It's good to be back. The trip here was long; three days longer than it should have been becuase the planes from Bali were all full and I had to wait for a ticket. I spent most of my time there on the beach or on a rented motorcycle. I rode to the Hindu temple at Uluwatu and ate fresh seafood on the beach every night.
Dili hasn't changed much since I left. There are a few refugee camps throughout the city, but many of the people have left them and gone back to their lives elsewhere. Sporadic violence breaks out a few nights a week in the city, usually in the form of burned homes, but it remains relatively safe for foreigners and most of us are being more careful than is really necessary. I live miles from the capital, or rather above it, in a mountaintop village called Balibar and often, quite literally, in a cloud.
I went to visit my old host family soon after arriving and nearly started a riot as the whole neighborhood came to see if it was really me. I had no way of informing my family that I was coming, so they were suprised to say the least. Within five minutes of sitting down, I 'd been fed, given coffee, and offered my old room back without even asking. The last few weeks have been unseasonably cool, and everything is in bloom, so Balibar has been a great place to live compared to the heat and problems of Dili.
I've been back to Atauro, the small island, twice already. As with the mainland, it was good to be back and to see everyone. I spend six days visiting people and places, walking on the beach, and snorkeling every chance I got. I was talking to someone on the beach while waiting on the ferry, and it startled both of us as the gate slammed shut and it left without me. It took two more days to find a boat back, but I can't say that I was too disappointed. I made the trip again two days ago for one night on the island and one day spent scuba diving with some friends. The diving was awesome, as usual, and we bounced home through rough seas which is always exilirating.
My job search took me to Baucau a week ago, and I have trips planned to Maliana and Same in the next several days. Living on Atauro before, I only had a few chances to travel on the mainland so I'm moving around as much as I can now. I have several job applications pending, a couple of which could easily turn into offers within the next week or so. Traveling around the country with no schedule has been great, but I'm excited to finally start working. All in all, life is good. Very good, in fact, and I'm definately glad I came.
As a parting thought. In the eight months that I was back in the States, people continuously asked me how I ever found it within myself to leave it all behing and chase the life that I wanted. Nearly everyone I talked to said that they always wanted to do something like this, and then immediately started talking about some ambiguous excuse as to why they never have. The only advice I can give anyone is not to be afraid of making the decision. It's not an easy choice, but once you absolutely decide to live your dream, it's the easiest thing in the world. That's not to say that everything will fall into place for you, but that if you want it bad enough that you won't let anything get in your way.
