East Timor – Part II

I must admit East Timor is one of the best travel adventures that I’ve ever experienced. I met a lot of people and spend time with children in the orphanage. It was truly an eye-opening experience for me.

I learn a lot about the history of the country from a Filipino priest who has been serving there for a very long time. He witnessed the brutal massacre and the turmoil of the country. The violence are in the past now but it has left deep scars on its people. They are slowly building their life back and it’s a long way to go. It’s truly a heart-wrenching story to hear but what I truly admire about the East Timorese is their strong faith.

The country is rich in resources but some of the people are unskilled. They are seeking opportunities to gain experience from abroad or from their local technical schools but because of language barriers or limitation (they speak Tetum and Portuguese and few words of English) only few are able to go through it.

Along the way to Baguia, in the District of Baucau, we saw a lot of places or scenery that looks like a part of another country (or maybe we were just hallucinating because of the long car journey hahaha). We saw places like Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysia, etc. Some of the areas are covered in green like the padi rice field, or a golf course and some look like the dessert.

It was a long journey to get to the orphanage in Baguia. But the moment we arrived there, we were in awe. The environment is way different from the capital, Dili. Life is not as busy as in the city, it’s more laidback and life is simple.

Looking back at the places I’ve visited and the people I’ve met in East Timor, it makes me realize or more like a reminder that how fortunate we are to live in this peaceful country and we often take it for granted. The children in the rural areas in East Timor attend school few days in a week which is run by the government. They are not provided with any transportation so they have to walk, which take them about an hour or more and often, the teachers don’t turn up due to some reason. It’s quite disappointing to hear about it because the children are so eager to learn and are willing to walk that far just to go to school to learn.

“Life may be hard but it’s simple and they are happy” said a friend. This quote is stuck permanently in my head! I saw for myself how they run their livelihood and indeed there are simple. They grow their own fruits, vegetables and sell them to earn a bit of money to buy other necessities. There is no electricity in the morning and the generator is only switched on at 7 in the evening till midnight. And they collect their water daily from a well or water source which is few miles away. Basically these are their daily routine.

To see and witness this lifestyle is truly an eye-opener. Other countries may be well in advanced with technology but there are still some countries who are still living in the past. The internet, mobile phone or computers are alien to them. But who knows one day things might change for the good of the people. And hopefully somehow somewhere we can help to make that changes.