Rio

got back to rio this morning after three days at the parallel universe music festival. The festival was amazing! It was on the beach, imagine paradise beach, with three stages and maybe 30,000 people. There were no hotels and everyone was in tents on the beach. Tired of the music just go to the beach or get a acai, a wonderful smoothy like drink made of fresh fruit, then back to the music. New years eve was quite exciting including lazer show and fireworks and I even danced until dawn.

There is a weird trend here at the beach to wear a utility type belt with all your valuables instead of say a backpack. I guess it is less likely to get stolen. I got to say it looks quite funny with a brazilian bikini although it does mean there are hundreds of tomb raider look-a-likes on the beach. Not bad.

I have the next five days here in rio checking out the sites, enjoying more beach, and meeting up with friends. It has been tough to find a hotel because everything is sold out with the new year so we just got a nice apartment for the week near the beach in the famous ipanema. hope you all had a nice new years. i will upload pics soon i promise. Check ya later

jesse

merry xmas

just found out my bf phil is engaged to my other bf liz. congrats

i am in sao paulo airport in brazil on the way to salvador where we will rent a car to drive to the Univeral Parallel music festival for the next three days invluding New Years. i am looking forward to four days in a bathing suit eating friend food, drinking brazilian beer, and dancing all night. Got to try it once right? There we will meet back up with my brasilian friend we left behind in rio.

Three of us just left manaus where we spent three nights in the amazon basin at a river lodge, one night in the jungle. It was a great time, even got hold a aligator, catch piranas, and build my own shelter in the jungle. We ate a lot of fish and even had caparinhas, my new favorite drink, for xmas dinner, i just about forgot about xmas all together but the group reminded us. I have some great pictures but will have to wait for the cable which is in my checked luggage, probably from rio when we get back there next week.

I hope everyone had a nice xmas. sorry i didnt get anyone a present but i just know i am thinking of you all. happy new years and give a kiss to someone you love. Me, i will be looking for a beasutiful brazilian babe.

jesse

Bom natal

\hey all,

Well it has been almost 9 months since my last post. Lots has happened and i will try and sum it up quickly. I have been back and forth to the US twice, once to finish my master´s and once for my friend, /thad´s wedding. Both were successful. My brother also met someone and got married in june/july. I am single again. I have finally changed jobs and know now for sure that I will be in /east /timor another 2 years. Starting in Jan I will be Sanitation advisor to the Ministry of Health. Since I am in between things I am writting you from Manaus, Brazil on the amazon. I have come with some friends to Brazil for the holidays. I will drop the details later but will be going to Mozambique in Jan for a week as well before returning to ET to start my shall I say career. Last week I had malaria and typhoid if you can believe it. It was actually quick and only new I had it after I was better and got a blood test. Only one day fever, amazing. Tomorrow we are heading up the amazon for a four day jungle trip. I am told I will build my own shelter in the jungle and will be grabbing small gators with my hands the first day? Anyway things are good. Merry x-mas and happy new year. hope everyone is well. love, jesse

SNOW

Ya. I thought it was spring too?

Holy Snow!

Just after take off the pilot rings in to let us know that the fasten seat belt sign is off and we are free to roam about the cabin. He also added that the weather in Houghton is breezy with a fresh dusting of snow. "What the @$#! Isn't it supposed to be spring?"This was my reaction yesterday as I was flying back to MI after almost 3 years abroad. I knew it would be colder than the tropics but was hoping for somewhat spring weather. Unfortunately my flipflops were not the best choice for footwear that day. Once inside the terminal I scrambled for my shoes and every piece of clothing I could find. It is winter here. The cannal is forzen and there is more than a dusting of snow. There is still skiing! That was the wonderful end to my three day trip from Timor back to school in Michigan. It started off a bit better with about 24hrs in Bali filled with good food and massages. Then about 8hrs in Narita, Japan on layover. I made it out to some temples and sushi. Pictures will follow.

I am now back on campus and working to get an office, my computer online, and start the work on my master's report. Last night I had a warm welcome, as it happened it was the night of the Peace Corps monthly social. Just off the plane I was in a pub with pizza and beer and meeting new student and old friends. I hope to run into a couple more old friends today that I have heard are around. My jet lag is still pretty heavy so think I will head back for a nap here in a bit. talk to ya again soon with some pictures. paz

Bike

Dili is still extremely calm, which is due mostly to “State of Siege” in which there have been virtually no security incidents in a couple weeks. So, other than the 10pm curfew it has been back to normal life in Timor for us expats. I have been putting my new bike to use or at least getting out two times a week. It has been a big advantage on the flats but seems to be a disadvantage on the mountains as it has the wrong gear ratios for the steeps.

Last two weeks have been chalked full of birthdays so we have been partying within the best of our ability under the curfew. This weekend got a bit routy after a four or five hour stint of karaoke. The next day was International Women’s day. I did my best to honor women by letting my girlfriend pick movies while I made lunch. Unfortunately this resulted in watching two Mandy Moore movies back to back. Ouch, the sacrifices men have to make. I did fall asleep during one.

I have a busy schedule this month. This weekend I am going to Maubissie with some friends and we will ride our bikes back. It will be the first true test for my bike in the mountains. We may have a group of 10 which will be exciting. Then next week my girlfriend’s parents are coming to Timor for a visit and we are going to travel to Jaco island for the Easter weekend. I will get to help show them around and visit my host family a bit. The proceeding Monday I am flying back to the US. Although this time not for a visit home but to Michigan to try and finish my master’s report. After that it will be directly back to Timor and back to work.

Pics

Things are still calm in Dili. They have extended the curfew to 10 days which sucks. No one on the streets "after 8pm or you must be a rebel!"

Information that has come out so far seems to point out that the attack on the Pres and PM a botched kidnapping. It seems to also be the most likely scenario especially acknowledging other recent events such as the president meeting him only days early with no security and the actions of some of the petitioners dialogging with the government separately.

On a different note, here are some photos that I promised in a previous post.
1. Me (after a bike ride) and the new baby Jesse.
2. Me after a fight with a bee.

Unfortunately the government internet system is down with little hope that it will be fixed quickly. I have been using other options but they provide fairly undependable service. I am still ok for email every couple days but internet content in photos is virtually impossible. Enjoy. Yeah curfew!

Assassination attempt

Just to let you that I am ok and things are really calm here. Things are safe and I am back at work today. You may have seen on the news that Alfredo tried to kill the President and the Prime Minister yesterday. The President was shot and is now in Australia in stable but serious condition. Yesterday was a bit crazy pumped with adrenaline. I had some friends who were closely involved and even got a play by play of the gun battle. We are under a state of siege and have a curfew. Everything is quite calm in the streets but we are waiting it out to see if there is some reaction to Alfredo’s death. I will keep in touch. Hope all is well at home. lv

This is how I roll

5/2/08

When I went home in December I decided it best that I return my work vehicle, which is rented, as I would be gone over a month. Now that I have returned the vehicle is no longer available to rent. My work was able to get another vehicle but of a quite different style. I am now driving a Honda civic automatic which is quite low to the ground with a rumble muffler, tinted windows, AC, and a CD player. Everyone asks about my car now and I just reply “this is how I roll.”

Bees

4/2/08

I am so disappointed I haven’t blogged in almost five months but I am determined to get back on track. I could say I was busy or sick or something but really I just got lazy. Now I am back and instead of writing one long post with everything that has gone on in the last five months I will just continue to blog and hopefully the past will present itself.

Yesterday I went for a bike ride which resulted in the following picture. Less than one hundred feet from my destination was swarm of bees which I happened to ride through. Like bullets they bounced off my helmet and face. One lucky one got logged between my helmet and sunglasses. Only seconds later fending for its life as I swatted and shook it went for the kill. Fortunately I am over two hundred pounds and it probably weighs 2 oz so I survived but only nearly with these wounds.

The destination was Metinaro where my roommate Sarah was placed during Peace Corps. One of the families she is close with just had a new baby and guess what they named it…Jesse. Yep and not randomly either. Sarah had actually suggested it. Sarah now calls it my namesake so I thought it important I go for a visit. The baby looks great and seemed to take a bit of a likening to me. The Timorese think it is hilarious and we spent the afternoon trying to decide how to distinguish between us. Either big Jesse and little Jesse. Or white Jesse and black Jesse. At this point either one gets a laugh. This now accounts for at least the fifth Jesse in Timor that I know of. Me, other peace corps Jesse, jess my girlfriend (see told you the past was coming), jesse my friend Catherine’s sister, and the new baby. Watch out we are taking over and your neighborhood is next.