Thursday, February 9, 2012

Catching up on old posts

Wednesday 8 February 2012
So, three days into my research.  I got lost the first day.I’ve been able to get a local licence for a car, based on my Aussie driver’s licence, but my intention to get a bike has been temporally put on ice. Will have to go through a workshop and test before that happens.
Will have to go clothes shopping for work. Might be a bit of a challenge finding appropriate clothes for a person of my size but we’ll see. Apparently the biggest challenge will be work shoes.
At the moment I am spending my time doing regular language studies. My Indonesian is coming in useful sporadically. I prefer to speak Tetum but if I’m in a jam, Indonesian seems to work. Tetum is coming along, unfortunately most of the TV is in Indonesian.
Also been catching up on a lot of reading and finalising the second draft of my research proposal. Only two weeks late. Sorry Ed… you’re probably not reading this but if you are, I guess I’m busted.
I will check tomorrow about setting up a blog at work.
I am paranoid about mozzies. I have got Malaria and Dengue on the brain, not literally though. I am convinced I will catch something here. Haven’t had any stomach problems yet. Maybe I’ve developed some resistance with my two years in Indonesian. The strange dreams have stopped for the moment. Phew. My ear infection is slowly clearing up. Yah!
I’ve checked out the Hotel Timor so far but haven’t hit the bars here yet. Partly cause I was sick, partly no need to rush into it. Going to try out One More Bar tomorrow. Very close to work. I’m meeting an Austrian who is doing fieldwork here too. His topic is different fortunately but it will be good to network and meet new people too. There’s a cocktail party that work is organising for Friday, ostensibly for Valentines Day. Hope it’s not too mushy, just coming by myself.
Wow, almost a page. Ok, that’ll do.
Maun Evan

Sunday 5 February 2012
I have been in Dili for three days. I am writing this in anticipation of eventually setting up a blog; at this stage I am not sure when and how this will happen but I am confident it will happen. I decided to start writing while these thoughts are still fresh in my mind.
Friday felt like forever – 3 February. An early start and flight; a tough start which only exacerbated the illness I had developed over the preceding weekend I assume. I was more organised than last time but I was still pushing things pretty close to the wire in terms of moving, cleaning, and packing. Perhaps screaming along to Soundgarden (twice), Kasabian and Noel Gallagher – plus an epic karaoke session -was the catalyst for the ear infection…? But it was worth it; no regrets.
Flying into Darwin was not straightforward. The flight was delayed by over an hour and I was beginning to feel quite unwell. On our descent into Darwin, I began to feel like someone had hammered a nail into my right ear.
A big shout out for Jenny and Howard Bath, who took me in. Thank you so much for letting me crash with you. Had a great time catching up and checking out Darwin. I could see myself moving there one day, it really is a beautiful city.
I was greeted on my arrival in Dili by my friend Jose, it’s so nice to get picked up at the airport, and he has helped enormously in my efforts to get settled. I’ve now got a modem for my laptop and a local mobile, among many other things, thanks to his assistance. Thank you so much.
I am settled in with the brother, Jorge, of my friend Carmen. They set up a nice room with a comfortable bed and fan. Again, I am very grateful for their help and hospitality. It’s not too far from work and the centre of Dili. I am only just beginning to explore the city but it has a nice feel to it. It really is beautiful. I am still working out my transport options, maybe a scooter kind of thing or a bicycle, though I don’t think it would be too hard to walk and taxi my time here either.
It can get very warm here and staying cool and hydrated will be very important. I am being disciplined with the use of repellent; I’m a bit paranoid about malaria and dengue fever. Taking anti-malaria medication every day. I’ve heard that side-effects may include strange dreams. The last two nights I have had bizarre dreams, which I won’t get into, but I’ll wait and see. If that’s the only side-effect, I think I will put up with strange dreams for six months.
First day of work tomorrow. I have some clothes for work but I will need to buy some more, while a haircut is in order. Gonna go quite short, makes life easier to manage and will be more comfortable. I’m also playing street soccer with the kids who live in the same street, we all love it! Oh yeah, everyone here wears football jerseys. Mostly Barcelona. I’d like to play here, along with some other recreational activities when I get the chance. I think I’ll leave it here. At this stage this will be pretty informal and unstructured, this blog I mean. I’ll see where it goes.
Cheers, Maun Evan

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