Kuku Sira (Kuku and them)

Here's a Glamour Shot Kuku took at the mall last week. She's a doll, for real. Actually, in this picture she's a little tired after a long walk with us. It was our first walk together and we would pick her up and carry her whenever we saw another dog on the way. Cute.We finally found some pictures from our swear-in ceremony where we all dressed as traditionally as we could. The US Ambassador gave us our certificates, as you can see. The lipas we are wearing in the pictures are fairly nice, but we sleep in cheaper plaid ones (yes, we really do, unless it's too hot for even a thin lipa).

Gather round...

A blurry family photo of us and Kuku - wait...awww! Kuku's making a face!
Behind our house we started a garden. This was a rare time when there were three of us in the garden. I actually moved it a little further back so it could get more sun. Next step is to find seeds. Where's Wal-Mart when you need it?
This is some of the soccer girls. It seems like Timor is really gung-ho about getting womens' soccer going. They're really a fun group and we do our best to have a good time.

The coolest pig in town. We don't know why, but one hot day this pig was wearing a wet t-shirt.
An action scene at practice. I'm playing keeper on the right. No one was hurt - unless it was because they were laughing too hard.
Coke. Yes, mom, you were right. Cokes can be found anywhere. That's Afia on the right in a chugging contest with Bekah.
Me and P, one of the family. He got in a little motorcycle accident and hurt his foot. One of the local traditions is to cover your wounds with motor oil, which I saw him do more than once with a feather before we convinced him to go to the hospital. He's recovering now but has a little limp and uses the bamboo stick as a cane. With my white shirt on his back down to his knees (we gave it to him because he couldn't bathe for days) and with his hobble and his cane, he reminds me a lot of Master Yoda.

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

The title doesn't mean we went anywhere extra special recently, but it just means that it's hard to believe we're here. And now that we've started to settle in more with the family and community, it's easier to relax and smell a few tropical roses.

As you could have already guessed, we are in Dili again. We just got in after bumming a ride with a large and very kind retired Dutchman and his much smaller but just as kind Timorese counterpart, both who loved to tell jokes. One of the jokes was telling us this morning that they decided not to leave for Dili for another two days. We believed them completely, but as you can see, we needn't have.

It seems we'll be moving along with the girls' soccer team soon. At a wedding festa last night - and that, my friend, is another story - a man told us he would talk to the head of the association about us and where they want the team to go in the future. Besides that, we're trying to take it slow. We can't expect to get anything done just yet except very small things like building relationships. And we do that by spending time with anyone we can - in the kitchen over a fire, at the dinner table over rice and modo, in the store across the street over a can of tuna for Kuku or at the soccer field surrounded my kids who tebe bola.

Well, the great news is we have two rolls of film we'll develop tomorrow and among other things you'll soon see what we look like now, what Kuku the dog looks like and what soccer practice looks like. But, to hold you over until then, here you go:

First is our street. You can see there's a little sidewalk there. Rare in these parts. Second is Nucen, a local soccer team, before a game. Third is a bunch of pigs. Bek got this cute picture during training. These hairy things are everywhere.

West and wewaxation

This little cutie pie is our little host sister, Afia. She's three and she rules the house. I thought it'd be a nice way to start the post by putting the picture of her fo han manu, feeding the chickens.

We are on our first break from site here in Dili. We've done a little shopping - Nutella is gold here - and some movie watching and lots of computer stuff while we can. We bought some film to take pictures in Same. Among other things we'll take a Before picture of Kuku, the little dog we'll actually pick up this afternoon. We're going to visit our training host family this afternoon, bathe Kuku with the Johnson's No Tears Baby Shampoo so it doesn't hurt her eyes and then in the morning catch the anguna to Same with Kuku in a newspaper-lined laundry basket.

We actually thought of the poop-factor - the reason for the newspaper in the basket - only after the puppy of the driver of the car we came in on pooped all over the little box he was in. Thank God for that poop.

We've met up with a few other volunteers here in Dili and it's been nice catching up and telling stories. Speaking of meeting people, we've met some other interesting malae in Same who will hopefully become friends. When we get back to site our family is actually taking us on a picnic to the south beach, so we'll see that for the first time.

It's all exciting, planning trips to visit other volunteers around the island and seeing new things, trying to figure out the ins ands outs of Timor and how to find little things to make life for comfortable. While it is no easy thing, believe me, it is worth it.

Here's the most recent picture of the two of us, taken in the last week of training. I'm hoping to post a newer one soon.

Up to date!

As some know now, as Bekah put it, "Yesterday the clouds opened up and the light shined down on this little District Health Services office and lo and behold, internet appeared."

But today I could not open blogger.com so I'm trying the email method. Fingers are crossed. And it's hard to type this way.

Quickly, a wise PCV once said the first month at sight is the hardest month as a Volunteer. We concur. But, as our parents know since they call every week, we are still in good spirits. In a nutshell, this is how it feels:

Imagine moving to a new city. It's awkward at first because you don't know where anything is. And you're nowhere near your comfort zone. People do things differently. And at first you have no friends there, no one you can trust to help you. Then, throw in that you do not know how to speak the same language. I imagine we feel like a South American or Asian who can't speak English moving in to my hometown and being totally lost. That's us.

But it gets better every day. Our patience is our biggest ally. And when we're down and lonely and homesick, something usually come along to brighten the day - a surprise phone call from Bek's sister, a surprise visit from a fellow PCV and, most recently, a package of 4 People Magazines and 1 Striker (soccer) Magazine that we just melt with happiness over.

Before I go I'll mention Bek and I have both been playing soccer here, or, as they say, tebe bola. Ah yes, the beautiful game. It's not only a great way to meet new people, it's fun.

So, we're headed to Dili semana oin, next week, so you'll here from us again then. For now, ate amanya.