It has been awhile since my last post. This has been because of poor internet connectivity due to daily blackouts and torrential downpours and also because I’ve been focused on finishing my projects with Mercy Corps and for my Masters of Public Administration capstone project. However, I’m now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I’ve almost completed my capstone project and today is my last day at Mercy Corps Maluku. Tomorrow we will be flying to Bali and will be staying in Ubud taking additional language classes for the next few months. We will need to renew our visa once more so are planning a trip to Vietnam in early July for a little exploration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been able to work on many interesting projects with Mercy Corps and last week was able to participate in the business capacity training that I designed for rural nutmeg

farmers. It was a three-day event and farmers from five different villages around the island came to the city to share ideas and obtain relevant business skills. They participated in activities to create a mission and vision statement for their collectives, learn proper accounting techniques, think of stakeholder engagement strategies and collaborate with each other to create a strategic plan for the future of their communities. It was a great experience and the farmers were a lot of fun. I was originally worried because I had planned a lot of interactive and participatory activities and was unsure about how engaged the older gentleman (and 1 woman) would be in these types of sessions, but they were exceptional. I was very impressed with their dedication to creating a better future for their agricultural initiatives and their community. There were many lively conversations and they fully embraced the use of flipcharts and markers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than work, Yasser and I have been taking advantage of visiting the beaches on the weekends. We have made great friends on my favorite beach about 1 hour away. The first time we arrived at the bus terminal near this beach we asked an Ojek (moto-taxi) to drop

us off at the beach and instead they dropped us off at a private house on the beach, not the public access beach area. It turns out the residents of the house are a couple from the Czech Republic that are taking a year off work and living on a beautiful beach in Ambon. They ojek driver assumed since we were foreigners and they were foreigners we must be friends so dropped us of there. We ended up becoming good friends with them and have spent many a weekend BBQing fish and enjoying the local drink sopi while taking dips in the ocean at their home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also renewed our visa in March by taking a lovely trip to Malaysia. We visited the jungles of Borneo spent 3 days exploring the wildlife in a remote river town. Yasser of course proved to be an adept wildlife spotter and we were able to see orangutans, proboscis monkeys, baby crocodiles, pythons, and a variety of birds and had a great time spending the rainy nights meeting our fellow travelers and partaking in some karaoke sessions. We were also fortunate to have a friend whose father lives in Kuala Lumpur and was a wonderful host for our few days in the city before flying back to the island. Thanks Stefan and Bruce! We were treated to some wonderful Mexican, Belgium, and pork dinners before returning to our fish and rice diet on the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So know we are off for another adventure and hope to get settled and find our place in Ubud, Bali. Below are a few more photos of our time in Ambon, Maluku or as they call it Ambon Manise (Sweet Ambon).