Rock and Roll Star

Hey Everyone,

So this week has been pretty easy going. I've been planning classes and preparing to write a grant for CDB, but for the most part life has been pretty slow. I will say however I am extremely excited to go to Dili in a couple of weeks because I plan on picking up a Guitar which will be very fun to learn. I've been wanting to learn guitar for a while, so I decided since I have a lot of downtime here that I'd pick one up. Beyond that I'm planning on picking up the kindle one of the PC staff is picking up in Australia (thanks again if you're reading this!). I also heard from a couple people that they liked to see the quotes from last week, so I'll add a couple more here for you all to check out.

I was goaded by the pro-independence fighters. One man said to me, ''Autonomy has lost... You must give us your home and land because our homes have been burned by your friends." I answered, "My house and land aren't political, people are political. If you want a house find an empty government building, I won't give up my home." I was attacked by the man's son and friends who broke into my house. They tried to get me out: "Leave quietly. If you don't we'll strip you naked and throw you in the fire." I reported the incident to Interfet... ...but after they left, my house was taken apart, all my plates and glasses were smashed and my furniture, cupboards and wardrobes, were taken. For whom I don't know. I let it happen because these are the consequences of struggle.

~Fernanda dos Reis Araujo Vila Verde, Dili District, 1999

After attacking Manuel Carrascalao's house on 25th April 1999, the militia accused my son of keeping weapons and arrested him. We were taken to the Caicoli Village Office. I watched them beat my son and others from RT 1 Caicoli till they were a bloody mess. Some were stabbed. Some were in so much pain they cried to die. I was so upset I screamed at them to kill them rather than continuing the torture. We were both released that afternoon but others were not. Around May 1999 the TNI found an apelo (a Falantil donor's card) in a friend's home. They asked who had given her the card and she said I had. The TNI took me to the Babinsa in Caicoli village. They mocked me by saying that a woman is of no use in politics, can never become a leader and could only ever be a servant in the forest for Falintil. In other words my only use was as a Falantil concubine.

~Fernanda Soares Liquica and Dili Districts, 1976-1999

These are some extremely powerful stories and are humbling when I think about the ease to which I can live my own life in this time of relative peace. I just hope that these stories can help others gain a better understanding of the struggle the people of Timor have gone through. Because although these are historical accounts, the effect the war had on the people of Timor is real and something that will have a ripple effect for generations to come.

To bring it back to a lighter topic I was able to find the garlic bread in the pictures below a few weeks ago, and that was a wonderful surprise to find here in the land of rice and cassava leaves. I also found this Disney garlic which I think was a wonderful move by the Disney cooperation 😂. These small things keep me feeling chipper when the stress of working in another country weighs on me. I've also found an arcade out here in Baucau which was a cool thing to find, so I can only hope to find time to visit it soon.  I haven't been to a legitimate arcade for years even living in the States!

Well this has been a good stress reliever today, I look forward to writing up the next blog post. Before I sign off though I want to bring attention to the last photo I posted and tell a short story. A week ago I was walking back home from work as usual thinking about if I wanted to pick-up some apple's at the Loja down the street or not. It then hit me that I had never looked up on this path home for the last 3 months I've been here. So upon looking up I discovered a sight that was as eye opening as it was breath taking. I saw Foho Matebian (or the Mountain of the Spirits of the Long dead) it was named this because of the Timorese that were killed there during the resistance fighting. I will link to a blog I found from a Timorese describing the stories he heard as a child (http://karaudikur.blogspot.com/2017/07/foho-matebian-my-favorite-stories.html). So as I do always I'll talk to you later and leave you all with this.

Grit is that 'extra something' that separates the most successful people from the rest. It's the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality.

~Travis Bradberry

Much Love,

~BW

Community Visits

Hey everyone,

So the reason there are so many pictures here is because I had an exhilarating adventure with my work. We took a trip out to some of the Eastern communities we work with and I was blown away by the beautiful scenery and the wonderful people we met. The trip itself took about 3 hours to the point where we would have to go off to each community of which we visited 5. All together the trip took the entire day and required a lot of walk, climbing and traversing uneven (rocky) terrain. I was extremely tired by the end of it, but glad to have gone through that experience since it gave me a lot of insight into the work my organization is going with the communities in East Baucau.  Thankfully we were able to make it back home before it got dark, but the trip was a long one.

This week I also helped one of one of the fellow volunteers in the breakfast club with a computer issue trying to get a printer driver to work over internet speeds slower than DSL. It was a fun challenge, but the food I had there was some of the best I've had in a while (Thanks for the food B, you're an incredible cook!).  I've also been trying to work on some computers here without having the appropriate equipment, which has become somewhat of an interesting challenge. However, I can't wait until my tools get here from the states.

This week was wrought with highs and lows, which is something you should expect if you're planning on joining the PC. It may seem obvious, but imagining yourself lower than you may have ever been is an important thing to think about.  It's also a good exercise for anyone who is about to go through a challenging period in their lives. Are you someone who doesn't handle sickness well? Are you someone who would give up when things get bad? Do you thrive in the dirt? Being able to make sure that you won't give up in the face of difficulty is important to being able to finish a challenge. One thing I can say though is that the PC will stretch your tolerance to uncomfortable and difficult situations.  

I've been behind in my posts recently which has been for a lot of reasons, but just know that I don't plan on stopping this blog. So if you check this regularly or have been wondering why I haven't posted yet, just know I will be putting something out soon enough. I can't wait to see you all again, so until next time I'll leave you with this.

We are a nation of communities... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky. 

~George H. W. Bush

Much love,
~BW

Repairing an Uma Adat

Hey All,

So today was a pretty exciting day, because I got to help repair the Uma Adat next to my house. After Mass I came home and was told everyone is going next door to work on our neighbors house. The house we were working on wasn't the main house that everyone lives in though, but instead a cultural building some houses have. 

I was extremely privileged to be able to work on and see the repair of an Uma Adat in my village. It was interesting to see that they didn't use exact measurements when repairing parts of the house, but instead created references from the existing wall using bamboo. The pictures below show a bit of the process and this opportunity gave me the ability to see what most foreigners wouldn't see in this community. I hope for any prospective Peace corps volunteers that this will be fuel for the passion that is encouraging you on your way.

Apart from the building I found myself being nervous about the upcoming test on the Tetun language. After I found myself this way though I thought about all the progress I've made in the past couple months, and now I'm feeling pretty confident about how this test will go. This isn't just isolated to myself though, I believe we all have these time's in our lives. So I encourage you, when you are nervous about a goal you have for the future. That you look back on what drove you towards that goal in the first place, and all the progress you have made towards the goal you're apprehensive about. Let the feeling of pride in what you've accomplished, fuel the fire beneath your feet. On the other hand if your nerves are well founded, then let that nervousness not be an obstacle, but instead be the motivation you need to bring yourself to a better place. 

On another note I decided to take a picture of my lunch since people were asking what I eat. I'll probably continue doing this until someone tells me to stop, or if I forget about it. 😂 Regardless I look forward to seeing you all in the future, and hope this has helped fuel your day, week and life. Until next time, I'll leave you with this.

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself."

~Groucho Marx

Much love,

~BW

Insect Attack

Hey all,

I had a traumatic experience last night involving a large hissing beetle and my ability to sleep. Everything is fine however, I was able to sleep and I slowly but surely moved forward with my desire to kill all insects that fly, sting and bite. Overall I'm actually pretty excited for next week since next Wednesday we will be going to Dili for our swearing in. This Saturday we will be throwing our host families a party to celebrate our time with the, which is bittersweet in a way. For one I'm happy to be moving on into my service, but I'm also going to miss my host family here. I suppose that just goes to represent how deep of a relationship I will have with my permanent host family.

I hope you all know how much it means to have the support I've received from all of you. I've been slowly reading the letter's I received before leaving, and they give me the reassurance that I can help the people here in some way. Most importantly though I hope you all get to receive as much cultural exposure from Timor, as I hope they feel I have given to them. The trip so far has felt like forever, but the journey has only just begun. I am going to head to bed now, but if any of you have a suggestion for how I can better express the culture here, please comment below. I check the comments all the time and I love hearing from friends and family. Until then, I'll leave you with this.

"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."
~John Wooden

Much love,
~BW

Rambunctious Rambutans

Hey All,

The holidays are over and this week is test week for us TL9's. By that I'm referring to the mid-training mock LPI we have tomorrow. It will basically be a test of how well we can speak on basic topics. It'll be fun, and I'm sure a good way to see what all we need to work on.

I had trouble really coming up with an idea for today, but I was able to take the picture below of a rambutan. We had a cousin of it at my going away party if you were there, and they taste great! 

I also took the other pictures using a filter program I'll probably use when I'm bored lol. If you have any ideas for topics let me know, otherwise I'll talk to you later! Also I'm working on the forum idea, hopefully it will be up soon, I'll leave you with this till then!

"Don't criticize what you can't understand." 

~Bob Dylan

Much love, 

~BW

Going to the Farm

Hey Everyone!

It's been a couple days since I took this picture, but it was of a farm near my host family. We walked there to see what one of the family farms looks like.  It was a great walk and the experience let me test my linguistic skills so that was a plus. If you are given a similar opportunity in your PST (assuming you are reading this because you are in a similar place I am) I would recommend going with your family to the places they recommend.

 I've been meeting a few TL8's and they have all reaffirmed my conviction to see this commitment through to it's end.  I've been getting some more resources and stockpiling them for when I'm at site. I just got a Telemor SIM card in addition to the TT SIM I have. The Telemor plan I have gives me unlimited data so it's something I am taking advantage of until I leave for my permanent site. If you have any questions let me know and I'll try to make up a FAQ page or a blog post that answers them.  OK, I have to sleep so I'll leave you with this!

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. 

~Confucius

Much Love,

~BW