Mr O’Brien says “Everything is fine and well, everyone is happy, healthy and already exhausted!”
We woke up from what, for some of us, felt like the best sleep ever after all the craziness of yesterday. At the Hotel California Restaurant breakfast comprised a buffet with eggs, my goreng noodles, Timorese sausages, and vegemite. After breakfast and a quick game of cards Mr O'Brien and Fr Hosking arrived with the hire bus, but without the bags for the Sydney crew. Air North had not packed them but promised to do so tomorrow. We went to the Resistance Museum. The Museum gave us information on all the war and conflicts in East Timor. We also saw a video that started off showing us what the East Timorese people do, but then showed us the Indonesian invasion and how their lives were turned upside down. We then set off to Dare for lunch with the Jesuits. On our way we drove across rocky, half broken roads and looked over the edges of cliffs as we went around bends. Luckily our driver, Mr O’Brien was fantastic and his skills were incredible. We arrived at the WW2 monument in Dare and saw lots of cheerful kids who were waiting to play soccer with another group from Canberra.
Zitu, the Jesuit who runs the farm arrived in a ute. We had to travel to the farm 10 at a time, which meant that some of us got to ride in the back of the ute. Fr Hosking and Mr O’Brien ensured we sat inside the cabin. As we arrived we got to walk around the beautiful hillside tracks as we waited for the other half. Some of us travelled up a slippery trail. We got sweaty and eventually got to our destination. Zitu was giving a talk about the work that has been going on. Now the Jesuits are trying to re-establish as an agricultural training college and Zitu and his staff are working together to do so. The Jesuits ran it during the Indonesian period but after independence worked with a local NGO who unfortunately had let it run down. After this introduction, lunch was served and it looked nice – a traditional Timorese meal. Salad, fish, rice in a woven package and chicken, with the head still attached. It was a filling and delicious meal. Zitu then took us across another challenging track to see the farm and the animals they have. The farm looks great, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
We got back to the Dare WW2 monument to see some kids playing skipping games and others playing with sticks and paper airplanes. From there it was back on the bus and we were off to the Tais market. The market was full of colourful bracelets, bands, scarves (Tais), blankets and plenty more. The people running the stalls would call us over and show us their products. Some would give a discounted price in hope that we would buy. We had to say ‘no’ to some people though as we only have a limited amount of money and we couldn’t help but feel bad every time we walked away. When we finished looking around we walked to the street to see a group of little kids playing soccer, so we decided to join in. We left the Tais markets and whilst on the bus talked about the various gifts and trinkets which would be given to family and friends.
We then had an hour break at the Hotel while we looked forward to dinner at Wasabi restaurant. Joining us was Isabel, a member of the East Timorese parliament and the Minister of Social Services. She was one of the six commissioners on the truth commission CAVR, and worked as a national director for the Red Cross. Prior to this she worked as a volunteer for Jesuit Refugee Service when Fr Hosking was country director. Dinner consisted of rice, chicken, satays and green curry, which the group enjoyed greatly. The dinner helped to break the ice and allowed us to get to know each other better. The bus ride back to Hotel California further assisted with the bonding, where many could continue the conversations. Back at the hotel Tanya led our Examen reviewing the day and set a standard for the rest of the group. With this conclusion each room divided up to get ready for Railaco and a well needed rest.
Please remember that the internet is periodic here so updates may not be every day and we are very busy!
Callum Bremer and William Cooper
We woke up from what, for some of us, felt like the best sleep ever after all the craziness of yesterday. At the Hotel California Restaurant breakfast comprised a buffet with eggs, my goreng noodles, Timorese sausages, and vegemite. After breakfast and a quick game of cards Mr O'Brien and Fr Hosking arrived with the hire bus, but without the bags for the Sydney crew. Air North had not packed them but promised to do so tomorrow. We went to the Resistance Museum. The Museum gave us information on all the war and conflicts in East Timor. We also saw a video that started off showing us what the East Timorese people do, but then showed us the Indonesian invasion and how their lives were turned upside down. We then set off to Dare for lunch with the Jesuits. On our way we drove across rocky, half broken roads and looked over the edges of cliffs as we went around bends. Luckily our driver, Mr O’Brien was fantastic and his skills were incredible. We arrived at the WW2 monument in Dare and saw lots of cheerful kids who were waiting to play soccer with another group from Canberra.
Zitu, the Jesuit who runs the farm arrived in a ute. We had to travel to the farm 10 at a time, which meant that some of us got to ride in the back of the ute. Fr Hosking and Mr O’Brien ensured we sat inside the cabin. As we arrived we got to walk around the beautiful hillside tracks as we waited for the other half. Some of us travelled up a slippery trail. We got sweaty and eventually got to our destination. Zitu was giving a talk about the work that has been going on. Now the Jesuits are trying to re-establish as an agricultural training college and Zitu and his staff are working together to do so. The Jesuits ran it during the Indonesian period but after independence worked with a local NGO who unfortunately had let it run down. After this introduction, lunch was served and it looked nice – a traditional Timorese meal. Salad, fish, rice in a woven package and chicken, with the head still attached. It was a filling and delicious meal. Zitu then took us across another challenging track to see the farm and the animals they have. The farm looks great, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
We got back to the Dare WW2 monument to see some kids playing skipping games and others playing with sticks and paper airplanes. From there it was back on the bus and we were off to the Tais market. The market was full of colourful bracelets, bands, scarves (Tais), blankets and plenty more. The people running the stalls would call us over and show us their products. Some would give a discounted price in hope that we would buy. We had to say ‘no’ to some people though as we only have a limited amount of money and we couldn’t help but feel bad every time we walked away. When we finished looking around we walked to the street to see a group of little kids playing soccer, so we decided to join in. We left the Tais markets and whilst on the bus talked about the various gifts and trinkets which would be given to family and friends.
We then had an hour break at the Hotel while we looked forward to dinner at Wasabi restaurant. Joining us was Isabel, a member of the East Timorese parliament and the Minister of Social Services. She was one of the six commissioners on the truth commission CAVR, and worked as a national director for the Red Cross. Prior to this she worked as a volunteer for Jesuit Refugee Service when Fr Hosking was country director. Dinner consisted of rice, chicken, satays and green curry, which the group enjoyed greatly. The dinner helped to break the ice and allowed us to get to know each other better. The bus ride back to Hotel California further assisted with the bonding, where many could continue the conversations. Back at the hotel Tanya led our Examen reviewing the day and set a standard for the rest of the group. With this conclusion each room divided up to get ready for Railaco and a well needed rest.
Please remember that the internet is periodic here so updates may not be every day and we are very busy!
Callum Bremer and William Cooper