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The 2019 Immersion got of to a slow start when after circling Dili for around 30 minutes we were sent back to Darwin due to low cloud and poor visibility. Not the start we wanted but we got to experience Darwin on territory day, which was interesting.

After another early start we finally landed in Dili and the immersion began. Our first few days were spent at the Dominican Orphanage. We were very well looked after by the nuns and young children. The Tenison students quickly made friends when the volleyball a soccer ball come out. One of the highlights of our stay here was an impromptu sing along that included everyone’s favourite, “10,000 Reasons”.

In Dili, we explored the local beaches, the resistance museum, Santa Cruz Cemetery and the Dare memorial where a video explained Australia’s involvement in Timor during World War Two. Our group visited Empreza Di’ak - a non-government organisation that help turn traditions into livelihoods and empower lives. We visited the Comoro Kindergarten, run by the Dominican sisters. We were greeted with a song and dance. Tenison students played games and blew bubbles until there was more singing and dancing. The kindergarten students sung the national anthem with gusto and then we were required to entertain them. Special thanks to Beth Creedy for selecting a great song with actions that took away from our poor singing…! It was a lot of fun and we all got involved in the song of the day, “Baby Shark”!

Before leaving Dili, we met with the Bishop of Dili, Dom Virgillo do Carmo da Silva and Father Natalino to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The significance of this moment was not lost on any of us and we all felt very privileged to witness the signing and be the first group to stay at our new sister school.

The students then met Eddie. It didn’t take long before we were all inspired by his kindness and passion to help the people of Timor. We travelled to the Bakhita Centre where we were shown the church he designed and built. We then walked to a Cross, high atop a mountain.

Our next stop was the one we had all been looking forward to, our new Timor home, Hatolia. Our group was greeted with an amazing welcome! We were all presented with a Tais. We then followed some dancers up to a stage where the whole community had come out to greet us. After a short presentation, we had morning tea, then a mass to welcome us into the community. It was all very overwhelming and set a precedent to how the days to follow would be. Our rooms and facilities were very basic, but we were made to feel so welcome. The food was traditional and made with love. During our stay at Hotolia, we were looked after by English students and teachers. They were very keen to speak and practice English and over the four days, you could see vast improvements in their abilities. On market day we got into groups with their students and had the challenge of buying as much fruit and as many different varieties as possible with $5.00. The competition was fierce with the winners, Julian, Michelle and Louis judged by Eddie and Father Natalino. After the markets the group visited the school and went into every secondary classroom and talked with the students about the big differences between school in Australia and Timor. Their learning areas were very basic with a blackboard, table and chairs with very few posters or colour in the room. In some rooms, the roof was falling down and it made us all very grateful for the resources we have in our school. The school receives no government funding and each student pays $5.00 a month to attend. There is not enough money to pay teachers let alone buy resources. One of the English teachers is classified as a volunteer and only earns $15.00 a month!  She lives away from her 4-year-old daughter and husband to work and it is just one of the heartbreaking stories we could tell.

Our group was invited to be part of the choir at the Sunday Mass. College English teacher, Penny Sharp joined us on the trip and volunteered to do the first reading in Tetun. It required a lot of practice to perfect the words. At the end of mass, we presented the community with a statue of Mary Mackillop and an Australian flag. We thanked the congregation for welcoming us into their community.

On this day our group presentation the ‘Days for Girls’ sanitary packs. This was an interesting exercise as the nun and the English teacher were very shy. In our very tight schedule, we found time to talk to about 40 girls. Although we would have liked over double that, it is something that we will build on over the coming years.

Every day after lunch, our group rested until around 3.00pm. This was well received and gave us a chance to write in our journals, sleep or do some washing (in a bucket by hand). After our siesta, we went to a small school close by that had a grotto built for Mary. The Timorese are very religious and reverent at any religious symbol; they will silently touch each symbol and say a short prayer. Later in the day some local boys were playing soccer, so our kids joined in and created a Timor vs Australia match. It was a lot of fun and even included a pig running across the field! It was interesting to see people walk down to watch the event as news travelled that a game was taking place! The funniest image was a father pushing his two kids in a wheelbarrow. We then went for a drive to another Jesus statue and crosses. The views were simply breathtaking, and it is difficult to capture the beauty of the mountains in a photo.

On the following Monday night, our group took part in a cultural evening. We were told to present three songs; the National Anthem and two others. After much debate, the group decided on “Imagine”, by John Lennon and “Where is the Love” by the Black-Eyed Peas. Lots of practice was needed and we were all a bit nervous! The preparations for the cultural night were huge. There was an outdoor stage that was being decorated and a big working party to clean up the surrounding area. The rehearsal was lots of fun and we didn’t practice our songs but did lots of traditional dancing in a big circle!

The next day saw the group visit the small village of Malura. Again, we were presented with a tais, chanting and dancing as we walked our way to a prepared stage. We were welcomed with a short speech and presented with gifts. A delicious morning tea was presented, more speeches before we left to visit the local School. The building that we contributed to remains unfished and still so inadequate. As one of our students noted, “The classroom is smaller than their bedroom”. The School only goes to Year 6 before students from the village must walk to a neighbouring School. During the wet season, the local river floods and cuts the school off from the village. This means that some students that do not have family to stay with must fend for themselves at the School. This can mean that for 2-3 months of the year students as young as 12 must look after themselves. The students found this visit very confronting, as the reality of life in the village was very difficult to comprehend. Our students delivered lots of gifts here including rosary beads, stationary packs, balls and a promise to make sure that the new school gets finished.

Our last night in Hatolia was a big one, with a cultural night. Student Julian Izzo was nominated by the group to be the MC and to our surprise, this involved him getting dressed in traditional Timorese clothes! He did the school proud and got to keep the clothes he wore! After many technical difficulties, the night finally got underway. It began with the singing of each countries national anthem. We sung loud and proud. The flags of each country were swapped, and the festivities began. Our group was treated to several traditional dances, speeches from the English students and a short drama presentation. It was a great night but a very late one.

Our last morning at Hatoila was nothing short of amazing. It was a goodbye that went for over 2-hours as no-one wanted to leave. Around 500 students from the school walked by us in single file and shook our hand to say goodbye. There were hugs and tears as we had to farewell our new friends and the new home we had been welcomed into. Just as we thought we could leave, they brought the speaker out and there was dancing and then the signing of paper, t-shirts and even arms. We farewelled our drivers at Timor Lodge and the students very generously donated money to say thanks for keeping us safe on the dangerous Timor roads.

Our last night in Dili was spent with Eddie and his family who we invited for tea. We all generously donated money to Eddie and the Bakhita centre in the hope that the school at Malura would be completed soon.

Overall, this year’s Immersion was an amazing experience for all involved. We learnt many life lessons including to be grateful for all we have, how forgiveness can set you free, the value a good education, the importance of community, family and friends and to laugh and have fun.

Bernadette Fisher  |  Immersion Organiser