dining out in dili

You may have picked up on this already but I really like lists.  In a recent conversation with some of my expat friends we discussed our favorite things about living here (there are so many!) and got stuck talking about "dining out."  Behold-


I love it when I am eating out in Dili and...


1.  ...what is brought to me is the same thing as what was on the menu and what I ordered. Last week I ordered a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich. It was on the menu therefore I assumed available for purchase and consumption.  However, when my "sandwich" arrived, I was given 2 pieces of toast. I told her it wasn't what I ordered and when I pointed to the sandwich on the same menu I ordered from a mere 38 minutes before, she replied "don't have." Could she not have let me know that then?  


Apparently when restaurants are out of ingredients they don't feel the need to tell you until they bring the ingredients they do have under the guise of "your meal" regardless of whether or not you want the food in that state.  I did eat about 40% of the "sandwich" and no it wasn't good.  


Another time I ordered a papaya chicken salad that should have included- wait for it- papaya and chicken- as well as peppers and tomatoes.  It was not only missing its namesake ingredients but also the peppers. They did add some sliced onion (substitution is never the norm so this was a real treat) but who wants that as a stand in?  I was still charged full price as their chicken was local and organic and the papayas were imported from Australia.  


2. ...what I order as a repeat customer is the same thing as what was on the menu, and how I remember it based on the first time I ordered it.  When you find something good that doesn't make you sick you like to stick with it.  I'm an adventurous eater (I'll try anything once) but merely eating out has become the adventure as we all play the "my body didn't react violently to what I ingested approximately 4 hours ago!" game.  So I stick with things I have tried before or seem least likely to make me sick. However just because you thought you ordered ramen with chicken and vegetables like you did "last time," doesn't mean you won't get shrimp with rice even if you point to the same #33 special with the picture of the chicken.  


3.  ... the food is prepared in the same way as it is in every other part of the world.  I ordered gazpacho the other night which is (every other time I have eaten it everywhere else in the world) a savory cold soup made from a combination of pureed and diced vegetables.  The perfect meal for enduring another ridiculously hot day.  I was presented with a very sweet tomato and pepper foamy version served to me in a margarita glass.  Inedible.  If only the rim were salted...


4.  ...my food comes at the same time as the rest of the diners at my table.  Almost every single time I eat out regardless of the size of the party- be it 2 people or 10- the food never comes out at once.  Eating in "shifts" is encouraged at most places because this happens everywhere. 


A few weeks ago we waited 40 minutes for my friend's food to come out (she ordered a very complicated 3 ingredient salad) so we could actually eat together.  You know- because that's the entire purpose of going out to dinner.  In an environment that is so focused on family togetherness I am continually perplexed that this doesn't make sense to more people who work at restaurants. I'm going to start a revolution and start to ask that all the food be brought together.  Ask me in 2 years how that's going.


5.  ... there are no animal fights near, on or under your table.  Inevitably you will see a dog or cat fight because there are so many that are homeless and hungry. It's very sad.


As most restaurants are open air these little creatures are often lurking in the shadows waiting for every grain of rice to drop.  While enjoying some Thai food at a lovely beach side cafe, a 2-cat fight ended up using my friends lap as a springboard to hurl themselves over our table and continue their fight over a rat they caught in the kitchen (also open air).  It startled us but we are seasoned expats and don't let these small nuisances affect us. We chuckled, sat back down, poured more wine and continued on waiting for 6 other people's meals.  


6.  ...when the number of waitstaff in an open kitchen outnumber the number of diners over 5x over and you still wait an hour for your meal.  Back in the days of cooking without electricity over an open fire I can understand how a meal could take time to prepare.  Hours, even.  But when there is a western kitchen well equipped with an oven and a (6 burner!) stove visible to the public that has 8 "staff" people standing around and all I ordered were eggs on some toast and I have to wait 52 minutes for that and it turns out you used powdered egg mix anyway, I am not thrilled.  The word hustle does not exist in tetum.

bestdayofmyentirelifeandimnotkidding

My boxes arrived today.  


I'm not sure how much you people realize how major this is.  


Life Changing.


I've never been so thrilled to see such a pathetic, beaten display of international "we ship with care" delivery.  But my life is in here- my towels, sheets, clothes, SPICES (I am freaking out I have TRUFFLE OIL- in TIMOR), tennis racket, yoga mat, hiking boots, Nalgene bottle.  I have been sleeping on a single borrowed sheet for the last month.  


I have died and fallen in love with my stuff all over again.  I never thought I was attached to things as much I am but the sense of pure joy when opening my boxes was pure bliss.  And you know what- I don't feel guilty at all.

Regardless of what the outside looks like, the contents arrived 100% in tact.  Thanks FedEx!


My mom sent me a package (thank you, thank you mom!) and it had hand sanitizer, GUM, magazines! (we don't have those in these parts) and some drink mixes (also not something they have here).  Truly the best possible day I've ever had.  In my life.


AND I finished a MAJOR milestone in my work today- the interviews for my training needs assessment!


So all in all- wow.  Majorly awesome day.  And its all because of these dirty beat up boxes and may amazing ability to get things done.   ha! 


YEAH!

sdhvsnnadobn;obno;snvs

Weird day.  Let me give you a run through:

1.  Wake up at 6 am and do "hotel work out" in my apartment using my suitcase as a weight. Totally coordinated.

2. Get harassed by group of teenagers as I try to get a taxi to work.  Daily routine but worth noting.

3. Almost run over a 3 legged dog- near miss- in chosen taxi. Heart failure.

4.  Observe a full frontal urination from the sidewalk onto a shipping container at the pier as nearing final destination (it is not yet 8:15 am). Classy.

5.  Get to work; meet group of people and supposed to meet driver to go out to line ministries to do training needs assessment surveys. No driver.

6.  Group member volunteers use of personal car and we complete our morning interviews 30 minutes late (which is on schedule) and I am dropped off to walk back to my 2nd office (I have 4).

7.  Eat at desk for 20 minutes before afternoon interviews start.  During this time I confirm that no, my boxes that arrived January 18th are still not cleared and ready for me to collect. Excellent.

8.  Book ticket to BALI next weekend. Oh yeah.

9.  Complete afternoon interviews by 6 pm and go to supermarket to buy a wok that is not aluminum (Alzheimer's people- don't use aluminum!) and some liquid detergent as the powder here is crap.  

10.  Get groped in the paper goods aisle. Not awesome. 

11.  Get in taxi to go home; heavy traffic because Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão is hanging out in the middle of the street talking to citizens.  I was so close I could have touched him. Normal. 

12.  Drop stuff off at apartment (it's now 7 pm) and go back down to friend's place where we run into Xanana Gusmão again. Is he stalking me?

13.  Saw AH-MAZE-ING sunset.  Pink, hot pink, orange, yellow, blaze orange, blue, bright purple, dark purple, wispy clouds, fluffy clouds, palm trees- aaaagh!

14.  Walk to documentary screening of Strange Birds in Paradise; A West Papuan Story.  Cried, felt sick to my stomach, and inspired all in an hour and a half.  Watch it. 

I have worked for my weekend.  Can anyone say Friiiiiiiiddddaaaaaayyyyyyyy?

i'm on a booooat

This past weekend I had the most amazing time celebrating a friend's birthday on a sailboat. Around 3pm we all left the main dock in front of the Banyan Trees to sail around Cristo Rei. We had a lovely crew who attended to our every thirst and hunger pain.  Someone brought some amazing speakers and we had a proper DJ.  

For 6 hours we bathed in the warm sun, danced (carefully as to not fall in), celebrated, and sipped delicious Indonesian Beer- Bintang- which, even if part of the brewing process does use formaldehyde, is still quite tasty. It was incredibly fun, peaceful and serene. 

Behold the sleeping croc.

It was thrilling to see Cristo Rei from this vantage point- truly magnificent. The beauty of the ocean will always take my breath away.

Apart from being bitten by the sea lice, it was a perfect day.  No welts = winning!

carnival

Happy Fat Tuesday from Dili!

left/right/wrong

When asked what side of the road people drive on over here my answer is "both."  I'm sorry to report, but they are the worst drivers in the entire world.  Traffic is in a constant battle for space and speed.  Motorbikes cut in front of their much larger counterparts (taxis, SUVs, armored UN vehicles) like we are all playing a game of chicken at summer camp without consequences.  Taxis rarely go over 25 km/hr and creep from left to right as though they have forgotten what they are doing.  We merge from the left and right simply because we can.  To complicate the situation, aside from the skills of the actual driver the roads have potholes the size and depth of small livestock, there are rarely stoplights, and roads that are one way are virtually never marked.  


No matter where I go in Dili cabs always honk.  The funny thing is if I need one, a honk doesn't always mean "I'm available to take you where you want to go."  It could mean "Hi foreigner, my taxi is full but I'll just want to let you know how unavailable I really am- chew on that."  Or, "Hey female- I acknowledge you waking on the road and wanted to let you know I am a man with a car full of my teenage friends.  We smoke Indonesian cigarettes while driving and playing music so loud it would be against regulation at a Dead concert. Let's talk."


It's a veritable cornucopia of danger where, as a passenger, our (tinted) view of outside life goes on before us like we are watching a funny little movie.


That said- there is always an upside!  Here are the things I am grateful for when getting in a taxi:

1. Air conditioning. Yeah right.
2. Functioning windows. I gave up on A/C long ago (I mean really).
3. The driver acknowledges in some way (a nod, a facial movement- either smile or grimace, or if I am lucky some sort of audible noise- or even a combination of both!) that he knows where I have requested to be taken.  (Though 50% of the time he is lying).  And yes, every single taxi driver in Timor is a man so I will use the pronoun "he."
4. I can open the taxi door from the outside. Having to reach your arm through the passenger side window (which may be rolled up and stuck at a very awkward level to actually reach the inside of the door handle) is always dirty and mostly unsuccessful which then requires having to go around the other side of the car to enter the cab (if this door is actually functional as well).
5. I can open the taxi door from the inside. Though coat hangers and various forms of woven reeds do make great reconstructed loops that, when pulled at just the right angle, do open the door.  This is also advantageous in the event of a fire so I am able to remove myself from the flaming piece of crap.
6. There are fewer than 4 different types of competing scented air freshener. Dodging the various bags of scented rocks suspended from fishing wire across the sagging taxi fabric ceiling is tricky (though sometimes it is stapled back up to the foam ceiling in a pretty pattern, which is nice).  These lovely swinging sachets of artificially flavored coconut, fruit punch and spruce really mix well together along with the cigarette smoke and lack of ventilation.  Oh wait no they don't.  
7. Dry seats.  It's rainy season and we have already established that windows don't roll up.  Things are dusty.  Rain and dust creates mud, especially on fabric.  Try and explain that to your new colleagues on your first day of work.
8. Visibility.  The relentless heat of the tropical environment makes tinting and shading windows with various plastics and adhesives very popular.  So popular that most taxis don't usually have full visibility out of the front of the car.  I enjoy being able to see out of the entire windshield- but that is just me.  It usually helps with that merging stuff that they don't do very well here either.  Unfortunately I didn't capture a shot of the outside of the sunscreen which read to the public "Abuja."  Why the capital city name of Nigeria was on this cab, I have no idea.  But it was written in sparkly letters so, why not.

Note the multiple mirrors attached to the left side of the windshield.  Though it appears visibility is desired, they are in fact only an accessory.  We merge without consequence.


There are 2 visible air fresheners in the corner, one hanging from the mirror and 3 strung onto the backseat headrests (not pictured).  


This taxi driver was the sweetest. I didn't get a picture but the red steering wheel cover matched the back seat cover which was a cute red racing stripe.  

working for the weekend

It's almost my Friday.  I have a lot to look forward to this weekend-- a Carnival party tomorrow night, a Carnival parade complete with homemade crocodile float and a birthday party on a boat on Saturday, and snorkeling and a cookout on the beach Sunday. As I was deathly sick the last 2 days and seem to be recovered, I likely do not have malaria or dengue!


This little girl from the Tais market was my inspiration today.  As her brothers and sisters were playing in their neighborhood she was diligently doing her math homework. 


As our week nears its end may we continue to all work hard and finish the week strong knowing we did our best and earned our weekend.

crazy monkey love

I am happy to report that I finally saw monkeys while visiting Baucau over the weekend.


Even though they were caged they seemed happy, well fed and in general so adorable.   It was thrilling to see them up close and watch them interact.  I had to stop myself several times from sticking my finger in the cage.  Watching them use their hands and feet to get around their space was fascinating.   Obviously they are very dexterous, limber and they way they swing from place to place is so graceful and effortless.  Their cage was heartbreakingly small, but they seemed in good spirits eating their banana peels (no it's not just in the movies- they really eat the peels) and jumping from one side of the chain link cage to the other.  


The most common species of monkeys here in Timor are the long-tailed Macaque.  They live about 31 years and are not really endangered (according to the main site I looked at).


This little guy melted my heart.

fingers and toes

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of crazy monkey love.  


To my family and friends on this day that celebrates love, I celebrate you.  No matter where in the world I am or how far apart we are you are always with me in my heart.


Happy Valentine's Day.

full moon in baucau

This weekend I went to the most amazing full moon party in Baucau, a bumpy 3 hour drive east of Dili.  My friends and I left Saturday afternoon and arrived in Baucau around 7 pm.  


Leaving Dili, traveling the main road.

The water is amazing.

The road follows the sea the entire way.

Everyone fits on (not necessarily in) the Microlet.  One thing is for sure- on these high mountain roads they had a much bumpier ride than we did.

On the way to Baucau we passed lots of farmland and rice paddies.  People work them every day of the week.  

They reflect the most beautiful light at sunset.

When we got to the hotel my friends approached a nice older gentleman with whom they chatted briefly and asked me to take their picture.  I assumed it was a colleague. No problem! I started to recommend the move this way and that way to get the best background; they hurriedly encouraged me to just take the picture.  After the gentleman said goodbye to us all, but not before I of course stuck my hand out in a very American hihowyadoin kind of way and introduced myself, I found out that the man I was directing to better light was Dom Duarte Pio, 6th Prince Royal of Portugal. Basically if Portugal were to have a Monarchy, he would be the King.  Way to go me.


After our brush with Portuguese royalty we sat down to a late dinner and then drove to the beach around 11:30 pm.  The guesthouse bungalow setup was filled with cooler of ice, fruits (watermelon, passionfruit, lemons, limes, mangoes, papayas, dragon fruit, apples, etc.) and various kinds of mixers.  There were 2 small stages set up at various locations on the compound which overlooked the ocean.  In the moonlight it was indescribably beautiful.


The main area featured locally DJ'd electronica music while the second stage had a mix of Janis Joplin, the Beatles, and various 70's rock karaoke.  There were no lights to speak of- only the full moon (which was actually a waning gibbous as the actual full moon was this past Wednesday- but hey- minor detail).  People stayed until the sun rose.


I'm waiting on my tripod to come in my shipment of stuff I sent 6 weeks ago (thanks for slowing things down, customs office) which I will hopefully get this week so no great moon pictures- yet.  But this picture of the beach the next day was pretty amazing.  We swam in this warm clear water before heading back to Dili.  Truly paradise.

It was a perfect weekend full of great conversations, new friends and of course, the beach.  What more could a girl ask for?

it's friday!

I've been saving this photo for today because it is Friday and its always nice to end the week looking at something pretty.  When I go to work every morning, this is my view of the ocean as my road meets the main road.  Pretty spectacular.  Without fail, I smile every time I see it. How could you not?

Atauro Island (also part of Timor-Leste) can be seen in the distance only on clear days.  Today was especially beautiful.


I am lucky to live in such a pretty place.


Happy Weekend!

carolina blues

Even though I live approximately 9,956 miles away from the Dean Dome I still woke up this morning with butterflies in my stomach.  Game day.

Any Carolina/Duke basketball game is very important, as there are only 2 (during regular season), and it is crucial that Carolina win both.  Each team has the opportunity to outshine the other and win bragging rights for the glory that is the #1 rivalry in the history of college sports, which was also nationally ranked as the #3 most contentious rivalry across all US sporting events.  It's major.  Only 8 miles apart, each school has an undying hatred for the other.  It's a beautiful thing and I am a proud supporter of the winningest team- the CAROLINA TAR HEELS. 

Today I thought I would have to break a very important tradition in my (sports) life.  After all, I live in Asia and am 16 hours away from the relevant timezone.  Because I've been working on managing expectations of all things in my life this week, I just added this to the list.  

As a die hard Carolina fan I wore my carolina blue flats and my "Beat Duke" button all day (yes I packed it!) and had a great time telling people at the Ministry of Finance about the significance of today and educating the people of Timor-Leste about everything great, just and right with the world that is Carolina.

A miracle happened, and I ended up going to lunch at the only place in Dili showing the game and caught the last 10 minutes of the 2nd half.  I can't talk about the end because it wasn't pretty.  I'm still furious- dejected even.  And no, I'm not being dramatic.  But I take comfort in the fact that despite our unfortunate loss today, North Carolina still leads the all-time series 131-102.   Suck on that Coach K.

So Heels, we have a lot of preparation to do before the next game on March 3.  Please be ready to win.  I will be cheering you on again as I always have no matter where I am in the world, hoping for a W.  

wisdom of the ages

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, and penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.
Maya Angelou                                                                           

english, yes i speak this still

As a non-native Tetum speaker I have found that as I try to communicate with my local colleagues I have started to leave out connector words when using my english with them, attempting to make the translation as easy for them to understand as possible.  I have started to speak to them how they speak to me.  So, instead of saying,  "Good morning!  I hope you are well!"  It comes out as "Hello, yes.  Today morning you good, no?" 


I find this amusing, as this carries over to my expat friends who are completely fluent in not only English but also 6 other languages (Mafalda you know who you are).   I talk to them like I am a non-native English speaker and sound like a foreigner with my diction (which gives me a false sense of coolness, I have to admit).  Sometimes I even throw in a bit of Canadian accent to really shake things up.   It's annoying to me that I only speak 1.75 languages (English-1; Spanish-.5; and Arabic- .25).  Maybe I will get to 100% with Tetum while I am here?


I will keep practicing, even if I do call my taxi driver a 'plastic head' as I did today.  Hey, at least I try.  And at least we all had a good laugh.

lychees make everything better

Today was a really hard stressful day.  Probably the hardest and worst I've had since I've been here.  So much to learn and to do and it was all very overwhelming- it all came to a head today.  Not having a car and relying on taxis doesn't help either.  It is a full moon so I'm not totally surprised.   Luckily, I have a new tiny (apartment) and some lovely new friends who helped me christen it with some crisp chardonnay and some Australian cheeses and these beautiful fruits. 

Lychees have got to be the most fascinating, ugly, mysterious, beautiful fruit I've ever eaten.  The outside appears prickly, but in fact the curls of the fibers that protect the fruit inside are soft to the touch.  Like a thick cornsilk.  The skin breaks open easily to reveal a glistening white, slightly transparent fruit that has the freshest mildest taste that can melt away any bad day.


Today I am grateful for lychees. 

wonderful weekend

I have a thing for taking pictures of these sweet Dili boys.

New Kebab shop just opened- I think it's my new favorite place.  I sincerely hope it's a club.  I want to be a member.

Enjoying a turkish coffee with my new friend Mafalda, who is from Venice. (Yes, I have a friend!)

She also likes vegetables.  We shared this fabulous veggie platter- it was indeed as delicious as it looks.

We also plotted how to set up our respective pads with cool pillows like this.

This place makes beautiful bread.

I call this "study of bread"

This man was cleaning the street from the view at our table.

And of course my weekly door picture.  The lock made this one.

new phone, holla!

So I finally bit the bullet and bought a cell phone here.  My work provided a very basic (as in punch in the number and dial and that's it) phone when I stepped off the plane.  I finally cut the string off of the end and jimmy rigged it so it still works without the tin can.  Anyway, I've been using that to communicate and it's served its purpose.


I have been quite spoiled enjoying the 4G Android phone and all it's glory in the US.  Coming from that to the monopoly of Timor Telecom and their absolutely horrifficly slow, circa 1995 internet and phone service (I may as well have a phone in a shoulder bag), this little toy phone wasn't doing it for me.  Knowing I would never pay the $1,100 for an unlocked iPhone here I decided to shell out $38 and buy a very swanky Chinese-made E-gos cell phone.  Sure, the misspellings of the English keys are a bit annoying, but I'm familiar enough with the alphabet that I can fill in the blanks.  It has a 12.1 megapixel camera (actually around 5 according to the store manager- because those crazy Chinese like to fib) and a color screen.  I'm big time now baby.


Perhaps the best thing about the phone is that even though it appears brand new (and I paid for a "new" phone), it is not.  The previous user left several gems on the phone's memory card for me.  For example, here are the 4 songs that alternate as ringers from my playlist:


1.)  Surrender, Celine Dion
2.)  My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion
3.)  Don't have a clue but it's amazing
4.)  Hit me Baby (One More Time), Britney Spears

So, you must understand why I am so excited about this new purchase.


I will attempt to understand how to work through all the little bits of weird that come with owning a new phone and continue to add my cool American slang and probably create a whole new 'badass' dictionary (badass is a new addition- hooray!) for the next user.  I like to think of it as passing it forward.


All I can say is, with Britney at my side I'll never walk the streets of Dili alone again.

dimples

is it february already?

Where has the first month of 2012 gone?


Can I just say to all of my friends in the Northern Hemisphere that I really am sorry that you have had to wear heavy coats and sweaters for the majority of the month.  Ok so that was a dig, but hey- you have 24 hour power (without generators!), and faster than 52 kbps download speed costing less than $1,000/month and roads with working traffic lights.  And I have hot weather.  Everyone's a winner.


I have officially been in Dili 2 weeks and am adjusting to life here fairly well.  Though I still get momentarily distracted when I see things like this in front of my office. He is really cute, isn't he?  I've named him Pedro.  He has been there the past few days cleaning up the yard.  

Ah, Dili.  Love ya.


Living here has been a fairly smooth transition. I'm a very independent person.  When I was little it was always "No mom I can do it myself." As a 30 yr. old (adult?), it still holds true. However, being car-less and dependent on others for transportation to and from work during the day and at night (it's not safe for me to be alone around dusk or after) has me going bonkers.  But I'm learning to adjust.  Perhaps this is the time in my life when I am supposed to learn to be patient?


When meeting people here in Dili usually the first question that is asked is "where are you from?"  And because at this point we are speaking to one another I assume its obvious- I have the same accent as all those people on Friends, Baywatch and all the other syndicated shows we watch over here.  Same one.  At this point I like to play the guessing game which usually results in having a much more interesting conversation than just answering the question outright.   My fun little game is quite entertaining because I am continually surprised at the answers I get.  I have been mistaken for the following: Egyptian (three different times), Lebanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Mexican, and Filipino.  Filipino.  People guess everything but American.  Winning!


So yeah- all that happened in January and I was really amused with the goat today.  Happy February, y'all.