Birthday Extravaganza

(Sorry it has taken us so long to put up another blog, things have been really busy and the computer has been playing tricks on us. There are more blogs to come in the near future!)

On Sunday, June 28th, I was blissfully happy! As you've read, the week before had been great and activity-filled, so naturally my birthday was going to be the climax of all the excitement : ) Brendan had planned everything and told me nothing except that it wouldn't be a day for resting - it was going to be busy and fun, just the way I like it!

So I woke up early, excited like a little kid, and the 1st surprise was a scavenger hunt. Without my knowledge, Brendan had gone to the store and bought some little snacks and things like chocolate milk and nice-smelling hand soap and Tim Tams. Then I had to search the house for them. I was offered 3 hot-cold lifelines (where Brendan would say cold, cool, warm, hot, etc. as I moved farther or closer to the object). I used 2, but only for speed's sake because I was hungry for breakfast : )

After breakfast we relaxed a little until English Mass. Brendan read the 1st reading and I sang in the choir and was asked to carry up the beautiful tropical flowers during the offering that would be placed in front of the altar.

It's interesting here, because instead of only presenting money during the offering, the Timorese give the fruit of the land as well as money - on holidays they offer fresh bananas, coconuts, and live chickens to God. As we offer money, they also offer their very livelihood, but in a way that is quite foreign to us. And it's amazing that they always give something - rarely do I see a Timorese person pass the offering plate without putting something in it, when internationals wouldn't hesitate to pass it on. Often they only give 5, 10, or 25 cents, but that's significant here - the equivalent of a couple of dollars to us. It's ironic that they give so freely here despite having so little, where as at home many people have no qualms about buying an expensive coffee everyday but to give $2 at church every Sunday would be unthinkable. Anyway, it's an interesting fact about Timor that has had an impact on the way I think. But anyway, back to my birthday : )

After Mass, the choir director asked me to stand up and the choir sang to me. I'm pretty sure I turned bright red, but it was a really nice gesture. Then Brendan and I caught up with our volunteer friends who all wished me a happy birthday and apologized that they were incredibly busy and wouldn't be able to join in any of the festivities. I was a little disappointed because I thought we might be able to do something all together, but they all left to start moving to new house and going back to their work in the villages outside of Dili.

Brendan said the two of us were going to go on a picnic after he ran a quick errand, which made me feel better, so he drove us to the beach and stopped. Then he explained he was actually taking me out for lunch (a big treat!) and he led me into a Burmese restaurant, The Beach Cafe, which we had never been to before.


We had only been there for about 2 minutes when all the volunteers who had said they were busy started coming in : ) Therese, Cass, Donna, and Ellie were able to make it! They gave me some very nice Timorese presents and a great birthday party! We were there for over 2 hours sharing and listening to all the crazy stories you get from being a volunteer in a developing country. Always fun/scary/interesting when you get volunteers together : )


After lunch, I found out that Donna, Ellie, Brendan, and I were going to the beach. We drove out to Tasi Tolu beach under the hill with the John Paul II statue overlook. We were going SNORKELING!!! I had heard good things about it from Brendan, but never snorkeled in the ocean before. I was excited to go, but also a little nervous. I think everyone has an unreasonable fear, and mine is death by shark. But logically it was fine - no one has heard of sharks close to Dili and Brendan had been to this spot before with some friends and had no trouble. Tasi Tolu is also a favorite spot for the scuba/snorkeling businesses here, so it has the reputation of being safe. So I prayed that God would have my guardian angel swim beside me just in case : )

We had to spit on our goggles (to keep them from fogging up) and get everything tight in all the right places, but once that was completed and we you're in the water everything else fades away. There's just you and the reef and fish below you.

As we swam farther from shore the land dropped away under us and the coral got nicer and the fish more colorful. In some areas I felt like I was in the movie Finding Nemo with all the brightly colored fish. The coral ranged from a brown to white color and was not as Finding-Nemo-like, but our friend Donna has snorkeled many times and she said it was some of the best coral that she has seen.

But the best part was the fish swimming in and around the coral. There were iridescent blues and purples and oranges and fish covered with multi-colored stripes for spots, each wild and beautiful. Especially exciting was seeing two large, bright purple starfish. It was like seeing fish in the Aquatics part of the Omaha Zoo, except that these fish were in the wild. Somehow that makes it a heck of a lot more exciting. Like the first time we saw a crocodile in the wild here - you have an adrenaline rush and a touch of fear and awe at the same time. It could be compared to the difference between book knowledge and knowledge from experience. We've been getting a lot of the latter here in Timor.

As it got later in the afternoon, the tide started to come in and the waves got bigger. We swam to the biggest waves and snorkeled through (or if they crested right before they got to you under them). Brendan started to teach me how to "duck dive" - when you dive about 3 meters down with your snorkel. The first time I tried, I got a mouthful of delicious salt water, but I'm slowly learning.

After an hour and half flew by, we headed to shore, dried off, and left. When we got home, Brendan generously allowed time for both of us to have a quick bucket shower and rest before the next activity.

Around 6:30, he told me we had a reservation at 7 pm and that I needed to wear nice to really nice clothes. He made it sound like we were going to another restaurant, but when I was ready he drove me out of town towards the school instead. I was surprised when we pulled up at the convent and were met by some of the Sisters, who showed us the way to prayer. Prayer was a great way to finish the day! Besides all the normal prayers, many of the Sisters prayed for me, for Brendan, and for you (our family and friends at home).

After prayer we received even more good news - 3 letters had arrived from America: one from Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill, one was Brendan's slightly delayed birthday card, and the other contained many letters that friends had written at a "letter-writing party" (smart!). Thanks guys!

We didn't know, but while we were reading the letters the Sisters were working on dinner and a surprise. When we came to help them there was cake set out on the table with decorations and birthday wishes written in the different Timorese languages. They even had some pasta for us for dinner, in addition to the usual rice, vegetables, and a little meat.


Dinner was delicious. After dinner they sang to me and did the customary double-cheek kiss to congratulate me. I cut the cake and we all got a small piece : ) After cake we went over to the boarding house next door, where we had heard that there was another birthday girl.


When Brendan and I came in they clapped and started to sing Happy Birthday (Timorese style) over and over in different languages until all 80 girls had formed a line and given me the double-cheek kiss. They also put a tais on my shoulders and Zhyzhy, a student from English Club gave me a card with dried flowers. The Brendan and I responded by singing the cha-cha-cha version of Happy Birthday and the 10 year old and very shy Fani had to dance when we said cha-cha-cha. It was super-cute!

Finally, after some games with the Sisters and Brendan checking the English of some official documents for the university that were needed the next day, we went home happily exhausted!


But that's not the end! The next day I arrived ready to teach English Club as usual, but Brendan had plotted with them to have a beach party because they wanted to do something for my birthday also!

They had planned everything perfectly - they all made food for the picnic lunch and brought their swim clothes (there aren't "swimsuits" here, people just swim in their clothes) and cameras. After a really nice picnic lunch on the beach, we went swimming. Many of the girls didn't know how to swim so we started to teach them. The biggest problem was that the backfloat is especially scary while the waves are coming in, but once they could do that they learned quickly. our best swimmer went from having trouble floating to working on her front and backstroke. It's surprising, but true - most Timorese we've met don't have a clue how to swim.

Anyway, as is probably clear - my 23rd birthday was definitely one of my best birthdays EVER! If more of my family were here it would have been #1. Special thanks to my incredible husband Brendan, our volunteer friends, the Sisters at Comoro and Sister Sonia, and the English Club students! I love you guys - thanks for making my birthday special!

Always,

Rachel and Brendan

Birthday Week

The week before my birthday was so packed with fun activities that I was exhausted by the time it got to my real birthday on Sunday : )

The highlights:

Monday for English Club we cut the English practice short and I taught them tae kwon do! Just the white belt exercises - all the basic punches, blocks, and kicks, and the beginner sparring moves. on Friday we had watched a Jackie Chan movie and they seemed interested so on Monday I taught them the beginner stuff : )


Tuesday we pulled off a surprise party for Aurita and Marcia's birthdays. All of our birthdays are in June so we wanted to celebrate together. But Brendan and I told them that we just wanted to have them over to our house for some lunch to practice English. But when were supposed to drive them to our house, we kept on going to Castaway, a nice restaurant on the beachfront. Sister Sonia met us there. Sister Aquelina was supposed to come also, but she was very sick.

So the five of us went into the restaurant and ordered pizza. Aurita had eaten pizza once, but Marcia had never had it (she hadn't even heart of the word "pizza"). So we got cheese, pepperoni, and a chicken one. They tried each type, but the pepperoni was everybody's favorite. So we talked and looked out over the ocean and at pizza until Sr. Sonia pulled out surprise birthday presents for each of us. The clinic girls each a necklace and I got a new pair of socks and $5 pulsa (phone credit) - perfect gifts for a volunteer because most of my socks are super-stretched from all the handwashing and $5 pulsa means lots of texting Sisters and friends and, if I'm lucky, 3 minutes talking to my family in America : )


Tuesday night, after more work, Brendan and I went to our Australian friend Therese's house for a movie night. We had pizza again (2 times in 1 day - Brendan was happy!) and spent most of time talking while the power was out. But eventually we did get to watch a movie before heading home. It was a nice break, and it's always great to be around Therese because she has many great stories from volunteering in the Solomon Islands, Uganda, and now working in East Timor.

Friday, Brendan and I were chaperones for a field trip. The 3rd year students who have an emphasis in science loaded up into the back of 2 big trucks and we drove the 2 hours to the village of Remixio (pronounced ray-miss-ee-oo). We were in the back with the students and they were singing and shouting the whole way, just like high school students at home. On the way they pointed out the Timorese coffee that the country is known for and we saw the house of their Prime Minister.

When we got to the high school in Remixio their student were very shy of the newcomers, but slowly they warmed up to us. We started off with plant identification and the Canossa Biology teacher formed groups from both schools. Brendan was in charge of Group 3 and me, Group 4. Basically we supervised their plant-finding in different areas up in the hills above the school, made sure that the two schools are working together, and that the students didn't go too far or get hurt. My group was lucky - we were given a hill that had a lot of the ferns they were looking for and beatiful views down each side. Eventually we came back and presented the plants and their classification by genus.


Around 1 pm we had a lunch break, and Sr. Domingas's friends invited us for fresh corn and oranges. After lunch the Canossa students presented to the St. Joseph's students how to use a microscope and test blood. I think it was good for the Canossa students to have to explain what they've learned and good for the St. Joseph's students to be taught by peers and well as teachers.

After the lessons there was recreation for about an hour with soccer, basketball, volleyball, and a baseball/cricket game they played with a tennis ball. Brendan and I played volleyball and basketball. Volleyball was fun and relaxed with people from both schools on each team. After that came school vs. school guys soccer and girls basketball. Canossa needed a 5th player so I played basketball, but it was painful. But there's always next time...




The trip home was even better than the trip there - the students were especially lively and shouting and singing and dancing and clapping in the back of the truck for 2 hours straight. How any of them had a voice the next day I have no idea! We were surrounded by mists as we came out of the mountains and by the time we got to Dili the moon was bright and the Southern Cross ( a beautiful constellation) was high in the sky, but nothing slowed these kids down. We taught them a chant from Remember the Titans adapted for Timor Leste and they loved it and sang it over and over off and on for the last hour : ) We were starting to regreat teaching them it (just a little) when we got back to school and made our way home.


Saturday our Tetum teacher in Rome, a Timorese Sr. Ana Florinda, came to our house for lunch. She had finished her training in Rome and now will be a Timorese missionary in Indonesia. But while she is working out the longterm visa she has a couple of weeks here to catch up with her family and fill them in on what life is like outside of Timor.


It was great to see her! She's the kind of person life can't get down - always smiling or laughing... She's the kind of person that you hear before you see them : ) We were blessed to have her as our teacher in Rome because she was the first Timorese person we ever met and she was wonderful. So meeting her helped us look forward even more so to the mission.

She shared recent stories from Rome and gave us the updates on the missionary Sisters we met during our formation (many of them have completed their formation and are traveling to the countries all over the world that will be their new home). In return, we told her about how things were going here. She was glad to hear that we were enjoying ourselves and working hard. Before she left, Brendan helped her check some English documents, we took photos together, and she gave me an early birthday present - a box of cookies (practical and delicious)! She is always kind and exceedingly generous. It lifted our spirits to be around her and we hope God will work it out so we can see her again in the future : )

After lunch there was time for a quick rest and then we were off to English Bible Study. It was great as always and afterward Yanni, one of the Bible Study girls, asked us to hangout with her at the beach. So the three of us went to a part of the beachfront she liked that was filled with families cooking up fresh fish and corn on the cob for people walking past. We stopped at her favorite place and ordered pop and grilled corn. They put chilis on the corn so it's hot & spicy. It was good, but I'm not gonna lie, it paled in comparison to Iowa sweetcorn. That's one of the critical summer things we're missing, but for one summer we'll probably survive.

After the corn and conversation we dropped her off at her house before continuing to another Filipino activity. In June there were two activities - a formal dinner/dance for their 111th Independence Day celebration and this Saturday night there was a raffle, dinner, and presentation from the sports fest. Sr. Sonia gave us free tickets to both events as a gift. Thanks Sr. Sonia!


So Sr. Sonia was there with 15 Timorese girls who live at the Balide convent, so we sat by them during the dinner. Dinner was really good, except it was difficult to get used to the Filipino pasta (they like it sweet, which is confusing to our tastebuds). After dinner they raffled off 50 prizes, starting with #50 and between every 5 or so one of the sports fest teams made a presentation. There was singing, dancing, martial arts, and even tininkling. I'm not sure of the spelling, but it's a dance you do with 4 long, bamboo poles and some people click the poles together in rhythm while others dance in the middle of the tic-tac-toe and try not to get caught by the poles. My class did it in grade school - it's one of my favorite memories from music class : )


So the tension increased with each round of prizes. Brendan and I had bought 3 tickets and were hoping to win the mountain bike or another good prize. We didn't have any lucky, but one of the best parts of the night was watching one of the Canossa girls win a DVD player. All the girls were screaming and jumping up and down and were really excited for her. The other highlight was watching the girls do a semi-traditional Timorese dance that one of the girls had choreographed. It was beautiful and set to great music! We could tell they were nervous, but they did a great job and got quite an ovation as they finished!

We didn't stay for the end because it was getting late and I knew Brendan had a busy day planned for my brithday Sunday and if I was tired it wouldn't be good. And it was busy and one of my best birthdays ever! But you'll have to wait for the next blog to find out what happened : )

Hope all is well with you and that summer is going great! Be sure to enjoy that sweetcorn in memory of us : )

Love,

Rachel and Brendan

My Birthday Present!

Dear Friends and Family!


Just a few days ago it was a very special day - my birthday! On Sunday, June 28th, I turned 23! In the past few years I've had some pretty awesome birthdays and this year was definitely top 3. But birthdays are no fun unless you share them, so Brendan and I are going to ask you to return all the expensive gifts that you bought for me ; ) and consider helping the people of East Timor instead!

There are 3 ways that you can help someone - by giving them the 3 T's. The 3 T's are your Time, your Talent, and your Treasure. I'm especially fond of giving Time and Talent in service, but as I get older I realize more and more that money is an important part of the equation. Not much can happen without kind-hearted, generous people providing financial support behind the scenes.

Brendan and I have spent more than six months really digging in and finding out what the biggest needs are. To be completely honest there are many, but for simplicity's sake we have narrowed it down to the top 2 needs we have seen with our own eyes in the places were we work.

Canossa University - the Institute of Professional Development Canossa


Students go to school for 3 years in the Computer Technician or Office Management programs. Brendan teaches English to all of the second year students here and works in the library, preparing the new computer catalog system for use.

The top needs here are:

1.) Scholarships for Students
With food and housing being the top priority, it's difficult for many students and their families to find the money for education. Some of Brendan's students go to school all day, go to work until night, and then study until 2 in the morning. They make big sacrifices, knowing that education is their key for the future. Currently the cost of a college semester is $90 - nothing compared to our college tuition, yet almost unreachable here.


2.) Library Improvements

The IPDC was started in 2004 and this summer the government will come to check the programs and school facilities. If everything is satisfactory the school will receive their accredidation. One thing that must be improved is the school library. For the accreditation the library must have at least 5,000 properly organized books. Brendan, Sister Etalvinia, and Gina have been working hard on the library for the past couple of months inputting extensive information about each book, and they will continue until the inspection in July or August.

Other important parts of this improvement are:

- Obtaining hundreds of more books, especially books about business and computers written in English or Indonesian

- Getting a printer so the students can work on and print their assignment at the computers in the library. It would be great because it is difficult for most students to get to computer here, and all the public ones are riddled with viruses. It's nothing like at home where almost every family has at least one personal computer.

This is great, very concrete project that we can watch continue to develop and show you the changes. It is also a project that has potential to greatly benefit the students in the longterm,
1. By providing a quiet workspace for them onsite so they don't need to spend vital time and money to use public computers and
2. By helping to earn accredidation for their programs. Brendan has already begun the work, as you saw in the most recent blog, but there is still much to do.

*You may be thinking that you have old books that you could send over, but only for our friends and family in Australia would this be realistic. From America, shipping costs would greatly outweight the value of the books. If you send money, we will be able to buy more books (and newer, updated books) much cheaper than you could.

SMA - Canossa Senior High School


The senior high school is where I teach the English Club, practice English with the teachers, and participate in many student activities. It is a great place, always bustling with activity and over 450 students. It has consistently been recognized as one of the best high schools in Dili since it was started after the conflict in 1999. Many of the students can be found winning scholarships, awards, and competitions.

Two practical needs are:

1.)Laboratory for Language (~ $2,300)

Sister Ervinia, the principal would love to transform an old science room into a Lab for Language - a place where students can come to supplement what they learn in the classroom. Living in a small country, they must learn the languages of the surrounding countries. So added to their class load are Indonesian, Portuguese, and English. Imagine having to learn three foreign languages in high school - most high schoolers can barely handle one! We have been blessed to be born in a country where we are taught an international language - these students are not so lucky.

As an English teacher here, I can tell you how helpful a room for language with books, posters, and headsets for listening to tapes and CDs would be. The students really want to learn , but it is difficult to find someone to practice with who will be able to help correct basic pronunciation, grammar, and prepositions. Whenever Brendan and I walk to and from school or around the city, we are always approached by young people hoping to practice their English. This room would be a great resource for motivated students which could give them more opportunities for the future, especially in regards to jobs and university scholarships.

(Some of our students)

2.) Computer Lab Updates

Their computer lab is full of old donated computers still slowly running Microsoft 2000. Updates are badly needed for the computers and programs, especially antivirus protection (you remember the story of our laptop - may it rest in peace).

Healthcare

The School Clinic


The clinic at the school where I volunteer 3 mornings a week, is one of my favorite places to be. But while I have worked there I have seen some big needs that I think could be alleviated by:

1.) Funds for Food

I used to think that there wasn't much hunger in Dili, but now I'm realizing that it's just under the surface. Families that are putting their kids through school and paying rent for a small house may not have enough money for food.

In 1st Aid courses they teach you to ask a person who is dizzy or has passed out if they have eaten anything that day. Here that question is much more pertinent. Many different students come in who are dizzy or have severe headaches from hunger.

Just yesterday, a small girl from the junior high school came in because she was lightheaded. Tears quietly ran down her face from hunger pains as we got her to rest in the bed. They suffer quietly - I can't imagine trying to stay focused in school if you were hungry all the time and had a headache or stomachache because of it.

Another day, a girl from primary school came in because she was sick. When Sister Aquelina prescribed her the medicine and told her to take it three times a day, she burst into tears because she didn't have any food to take it with. And for those of us who have tried to take medicine without food, it's not a pleasant experience because your stomach can feel more sick than before. Also, it doesn't help as much because certain medicines are not absorbed effectively unless taken with food.

What we would love to establish is a fund, maybe $40 a month (it goes a long way here), that would be used to buy fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables and rice that Sister Aquelina could give out at her discretion to the children of poorer families when they come to the clinic so they would have food to take with their medicine or to ease hunger-related conditions.

2.) Funds for Medicine

We've told you some stories about helping to buy more expensive medicine necessary for more extreme conditions. It would be great to keep that up so that Sister Aquelina would be able to prescribe medicine that she knows a person needs instead of giving paracetamol (like Advil/Tylenol) and multivitamins because they're cheap. A lot of times this is all students need for a fever or cough or cold, but when there is something chronic or more serious I think that there should be a small amount of money monthly to have that option.

Los Palos Mobile Clinic

There are many needs in Dili but we can't forget the rest of the country, where many things are even more in need of development. One of the medical needs that I have heard about is the Los Palos Mobile Health Clinic. Los Palos is a mid-sized city on the eastern coast of the island. The Canossian Sister recently ran a mobile health clinic for the rural areas around Los Palos, ensuring especially that children and women had access to better medical care. It isn't like Dili or Baucau, which both have a decent hospital; in the small coastal villages mobile healthcare might be the only care the people receive. It is more than for convenience, it could save lives.

The mobile health clinic has been discontinued the past few years for lack of funding. It cost $8,000 a year for all the transportation, medicine, and maintenance costs. But the Sisters are patient - they pray and trust that if God wants the mobile clinic up and running the funding will come.


Making Your Decision

These are the needs that we have seen. Brendan and I are here to support the Timorese in their faith, to enhance their Christian education system, and to provide health resources are not readily available. Alone we can do little, but when good people get together we can make a significant difference!

If you are considering giving some money to these projects, there are some others things you should know:

*#1 Any financial support is appreciated!!! We realize most people could only afford to offer $20 or $50 at most, but even those could be significant here. $50 might provide food and medicine for a month at the clinic, or help a university student pay for a semester of college. Be assured that your dollar can go a long way here: Brendan and I live comfortably on about $120 each for the month, although are housing is provided free by the Canossian Sisters. Still, I bet you wish your cost of living was that low!

*The currency in East Timor is the US $ so you don't have to worry about any international exchange rates (unless you are Australian and then I believe it would currently be in your favor).

*Every donation you send will be used and used well! If you haven't already - go back and read the June blog "Side Projects". With the donation money we received before we left we have kept careful track of what we have done with it so every penny is used for the benefit of the Timorese.

And the Sisters are the same! Recently the IPDC university received a grant for $35,000. It was used to get internet for their computer lab, hire more teachers, and create two business rooms for practical office lessons for both programs. Brendan and I happened to be at school when East Timor's Minister of Education dropped by to check on the status of the funds. We got to meet him and he told us how impressed he was by the Sisters "transparency" - they they had used all the money to make significant, visible changes.
We were told that sometimes the Minister of Education will check on a school which was given a grant only to find that no changes have been made and that the money has vanished. So he appreciated the Sister's hard work and honesty.

With the Sisters and us here, you don't have to worry about money being used improperly. You will know that your donation is being used well and we will update you on the progress of the projects with stories and pictures.

How To Donate

1.) Telegraphic Transfer (Western Union)

This is the most realistic and quick way to transfer the money, especially smaller donations. Brendan and my parents have agreed to act as contacts for us, so if you would like to make a donation you can give or send them your donations and they will collect them and transfer them to the Canossa Foundation-Dili. This is the best and easiest way because there is only a short delay and minor service fee. We are not going to put our parents' information on the internet, so if you happen to not have it already, e-mail us at rdowney727@gmail.com and we will get you the necessary information.

Once again, this is best way, especially for smaller donations because our contacts can pool them and send them at once so it is less hassle for you and for us here. Please make sure you also give your name and contact info or e-mail so we can write you a thank you and if you have a specific project you would like to support, include that also.

2.) Check

For Australia: Make the check out to "Canossa Foundation Dili" and send it to:

Canossa Foundation - Dili
P.O.Box 23 Dili, Timor Leste

For America: Checks are very unrealistic in this case because they can take over a month to get to East Timor. Also, from past experience of people here, American banks charge a $75 processing fee to get the money here.

3.) Tax - Deductible

If you are interested in making a larger donation and would like it to be tax-deductible you must donate to the Canossian Sisters within your country. Our Dili project proposals will be passed on to the Head Council of the Canossian Sisters who will ok them and send the money to Timor Leste.

The process will take a little time, so if you are interested in this, please e-mail us as soon as possible so we will know the projects you want to support and the amount of your donation so we can get more information to you and start the tax-deductible process.


So please pray and consider helping the people of East Timor whom we serve (for their benefit, your benefit, and for my birthday!). There are many beautiful people here who are in desperate need of better education, better healthcare, and even food and shelter. I don't think I can say this enough: ANYTHING you can do to help is appreciated! And every cent you send will be used, as Magdalene of Canossa said, to make Jesus known so that He will be loved.


Always,

Rachel and Brendan

P.S. If you have any questions please e-mail us at rdowney727@gmail.com. Thanks!!!