Visaun: ‘looking to the future’

By Rev. Dr Katherine Rainger

Our world is a complex place. We are conscious of people near and far who are suffering and struggling to find a way through. Solidarity, connection, and seeking justice are part of the human spirit. So too is visaun, a Tetum word, the language of Timor-Leste, that means ‘looking to the future.’

At the beginning of Term 3, Radford staff members Juliao Amaral Dos Santos (known throughout Radford as Santos), Tina Crane, Tracey Markovic and I travelled from Canberra to Darwin to Dili.

It was a very special trip as we re-connected after a two-year hiatus with people Radford has had a relationship with since 2009. We also met new people and planned the Timor-Leste trip for 2023, when 24 Years 11 and 12 students will join us.

Tina, Tracey and Santos have accompanied students on several trips over the years. For Santos it was also a chance to return home and see family and friends after being in Australia for the past five years. We are grateful that Santos will be part of the 2023 trip. He is a generous, knowledgeable, and patient cultural consultant and translator, with a great sense of humour! Director of Service Learning Scott Corbett will also be part of the 2023 trip.

This was my first time in Timor-Leste, and I can’t recommend a visit highly enough. We have had several meetings with the Timorese ambassador, Her Excellency Ms Inês Maria de Almeida, in Canberra and in Dili. Ambassador Inês wants to promote Timor-Leste as a tourist destination. Dili is a city with history museums to learn in, markets to visit, sunsets to enjoy and people to meet. Atauro Island, 35kms from Dili, is simply beautiful with magnificent snorkelling, local markets and social enterprises where products from local artisans can be purchased.

As we consider the trip for 2023, the purpose of why we are going is paramount in our planning. The image of a pilgrim comes to mind. While there is overlap between a pilgrim and tourist, there is also distinction. A pilgrim seeks to make themselves worthy of the journey by preparing beforehand. A pilgrim commits to simplicity of travel, to service of others and to being open to listening and learning from the people and places encountered.

Our role in 2023, as it has been in other years, is to listen, to learn and to focus on building relationships. We will learn about Timorese history including Australia’s involvement which has had positive and negative ramifications for the Timorese people. As travellers and friends of Timor, we will consider how the experiences we have had ‘on the ground’ in Timor might extend into the Radford community and beyond.

Radford’s connections with Timor-Leste reach beyond those who travel there each year. An example of this is the learning that students in the Junior and Secondary schools engage with about Ekipa Tasi Mos, a recycling project on Atauro Island.

It was also great to see Mario and Joas again. They visited Radford in 2017 to run soccer clinics. Joas showed us the T-Shirt that was made for him by Anvi, now in Year 9, when she was in Year 4.

Students who will be in Year 11 and Year 12 in 2023 can apply for Timor-Leste here

As we have come to realise, even the best-laid plans can change but we are very much looking forward to a trip to Timor-Leste in 2023 coming to fruition.

For our prayer this week, listen to The Lord’s Prayer in Tetum and be transported to Timor-Leste.

Blessings,
Rev. Katherine

Images L to R, top to bottom:

• Timor-Leste
• Tina, Tracey and Katherine with Joas who visited Radford in 2017. Joas is wearing the T-shirt made by Anvi when she was in Year 4 (currently in Year 9).
• Staff from Fatunaba Memorial School, Dare. Radford has been visiting and working alongside staff and students since 2009.
• View from Dare Memorial lookout.