One day post-hurricane and all is well here. I've only ventured far enough out the front door to let the dogs go out (poor Meili could barely make it) but it seems that my area is pretty good.
I've heard of flooding and fallen trees but I am blessed that there was none of that for me. The lights flickered quite a few times but power remained steady. I want to go out but I'm afraid I might get stuck in water and then put the lives of rescue workers at risk. So I will stay put.
I cleaned everything but the bathroom, but that is coming at some point today. I baked, ironed and played some games. I wish I had some crafts or some project to work on. I need to get more creative. But I still feel like I'm only halfway living in this apartment. Boxes are piled up and I've opened all the ones I can get too and they hold things that I don't know what to do with so I leave them in their boxes. I'll be living here for at least another year and a half, I need to do something to make it feel more like home.
But for now, I'll keep cleaning and cooking.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Dili, Timor-Leste and the present
As "Frankenstorm" begins to bear down on the Northeast, let me describe what it was like to be in sunny, tropical Timor-Leste.
September 29th - Leaving Singapore and Arriving in Dili
I was sad I could not spend more time in Singapore. It was a very interesting airport, so I can only imagine how interesting the city would have been. There were buses and trains that went straight from the airport to downtown for a very reasonable price, but alas, there will always be another day.
The flight from Dili to Singapore was pretty nice, but by this point my body was so messed up about what time of day it was and when I should have been eating that I could just not stomach any more food. It was a shame too, because the food on this flight was really nice, I just could not eat it. I was the slowest person in the section around me (which is usually the case with me on the planes, I don't know why that is. I'm not usually a slow eater) and I thought there was a chance the plane was going to land and I was still going to have my nice food tray.
Landing in Dili was an experience. We came in over the water and landed on a small air strip that was next to palm trees and the sea. There was one other plane already on the runway, and that was it. They pulled our plane up next to that one, rolled the stairs up next to it and out we walked onto the tarmac. Oh my goodness, it was hot and muggy. I was not quite prepared for this level of heat.
As we walked up to the airport, I saw the UN peacekeepers standing at the entrance. I had never been to a country that currently had a UN peacekeeping force. As I went through immigration, there were many of them, from many different nations, milling through the people and talking to them in various languages. After immigration was baggage claim - a single belt that dumped most of the suitcases on to the floor. I have been to tiny airports so this was nothing unusual.
Lucky for me, the Embassy had sent a driver to meet me at the airport and I didn't have to deal with trying to find a taxi and the hotel on my own. Whenever I have visited an airport, no matter the country, there is a pretty standard taxi system. There are the taxis that wait in the designated area and then there are the taxi drivers who stop you on the way to the designated area and offer you a ride in their taxi for a "better price." As I followed the Embassy driver through the craziness that was the tiny airport exit full of family, sellers, taxi drivers, I was just so glad to not have to figure this all out on my own. I truly love traveling and experiencing other countries, but for some reason I kind of stress out about the airport part of it (just wait until I get to Jakarta...oh the experience there...)
The driver was very kind and explained a little about himself and the city to me as he took me to the hotel. The hotel was a nice place - the room itself reminded me very much of China. The a/c units were exactly the same and there was one in the living room and one in the bedroom, which was especially nice. The hotel had a little restaurant and I figured I would check that out later. As I settled into the room I thought I would have a little rest and then go in search of dinner (it was about 3:30 in the afternoon). So, I tried to stay awake until after 4, and then I laid down.
And then I woke up at 3:30am. Jet lag is some fun stuff. I tried to force myself back to sleep and it worked, a little. I got up and decided to see if I could use the computer to get on the internet. The hotel had given me the code but I had to enter all this other information to get the computer hooked up in the first place. I am pretty proud of myself on this one. After years of listening to my father-in-law and my husband discuss computers, settings, IP addresses, etc., I was able to figure out how to get this to work without any assistance. A moment of triumph for me.
September 30th -
I was invited on a outing by some people from the Embassy for my first full day in Timor-Leste. It was a Sunday and we went to Maubara, where there is a Dutch/Portuguese Fort. After viewing the Fort we had lunch and the restaurant inside. My first experience with Timorese food was really great. Chicken with rice and some kind of sauce. Very tasty.
The beach is beautiful in Timor-Leste. The water is so clear and blue. We walked to the beach across the street from the Fort and I put my feet in the ocean, accidentally. As we were standing on the beach, there was a whale that swam by. The depth of the water increases dramatically not too far from shore and there was a whale coming up out of the water and breathing through its blow hole. It was awesome. We all tried to get pictures, but it was difficult to do. Once I upload my pictures I will add the one with the whale - the tiny silver sliver in the sea. As we were all searching for the next place the whale would pop up - the ocean came up and soaked our shoes. It was a long ride home with squishy socks.
I was invited to celebrate Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival with some people from the Embassy that evening. It was really fascinating to spend time with others who had been living in Timor for some time. By the time 8pm rolled around, I could not hang on any longer. I took the short walk back to my hotel and crashed. Then 3:30am came around again...
Next time on the blog...meetings! That is pretty much what my trip in Dili consisted of. But that is the point of these familiarization trips. And they were some very fascinating meetings.
For now, I need make sure I have everything in order to prepare for this storm. They have said its going to be bad, but so far there is not much wind and a little rain. We will see how it goes down over the next 12 hours though. I have never been through a hurricane. Should be interesting.
And being that it is so close to Halloween, I chose this weekend to start watching The Walking Dead. Alone. That might have been a mistake. Sometimes this show is scary!
September 29th - Leaving Singapore and Arriving in Dili
I was sad I could not spend more time in Singapore. It was a very interesting airport, so I can only imagine how interesting the city would have been. There were buses and trains that went straight from the airport to downtown for a very reasonable price, but alas, there will always be another day.
The flight from Dili to Singapore was pretty nice, but by this point my body was so messed up about what time of day it was and when I should have been eating that I could just not stomach any more food. It was a shame too, because the food on this flight was really nice, I just could not eat it. I was the slowest person in the section around me (which is usually the case with me on the planes, I don't know why that is. I'm not usually a slow eater) and I thought there was a chance the plane was going to land and I was still going to have my nice food tray.
Landing in Dili was an experience. We came in over the water and landed on a small air strip that was next to palm trees and the sea. There was one other plane already on the runway, and that was it. They pulled our plane up next to that one, rolled the stairs up next to it and out we walked onto the tarmac. Oh my goodness, it was hot and muggy. I was not quite prepared for this level of heat.
As we walked up to the airport, I saw the UN peacekeepers standing at the entrance. I had never been to a country that currently had a UN peacekeeping force. As I went through immigration, there were many of them, from many different nations, milling through the people and talking to them in various languages. After immigration was baggage claim - a single belt that dumped most of the suitcases on to the floor. I have been to tiny airports so this was nothing unusual.
Lucky for me, the Embassy had sent a driver to meet me at the airport and I didn't have to deal with trying to find a taxi and the hotel on my own. Whenever I have visited an airport, no matter the country, there is a pretty standard taxi system. There are the taxis that wait in the designated area and then there are the taxi drivers who stop you on the way to the designated area and offer you a ride in their taxi for a "better price." As I followed the Embassy driver through the craziness that was the tiny airport exit full of family, sellers, taxi drivers, I was just so glad to not have to figure this all out on my own. I truly love traveling and experiencing other countries, but for some reason I kind of stress out about the airport part of it (just wait until I get to Jakarta...oh the experience there...)
The driver was very kind and explained a little about himself and the city to me as he took me to the hotel. The hotel was a nice place - the room itself reminded me very much of China. The a/c units were exactly the same and there was one in the living room and one in the bedroom, which was especially nice. The hotel had a little restaurant and I figured I would check that out later. As I settled into the room I thought I would have a little rest and then go in search of dinner (it was about 3:30 in the afternoon). So, I tried to stay awake until after 4, and then I laid down.
And then I woke up at 3:30am. Jet lag is some fun stuff. I tried to force myself back to sleep and it worked, a little. I got up and decided to see if I could use the computer to get on the internet. The hotel had given me the code but I had to enter all this other information to get the computer hooked up in the first place. I am pretty proud of myself on this one. After years of listening to my father-in-law and my husband discuss computers, settings, IP addresses, etc., I was able to figure out how to get this to work without any assistance. A moment of triumph for me.
September 30th -
I was invited on a outing by some people from the Embassy for my first full day in Timor-Leste. It was a Sunday and we went to Maubara, where there is a Dutch/Portuguese Fort. After viewing the Fort we had lunch and the restaurant inside. My first experience with Timorese food was really great. Chicken with rice and some kind of sauce. Very tasty.
The beach is beautiful in Timor-Leste. The water is so clear and blue. We walked to the beach across the street from the Fort and I put my feet in the ocean, accidentally. As we were standing on the beach, there was a whale that swam by. The depth of the water increases dramatically not too far from shore and there was a whale coming up out of the water and breathing through its blow hole. It was awesome. We all tried to get pictures, but it was difficult to do. Once I upload my pictures I will add the one with the whale - the tiny silver sliver in the sea. As we were all searching for the next place the whale would pop up - the ocean came up and soaked our shoes. It was a long ride home with squishy socks.
I was invited to celebrate Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival with some people from the Embassy that evening. It was really fascinating to spend time with others who had been living in Timor for some time. By the time 8pm rolled around, I could not hang on any longer. I took the short walk back to my hotel and crashed. Then 3:30am came around again...
Next time on the blog...meetings! That is pretty much what my trip in Dili consisted of. But that is the point of these familiarization trips. And they were some very fascinating meetings.
For now, I need make sure I have everything in order to prepare for this storm. They have said its going to be bad, but so far there is not much wind and a little rain. We will see how it goes down over the next 12 hours though. I have never been through a hurricane. Should be interesting.
And being that it is so close to Halloween, I chose this weekend to start watching The Walking Dead. Alone. That might have been a mistake. Sometimes this show is scary!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Unfortunate Anniversary
Today marks exactly a year since Scott and I started living apart. He started training in Oklahoma while I was still moving out of our house in Colorado and into my parent's basement while I finished my degree.
This has been an exciting year for a lot of reasons but this has also been a very hard year for us. It is so difficult to be apart from the person you love. I have so much respect for military couples. We have only been separated for three weeks at the most and we know it could be so much worse. But that does not make this any easier.
I am so excited for the day we can be a couple that lives together again. Hopefully that day is weeks away, not months away. But I have a feeling we are not going to be that lucky.
This has been an exciting year for a lot of reasons but this has also been a very hard year for us. It is so difficult to be apart from the person you love. I have so much respect for military couples. We have only been separated for three weeks at the most and we know it could be so much worse. But that does not make this any easier.
I am so excited for the day we can be a couple that lives together again. Hopefully that day is weeks away, not months away. But I have a feeling we are not going to be that lucky.
Contrary to Popular Belief...
I think about writing a new post all the time. But I am either at work, out with friends or simply too tired to write. That has been my life for the last couple months.
Even now, there are so many things I want to say but I am not sure where to begin.
Work has been challenging, but it has been good. Every day I feel more confident about what I am doing and I have fewer questions than the day before.
A nice perk of the desk officer job? I got to take a familiarization trip to the region! It was so beneficial to my work that I feel blessed to have been able to go on one so soon after starting work.
I shall begin with the preparation...
September 26th -
Arranging an overseas trip with multiple legs and stops is a rather complicated process. There is a travel company that arranges the flights for us, but up until the day before I left I was on the phone with them at least once a day. At this point, I was just going to be happy if when I showed up at the airport someone would let me on a plane.
Packing was interesting. I have never been on a trip where I had to have business attire. I packed a couple suit jackets and nice pants and skirts along with casual clothes for the evenings. It was supposed to be in the 80s and 90s where I was going and it was starting to turn to fall here in DC. Plus there is the fact that I am always freezing on planes. I need long pants and a jacket just to survive the flight.
September 27th -
The day to leave has arrived! Its a Thursday and I am not going to arrive in Dili, Timor-Leste until Saturday. This is going to be a long trip...
My loving husband dropped me off at the airport. He tried to go through security with me (since he has a badge) but they weren't having it. Apparently that only works in Colorado and sometimes in Oklahoma. So we had to say goodbye before I descended into the security area. It was hidden from the public view so I had no idea the line was so massive. Being former TSA, I am always interested in how other airports set up their screening areas. Dulles is crazy efficient. There were over 30 screening lanes with glass dividing doors and after the ticket check you pick your own lane. I thought security was going to take forever but I was through in no time.
I was in the second to last row on the plane but I was by the window, so I thought that was nice. No one came to the middle seat so I was excited about that. Since the flight was 14+ hours on the way to Tokyo, each seat had its own personal tv, which was awesome as well. The girl on the aisle in my row could not get her tv to work. She had the flight attendant reset the tvs in our row three times (I was trying to watch the movie Brave and it was starting to get ridiculous with how many times I had seen the same part). In the end her tv simply would not work, so she decided to move seats. Three hours into the flight, and I had my own row!
It was pretty nice that I was able to stretch out and have a real rest for the rest of the flight. I was able to sleep for about 5 hours, which I thought was key since I wanted to acclimate to the new time zone as easily as possible (boy was I in for a surprise...).
We arrived in Tokyo and I had to go through security again to board my next flight to Singapore. I have never been to Japan so I was excited for the little glimpse of the country I was able to see out the window. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day so my glimpse was very limited. While I was going through security I was wondering about the lives of the security screeners. I am sure they find their jobs to be mundane (as I sometimes did when I worked airport security) but I was fascinated because they lived in Japan. Theirs was a life I was trying to comprehend but I could not because I don't know anything about what the everyday life in Japan might be like. I am sure there are things that are similar to my own, but at the same time I am sure there are things that are vastly different. It makes me think that no matter how boring and repetitive your own life may seem, there is someone out there who is fascinated by it because their own is so different.
I think by this point it was September 28th. I am not really sure. I was only in Tokyo's airport for about two hours before I was on my way to Singapore. I arrived in Singapore after it was already dark. I think it was still the 28th and I had to overnight in Singapore before my flight to Dili the next morning.
The Singapore airport is like a little city. There is a movie theater and parks and just all kinds of things. Look up Changi Airport and just be amazed at what is going on there. The sad part was I didn't have any time to experience any of it. My arrival time was almost midnight. After my bag arrived I went straight to the hotel that is part of the airport. Of course, it was the middle of the day back in DC so I was not tired. Looking back, I should have tried to go out to the city a little. I was told that Singapore never sleeps but I figured since it was so late there would be nothing for me to see. So I stayed in my room, had a bath, had a rest and got up at 7am the next morning to catch my flight to Dili.
Next time on the blog...
Read about my flight and first days in Dili, Timor-Leste!
In the meantime, look up Changi Airport and then (if you haven't already) find Dili on a map. Its way out there and pretty close to Australia.
Even now, there are so many things I want to say but I am not sure where to begin.
Work has been challenging, but it has been good. Every day I feel more confident about what I am doing and I have fewer questions than the day before.
A nice perk of the desk officer job? I got to take a familiarization trip to the region! It was so beneficial to my work that I feel blessed to have been able to go on one so soon after starting work.
I shall begin with the preparation...
September 26th -
Arranging an overseas trip with multiple legs and stops is a rather complicated process. There is a travel company that arranges the flights for us, but up until the day before I left I was on the phone with them at least once a day. At this point, I was just going to be happy if when I showed up at the airport someone would let me on a plane.
Packing was interesting. I have never been on a trip where I had to have business attire. I packed a couple suit jackets and nice pants and skirts along with casual clothes for the evenings. It was supposed to be in the 80s and 90s where I was going and it was starting to turn to fall here in DC. Plus there is the fact that I am always freezing on planes. I need long pants and a jacket just to survive the flight.
September 27th -
The day to leave has arrived! Its a Thursday and I am not going to arrive in Dili, Timor-Leste until Saturday. This is going to be a long trip...
My loving husband dropped me off at the airport. He tried to go through security with me (since he has a badge) but they weren't having it. Apparently that only works in Colorado and sometimes in Oklahoma. So we had to say goodbye before I descended into the security area. It was hidden from the public view so I had no idea the line was so massive. Being former TSA, I am always interested in how other airports set up their screening areas. Dulles is crazy efficient. There were over 30 screening lanes with glass dividing doors and after the ticket check you pick your own lane. I thought security was going to take forever but I was through in no time.
I was in the second to last row on the plane but I was by the window, so I thought that was nice. No one came to the middle seat so I was excited about that. Since the flight was 14+ hours on the way to Tokyo, each seat had its own personal tv, which was awesome as well. The girl on the aisle in my row could not get her tv to work. She had the flight attendant reset the tvs in our row three times (I was trying to watch the movie Brave and it was starting to get ridiculous with how many times I had seen the same part). In the end her tv simply would not work, so she decided to move seats. Three hours into the flight, and I had my own row!
It was pretty nice that I was able to stretch out and have a real rest for the rest of the flight. I was able to sleep for about 5 hours, which I thought was key since I wanted to acclimate to the new time zone as easily as possible (boy was I in for a surprise...).
We arrived in Tokyo and I had to go through security again to board my next flight to Singapore. I have never been to Japan so I was excited for the little glimpse of the country I was able to see out the window. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day so my glimpse was very limited. While I was going through security I was wondering about the lives of the security screeners. I am sure they find their jobs to be mundane (as I sometimes did when I worked airport security) but I was fascinated because they lived in Japan. Theirs was a life I was trying to comprehend but I could not because I don't know anything about what the everyday life in Japan might be like. I am sure there are things that are similar to my own, but at the same time I am sure there are things that are vastly different. It makes me think that no matter how boring and repetitive your own life may seem, there is someone out there who is fascinated by it because their own is so different.
I think by this point it was September 28th. I am not really sure. I was only in Tokyo's airport for about two hours before I was on my way to Singapore. I arrived in Singapore after it was already dark. I think it was still the 28th and I had to overnight in Singapore before my flight to Dili the next morning.
The Singapore airport is like a little city. There is a movie theater and parks and just all kinds of things. Look up Changi Airport and just be amazed at what is going on there. The sad part was I didn't have any time to experience any of it. My arrival time was almost midnight. After my bag arrived I went straight to the hotel that is part of the airport. Of course, it was the middle of the day back in DC so I was not tired. Looking back, I should have tried to go out to the city a little. I was told that Singapore never sleeps but I figured since it was so late there would be nothing for me to see. So I stayed in my room, had a bath, had a rest and got up at 7am the next morning to catch my flight to Dili.
Next time on the blog...
Read about my flight and first days in Dili, Timor-Leste!
In the meantime, look up Changi Airport and then (if you haven't already) find Dili on a map. Its way out there and pretty close to Australia.
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