best I could, so a good way to meet the women of the neighbourhood!

from the front door

As I was texting Anna at work that I might be evacuating, a "fire truck" came along with what looked like real firemen, hose and all but not as much water as they needed as the truck was small. When they ran out, off they went but soon back with 2 trucks! Soon all under control but I had been outside with my door open so now I had loads of ash and black soot inside to deal with. Our balcony out back was covered too, so lots of cleanup.
The good part was, it caused Anna and I to do our emergency evacuation bags up as we should have anyway, mostly for earthquake evac, but maybe for our location, it might be fire as now across from us it is really dry tinder and long grass - perfect conditions for another fire. My backpack has the essentials I think according to the list VSO gave us so am ready to run!!

Fire escapee?

I have just hosted one of my fellow volunteers from Flores Island for two days as she was here on a technical sharing visit on clean water with some local folks I put her in touch with. She was also a great wealth of knowledge about volunteering and sharing skills in Indonesia as she has been here for 2 years and is now on her way home to Canada on Sunday. She is from Toronto so lucky me, I have another courier, only this time going the other way. Sending a couple of small birthday presents home for son Lee and granddaughter Claudia. Don will mail from To as mailing from here is crazy expensive and really slow! Feels quite cool knowing that she will meet Don and be a "connector".

Alana and Chris- clean water consult

Just walked to the market to get tomatoes and eggplant and pciked up some coconut shells to start on some crafting of souvenirs. Yes friends who know me! Crafts!!!! We'll see what I can turn out and the shells are free!

Salamat sore teman-teman
Good evening friends

Kerja di Laut - Work at the Sea

stone collecting

stone harves

time to play

sort

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!

Empat Bulan - Six Months!

Empat Bulan - Six Months

Well, 6 months have passed since I arrived in Indonesia and so many experiences, so many emotions, so much help and support to make good decisions. Again, a big thanks to you - you know who you are!

Just thought I’d do a review of my day - there is no average day - my saying with Berti is “every day is a mystery in Indonesia”. I sent a text message to one of my regular, careful ojek drivers last evening to book him for 8:30 this morning. Neither of them speak English so need to be careful of my wording or he will come in the evening! Or the wrong day. Got up this morning, did my short yoga on the mat that stays on the floor at the end of my bed so as to remind me, turned on my phone in case the ojek cancels (which he did - he wasn’t feeling well) sent a message to second ojek and turned on my computer. Had a “bath” dumping room temp water over me in the bathroom, always feels good as I’m usually pretty warm.

Got dressed, got my cereal -coconut museli from Bali that I hoard and use sparingly, make my tea and skyped with friend Susan.

Then off to the office - worked on a proposal for a small grant from VSO to hold a two day workshop in Oelomin village on disability inclusion, and to hear from the other organizations I hope to link to the village forming a good network of support and services from government and a member run NGO that I talked about last Blog.

Needed the bank to to do a fund transfer to reimburse my housemate for the rent on our new home so one of the staff drove me on her bike then took me home after and I worked on finishing the proposal.

Went for a walk in my new neighbourhood, found the large market - pasar - is walking distance, just not in the heat of midday. Went looking for a kiosk that had ability to scan my tax information that needs to get to the accoutant at home - 3rd try found one that had a working computer. Most of this type of service including internet booths, are small owner operated shops and frequent along most side roads. Was able to get my message across of what I needed and had him email me the docs. Now I am home I see they didn’t arrive so will go back tomorrow to see what the problem is. Should have looked over his shoulder.

I saw goats grazing on the side of the road - a frequent sight as owner just stake them here and there, whever the grass is long then move them home in the evening. Lots of garbage and a big sin reading “Kupang Green and Clean”. Plastic is everywhere and used so much and garbage is just slung off the side of roads. There are big bins along each street but not everyone uses them and when they do get used, the overflow with help from the dogs  take it everywhere.
People smile and we exchange greetings, young boys call out “Hello Mister” and I stop and let them know they have it wrong and tell them my name - Mrs Pam or Ibu Pam.
Finished with a call from Berti letting me know the provincial office person who we met a few weeks ago and the NGO PERSANI (disabled persons organization) wants to have a meeting Saturday at 4 pm. I asked for some agenda or reason for the meeting and she “thinks” it’s probably to talk about planning us all to go to the village to see the people who we think they could  help. It is so interesting and what gives me trouble is that I go to meetings usually with little idea of the purpose until I get into the meeting and then sometimes not if it’s all in Indonesian. So, we will go and then we will know! (update now that it is a week gone by and this not loaded! Meeting was about picking my brain on fundraising ideas for PERSANI) There ya go, mystery solved. Had to do some on the spot thinking but I believe I had a few ideas.

I do hope the baby who lives just below our balcony in the row housing gets soothed soon, for his sake and mine! He’s been crying for a long time! Not too much quiet most of the time.

So that’s today - with my friends Anglea and Morten coming for dinner - squash and sweet potatoe soup - vegetables and fresh garlic, ginger and turmeric bought yesterday at the market. They leave for a 3 week holiday so this will be beer and soup bon voyage.

Since it has been a week of trying to get enough internet signal to load this here's an update. My house warming gift from Angela and Morten was a  shower attachment to my tap in my bathroom! Just have to go outside and turn on the jet pump and I have a working shower!!! Sorry, no photos this time - won't load.

Berbeda Membuat? - Making a Difference?

bedroom up the ladder

This title is another one of those bad translations “Pam style!” apologies to Indonesian linguists.

A few bits from the last week include a great weekend visiting the island of Alor, a short 50 minute plane ride in a small prop carrying about 50 people max. We stayed at a place on a tiny island, 5 minute boat ride from the main island at a place owned by a French family called La Petite Kapan. It is set up along the lines of local types of housing, cabins as well as traditional housing, in which my 5 friends and I stayed. I had one to myself as we were odd numbers and on first sight I was a little hesitent to be alone but once heading to bed, found it to be a fantastic accommodation, waves lapping on the shore through the night in front of my “house”.

my "cabin" at La Petite Kapan

This is a dive destination and the family runs dives daily and is the main draw there but I enjoyed lying in my hammock, drinking coffee, swimming often in the totally clear water, going for walks to more beaches with not a soul on them. Once there was a lone fisherman out in the water spear fishing it’s that clear. We ate fresh fish, and lots of delicious dishes to go with it. So great to have these spots to go to, reasonably priced and accessible.

tall women in Bemo on Alor

On the work front it has been pretty active with some rewarding work. One of the first young persons we interviewed/assessed in the village was a 20 year old who looked like he perhaps had polio when he was 13 - later confirmed when we saw the doctor report. He laid in bed for 4 years with no further education than his elementary schooling, due to lots of mobility problems but at age 17 went to the city 45 minutes away for rehab and therapy which helped him to regain strength in his upper body but still walking with great difficulty, around the home mostly, home consisting of a bedroom and sitting room and living with his grandparents. He went to the fields with them on occasion but felt helpless in this land of farming with all manual labour.

Once we had connected with the provincial social services department and a local Disabled Persons Organization as part of our networking we learned he might qualify for 2 years of educational upgrading, including learning a trade and assistance to find employment when returned home. All training would take place on another island, a fair distance by plane but all paid for by the Social Services Dept. The hitch was the next intake had a deadline 2 days after we learned of it. Boy, did Berti and I scramble, calling the village head to immediately get all the family assessbled as this would be a family decision, then to take a representative of the volunteer disabled persons organization to explain it to everyone as one peer to another. The woman we took had very limited mobility due to a bad accident a few years ago.

Family decision: LtoR:village head, young man

shelling peas - 3 generations

Then to get a physical exmination and doctor report, letter from the village head, approvals signed by the young man, and his father, passport type photos of him and of his disability, photocopies of it all, etc etc!! Seemed monumemtal to me but with the guidance of the village head and the volunteer who came with us, all was accomplished between Thursday and the following Monday and papers into the provincial department responsible for the programme. Whew! The young man, who was initially reluctant to talk to us is thrilled, the village leadership now knows there are such programmes and a connection to services and supports has begun for this village. Our job is to strengthen this connection and have a local person designated to keep track of disabilities and keep updated on services and support programmes availalbe. This is just one man, one village, but it’s a start. More to go, but the most important thing is, we have begun.
While waiting for the village head to arrive I had the fun of shelling beans, looked like black eyed peas and black beans to me but with the same shell - with grandma and her granddaughter. Grandma was a bit perplexed at me sitting on the floor with them and thought I just wanted a photo op as after the photo kept trying to have me get up but it was fun so I stayed with it til we finished the tray. I’m sure they have bags full in the back room. Never idle hands!

(Just got a text from Berti as I'm writing this Blog that he has been approved and leaves end of May for the Makasar). We are so excited for him.

Moved into my new digs yesterday with my housemate Anna. Saw the most magnificent sunset from our balcony overlooking the sea tonight! Well, 5:30-6 pm so not really night, just dark!

Oh Yes - rode my motor bike from Anglea and Morten's to my new him today - an easy short ride and arrived successfully. Will keep on going now.

sea and sunset from the balcony

All for now - hope you enjoy and all of you are keeping hale and hearty

Desa Oelomin - Oelomin Village

This week had me back in Oelomin for a day of visiting a couple of more people who have disability as indentified by the "Kapala Desa" or Village Head. He is the man with many responsibilities running and guiding the operations of a village of about 350 people. He provided a list of people with disabilitites to Berti when I was early on in my placement. On this day we saw him in his office to ask official permission to go ahead and start visiting people. When we sat down in the office Berti turned to me and told me to ask for the permission in Indonesian and caught me by surprise as so often happens here.

Mama trying on Berti's glasses for fun!

I stumbled my way through and we sent on our way with his thanks and blessing.

First we went to a family where the 4 year old girl was reported to have mobility problems but on arrival, saw her playing and walking with no problem. We politely visitied with her mother for a while, me trying to get the little girl to dance or play with me so that we could really look for  her mobility problem but her shyness kept her back although my dancing brought a smile to her face! We did decide the Kapala Desa did not quite have an up to date list! So from then on Berti asked other people who she has worked with in the village for updates to the list and we think we have much better detail now.

visiting in the family living room

We did visit a woman of 32 who has severe mobility challenges and following a fever and pain in 2004, was left in bed for quite a while and now has weakness in her legs and walks bent at the waist. We want to try to have her assessed as we aren't sure if this was polio or something else.
She cooks for the family, her mother and father, sister and her small child and her own daughter who is now 8 years old. she also works in the garden where they have produce for the family and for taking to market in Kupang, a 60 minute  ride away by the rickety crowded bemo bus. Her sister has that chore!

family home

The whole family lives in a one room bamboo hut and their living room is the front yeard where we visited. When they saw us coming someone ran into the house and brought out the usual plastic chairs and they served us sweet coffee. Her Elderly mother and father sat under the tree after bringing some produce we wanted to buy from their plots of veggies - fresh picked casava leaves and papaya flowers as well.

village traditional dance competition

Then as we walked back to Berti's motor bike we spotted some fruit for sale on the roadside and called to the house for someone to sell us some. Turned out to be guava and she sold it by a big bowl full. Quite small fruit but really high in vitamin C. Then we  squeezed it all into our day packs and hang the extra bag off the hook on the front of the bike and headed home!
The papaya flowers got soaked in salt to reduce theri bitter flavour and stir fried with the casava leaves, garlic, onion and of course hot chiles. Delicious! or Sedap! in Indonesian.

take care all - talk to you again soon.

elders enoying traditional dance competition

Hidup dan Kematian - Life and Death

sprinkle donuts!

(Just spotted this! It looks like this one never got posted so although old from February, I will post it anyway!)
Where to start? When one is on the roller coaster, start and finish seem to blur, thus my question here! Life certainly feels like a roller coaster, with ups and downs coming at breakneck speed. It feels like I’ve had more downs than ups these last couple of weeks but one "feel good day" can outweigh a few of the others so far.
SO for a re-cap of one of those "up" days.
I went another village on the back of Berti’s bike - a ride of just over an hour through lovely lush green lined roads, and through a very crowded market lining the sides of the road - it might have been a village - hard to tell as things seem to blend together the first time I experience them. Big trucks laden with vegetables, bags of rice and fruit and trucks loaded with people in the back; others with their goods to sell at market such as wooden beds and other furniture of regular household variety. It is amazing how much can be stuffed onto the back of a truck! and these are ric

rice separator

kety rusted out vehicles usually. So, at times we crawled along behind, waiting for our opportunity to scoot past on our little Suzuki.
By the time we arrived at the village office my back and behind were feeling the strain of sitting on the back and the very rough road into the village. I was introduced to the village secretary and administrator, saw their data on the village population all charted hanging on the wall and another chart of very detailed information on pregnant women in the village, their location, date of expected term and any other information needed as part of ther “Alert Villages” programme to be ready to assist with blood bank - a call goes out for fresh blood at the moment it is needed and they know who to look for; transportation to hospital - who will be called as most do not have a vehicle; and how much money might be needed for any related costs like transportation and medication.  All neatly recorded on little yellow stickie notes but very official and impressive!
Then on to meet a woman who is the local facilitator for the Alert programme - she encourages women to go to hospital vs. staying at home and having a local midwife  - this has reduced maternal deaths to the point that there are no deaths from childbirth in this last year - quite an impressive statistic as this was not the case in the past, when local remedies and limited supports were available when complications arose.

rice transport

Her family were there to greet us - right down from grandmother to great granddaughter who was turning one the next day. We were invited to stay for lunch and also to see their garden of herbs and various fruit trees - they sent us home with fresh limes and bananas. They very much appreciated my interest in the garden and I’m sure they didn’t realize what a treat it was for me to walk around it and learn how they used some of their herbs for healing and cooking and the names of their trees. Felt like home.

Food is cooked in a separate small buiding at the back of their house. A lovely, warm welcoming family. Berti warned me not to eat too much as we would be fed at every stop and you never know how many stops there will be! Then on to the next woman who also is influential in the village. Her husband runs a rice cleaning business - removing the husks, separating rice from the shell - which has been a huge success in this area of rice growing. Local people come to him rather than treck their bags a greater distance and then the separated rice back! Some of it to sell, some to eat themselves. People bring huge bags of dried rice right out from the fields on the motor bike -- quite the sight.

Here we received fresh roasted peanuts, sweet rice goodies wrapped in banana leaf and if you can believe it - sprinkle topped donuts!!! Yes, Western food has reached Timor! How sad.
Berti learned most people were out in the fields this day as it was rice planting time and it’s all hands on deck for this manual work. Google and read up on it, it’s fascinating! I’m sure most of us could not put in this kind of day, morning to dark, and they have everyone able out there from the adult community right up to grandparents well into 70’s and 80’s.

tree pruning Timor style out my kitchen window

So we started to head out as we wanted to be home before dark but as we started a small group of people were coming toward us from the rice field and Berti learned they needed to head home early as their father had died at noon and they just received the word - SMS is great! So Berti felt she needed to pay her respects so around we turned and followed these people home, where they washed up to go to grandpa’s house where the wake would be held for 2-3 days. We were told he was prepared already, tarps had been erected in the outdoors of the home so there would be places under cover of rain and sun for visitors. Before going, we were served lovely warm watermelon. The usual sweet tea accompanies most food.

Then we all set off on foot up a long hill - it was hot! And went in to pay our respects and grandfather was laid out in his full traditional village garb of colorful sarong, head wrap and sandals and shirt. He looked very peaceful and not what I expected. I was quite prepared for I don’t know what, but was ready to be shocked. Not at all!
Sat and visited for the proper amount of time then off we headed home. By the time I arrived, my back was screaming - must work on those stomach muscles!! (that will be my next Blog story)
Well friends and family, it is February and I’m still standing - rode my motor bike to work 4 days in a row but not venturing too far from home yet. One step at a time - one day at a time!
Thanks for reading!!!

Hidup Baru - New Life!

It is almost three weeks since my last post and I thank all of you checking up on me during that time - including a reminder from Kelsey telling me my Blog is getting lonely!! So, here I am!
As you see on the title this time it's a new life and indeed it is. I have turned a corner, taken control, relied on local friendship and had the ability to take pleasure in some fun.

Under the full moon Sureya Island, Flores

On return from Bali, re-worked my working schedule and set some targets with colleagues. I immediately moved in with friends Angela and Morten who have taken me under their Irish/Welsh wings, fed me well and housed me in their lovely home.

Soon after, it was Easter which is celebrated and recognized more than I've seen anywhere else. Large crosses on street corners, many church services and for many of us 5 or 6 days of vacation. So I joined 5 other VSO volunteers on the island of Flores for fun in the sun in Labuon Bajo, a seaside town and dive centre. We shared two to a room in a budget hotel which was quite adequate, took a boat to another island with white sand beach, stayed there a night and celebrated the Easter time on the beach under the full moon - we shared our cultures of how Easter is in Uganda,

Beach in front of our cottage on Flores with Sarah

Philipines, Netherlands and Canada. We played music, swam and snorkelled then boated back to town for the remainder of the ddays off, eating our way through town, all the food stuff we can't find in our placements as this is a tourist place but still with its local feel. Such fun!! Cost you ask? Shared room about $8 Ca per person. Fresh fish dinner - saw them bring the fish in - about $6.

Yesli & Berti Practicing Assessment Interview skills

Home of first girl and her family

Girl in foreground, siblings & Mom & Berti

Back to Kupang where I gave a workshop for staff on Assessment Interviewing, getting us ready to start meeting people in the villages who have disability of some sort. The next day I was off with my colleague Berti to Oelomin Village and we met with a girl of 12 with her mother, and talked about education possibilites that the family want for her but not sure how to get her into school for special needs in Kupang. So, we will be following up on that. The other was a young man of 19 who probably had polio at age 13 and was paralyzed in his legs and has now regained some strength due to some rehab but still unable to walk any distance due to his weakness. He laid in his bed from age 13-17. His was tough to interview and most uncommunicative but with me feeding Berti some ideas that she ran with, she got him to open up that he has an interest in small electronic repair. This may also open some doors as we try to follow up some possibilities. This week we are back at it again and will review how to open interviews and assess, using a conversational method.

Then, this weekend it was off to a small island again by a little single stroke engine boat with some contract folks working here in Kupang we call the Friday night crowd as we gather many times on Friday night for social time and speaking English. One of the crowd is going back to Germany so food and beverages on board, off to Semao Island we went, swam from the boat ashore and hung out on the beach, hitting the water to cool off. Swam back to the boat at the end of the day and very proud of my swimming, which I've never really tested like that. A sunset to die for as we returned, although the wind had picked up and challenged us on the return voyage. We had waves pouring over us at times, but these people here are so used to the waters, we trusted our skipper with our lives!

Boat to  Sureya Island, Flores

cottages on Sureya, Flores

Big news is I have rented a house with another woman who is working with CARE. It has 3 bedrooms, loads of living space, huge balcony looking out to the sea, fully furnished and an area I think I can

our boat offshore on Kupang Island trip

make into a workable kitchen. It has a view of the sea that is unbelievable as we are on a hill and an area close to many of our Friday night gang, including Angela and Morten. We move in May 1st all going well with the lease signing. We have made a deposit so hopefully that a good sign. Yearly cost? $3500 Ca.





So, yes, New Life - Hidup Baru! I'm feeling happy and feeling useful. Wow, what more can a person ask for? And, I have room for visitors for anyone looking for a holiday in Indonesia.