Sorry once again for the long gap between posts, but these last two weeks have been so busy that I've had little time to think about my post let alone type one out. That being said there have been a lot of goings on during IST that I'd love to talk about!
The first this that comes to mind is the Chega Exhibition, which if you ever find yourself in Timor- Leste I 100% endorse going to as it is a wealth of knowledge about the revolution of the Timorese people from the Indonesian occupation. Now you can always do your own research using the Chega books, which I also recommend, but one thing that I want to share are some of the stories that were on the wall in the exhibit.
On 13 September Commander 'B' of the Darah Merah Militia came for my daughter, Ana, a pro-independence supporter. I tried to go too but they wouldn't let me. Before going Ana whispered, "Mama, 'B' has come for me. I will die for sure." I waited all day but she didn't return. About 5 o'clock ‘C’, a militiaman, showed up and said, "Mama, don't wait, she is dead." I didn't want to believe him and said, "Show me her body." He answered, "This is the first time I've seen Ermera people kill a woman." Witnesses told me she was raped then murdered. Someone else, who was with those that took Ana, told me that 'B' and his younger brother 'D' killed her. A few days later, on 5 November, one of my children, a Falintil commander, came with Ana's clothes. Her clothes were found in an unmarked grave in the middle of the Ermera forest.
These stories are hard to hear and heart wrenching to think about the pain that this country has endured not even a few decades ago. Some of the stories in this exhibit are pretty graphic, but if you guys would like me to post the other 3 I have just sound off in the comments. If any of you do get the opportunity to check out the whole exhibit though I fully encourage it.In 1977, as a social democrat Fretilin, I was arrested by another faction and locked for a week in a pigsty! In 1979 I was arrested in Ulu-Usu by battalion 202. About 500 of us Fretilin pioneers were imprisoned. Many had their throats cut. They clubbed us, kicked us and submerged us in a water tank. I was given electric shocks. In 1981 I was held again and electrocuted till unconscious. In 1983 I went to Military Police headquarters in Balide where I was hung upside down for five days. I still have leg problems. In 1983, 69 of us were sent to Kupang, only 14 returned. In 1984 we returned to Balide Prison. In 1986 I was in Becora Prison with a 3 years sentence. In 1992 I was locked in a dark cell for 3 months and tortured. In 1993, I was forced to swear an oath and to drink blood with youth from 13 districts. In 1994, 1987 and 1999 I was again arrested and tortured.
Another thing that happened during these last couple weeks was finding out that there is a group similar to the Boy Scouts of America here! I was extremely excited to see this since I was an active scout back in the day, and I'm looking forward to working with them and finding a way to connect their program with some scouts in the states. That being said if any of you know a scout who would be interested in getting their International Spirit Award, or similar badge I'd love to help! Just send me a comment or contact someone who can let me know and I'll work with you all to try and set up some activities.
Other than that the training was full of classes and useful information that was a good kickoff to the next nine months of my service. Out of it all though I think being able to spend time with my fellow PCV's was a great break from the work at site, and I look forward to being able to meet up with them all again soon. If you are reading this as a prospective PCV I cannot stress enough how important the bonds you will form with other PCV's will be to your sanity and ability to serve as effectively as possible. I may be forgetting to include a few things, but if you all have any questions to ask you know where to put them (down below), so I suppose I'll be leaving you all again until my next post. So until then, I'll leave you all with this.
"My belief is that we were put into this world of wonders and beauty with a special ability to appreciate them, in some cases to have the fun of taking a hand in developing them, and also in being able to help other people instead of overreaching them and, through it all, to enjoy life - that is, to be happy."
~Robert Baden-Powell
Much love,~BW
