Living in Dili

For a Timorese person, my place is quite luxurious.

For a malae in Timor, my place is downmarket, but liveable.

My fridge and toaster oven are next to my bathroom, in case I get peckish while I’m

Washing myself with aid of a dipper from a giant tub of

Cold water; no hot water in the place and indeed

There is no sink, kitchen or bathroom, in my house

I do have a sink in the kitchen but

I still wash up in a bucket because

I don’t trust the sink (it’s grotty, and sometimes the water is brown).

The kitchen has

air vents in the walls (no window),

a light that works sometimes, and

it is separate to the house,

it cannot be locked.

There is exactly one powerpoint in the house

So everything is plugged in using a cunning assortment of Indo and Aussie adaptors.

A six-outlet powerboard dangles from the wall above my bed -

OH&S hazard, anyone?

I flush the toilet (thank God it’s not a squat toilet) by throwing dippers of water into it.

Oh and

I handwash my underwear every week (water systems can’t handle washing machines) and dry it in my room

I don’t want any more to get stolen.