A week end + Monday!

Friday, a colleague informed me that I have to replace my boss for a seminar “Tsunami Summit 2005”, @ 12 December, in Lhok Seumawe city (280 KM from Banda Aceh). At the same time, several report already in deadline.

So this week end becomes a full working hour: preparing weekly report (not finish), Note to File for 1st period project (feebly finish), and seminar presentation.

As usual, I get loss with all the report. Disorder comes in and my brain is jammed!

So there I am, Sunday searching material for my presentation. Late @ night finished my so-so presentation.

It was a very rainy week-end, raising my concern that the house construction will delay again. The area, where our house project implemented is low ground, most likely will flood.

Monday morning, wake up at 06.00, in total I slept for less than 4 hours. I have to travel to Lhok Seumawe, around 3 hour trip.

Passing Panteraja area, where torn refugee camp is, misery expose to my face. Wet camp, flooded since Sunday night. The only thing in my mind: need more money for more programs, including the permanent shelter for these downtrodden wet refugees.

In few second, we pass our housing project side, Peurade. I can see the mark from flash flood. Damn, I think I will not able to show the house to Donors before Dec 26, where I can also show Panteraja wet camp and beg more money for program expansion.

The rainy season suppose to be good luck, but now it is turn into a problem! (in Tuesday, Dec 13, my partner inform me that some of the house owner loss their sand, washed by the flood. It is difficult time to buy sand, since the sand mine is in the river and the area totally wash).

I tried my best to take a nap during the trip. A few minutes in my nap, my mobile phone was ringing. Hmmm, it was not an important call.

In the seminar, no easy life too! People keep cornering speaker from BRR, many bashing NGO poor performance, and later they also turn to me.

Well, I come not only as UNDP ERTR officer, I also an Acehnese and my mother is suffered by tsunami. So I know better how to respond all the cynical with my own cynical, irony, and even sarcasm. I gave them the same statement what I say to my mother: she must not dream that she will get the donation house in one year (I said it at the end of January 2005, still have to wait to proof it). I repeat again the same statement when we visit my village, Lampulo, recently (Dec 4), where an international NGO is showing the house design (I know the NGO has budget and they will build it. But it takes time, which some of this people cannot easily understand).

Not all is negative and skeptical. I also explain how public participatory approach in house construction (and other programs) delivery a better result: minimum complaint, lower cost, no corruption, and good quality. Though time to build house is relatively longer, it is a learning process: a valuable investment for future community development.

And as usual, in my tired and desperation, I have an easy way to get over it. I eat ‘sate matang’ (local style beef barbeque, famous from Matang Geulempang Dua, 225 KM from Banda Aceh) with soup. Then, I buy three medium size durians. Arrive in Sigli, at 10.15 pm, I eat one and half of the durian, while the other eaten by driver and security (now they know my stomach is larger than they thought). At 11.00, I go to bed with full stomach and hibernated brain.