AnAlternativeToLookingAtSnow

HomeHolidaysAndNextTrip

I have been home more than a week and have spent the holidays getting over jet lag and preparing for my next trip. I leave tomorrow for a 2 week Gate 1 organized tour of Croatia, Slovenia, and Venice. I am mostly packed, waiting for the pet sitter to arrive for last minute arrangments, and praying that all the snow in Europe doesn't impact the trip. The photo is of me with Santa at our hotel in Timor-Leste, but hopefully it can be a holiday e-card wishing all of you the very best of the holidays and a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2011. My biggest hope for you is that you spend this special time with those you love. Holiday Hugs From Ramblinme (ILMOB)

ChineseEmbassy

The American Embassy is the largest of the amazing number of Embassies in this tiny country. The most dazzling is the new Chinese Embassy in the photo. The Chinese presence is extensive. Most of the new government buildings and many of the new hotels have all been built by the Chinese. When we were shopping for air conditioners for the school, any time we tried to negotiate, the sales clerk would fetch the manager/owner who was always Chinese.

IslandViewNorthOfDili

TourTimorLeste

Our entire time in country, I am not sure that I saw anyone that I could identify as a tourist. There are an enormous number of people working there from all over the world. Almost 1 in 5 cars is a UN Military vehicle. Beaches on the east side of Dili have been beautifully landscaped, just sitting there waiting for tourists. The government has ruled that all taxis must be painted yellow to make it easier for tourists. New hotels are being built all the time (mainly by the Chinese). Ferries are available to take tourists to many gorgeous islands and diving sites. Like any emerging country there are issues. The disparity between the "haves" (expatriots) and the "have-nots" (most locals) does result in tension in the form of rock throwing - especially if you are involved in an auto accident with a local. We talked to the manager of a hotel who assured us that the people living around the hotel compound were wealthy so we wouldn't see rocks being thrown into the compound at night.We experienced none of this during our stay and the folks at our hotel made us feel very much at home. This is a photo of the hotel group preparing for the day's meals.

DrivingFunInTimorLeste

Doug and I have the world covered when it comes to driving. I drive in countries that drive on the right and he drives in countries that drive on the left. Thank goodness it was his turn to drive because the right/left rule may be the only driving rule in the country. There are no drivers licenses, auto insurance, or marked lanes. It is basically a free for all. After several weeks we did see a few traffic signs,a few traffic lights, and a few signs with road names. It is the wild west of driving. The round-abouts (traffic circles) do tend to move in a clock-wise direction - but don't count on it!. At any time you will see motorbikes zooming into microscopic places and dogs, chickens, pigs, and goats taking their time wandering through the busiest traffic. My biggest surprise was seeing groups of people sitting on the side of the highway with traffic passing within inches of their rear ends (a good way to get rid of those extra pounds).Dili has the best roads in the country which means that most are paved in most places. The challenge is unmarked holes big enough to swallow a Volkswagon. Doug was remarkable at memorizing where the holes were - a huge survival skill. One day we saw a massive hole marked with a pile of stones, but the stones were gone the next day, even though the hole was even larger. A chair was placed in the road over another huge hole to warn motorists! Perhaps our greatest contribution could be to take traffic cones with us on our next trip!!! PS The photo is a bus with a goat tied to the top!

ThePoliticsOfLanguageInTimorLeste

After Timor-Leste declared its independence, the government faced the tough decision of deciding which of the many languages spoken in this tiny country would be the "official" one actually taught in the schools. There are many regional languages including the ancient trading language of Tetun (spoken mainly in Dili, the capital city). There is Portuguese - spoken mainly by the older people who lived through the Portuguese occupation almost 25 years ago and internationally spoken only in Portugal and Brazil. There is Indonesian, the one language spoken by everyone in the country because the recent 20 year rule by the ruthless Indonesian army made survival contingent on learning the language. Then there is English, which very few people in Timor-Leste speak, although it is the international business language and the major contibutor to the charity work in the country is the English speaking Australia. The Decision!!! (Drumroll) Portuguese! An amazing decision, especially considering that the teachers have to take language lessons in their spare time to learn the language so that they can then teach lessons in Portuguese to the students who are also learning the language. The almost 1000 books written in English (photo of sample below) kindly donated by the Australian Rotary Club to the school where we are working may wait to be read, since everyone is currently speaking Indonesian and Tetun and learning Portuguese. For now, English is low on the list.

GoodIntentionsInTimorLeste