Loke Matan! Hasan nanaal!

Botarde!

Finished my third week and already head first into the fourth. Have to say last week was full on and it pretty much covered the full gamut of emotions! Just some advanced warning – this could be a long blog – have lots to tell!

It was so great having the rest of the critical care skills team here from Sydney all of last week. I have to admit it was initially it was a bit of a shock to the system – well going from just me to having another 7 people around most of the time was pretty intense!! However, I got over that quickly enough and it was just so much fun with the gang together again. The workshops we ran at the National Hospital were hard work but they went really well so were worth it despite the long and tiring days.

Working hard did lead to the team playing hard on a couple of nights – for medicinal and therapeutic purposes only though!! One particular night started with an innocent enough dinner but was quickly followed by crazy dancing - not naming any names Rog - to Talking Heads in One More Bar (imagine Peter Garret moves mixed with a some 80s jazzercise if you dare) – and a couple of games of pool on a dodgy table with only one cue! That night ended with a trek to a Portuguese Karaoke Bar by the beach (yes we found a Karaoke Bar in Dili!!!) so that AD (aka the “Delaniac”) could sing Karaoke for the first time – Nirvana his band of choice – Smells like Teen Spirit - the song that stopped Dili! His warm up act was a certain LT who wowed the audience with her rendition of Dancing Queen - complete with dancing! Between us we managed to make it back to our hotels - nothing like a bit of team work and bonding!! I do have photographic and video evidence but will keep that under wraps until there is a need for blackmail!!!

So what else have I been up to? Well you would have thought that with such an intense week of workshops AND with the team here I wouldn’t have time for much else...... almost correct.... but not quite! The week also involved a former president, a Major, a hilarious early morning aerobics session, a road trip to Maubisse (via Santa Cruz cemetery) and .... oh yes.....President Ramos Horta!

Let me elaborate, if I may? – actually I can since this is my blog! .......


On Tuesday Lyndal and I were invited to have coffee with Sr Francisco Xavier- the first President of Timor Leste (for that shortest of periods between when the Portuguese left and Indonesia invaded). He told us some amazing stories about his life while I politely sipped the tiniest amount of Timorese coffee (yes me drinking coffee – geez I had head spins after that – pathetic I know!). We thought we only had half an hour with him since he was meeting with the Prime Minister so we kept getting up to go but then being told to stay longer! He even took us on a drive (complete with UN police escort!) to show us his new home that overlooks Dili.

On Thursday night the whole team had dinner with Major Michael Stone who is an advisor to President Ramos Horta and is the man who knows how to get things done!Really nice guy as well. For those of you into the movie trivia – Mike played the interviewer in “Balibo” (an awesome film worth seeing if you haven’t already).

Friday morning Roger and I ran to the Hospital for a 6.30am exercise session. It was mix of line dancing, 80s aerobics Oz style and zumba! We were at a huge disadvantage because everyone seemed to know what to do except the two of us. What was worse... one of the doctors videotaped our attempt to look coordinated - totally hilarious! Needless to say we were relieved when we had to leave so that we could run back home! Never thought I'd be so happy to go for a run!!

Sadly on Saturday morning most of the team left Dili on what was MEANT to be an early flight out to Darwin. I accompanied them as far as passport control and then left thinking that they would be in Darwin soon while I headed on the long, hilly and nausea inducing road that led to Maubisse with Kirsty and her daughter Gabby. I didn’t know until later that the poor guys were stuck at Dili Airport for 3 hours because the plane was broken and they were waiting for two smaller planes from Darwin to come and get them! Apparently Roger was on the verge of chewing off AD's arm he was so hungry!

En route to Maubisse we stopped at the Santa Cruz Cemetery which was quite a sobering experience but it was good to see such a significant place for the Timorese people. Maubisse was beautiful (and lovely and cool!!!). We were visiting to check out the Hospital and meet up with Moises (who is the Nursing Director there and was one of our AusAID Fellows this year in Sydney). When we arrived Moises was at the church having choir practice for mass the next day so we got invited to watch. The choir sung so beautifully – however when they asked us to join in, the quality may have dropped a tad! We were woken by the dawn church bells at 5.30 and went up to the Portuguese Pousada on the hill to see the sunrise which was gorgeous.

Okay, I realise that this blog has gone on and on and on....sorry! But I have only one more story to tell and it is cool I swear......

Thanks to Mike, on Sunday (back in Dili) we got to have G and T’s with President Ramos Horta at his lovely home! A totally awesome experience for the three of us as you can imagine. Not every day you get to sit and chat with a President and Nobel Prize winner. He pours a mean G and T by the way – so yet again I was slowly sipping my drink with a President! The funniest moment was when the President told Gabby she looked like Paris Hilton and then persuaded his little nieces that she was! In their eyes, his credibility shot right up – who cares about Nobel Peace prizes - Many photos were taken!! The President invited us to stay on for dinner since he had a small group coming around – Unfortunately Kirsty and Gabby had to leave because they had a previous dinner engagement but I was able to stay and got to meet some interesting Red Cross, UN and business people. I was trying to act cool and calm the whole time I was at his home but failed miserably and had to pinch myself every now and again just to make sure I was actually awake! It was a fantastic opportunity and I have to say the President is a very charming and smart man.

Now that’s one way to end a week right?!

Miss all of you so you better be missing me!!

d x