Five years on...

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Over the past five years I’ve been up to my hips in peatland and mangrove mud; have tripped, stumbled, slipped and fallen flat on my face (literally and figuratively) in some of the most beautiful forests in the world and some back alleys in some pretty grimy cities. My ego has shrunk (I think) and my heart has expanded (I know ‘cause it’s stuffed with so many more friends). 

Nasri, my excellent colleague - I think I often prompted this look on his face 

Five years ago I headed out to find out if I had been lying to myself for most of my life. As a teenager, I determined that my life goal was to work overseas, probably one of the most nebulous goals out there, on par with “being famous”. Between that time and 2012 there were a few other things to do, and while it was a vague, half-formed idea, it was firmly lodged in the back of my mind. Meanwhile, I watched two kids grow into remarkable adults and kept the bills paid by taking any contract offered, and while some of those jobs weren’t the most fun I’ve had, each experience built on the next, and eventually became a decent compilation. So, with Alex finished college and slaving away at a job, Kirsten already through and slaving away at her own work, I started papering the globe (electronically) with my resume. No bites; no international experience. At the time, although I was pulling in a reasonable salary, every last cent was spent every month to pay the bills – and if you know me, you KNOW I’m not out clothes-shopping. Just that life is expensive in Canada, even in a small town. As a result, one quick calculation later I had decided to apply as a volunteer with CUSO working in Indonesia supporting community forest management. Travel, health insurance, visa fees and accommodation paid for plus a monthly stipend would let me work overseas (my teenage goal!) and if I wouldn’t save any money, I would still be no better or worse off than pulling in a middle-class salary in Canada.

Village in the middle of a lake, Sengkang, South Sulawesi

After a very jammy 3-week orientation in Bali, the first couple of weeks in my small town placement were awful – couldn’t speak more than a few simple sentences in Indonesia, didn’t know where to buy food or water, didn’t know what my job was or where I was going on an average day at work. Really? Was this what I imagined it would be like? I don’t even know if I had a preconceived idea of life in a completely unfamiliar country and culture, on my own, surrounded by endlessly friendly people with whom I could not communicate. It was miserable and I wanted to go home. 

But, there was lots of support – other volunteers (especially Margaret and Noelle) were a phone call or text away - and internet connections make it very easy to live in unfamiliar places; you can slip back into your culture and family just by clicking.

Pak Mahmud's family, Jeneponto, South Sulawesi

It got better - of course it did. I learned enough language to buy food and get directions, small essentials like that. Often I left the market without getting quite what I wanted. My coworkers were endless sources of help, and in that first volunteer contract I have no doubt that my value to them (regarding the work I was supposed to be supporting) was a fraction of their value to me, from helping with shopping to taking me along to family celebrations.

Ulysses, Sabangau forest

And I’ve fallen in love with the natural landscapes and have mind’s-eye pictures of beautiful places where the work has taken me…

In Maros province, South Sulawesi: the first trip up to Bengo-Bengo on winding roads through the Bantimurang Bulusurang National Park, an area of tall, straight up limestone hills, carpeted by huge trees and vines; the second largest karst ecosystem in the world. I took the trip almost weekly between the forest and Makassar on my motorbike, the best part of my job.

From Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo: Sitting on the narrow front porch of the field house in Sabangau Forest, with a morning cup of coffee watching Ulysses casually walk across the tops of trees less than 50 meters away. Great coffee, amazing view.

Comet moth, Ranomafana

Ranomafana National Park, eastern Madagascar: Back in hilly, forested terrain a 3-hour hike brings the opportunity to see four different species of lemur. Very cool, but what I found almost equally as fascinating was the ridiculous variety of insects - practically a new one everyday on my office door.

In South Sumatra, back in Indonesia: now the work starts to get serious - I had built up an appreciable amount of experience in tropical forests. While working this contract I saw a fair number of air-conditioned conference rooms in upscale hotels - surprisingly (ha!) all very similar. 

I’m seaside now, west coast of Madagascar, based in Toliara: If someone had given me the choice of the five contracts so far, I probably would have chosen to work in my current job over all the rest just because it’s centered around mangrove ecosystems which I’ve been interested in since a trip to Belize 10 years ago. But i’m really, really glad I didn’t get that option - seeing the diversity of the peat forest and karst forest in Indonesia and tall eastern rainforest in Madagascar just makes me want to go look at other parts of the world - see what else is out there. Although the mangroves are very cool, of course, and where there aren’t mangroves there are endless stretches of beach.

Colleagues from Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar

Five years isn’t all that long – I’m amazed at the number of people you can meet and the different places you can see in just that relatively short span of time. Now I’ve got so many moments that I can carry with me; singing really bad karaoke with Raymond in Mada, and Nova in Indo; playing incompetent games of pool with Joyo in Indo and Tim in Mada; enjoying a cold beer with Leslie in Indo & - well, pretty much everyone – in Mada; hiking with Nasri, Lalao, Ritha…. I could go on & every one of those moments makes me smile (or blush, occasionally).

Office workmates in Toliara, SW Madagascar

So what have I learned? I mean, really, the different food and housing and figuring out how to find a level of comfort in a discomforted state are all the superficial trappings of working abroad. At the heart of these experiences are the relationships you build with people who are accomodating you in their home country. Well, it certainly helps to be able to laugh at yourself, because I can’t help but look ridiculous just trying to buy bread or negotiating the fare with a pousse driver. 

Kirsten with Indonesian kids in Flores, June 2014

Patti supporting the home team
Andavaoake, Madagascar

I’ve learned that culture plays a huge role in shaping behaviour and even though you get to know people and the country, it takes a lot longer to understand how or why people behave unless you know and understand the environment in which they grew up. Which is really hard, because to identify the elements that go into shaping our attitudes, we’d have to recognize these as they were affecting us - from when we’re born. Maybe children raised by parents with roots in two (or more) cultures move more seamlessly in the global environment. The rest of us just have to stumble through with our one-dimensional backgrounds, bringing as open a mind as possible to try to see the world through other people’s eyes.

And while culture deeply shapes us, at the heart, people everywhere are basically the same. We like to laugh, play games, work hard, love our families, enjoy good food and delight in something new or surprising. From my point of view, that’s pretty much it.

 My current excellent colleague, Lalao

So, bring on the next 5 years, I can't wait to see where the road takes me!