First time for everything

A little update (and my first every blog!) from the ever so green swamps and sexist mayhem of Gleno. First, an introspective of my Easter weekend… which was to say the least, quite unusually religious for my normal gala. Cut out the drinking, the parties and the celebration, what are you left with? A Jesus enthused procession with what appeared to be 500 people, plodding and slogging through a 5 hour long climbing road up to Letefoho, the highest village in Timor. I was foolish enough to think that I would be fine not having had anything to eat that morning or the night before (due to the lack of food available apart from uncooked bread dough). I licked my sweat for vitamin supplements which mixed well when torrential rain poured down onto me, throughout the day. Unfortunately for Jesus, head spins was the only heavenly feeling I felt during the whole escapade. Maybe this was due to the fact that I didn’t take off my thongs for the journey like I was told to do by my many walking colleagues. After walking up to the highest hill in the village (by this point I felt I understood what Jesus had gone through, seeing only black and blue spots clouding my eyes) and laying to rest the cross that people had lugged with them, we then proceeded to have mass in the rain, shivering but content to be in a ‘bum to the floor position’.

Sunday was also without exception, a day to be remembered. Getting up (with no chocolates to be had) at the crack of dawn with little to do, I proceeded to get attacked by a goat in my front yard while I was trying to gently usher him out. He chose to disobey me and instead threatened me with his hooves. Laughing hysterically, I let him be… In the afternoon, Joel and I sat down with a troop of neighbourhood kids, to drink the cherished Timor drink of ‘Tua Sabu’. This is palm wine measuring at 50 – 70 percent in potency. It also tastes like piss water and has been found to lead people to blindness (hence the term: blind drunk). Drinking with kids is not something I value highly but in Timor, it’s hard not to as kids are everywhere, especially when I’m around… Many seem to find it normal to come over to my house and play, EVERY single day. I’ve even gotten asked by some if they can move in as there’s an extra bed… Nice try sweetie pies! I don’t think so! Space is needed to be had right now.

Anyway, so the going story recently in Gleno (my village) news, is that I’ve been found shagging Joel in my works’ toilets. Now first of all I’d like to say that since I’m living with Joel would it not be more convenient to shag at home then at work, where nosy people could not interrupt… (Not mentioning the fact that my work toilets are far from being clean…). So now all the men in Gleno look at me as if I’m the village slut (which isn’t very different from before since every girl who’s got white skin is considered to be as such). But the bonus is that I get comments now, which get yelled out to me from the safety of distances, such as “where you going? Home to ‘rest’ then…? How ‘bout we (me and my buddies here) come over later on and help you ‘relax’…”. Now I’m sure some of you are thinking this sounds quite appealing, especially with some sexy looking Latin twang men, but unfortunately taking up people on such an offer would lead me to getting kicked out of my job and probably East Timor. And I don’t like being treated like a sex machine that does little else apart from serve men’s LIBIDO. Apart from all the drama, life is taken up by small things. I often go and eat at my adopted family’s warung (café) and crack up people through my ‘eccentric western ways’. I’m much funnier here in Timor then I am in Australia somehow, which I’m sure has to do with the miscommunication that occurs through my speaking of Tetum. My work consists of at the moment finding funding for a computer project I have helped to initiate. This is becoming harder than I thought or was led to believe and so I will be lucky to get the project started by the time I leave. Hopefully with a little luck someone will pull through. OK will promise once again to update more frequently and all the rest. Keep on bringing on the updates as I love reading the goss, Am signing off here, Cuddles and Kisses, Luv Celine