Everyone was out of bed quickly this morning, as we needed to pack all our bags before the 8 o’clock Sunday morning village mass. You could tell who the more organised people were this morning as they managed to have breakfast before mass.
Once again the mass was a traditional Timorese mass, consisting of lots of beautiful hymns and celebrated by Fr Bert and Fr Peter. Apart from some meaningful introductions about the purpose of our visit by Fr Peter, the mass was in Tetum. Although some were tired, we pushed through the long and devout mass. Towards the end Fr Bert thanked us for our stay and wished us many blessings for our future endeavours. This was incredibly humbling for all of us. At this stage it was hard for us to comprehend the meaning that our visit had on the people we have met.
Our grasp on their appreciation towards us became much more real when we had to say goodbye. Almost everyone that came out of church tried to shake hands with all of us but this was the easy part. Many of us we had developed incredibly strong connections with the people we had met. Departure meant lots of tears and most people tried to capture this relationship with one last photo together, so that they would never be forgotten. Hopefully we can be reunited with the many Railaco friendships we have made – Sr Rita, Fr Phuong, Fr Bert, Br JP and Fr Bong, the students and the children who we would play with each afternoon who lived nearby.
We wiped away the tears (especially Vanda, Rachel, Tanya and Emily J) and continued to Dili, this time in a much more comfortable 22 seater bus even with air conditioning. As we neared Dili, we arrived at a tourist pilgrimage. It had many flights of stairs which led to a statue of Pope Jean Paul which commemorates his visit to East Timor in 1989. We were overwhelmed by yet another glorious view of the coast of Timor Leste.
We arrived at the Timor Lodge by early afternoon and after settling into our rooms, we then met at the restaurant for some warm Italian pizza. After consuming our food we had some down time to sit and relax. Some of us caught up on sleep, some had a swim in the pool or stayed inside the restaurant area watching television. Others partook in an experience of which our parents would be proud - hand washing our clothes in preparation for the next part of our journey.
At 4.15pm we travelled past the city shops and buildings and drove to Dili’s most iconic beach ‘White Sands’. At the far end we got out and made a long strenuous hike up the steep incline of stairs to a statue of Cristo Rei “Christ the King”. It was apparently a gift from Indonesia during the Indonesian occupation, in an unsuccessful effort to win over the East Timorese loyalty. The hike was well worth it, as the view of the beautiful transparent ocean contrasting with the city of Dili was just sublime. The statue of Cristo Rei looked across the ocean to the centre of Dili. After taking photos, we made our way down into the bus.
Dinner was at a small Thai/Asian style restaurant, ‘Little Pattaya’ chosen by Isabella – Minister of Social Services our special guest for dinner, a friend of Fr Peter. The restaurant filled our stomachs with delicious food, and the view of the amazing sunset just made the night that little bit better. After dinner we slowly made our way to the Lodge and most of us going straight to bed.
Tomorrow will be the start of a new week for us, marking halfway through our immersion adventure so far. Personally we all have been missing the company of our families the last few days, and maybe that’s why a lot of us found it hard to let go of the Railaco relationships we had made. Since the first day we met during the formation weekend a month ago, all of us students and teachers have begun to form a very special bond. We can call each other more than just immersionistas or friends or Australians, but a family. We’re all looking forward to what the week shall bring to us.
Harry Stannard and Nicholas Tsekouras
Once again the mass was a traditional Timorese mass, consisting of lots of beautiful hymns and celebrated by Fr Bert and Fr Peter. Apart from some meaningful introductions about the purpose of our visit by Fr Peter, the mass was in Tetum. Although some were tired, we pushed through the long and devout mass. Towards the end Fr Bert thanked us for our stay and wished us many blessings for our future endeavours. This was incredibly humbling for all of us. At this stage it was hard for us to comprehend the meaning that our visit had on the people we have met.
Our grasp on their appreciation towards us became much more real when we had to say goodbye. Almost everyone that came out of church tried to shake hands with all of us but this was the easy part. Many of us we had developed incredibly strong connections with the people we had met. Departure meant lots of tears and most people tried to capture this relationship with one last photo together, so that they would never be forgotten. Hopefully we can be reunited with the many Railaco friendships we have made – Sr Rita, Fr Phuong, Fr Bert, Br JP and Fr Bong, the students and the children who we would play with each afternoon who lived nearby.
We wiped away the tears (especially Vanda, Rachel, Tanya and Emily J) and continued to Dili, this time in a much more comfortable 22 seater bus even with air conditioning. As we neared Dili, we arrived at a tourist pilgrimage. It had many flights of stairs which led to a statue of Pope Jean Paul which commemorates his visit to East Timor in 1989. We were overwhelmed by yet another glorious view of the coast of Timor Leste.
We arrived at the Timor Lodge by early afternoon and after settling into our rooms, we then met at the restaurant for some warm Italian pizza. After consuming our food we had some down time to sit and relax. Some of us caught up on sleep, some had a swim in the pool or stayed inside the restaurant area watching television. Others partook in an experience of which our parents would be proud - hand washing our clothes in preparation for the next part of our journey.
At 4.15pm we travelled past the city shops and buildings and drove to Dili’s most iconic beach ‘White Sands’. At the far end we got out and made a long strenuous hike up the steep incline of stairs to a statue of Cristo Rei “Christ the King”. It was apparently a gift from Indonesia during the Indonesian occupation, in an unsuccessful effort to win over the East Timorese loyalty. The hike was well worth it, as the view of the beautiful transparent ocean contrasting with the city of Dili was just sublime. The statue of Cristo Rei looked across the ocean to the centre of Dili. After taking photos, we made our way down into the bus.
Dinner was at a small Thai/Asian style restaurant, ‘Little Pattaya’ chosen by Isabella – Minister of Social Services our special guest for dinner, a friend of Fr Peter. The restaurant filled our stomachs with delicious food, and the view of the amazing sunset just made the night that little bit better. After dinner we slowly made our way to the Lodge and most of us going straight to bed.
Tomorrow will be the start of a new week for us, marking halfway through our immersion adventure so far. Personally we all have been missing the company of our families the last few days, and maybe that’s why a lot of us found it hard to let go of the Railaco relationships we had made. Since the first day we met during the formation weekend a month ago, all of us students and teachers have begun to form a very special bond. We can call each other more than just immersionistas or friends or Australians, but a family. We’re all looking forward to what the week shall bring to us.
Harry Stannard and Nicholas Tsekouras