Things are better!

Thought I had better update this quickly, as things are a bit better then the last two days. Can't really say how I think each time I have a holiday I also need two or three days of being miserable before I get into the flow of things.

Yesterday met a really inspiring sister, who spent 10 years doing development work in Mozambique, she is now a head of a school here that offers some inclusive education, so going to see if I can help with some fund-raising over computer equipment for the low vision children that they cater for.

My frustration really is people here not understanding why I am here, and just thinking I am an English teacher. (Ironically I am not very good at English - so I would never get through the training to be an English teacher)

However after a few beers, and dancing around my living to to Dire Straits, I am feeling much more in the mood. Also have started to do a course with the Open university on Global Development which looks really interesting. So it gives me something to focus on.

When little adjustments seem so big!

So I have been on holiday. I had a fabulous five days with Bob, Sarah, Jenny and Paul. Hopefully if I can get the internet to work you may even be treated to some pictures on this occasion. If it does not work, sorry but I will try and get them on facebook.

So life on holiday was social, involved drinking far too much beer which was a lot of fun. Visiting a swimming pool on a number of days, eating good food. Sitting in a lot of sun, it did rain but not too much and beer was always a good distraction when the rain arrived.

Trip back was adventurous on the public bus, especially when we had an unscheduled stop 20 kilometres outside of Rutting as the engine had overheated, which also seem to stop the gears working on the bus. Something you will always needs when dealing with mountain roads.

Then I arrived back in Ruteng. I found out I had headlice and it was raining hard! So I arrive one day late back into work, as I needed to sort out the headlice issue first. Today arrived at work and really wished I was still on holiday. Started writing a report for VSO – only to realise I am not fulfilling any of my objectives. Then looked at my to do list realising nothing on it has anything to do with disability...Then you guessed it. The tears started to flow. What am I doing here?

However salvation arrived soon after. I have my first official invite to a communion party on the 1^st of May, then another one arrived soon after – so I am going to need some new shoes.

Then one of the teachers husbands came to visit me at home and fixed the flat tyre on my motorbike and has arranged for me to get a water dispenser delivery so I do not have to boil water.

However I am going to have to reconsider what I am doing and how to get some element of disability work back on the agenda...but as they say here pelan pelan! (go slowly!)

Easter has arrived...and so has PIZZA!

Well as people on facebook will know, a pizza place has arrived in Ruteng. Not only that they do stuffed crust, with cheese or meat. Imagine my delight. They also have Chedder and Mozorella cheese. I may never need to come home! Only issue is they do not serve beer in the pizza place...but they do a very nice banana split - with lovely ice cream. I hope they survive my only concern is that must be importing most of the ingredients from somewhere foreign, as you can definitely not buy these things on Flores. But whoever has managed it.... good luck my son, I am sure my custom in the next year will help you out at the beginning of the big pizza adventure in Ruteng!!

Beside that not much else has happened. Have had the most hilarious time teaching the teachers English. Now realise the best way to get them engaged is by doing something silly. This week was heads, shoulders, knees and toes with the actions! People here have NO coordination. After Easter I am considering pin the tail on the donkey - with blindfolds! So it is fair and we can include the 4 blind students now part of this course (oh yes inclusion) I have sucessed in one of the many VSO objectives at last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well this week saw me get nipped on the toe by a scorpion. Nothing serious, and can be treated with a particular suncream from this part of the world. Which I am currently stocking up on, so I am prepared next time this happens, and do not do what I did this time. Scream mainly in English and tell my neighbours I think I am going to die. They thought that was most amusing.

My lovely neighbours have done all my washing for me. As I also developed an eye infection this week, which I seem now to be totally recovered from. Just goes to show I need to clean more. They have also fixed two pairs of my trousers which is nice.

Of on holiday on Tuesday to LabuanBajo, so hopefully will have some gossip for the next time I right.

I know this is unacceptable...will try to improve my blog record from now on.

This is my first blog in over two months for that I am very, very sorry. Truth of the matter is I have been struggling a bit. Realities of being a volunteer have hit. However I seem to be coming out of the other side. So since December I am the only volunteer in Ruteng, and the nearest bunch to get together with are a four-five hour drive away. However my work commitments I have changed and I now work saturdays, which makes going to Bajawa to see my friends tough. Work was becoming very frustrating, and then to top it all off I fell off my bike and burnt my leg quite badly. I now have a scare that will last me the rest of my life. (personally I think it looks quite cool)

But the good news, I seem to be getting my grove back. I used to sit at home thinking, I really much update the blog, but then really could not think what to write. As people will know Ruteng, is not a big place, not a lot happens, I do not go out in the afternoons that is when it rains. Sometimes literally the highlight of my week has been hand washing my clothes.

However things are a changing. This week I have been to two...not one but Two parties. Not my usual scene, a priests leaving do, and the celebrations over the anniversary of some sisters arriving in Ruteng. So no drink, however lots of dancing and singing and laughing. Which seem to have done me the word of good.

I have started doing three lots of English teaching each week, which has been an absolute hoot. I have then managed to make one of the classes inclusive with to blind students, which is a massive success.

I am even managing to keep up with some of the basic conversations between the teachers, which is nice too. U til they speak Bahasa Manggarai and then I do not understand a word. It has been really hard to make friends with the teachers previously, but now things are going well. I sometimes get invited to peoples houses which in nice.

Must have done some good for me, as I walked into the local social services here and offered my help. Start on Monday helping with the classification of disbaled people in the 155 villages in the distract of Manggarai. So now I am busier than ever. I am hoping thids will help me keep motivate,d and provide weekly news on this blog....well lets wait and see what happens.

Sorry this is late. I have been really busy....

Sorry this is very late,first update since last year. Those of you who were expecting to see photo's of the holiday,you will have to look on face book as it takes ages to load photos onto here.

So whatI have been doing since the new year holiday in Bali, well I am in a period of transition to be only volunteer now being placed in Ruteng for the time being. So my nearest volunteers and therapy session is in Bajawa currently. Now thankfully I have learnt to ride my motorbike,so I have just returned from a little weekend away with my mates in Bajawa. Thanks to Lau,Danny,Paul and Sarah for the hoot! But I tell you what Lau I am not going to let you drink so much Arak next time,as then you just fall asleep in the corner of the room! (with a smile on your face) me thinks you are thinking about your holiday home to your family in March.

So I have visited Paul and Sarah's pad, it is not like a volunteer house at all, it is like a little sanctuary with hot water, at times. Just a shame about the dodgy electrics,but having Paul cook my dinner was a real treat,as he is such a good cook. No one gets treated like this at my place.

However disaster did strike when my back inner tube literally exploded five kilometers from the nearest town. Although I was swearing a cursing,thank god it was only five kilometers out of town and that most of the walk with the bike was down a slight downhill slope.In Flores this could have been much,much worse. Still have received sunburn to my face and neck as it was really hot on the day this happened. I now have a glow in the dark nose. However I am sure the exercise did me a lot of good.

Hoping to returen to Bajawa in the next three weeks and visit the hot springs. Most volunteers have traioning.I am going to try and pop along just for the evening drinking activities,and visiting the Soa hot water spring.

I will try and spend some efforts getting some photos of the lovely landscape on facebook soon. Sorry it has taken so long.

Loads of Love Rachel

The holiday!!!!!!!!!!! this is in two parts, maybe more.

Right I am still in Bali but it is pouring with rain, so I thought it would be a good time to update the blog. I am afraid photos will have to wait until I get back to Ruteng, (hopefully on the 2nd of January 2011) flight is booked lets see it it goes according to plan!

First we had the sectoral workshop from the which started on the 6th of December for a few days, after that we had the volunteer conference. Really nice to meet everyone, most people I will not see for another year. Which seems very bizarre, but good to catch up to see how everyone's placement is going. Also good to know we all have the same feelings, on are we actually creating any change!! However also good to see how well we have all progressed with our Indonesian. We then had the volunteer conference for a a few days, culminating in a disco night. Needless to day loads of booze, bob doing back spins next to the swimming pool and most of us in the swimming pool with our clothes on before the night was out.

Then the next day Anne arrives for our holiday. Looking back now I think we crammed too much into the first week, but we had important engagements!!

On the 6th we stayed in Bali and then we went to Gilli Trawangan for two days, I wish we could have stayed here much longer. The Gili Islands really are very beautiful with loads of diving and snorkeling. After this we started our two days intrepid travel overland to get the Ruteng for the party of Anouk and Mark. We set out from Gili at 8am on the 8th I think. Hard to recollect as all my days have turned into one. We then got the little boat over to Lombok, (30 mins) drove across Lombok - for you who have made it to the tourist resorts and the beaches I hear parts of Lombok are beautiful. Unfortunately myself and Anne spent most our time at public, dirty, smelly bus terminals, we also saw loads of random goats wandering down the road, goodness only knows where they had come from. (I think between 3-4 hours) Then we got on a public ferry for the hop, skip and jump over to Sumbawa this I think took about two hours, but we had ventured into the land of where only a few tourists travel. So Anne got a quick introduction to staring, people asking you for money is you are a westerner, and the delights of pot noddle lunches. It's also the ferry where you sit in those hard plastic seats and always have people smoking and flinging ash over you. After this journey we than got on another bus, this was across Sumbawa, and I do not recommend anyone ever does this overland piece of the journey. We travelled across the Island of Sumbawa at night, it took about 14 hours on the coach. The driver was a nutter and on a few occasions I thought I was going to die. What I did not realize is Sumbawa is quite a big Island, and half of the island does not appear to have any road. The most interesting part of the journey, was when he had to stop to collect a motorbike ad five more passengers but there was no room of the bus,. Needless to say did not sleep too well that night. Amazing that there was not more vomit flying around considering the speed we were traveling. I really think the driver of the bus thought he could propel us through the air if he landed fast enough into a pot hole. Bright and the breezy the morning of the 10th we arrived at the port of Sumbawa for the next ferry trip of about 8 hours to LabuanBajo. This was uneventful except for the same ferry experiences of staring, hassle for money and smoke ash flying everywhere. (I think at this point Anne was questioning our friendship and why the had she come to Indonesia to see me) But what was so surprising in this stretch of Ocean is just how dirty the Ocean is. This is much more visible because of it being the wet season but the ocean was literally full of rubbish!! If anyone wants to make a business from waste management I really think here is the place to come. The Indonesian country needs some serious help before all there beautiful scenery and wildlife are destroyed.

So we arrive in LabuanBajo for one night only as the next day is the fours hours to Ruteng, so we can get to Marks and Anouks Party. Needless to say we made it to Ruteng, we stayed for two days and during that time it hardly stopped raining. But Anne got to see my house, the pigs next door and we made it to Marks and Anouks Party. The party was great. Drink was consumed, Paul ended up in hospital again, we thought someone had stolen the music system (but thankfully they were looking after it) and the next day we all felt a bit shaky. So Anne and myself had a day off from traveling and instead just meditated in Ruteng to see if a break would happen in the rain. It wouldn't so the next day we left to go back to LabuanBajo, we stayed for four days. Only four hours from Ruteng and we had sun, sea and sand. We had pizza, and I found some really good bacon ;-) Life was good again and it was starting to feel like a holiday. We spent one day out at Rinca and saw the dragons, and all the staff who come ....... you've guessed it.... Ruteng! Apparently the Komodo dragons can run at 20 kms an hour, so needless to say I was on my best behaviour. I could have done without the crazy German who kept trying to make the dragons runs after us, and get us all killed. Considering all the protection you get is a child with a stick from these dragons and they have killed two people in 20 years I would put the German down as a bloody idiot instead of a brace warrior kind. Around Rinca we did loads of snorkeling which has really got me thinking about loosing some weight and improving my fitness as I think I want to do a diving course at Easter.

After a few days doing nothing but reading, eating and actually resting a bit we headed back to Bali. We have had some glorious days but unfortunately a lot of rain. But it is that time of the year. I hear you lot had loads of the white stuff falling from the sky.... and I do not mean milk!!!!

Water not enough and then far too much!

Been a busy week for me this week, as tomorrow I start my making my way to VSO for training for a week and then I have a month swanning around Bali and the local tropical islands with my bezzy mate Anne. Yippppepeeee!

So this week I have dine than the last five months all together. I have finished my reports for VSO, I am confident on the mot

orbike and driving it all over the place. So on Tuesday morning I set off at 6.30am with Mark and Anouk for the 4 hours drive through the mountains

between Ruteng and Bajawa. Was a tad anxious as if anyone knows about Flores it does have loads of mountains, which makes for a very twisty and turny drive. However the journey was great, had to stop periodically to stop the a

ache in the nether regions, but apart from that nothing bad happened. No falling, no stalling. The only thing that did happen to me was a flat tyre in entering Bajawa, and it happened right in front of the garage, I get the feeling in future I may not always be so lucky.

The reason we all escaped

off to Bajawa is that Mark and Anouk have worked with a local NGO in establishing a water project, in a little village called Leke. So now families have access to water in the back yards, instead of having to walk 3kms up the mountain to get water. If you have seen my facebook page you will have already seen the photos. It was a phenomenal occasion and one I am not likely to see again any time soon. We all danced, drank the local brew, ate mountains of rice, got to eat the buffalo and a pig. Listened to a lot of speeches, sweltered in the heat, so found a nice cool house to sit, eat and sleep in the afternoon. Normally it rains in Leke in the afternoon, and it did rain a bit when we ft, but on the whole the weather was fantastic.

However then the next day we needed to return back to Ruteng. I could not get my bike to start in Aimere (Opps I had run out of fuel) but of course I went through all the other options, has the spark plug gone, maybe the battery - but no simple enough the bike needed a drink.

Again Journey beautiful and uneventful until 21kms outside of Ruteng, and then the most tremendous thunderstorm. Lightening, thunder, when you are in the mountains you definitely sound like you are closer to the action in the heavens. So they return was a bit slower. At time we had to stop and take shelter.

Just to give you some idea this is what the front of my house looks like when there is very heavy rain.