Swearing In And First Week In Fatuquero

Today

It’s been just over a week here at my Permenent Site (Fatin Permanente) here in Fatuquero and I have just got the chance to sit down and write a blog. Fatuquero is only about 2.5 miles outside of our Pre-Service training site Gleno, so great for still getting to the Gleno Market. I already bought a bike from a guy in Dili during my “Swearing In” (see below) so I did my first big ride on it today from Fatuquero to Railaco to meet a couple of other volunteers for an amazing coffee and cake at a really nice coffee shop, called Geecko Kafe, which is attached to a coffee producing factory. Google Maps link here. My bike did OK. Its a cheap gravel bike imported from Indonesia. Brake and gears are a bit rough and I have limited tools here to fix. The ride back was a 1500ft climb which was a killer after being off the bike for about 3 months. The descents were awesome and I was able to pass multiple scooters and microlets which caused much amusement from the local kids and made me laugh out loud (I must have looked quite insane 😁) . Below I show my route and my bike outside my new colourful new Host Family home in Fatuquero (I plan another post on my Fatuquero home soon).

Swearing In!!

Well, it started with leaving our host families in Gleno. It was pretty sad for all (although I plan to pop in and see Domingo and his family as they are pretty close to me from Fatuquero). The night before I left, Domingo did a speech (in English!! I was Super impressed, see photo below) and gave me a traditional Timor scarf (Ties) and said a prayer for me. It was nice. I appreciate all He and his family have done for me ♥. The next day we headed to Dili following a big gathering of the host families to see us off. It was emotional 😭. I include a pic of me and fellow volunteer Ian with his host family and Domingo as we walked to the market to get a microlet to Dili.

Once in Dili we had an opportunity to reconnect and meet with the counterparts we will be supporting through the next 2 years. I will be supporting 3 groups in Fatuquero. EAMO is a mushroom growing business. TILOFE is a natural compost manufacturing business with also a water conservation consultant with the municipality of Ermera. FDJE is a small disability advocacy group in Fatuquero. More about those groups below and future blogs.

Swearing In Ceremony

The swearing in ceremony was in the swanky Hotel Timor in Dili. It was attended by the President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta and the US Ambassador to Timor-Leste Donna Welton. It was quite the event and it was super nice to meet the Timor-Leste President in person. He is a really nice guy. A press release (in Tetun) is here. We all wore traditional Timor-Leste costumes. The girls looked really great, but us lads thought we looked a little like a Halloween costume entry for Pirates of of Caribbean 😂. Some photos below including photos with my Tetun teacher Mana Else and Dili resident playboy 😉 Maun Jodak (fantastic guy).

We had some really nice “eats” after the ceremony in the Hotel Timor, but it was then a quick change and off to our permanent site. I, with much help, managed to arrange an Anguna to take myself and one of my counterparts, Mana Tina, back to Fatuquero. It was cool because I could easily fit my bike. We shared the back of the Anguna with a very “sleepy” chicken 🐔😁, it was actually really cool. I have a quick video on my Youtube Channel here.

First Week Of Work

There has so much gone on this week its difficult to go through it all. So I include some highlights and photos. I like Fatuquero. People are friendly and I am already making new friends! I have gone to Church these last 2 Sundays and its been a great place to meet people and “show my face” (as my Mum always told me to do… good advice). The locals seem perplexed at my Church dedication even though I consider myself to not have a religion. My host family are great and I will describe my home in another post.

TILOFE “Kuda Bee” (“Plant Water”)

On my first day I accompanied Maun Zecky from TILOFE organization. He was visiting a local Xefi Suku community building in Leguimia to present on water conservation to the local farmers in the area. We met with a couple of representatives who had travelled from the Ministry Of Environment And Tourism in Dili. After the presentation we drove up to a well water conservation project where a terrace had been created/maintained to enable water to be collected and drain down into the well water table (as opposed to running off the mountain into the river). Apparently this was an activity which was done by the village ancestors but in recent years some of that knowledge had been lost (the knowledge and need to maintain the terraces). We also planted some plants (and the technique used to plant so that the plants don’t wash away) which we had earlier picked up from the Ermera “Bee Timor-Leste Empresa Publica – Gleno”.

Pictures below. We were in 4×4 trucks and they struggled to make it up to the water conservation area. On our way back down we stopped to greet a local family with a disabled son. I didn’t catch his name :(. Hope I get to get back to see him.

After the Leguimia visit we drove fast down to Dili OXFAM Office where Maun Zecky was presenting at the UNPD China Climate Conference via video call. He did really well 😊. Gave 2 small speeches “in English!” discussing TILOFE activities in Timor-Leste. On the drive down we tailed the Japanese Ambassadors vehicle, see photo below and flags on the car. Maun Zecky joked that he also needed flags on our car but it would be more fitting that those flags were under-pants 😁. Fortuitously, our timing was perfect to visit Oxfam as they were having their Christmas party and we got invited. Lots of awesome food. I was “han bosu loos” 😋. Also, I met the guy I bought the bike from 😂 as he works for OXFAM, its a small world. I got a bunch of useful contacts 👍.

FJDE – Visit From Asesor Inklusaun Sosial Timor-Lest

FJDE are one of the organizations I am supporting. A disability advocation group. They are small, and we have a lot of plans and work together to progress their vision. I know they will be featuring heavily in my blogs over the next 2 years. Last Friday I supported a meeting where the Asesor Inklusaun Sosial Timor-Lest, Maun Jardin Kampung, visited from Dili. We had a panel discussion with him and it went well. He himself is blind. Afterwards I was able to meet a few new FDJE people I had not previously met AND we went through an action plan which includes…… getting them a new sign getting them on Google Maps, starting a website, creating a 3 and 5 year plan, creating a brochure and (me) teaching English. Also I am trying to reach out for grants to be able to buy laptop computers for the organizations so I can teach computer skills. SO MUCH to do. Some photos from the productive day below:

The “little finger” sign, above, is the Timor-Leste symbol for solidarity of inclusion for disabled people 🤘.

I think that’s all I can post today. The internet is super slow (as normal) and I have been dodging the daily power outages here in Fatuquero.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment. I have made some website updates so hopefully the issues some people were having with adding a comment will be fixed. Cheers!!!! James.