primitive methods

baby scan - 8 aug 07
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed

The USG machine at Dili national doesn't print, and the one in the UN clinic doesn't have proper paper so in order to capture a shot of my baby, i had to use a digi camera to snap it.

This is actually the best shot so if you're familiar with ultrasounds, you can probably spot the baby's head and body lying on its back, with baby's left profile to us. it's no biggie not to get a sophisticated printout - i'd rather have it this way because back home when a sonographer did my scan, she was really impersonal and professional, delivering a very cookie cutter kind of service. The sonographer probably had a long line of preggy women waiting and was just keen to get the best 'shot'(afterall we paid a lot of $ for the scan!)and move on to the next woman. I, and other women emerged from the room, with a piece of paper in their hands looking excitedly at it, and with a look of puzzlement (what is that blob there?)

Here in Dili, the 2 doctors i've been seeing are the most patient gynaes who take the time to explain everything you see on the screen, and actually delighting in your experience with you. Yesterday, I saw the umbilical cord, and we played with the baby for a while to get baby to move his hands away from his face, and searched for all his fingers and toes, and made sure his kidney and bladder were functioning. The new sonographer from Ethiopia was also so delighted to see the baby, so it was truly a wonderful ultrasound session with 2 genuinely warm-hearted professionals.

quick updates

not much time to write longer since been urged to leave home early tonight.
more troubles expected tonight, and especially tomorrow morning when X's government is sworn in at Lahane Presidential Palace at 10am. But compared to large scale disturbances in april 06 or feb 07, the incidents last night were sporadic and not on a large scale.

of greatest suspicion was the burning of the Customs building...apparently it was literally an 'inside' job cos the burning started from the inside, i.e. not from an attack from outside like petrol bombs hurled in. so go figure... talk on the streets, the next buildings to be targetted would be the Ministry of FInance and Planning, and the minsitry for natural resources. all these apparently are under corruption scrutiny, so perhaps this is a good chance to 'clean' the slate under the pretense of troubles in dili. how convenient. of course, it's easy for a blogger to write these cos it's all talk on the ground, and probably will never be confirmed by anyone else. anyways, my guess is as good as yours.

let's see what tomorrow's swearing in at Lahane will bring.

another day....

the signs of trouble began late afternoon Monday after Ramos-Horta made his live speech on radio announcing that X would be PM. Disturbances began in spots around Dili, including Colmera, audian, santa cruz... it became so random that we received sms and radio instructions that there were trouble spots all over Dili and simply to avoid movement. But i still managed to get home safely to Becora without seeing any trouble. A friend went home to Colmera to find the building behind his compound on fire, and everyone had to chip in to put out the fire that was threatening to engulf their place too. The bombeiros came after some time, probably strapped down with fires happening elsewhere. The choppers began flying overhead.... but once i was in Becora, i really didn't hear anything else.. the radio calls fell silent for a while too...

this morning i went to work via the usual route and did not notice anything amiss along Bidau, and Mercado Lama. Oblivious to the fact that just a parallel street away in Akadirihun, there were stoning and burnings. Over in Comoro, an office car that had attempted to bring a colleague to the airport returned; defeated from its battle against the rocks, it bore the wounds of a shattered windshield, broken windows, dented sides, and even a big rock left behind as a souvenir. The driver was badly shaken, having had to brave through the crazy airport circle with his head down most of the way. Another colleague who had hopped into the car hoping for shelter, had a scrapped arm and glass bits in her curly hair.

A friend said he was warned to return home to change from his UN shirt and cap, and the word on the street is that UN vehicles are being targetted. This ain't a good sign, huh?

If Fretilin truly has the future of this nation in mind, its leaders should have called strongly for restraint in its press conference yesterday. now, IDPs in some camps have really turned violent, and there are even threats to burn the airport. Sigh.... a busy day it will be for all the international forces and UNPOL here. And this is just in Dili, apparently there's also trouble in Baucau, and Metinaro. What can one say? Just pray for the best.