East Timor - by Kurt Sherwood
I was just a junior in college when I first decided I wanted to go to the tiny nation of East Timor (or its official name, Timor Leste). For some reason I had decided to study Portuguese at the University of Washington and my professor had just spent the summer of 2000 volunteering in East Timor shortly after their referendum for independence. This was a horrific time when bands of Indonesian troops raped and pillaged their way out of the country. Despite these tragic events, the videos we watched of my professor’s interaction with the East Timorese showed a warm and inviting people who were full of hope for a better tomorrow. Upon my visit eight years later, I had high expectations, and the East Timorese did not disappoint.