East-Timor [2009 & 2015]

by mário linhares, Sintra, Portugal

In 2009, I went to East-Timor, at the time, the youngest country in the world. The main reason to go there was to meet Ketta’s family and for vacation. We stayed there for 6 weeks and it was possible to visit a lot of little villages as well as interior cities. 

East-Timor is the last island before Oceania continent and Ketta’s main family ran away from there to Portugal because of the Indonesian military invasion.

She arrived in Lisbon in 1986 and we met in 1992. 

We married in 2010.

This year, after the Symposium in Singapore, we went back to East-Timor to visit our family, this time with our little Matias with us.

I had the chance to sketch in a couple places where I sketched 6 years ago. Today I would like to post here the differences:

View of Maubisse village, dense interior of East-Timor in the middle of the mountains.

In August 14, 2009, I wrote in my diary:

This is the main street of Maubisse, East-Timor interior. On the left, near the trees, we can find the store ‘Bensa au Ama’, which means ‘bless from the father’ – typical gestual in East-Timor also used in Portugal in the past. 

That store belong to a Ketta’s uncle (Tonito) who have a lot of stories to tell, mainly during the Indonesian occupation. He had to do favours to them so he can keep the store open. Doing those favours he was able to buy rice and other food in different locations of the Island allowing Maubisse citizens access to food.

He’s an incredible men with a contagious smile and make us feel like home.

View of Maubisse village, dense interior of East-Timor in the middle of the mountains.

Ketta’s uncle died 2 years ago. In August 18, 2015, I wrote in my diary:

We need 5 hours by car from Dili to arrive in Maubisse. The routes are so much worst compared to six years ago. Anyway, is thrilling coming back here after all these years. Tonito’s car is parking at the store door and, for one moment, looks like he never passed away…

But it’s all different: the movement, the conversations, the laughs, the smiles and the vision of the future. He was really a great men…