It has been a couple of days since I wrote and things happens quickly at a slow pace. There is much activity over three locations that the Rotary project is involved with here.
I have been stationed at the St. Dominics convent along with Mervyn and two school girls from Montmorency High and Steven. The others, Ian, Graham and Chris have gone to the orphanage to stay for now. Ian spends most of his time in driving between the three locations as site manager. They are all spread across Dili – and through the treacherous traffic. It’s not the cars you need be concerned so much as the many hundreds of small bikes. Some bikes have whole families aboard – these are generally the ones that don’t wear helmets because they would not all fit with the head wear. Some bike drivers even have a liscence. It costs $30 I understand for a liscence and that is quite steep for here.
My task has so far been working in the classrooms with the young children; showing them how to hold a paint brush and use colour. Yesterday I had the young children and asked for more paint from the school. I was able to put on tables little dishes of red and yellow ochre poster paint. Fortunately I am carrying my own pack of sets of watercolours, pastels and pencils. So anyone out there – we need more coloured poster paints; and preferably of some quality that has more pigment that jelly filler. I had also collected a handful of brushes from my studio as I left Eltham – and these too have come in useful as it’s difficult to find brushes in the classrooms.
Yesterday I thought it would be a good idea if I set up some sort of fund from our gallery; and perhaps in my mother’s name to fund children. Have I mentioned it only costs $7 a month to support a child here. I spoke to Sister about it and she and I will sort some ‘legal’ kind of ongoing support. They would like the support money as an annual donation – and if possible an extra $10 for the uniform. A donation of $100 once a year would see one of these beautiful children given a years education and a clean uniform; along with one meal a day. We would use Sister’s plan to insist on attendance from the child and that the parents of the community also become involved and help with the cleaning and maintenance of the mission. Each morning many parents stand at the gate to see their child stand to the flag and do their dancing. It’s a form of aerobics.
It is delightful to see the young children run through the gates to the school. When you see the houses in the community it is not so difficult to understand why. The mission is indeed a green oasis among the people. The mission garden is watered each night and has green grass, a garden planted by the sisters full of the most wonderful orchids and other flowers that Sister has brought from her homeland in the Philippines. There are two or three mission dogs – white dingo looking dogs and a couple of cats. The dogs and cats are allowed to wander through the mission, the classrooms, kitchen and are greatly loved. There is Snowy and Whitey. Sometimes Snowy is changed up because he likes to get out and chat with the neighbouring dogs.
This morning I went with Sister Elsie to visit one of the local Private Schools. There are more than 3,000 students from infants to 16 year olds. Sister will be taking some classes with the young ladies and teaching them about sexuality and other related topics. When we arrived the head of the school was reprimanding a group of young girls. Their punishment: they were confined to their dormitory for two weeks. Their dresses had been too short.
Most of the students come to Dili from the mountains. The Rotary Club has given the school a lot of funding and therefore they are able to have a good media department and work with the local TV. There is no art department.
The students had to climb very steep steps to the third floor for the meeting with Sister. The conditions in this very fine Dili school would not come close to meeting Australian standards. Nor would very much else that is in Dili. Can see there is hope for the future as work is being done. As you drive around there are men mixing holes in the roads and up poles attending to the electrics of the city. We have not had any blackout in the last few days.
