Leaving Dili

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Sunday morning I said goodbye to the clinic and to the crazy, chaotic, and energetic city of Dili and made my way to Triloka.

The night before I left, the housemates I had been staying with had a small party for me. After pryer in the small back room, we gathered around the kitchen table where they wished me well and sent their regards to my husband and family and presented me with a traditional tais cloth. Tais is the traditional weaving done in East Timor. I stood there in this romm full of beautiful Timorese people speaking to me in a language I am just beginning to understand and felt overwhelmed once again. Immediately, they recognized that I might be about to cry (again) and told me not to be sad, that I would come back again soon. And next time I am to bring my husband!

Sunday morning I said goodbye to the midwife who has become a close friend in these short 5 weeks. She has taught me how to catch a baby, how to talk dirty in Tetum, and so much about simple living. She is a refuge who lives in a tent behind the clinic with her husband and four children. I loved seeing her each day with her huge smile. We would hold hands and walk around the clinic talking and laughing. Her english is about as good as my Tetum and each day we would teach each other new words. The last few days I was there, I also taught her to use the internet and how to send emails. I am hoping this will help us keep in touch.

When I arrived at the clinic there was one last baby that I was able to help out. Two hours later, I said goodbye, loaded my bags into the car and drove with staff from the clinic out to Triloka. Triloka is a small village about 10 km west of Baucau. The drive is amazing. The road hugs the coast for nearly the whole 110 km journey. It is a slow drive, taking nearly three hours. The sun was shining, the water was crystal clear and bright blue, and the hills were lush and green. Halfway there we stopped at a roadside stall and ate coconut rice and fish and octopus (I, of course, passed on the meat, but those of you who know me already know this).

Early in the afternoon, we arrived in Triloka. My friends who I came to East Timor with, have been staying and working at a clinic in Triloka for the past five weeks. The clinic is located in the middle of the village right next door to the "community center". At night the locals gather around a tv that they haul out and watch television, from the sounds of it, I think it is some sort of soap opera. Across the street is a "ring" where they have cock fights.

I am very much enjoying being out of the city in a quieter place. At night, the stars are incredibly bright and fill the sky. I have never before seen a sky full of stars as beautiful as here. It is made all the sweeter because of how quiet it is, the sounds you here are just the

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Photos

My Midwife Friends
Two of the midwives I worked with at the clinic