Geography and Economy

Geography: Timor-Leste shares an Island with Indonesia in Southeast Asia
Capital: Dili
Language(s): Tetum, Portuguese
Population: 1,154,625 (60% under the age of 18)
Population in Poverty: 484,943 (42%)
Religion: Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (One of two Roman Catholic countries in Southeast Asia)
Currency: US Dollar
Exchange Rates:

• US Dollar: 1
• Euro: 0.79
• British Pound: 0.69

International Affairs and Tourism

Colonized by: Portugal
Independence: From Portugal in 1975 and from Indonesia in 2002
Genocide: Some consider the deaths of the people of Timor-Leste during Indonesian occupation from 1975-1999 a Genocide (approximately 100,000 deaths)
Recent Armed Conflicts: Independence from Indonesia in 2002 aided by the UN
Tourism Information: Trekking, Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Green / Eco Tourism
Visa: 30-Day Tourist/Business Visa on Arrival (US$30)
Internet: Limited

International Organizations

UNICEF: Many humanitarian efforts are currently taking place in Timor-Leste under UNCEF. They include improvements to education systems, deployment of vaccinations, deworming treatments, training of medical personel
UNESCO: Currently, Timor-Leste does not have any properties within the World Heritage List
International Red Cross / Crescent: The Timor-Leste Red Cross was established in 2005. They are working towards improving water/sanitation, health education and disaster management amongst others.
Habitat for Humanity: Began operations in 2002. Various programs to renovate existing homes. Ran a poverty index survey to provide information and monitoring to the government.
CARE: Has worked to deliver rice to 70,000 people. Distributing materials for temporary shelters, cooking utensils. Trained nutritionists working with families to make sure that children eat well.
Doctors without Borders: No current programs
Oxfam: Working with local farmers to support sustainable farming, improving essential services, empowering women, disaster preparedness
MercyCorps: Working to improve food and crop production for 4,500 farmer families

References:

• UNICEF
• UNESCO World Heritage List
• CIA World Fact-book
• Habitat for Humanity
• CARE
• Timor-Leste Red Cross
• Doctor’s Without Borders
• Oxfam
• MercyCorps
• Wikipedia
• Official Timor-Leste Tourism Website
• WikiTravel

woodleywonderworks

This week I am proud to announce the newest feature of Awkward Silence! The new feature is called the Vagabond Cheat Sheet. Each month I will pick a country and do some research and put information together that a traveler or volunteer may be interested in before visiting a country. Information about currency, geography, organizations, humanitarian efforts, visas will all be part of the Vagabond Cheat Sheet. The Vagabond Cheat Sheet is not supposed to replace a good travel guide. It’s more of a quick overview of the country looking at it from the perspective of “what might it be like to travel or volunteer there?”

The first feature will focus on the young nation of Timor-Leste. Primarily because I do not know much about it but would love to learn more. If you have any recommendations of which countries you would like to see covered in this feature, please add a comment below. I am also looking for feedback to what information would be useful to add and what information could be removed. Working on my very first cheat sheet, I have already learned a lot of Timor-Leste that I did not know about before!

Look for the very first Vagabond Cheat Sheet later this week!

• Destination: Chiang Rai, Thailand
• Trip Planning and Preparation (Part 1)
• Trip Planning and Preparation (Part 2)
• Orphanage
• Trekking in Chiang Rai
• The Thai Islands
• Angkor Wat
• Saigon
• Laos
• Last Day in Bangkok
• Coming Home

Note: If the links are not active yet, they are still in the works.

Traveling south from John o’Groats in Scotland, Charley and Ewan make their way into Italy where they take a ferry from Sicily to Tunisia in northern Africa. From here our friends ride east-words across North Africa into Egypt where they begin to travel south into Sub-Saharan Africa. Once at Malawi, the itinerary points west-word towards Nambia and finally to South Africa where they reach the southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhas, before their final destination in Cape Town. Eighteen countries in all. Border crossings were, once again, smoother than expected with the only real jolt of plans being that the two American citizens of the support crew could not get entry visa’s into Libya and had to leapfrog into Egypt from Tunisia.

Amidst the various scenes that Africa is so well known for (and some less known), the pair once again take the opportunity to visit various UNICEF humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia, Uganda and Malawi. The AIDS epidemic and some of the African political struggles are highlighted in both the UNICEF involvement and in some of their own experiences as they travel through the continent. Unplanned and unscripted, the crew visited with the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, where a greater understanding to the genocide of 1994 was gained. One of the most touching moments of the series was the UNICEF projects aiding the victims (primarily children) of land-mines in Ethiopia. The emotions experienced through their journey was as varied and complex as Africa itself.

The odyssey through Africa resulted in some of the most beautiful and stunning scenes captured through camera. Specifically in Sub-Sahara, the dialog of the boys consisted mainly of “Ohhs” and “Ahhs” where the narrating of the adventure was left to the footage alone. The footage is amazing on it’s own, but contextually different then any other movie or documentary depicting scenes in Africa. The context that you watch them travel, mile by mile, to get to the jungle brings to the viewers a very different perspective compared to a movie where, for example, in one scene you are in New York City and the next, magically through the power of the fade, you appear in Africa.

Unfortunately, while it seems Charley and Ewan have gained a lot of experience riding their bikes cross continents, I was disappointed to notice that they did not slow down their pace. Quite the opposite, they actually attempted to cram more stops and were constantly in a hurry, particularly in North Africa where it was crucial for them to get to a ferry that only runs once a week. Just as in the first series, the crew feels the pain of having to put so many miles per day and not taking the time to enjoy the trip. New to “Long Way Down”, for a rather small segment of the trip Ewan’s wife, Eve, rode with them on her own motorcycle. While I understand Ewan’s desire to take his wife on a trip of a lifetime, I have to admit it definitely changed the chemistry of the show for the brief period where she tagged along.

Charley and Ewan continue to inspire us through their journeys and keeps their fans waiting for the next “Long Way” adventure so that we can hop on the back of their motorcycles and see the world through a new perspective. The ten episode series is available on Netflix and the complete 3-DVD series
(affiliate link) can be purchased on Amazon by itself or via the Long Way Round 8-DVD Box Set (affiliate link) along with their other adventures: Long Way Round and Race to Dakar. There is a bit of speculation around the net with regards to their next big adventure, and it’s easy to see why. The series has consistently brought viewers into a new experience unlike any other travel documentary before.

I just had one of the most extraordinary days on The Road of Bones. We started at 7:30 and we didn’t stop for a break ’til 6:30 this evening. They were twelve of the most exciting hours of motorcycling I’ve ever done in my life, unbelievable. The roads were just deteriorated and deteriorated. We were riding on mud, gravel, and puddles, and pot holes, and rivers, and bogs. It was just everything thrown at us at once. - Ewan McGregor

“Adventure” is one of those interesting words. It really means something different to everyone. There are adventure movies, adventure books, and adventure sports, and then there are adventure toys and adventure games. Each of these carrying a different definition and with each definition a different interpretation. At some point in history, maybe when fewer and fewer discoveries were being made, adventure has become an adjective and not a noun. Most recently, I had the pleasure of coming across what I believe is a genuine adventure, noun, not adjective.

Long Way Round is a modern adventure. The kind of adventures that little boys (and little girls) dream about. The recipe for Long Way Round is fairly simple: two guys, two motorcycles and 19,000 miles. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride their motorcycles from London to New York City. “and what about the Atlantic Ocean!” you exclaim. Assuming they were riding west-word the Atlantic Ocean would be a problem, but these adventurers are riding east-word from Europe, into Asia all the way to eastern Russia into Alaska and continue to New York City – hence the name, “Long Way Round”. All of this documented by a camera crew preparing the adventure in nice neat 45 minute episodes for our enjoyment.

The geeks all know McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star War Movie prequels while everyone else may know him as Christian in Moulin Rouge or the padre in Angels and Demons. Boorman, also an actor, carries fewer blockbusters in his portfolio. These two have a very rare on-screen chemistry that has the viewer cheering them along through every episode. Both are quite charming their own way and together there is a “bromance” that rivals any that I have seen. The production is also stellar – giving viewers an insight into their pains and joys as if you were riding right there along them through the rocky roads and washed out bridges. You can’t help but reflect the enthusiasm of this adventure.

McGregor and Boorman check off twelve countries from their list in this adventure. The starting country, UK to France, Belgium, Germany and Czech Republic make up the European countries leading into Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia (including Siberia), Kazakhstan, Mongolia in Asia and the North American countries of Canada and USA finish off their journey. Pavement (or lack thereof) was not the only thing that they came into contact with. The dynamic duo made various stops at UNICEF projects to support and bring attention to them including an orphanage in Ukraine dealing with the aftermath of the Chernobyl Disaster, a youth center in Kazakhstan and a community project working with the orphaned children living in the streets of Mongolia. While this could have of easily been a face put up for the viewers, both McGregor and Boorman share personal stories of how each of UNICEF’s efforts impact them. It is worthwhile noting that the McGregor family adopted a Mongolian child a few years after the completion of the series.

In the ten-episode series, they made stops at various sights, villages, and cities. They were invited into the homes of locals in more than one occasion – giving them, and the viewers, an insight into various cultures from west to east. Border crossings were also documented, shining a light on the process that is often thought of as very complicated and tedious and sometimes this proves to be true, but more often not. As with any adventure, a number of things did not go according to plan, risks were made as often as friends and in the end, it was all very remarkable. The only criticism I have of the series is that sometimes their travels felt very rushed. A feeling that is shared by the both Boorman and McGregor. McGregor mentions it on more than one occasion in his desires to slow down and take in the experience. Very much in agreement with the philosophies of Rolf Potts.

“Long Way Round“ while being a modern documentary, brought back the old-school meaning of adventure and the series takes viewers through every step; from the crucial planning to the highly anticipated outcome. The series can seen via Netflix (although at the time of writing this it is not available to watch instantly). The original series has been discontinued, it is now packaged together with their follow up adventures “Long Way Down” and “Race to Dakar” and can be purchased from Amazon as the Long Way Round 8 DVD Box Set (affiliate link).

Ewan and Charley are a great inspiration reminding us that true adventure still exists and that the impossible is always possible. We just have to go out there and conquer our fears and put those that say is impossible in their place.

The noise outside continues as I reach for my glasses and peek out the door across the courtyard where the kids are running around taking care of last-minute details or eating their rice porridge breakfast. Some of the boys have not managed to get into their school uniforms yet while the girls were helping each other with their hair. As the breakfast bowls are put down, the kids make their way to the back of an old pickup truck. Some of the older kids drive off on mopeds, while others drive off on their bicycles. As the pickup truck drives away there is a silence left behind that reflects the mist of the early morning that has settled on the orphanage.

Since I arrived in Chiang Rai the weather has shown to manifest in any one of the variations of rain. From light drizzles to pouring monsoons, the season is wet. Your senses adjust to the diffused daylight and the moist air. This afternoon, for just a couple of minutes, the heavy clouds part to make way for the sun. The sun brings a bright, lovely color – painting the landscape in vibrancy. This experience is best described by the sensation of taking off very dark sunglasses after wearing them all day. The contrast was such that it felt feels like a different place all-together. Moments like this increases my appreciation of the simple things I often overlook.

I fall asleep with the sounds of heavy raindrops hitting the metal roof of the men’s dorm. The evening sky just finished an encore performance. A fantastic show of lightning and thunder that keeps replaying in my mind as I close my eyes. As I feel sleep take over my consciousness, a large dense fruit falls from a nearby tree. The fruit bounces off of the  metal roof causing a very loud noise that echos within the small shack. I smile as I am reminded I am not home anymore.

This entry is part of a series of posts on my trip to Southeast Asia in August of 2008. You can see all of the posts in this series the post: A look back to my trip to Southeast Asia.

I spent most of my time in the kitchen making sure the larger pots and serving trays and other food containers were washed. It was a different atmosphere since most of the volunteers at the BLC were "veteran" volunteers who have been volunteering there for years. Everyone knew what they were doing and what they had to do to run a flawless show. I did my best to make myself useful and be as much help as I could.

Having kitchen duty, while not bad at all, somewhat limited my interaction with the folks that came in for lunch. Instead, I had an opportunity to chat and learn from the other, more experienced volunteers.The really busy time in the kitchen is just after folks finish eating, which sounds so obvious, but being so used to serving at other places, I was somehow expecting it to be busy as folks arrived.

Another great experience volunteering in the Boston area. If the opportunity arises, I’ll definitely sign up to help out at the BLC again.  

Half of IHF’s mission is to educate the poor and the other half is to educate the world about the poor. Our vision is to strive for a world of leaders and citizens who have interacted with, and are truly knowledgeable about the world’s poor.
- IHF Website

In addition to various sponsorship programs such as classroom or orphan sponsorships, the International Humanity Foundation (IHF) operates multiple orphanages in Indonesia, Kenya and Thailand with a focus on creating a nurturing environment for the children where they can make their education a priority. The IHF presence in Thailand is located in the city of Chiang Rai, Thailand. Nestled in between Burma to the west and Laos to the east is the northern-most province of Chiang Rai, Thailand. This summer, Chiang Rai will serve as my introduction to Southeast Asia as I will be volunteering at the orphanage in Chiang Rai as part of my trip to Southeast Asia.

I have been volunteering online with IHF since March 30th of this year. The volunteering work has consisted primarily of reviewing volunteer applications and determining which role would fit them best by reviewing their skills and experience against the needs of the organization. Compared to other volunteering opportunities around the world, IHF out-of-pocket costs for volunteers are relatively small. IHF accomplishes this by having most of the administrative work be done by volunteers online before they arrive at their center of choice. The requirements to log hours volunteering online are strict but well worth it.

This entry is part of a series of posts on my trip to Southeast Asia in August of 2008. You can see all of the posts in this series the post: A look back to my trip to Southeast Asia.

Not the case!

So what have I been up to? I was actually scheduled to help test out some computer systems for donations couple weeks back, but since i was not feeling well at all that weekend, I decided to cancel it.

For the last month or so, I’ve been volunteering from home for the International Humanities Foundation. I have been placed in the Volunteer Task Team; specifically, I help assign new volunteers to different tasks. Things started a bit bumpy. The organisation was in the middle of making some changes to their application process and, at first, I was a bit lost. Now that I’ve spent many weeks with the process and working with the folks, I am becoming very comfortable with my task and doing my best to get it done.

While I’ve volunteered locally less, I still have continued volunteering. It may not be for a couple of more weeks before I do volunteer locally again. With Mother’s Day coming up, I will be spending a weekend delivering flowers throughout the metrowest area.

I’ve also been trying to sneak in a bit more personal time on the weekends as well.

I got involved with WPL through BostonCares. Specifically, I was there to help serve the wonderful ladies and help clean up once meals were finished. Once i got in and strapped the apron on, I felt very comfortable being in a large kitchen. Just shows you how all of those years helping my mom and her catering business really provided me with some skills i could put to use. The contrasting difference, is the complete lack of stress when helping setup and serve the food at WPL.

Volunteering there really was a great pleasure. It was a lot of fun to help them out and to treat those ladies as if each one was a special guest in a fancy restaurant. I hope that the great meal and the warm service has made them smile.

Because the organisation wants to provide a more personal touch, the servers take the already made plates to the ladies at their tables, as they would do if they were in a restaurant.

The kitchen staff, our project leader and the rest of the servers were really great. I even ran across another volunteer that i worked with previously at another one of the BostonCares projects. Everyone was very helpful and everyone worked together to do their best. Our project leader was wonderful and took the time to personally meet with just about everyone of our guests.

Once the dessert was served, I volunteered to take over the pot-scrubbing duty and did that for pretty much the remainder of the afternoon. Everyone helped out with cleaning up the kitchen as well as the hall.

Comparing this experience to my other volunteering experiences, this was the first time where I could interact with the people that i am trying to help out, while the other volunteering projects I’ve been involved with I had to ponder the impact on those I was trying to help.

Working at the WPL is one of the very hot places to volunteer at BostonCares and I most definitely will volunteer there again. The slots fill up fast, but I’ve already signed up to help out in one of the Saturdays in May. Though, I will have to plan a bit better my trip into Boston so that i do not end up paying $26 for parking at Copley Place again. I am looking forward to it