To the obvious delight of the Sydney students, Fr Hosking and Mr O’Brien left at the break of dawn to meet the bags that would provide a timely present for Oscar who was celebrating his 17th birthday today. As always, Mr O’Brien and Fr Hosking were punctual in their endeavours and before we knew it we were set to depart for the famous town of Railaco. Judging from the sounds of speculation and uncertain expressions that monopolised the faces around me, it was clear that Mr O’Brien had succeeded in instilling a healthy degree of anticipation and concern in all of us.
In stark contrast to Dili, where a miscellaneous collection of sights, sounds and smells assaulted the senses of all of us, Railaco was clearly going to present its own set of challenges. Situated in the mountains just over an hour’s drive outside of Dili, Railaco is a town seemingly content in its position of isolation and our first impression of the people that call it home was much of the same. Overly welcoming and friendly, the students of the school greeted the group by lining up down the side of the drive and engaging in tumultuous applause. The gratitude conveyed by the students was humbling for the group and we realised how much us being here meant to them.
After being seated at the front of the congregation, we enjoyed a series of formalities which culminated with members of the school presenting us with a traditional garment known as a Tais. Following the introduction, we were encouraged to mingle and converse with the students of the school. With the exception of Tanya, who’s language skills by this stage were akin to that of the locals, the majority of the group attempted to converse in English with the students, who used the occasion to demonstrate their extensive English skills which impressed many members of our group. The enthusiasm more than compensated for the unavoidable language barrier between us. By exploring common interests in conversation with the students we established an instant rapport which became more and more obvious as the day progressed.
We were then treated to a meticulously practiced concert by the students who took the opportunity to show off their musical prowess. Although our attempts at reproducing such high quality music proved less successful, the members of the school were more appreciative in their applause than our efforts deserved. Dancing followed, we witnessed some traditional dances that payed homage to the heritage of the people and were then invited to participate in some more cultural forms. To the pleasing surprise of the girls in the group, some of the male students of the school invited them to dance. Taking the hint, the male students from our group, called upon all the confidence and charisma we could muster and proceeded to ask some of the female students from the Railaco school to do the same.
At the conclusion of the dancing, the girls and the boys were then invited to play a friendly game of volleyball and soccer respectively. In a cunning tactical move by the East Timorese, they lured us into a false sense of security by allowing us to believe that this was going to be a relaxed game of soccer and volleyball. Panic shot through the group when our eyes were met by the sight of what could easily be mistaken for the East Timor National team striding purposefully towards the dirt pitch. Our fears were confirmed from the outside where we were dazzled by the athletic skills of the students. All our attempts to end the embarrassment proved futile and despite the humbling losses for both the girls and the boys, we came away with the knowledge that sometimes as Ben (self appointed captain) exclaimed…“that’s just football”. Furthermore, football is a game of chance and it’s not just about creating those chances but actually developing a finished product, and at the end of the day the team simply didn’t take their chances. On the other hand, credit to the boys from Railaco, they played a fast paced game and constantly kept possession, leaving the Australians to chase their shadows. In hindsight, all the boys can do is learn from this game and look to work on it at training and only think about the future task at hand. On the nearby volleyball court the girls were shared with a very similar experience playing a very friendly game against the Railaco students turned much more serious when the Timorese girls arrived in full team uniform and set plays. Losses all round for Australia it was, however we have all walked away with our heads held high and ready to compete albeit with a clearer understanding of their skill levels over the next few days.
We concluded the day by erecting the mosquito nets that will serve as protective fortresses against the swarm of mosquitos that we are expecting during the night. Ultimately, we end the day in eager anticipation and curiosity for what tomorrow will bring.
Ben Harris and Tom Daly
In stark contrast to Dili, where a miscellaneous collection of sights, sounds and smells assaulted the senses of all of us, Railaco was clearly going to present its own set of challenges. Situated in the mountains just over an hour’s drive outside of Dili, Railaco is a town seemingly content in its position of isolation and our first impression of the people that call it home was much of the same. Overly welcoming and friendly, the students of the school greeted the group by lining up down the side of the drive and engaging in tumultuous applause. The gratitude conveyed by the students was humbling for the group and we realised how much us being here meant to them.
After being seated at the front of the congregation, we enjoyed a series of formalities which culminated with members of the school presenting us with a traditional garment known as a Tais. Following the introduction, we were encouraged to mingle and converse with the students of the school. With the exception of Tanya, who’s language skills by this stage were akin to that of the locals, the majority of the group attempted to converse in English with the students, who used the occasion to demonstrate their extensive English skills which impressed many members of our group. The enthusiasm more than compensated for the unavoidable language barrier between us. By exploring common interests in conversation with the students we established an instant rapport which became more and more obvious as the day progressed.
We were then treated to a meticulously practiced concert by the students who took the opportunity to show off their musical prowess. Although our attempts at reproducing such high quality music proved less successful, the members of the school were more appreciative in their applause than our efforts deserved. Dancing followed, we witnessed some traditional dances that payed homage to the heritage of the people and were then invited to participate in some more cultural forms. To the pleasing surprise of the girls in the group, some of the male students of the school invited them to dance. Taking the hint, the male students from our group, called upon all the confidence and charisma we could muster and proceeded to ask some of the female students from the Railaco school to do the same.
At the conclusion of the dancing, the girls and the boys were then invited to play a friendly game of volleyball and soccer respectively. In a cunning tactical move by the East Timorese, they lured us into a false sense of security by allowing us to believe that this was going to be a relaxed game of soccer and volleyball. Panic shot through the group when our eyes were met by the sight of what could easily be mistaken for the East Timor National team striding purposefully towards the dirt pitch. Our fears were confirmed from the outside where we were dazzled by the athletic skills of the students. All our attempts to end the embarrassment proved futile and despite the humbling losses for both the girls and the boys, we came away with the knowledge that sometimes as Ben (self appointed captain) exclaimed…“that’s just football”. Furthermore, football is a game of chance and it’s not just about creating those chances but actually developing a finished product, and at the end of the day the team simply didn’t take their chances. On the other hand, credit to the boys from Railaco, they played a fast paced game and constantly kept possession, leaving the Australians to chase their shadows. In hindsight, all the boys can do is learn from this game and look to work on it at training and only think about the future task at hand. On the nearby volleyball court the girls were shared with a very similar experience playing a very friendly game against the Railaco students turned much more serious when the Timorese girls arrived in full team uniform and set plays. Losses all round for Australia it was, however we have all walked away with our heads held high and ready to compete albeit with a clearer understanding of their skill levels over the next few days.
We concluded the day by erecting the mosquito nets that will serve as protective fortresses against the swarm of mosquitos that we are expecting during the night. Ultimately, we end the day in eager anticipation and curiosity for what tomorrow will bring.
Ben Harris and Tom Daly