Stress-blog continued...

Alrighty then, as promised a little more on stress in Timor.
Interestingly enough after composing the last entry I got to read a recent risk assessment from a large international organization involved in the overall Timor support mission and it listed Stress not only as one of the highest risk factors but also gave it the highest likelihood of occurrence.
"So", I hear you ask, "What stress are we talking about then?"
For me, personally, one of the biggest stress-contributors here in Timor is how hard at times even seemingly mundane tasks can be and the apathy with which simple requests are routinely met. It is like a fine red thread that weaves itself through all aspects of life here:
You get up in the morning to discover there is no running water (of course you only find out AFTER your morning "business") and end up washing yourself with a 1.5 liter bottle of "Aqua". The accommodation manager assures you upon inquiry that the problem will be fixed shortly.
When you get home, dusty and sweaty you find out nothing has been done...and end up showering with another 1.5 liter bottle of "Aqua".
You go to get fuel at the gas station. You ask for 40 Dollars worth, but despite better knowledge fail to stand there and watch the guy put the right amount in. The "cashier" takes the 40 bucks, but when you drive away you notice the needle of your tank doesn't even go halfway up; you've been ripped off. But do you really want to go back and complain? This could take you all morning and is not likely to produce anything but further frustration...
One of the 3 ATM's in country eats your ATM card and tells you, after you have entered your PIN once AND correctly, that you "have exceeded the maximum number of attempts".
Next day you drive all the way through town to the bank where you wait 45 minutes in line to see someone at the information desk. That someone, after leaving for unknown reasons for another 15 minutes, retrieves your card from a pile at the information desk.
You have your card back, hooray! But guess what: you insert it at the ATM and now it tells you it's invalid...back to the bank, wait in line, explain your problem...and on and on it goes.
You're out of Diet Coke (OK, so I'm a diet coke addict) and think "Oh well, I'll just drive down to Leader Supermarket and get some. When you get there, they don't have any. You drive to Lita, but they have none either. You drive to Landmark and find 3 x 600ml bottles, the rest of their stock. Proud of your find you open one up straight way and take a big gulp; it's stale, flat and out of date. You drink it anyway...
You arrange a training session for staff; it involves a lot of preparation and planning on your part. You talk to each person to make sure they are available, they all confirm.
9am on the day nobody is there. One turns up 15 minutes later, the others are MIA.
Two days later one comes up to you and asks when the training starts. Grrrr. The rest pulled a sickie (and no, here in Timor NOBODY ever lets you know).
You go to your "favourite" restaurant, which is only your favourite because you haven't gotten sick from the food there and they have two dishes that are actually really good.
(Those that live here will agree that often dinner is THE highlight of the day as there isn't much else to look forward to, so it does have a different significance than the average dinner at home)
When you get there you discover either that A) they're closed, B) neither of the dishes are available and/or C) the staff have changed and you couldn't get service if you were the president himself. Usually B) applies and you end up eating something else, which is bound to disappoint. You eat it anyway and spend the rest of the night moving between bed and toilet.
You drive along the road in the usual Dili first-come-first-serve traffic where if there is a way to squeeze in, force you to the side or use a single lane dirt road as a triple lane highway, they will.
A white vehicle of the kind that abounds approaches rapidly in oncoming traffic using the middle of the road at ludicrous speeds to pass Microlets, scooters, street vendors and the usual wildlife like pigs and dogs. It veers to the right and left, hitting the dirt and engulfing everything in a giant cloud of dust. You contemplate abandoning your car as you are stuck next to a Timorese taxi which chose to overtake you on the road's dirt shoulder, effectively blocking your escape.
Before your heart rate has a chance to reach fatal levels the white vehicle passes you within quarter of an inch. At the wheel is a Malai on the cellphone...Welcome to Timor.
The only thing more dangerous to encounter in traffuc here is the national military.
These guys aren't just ignorant drivers. They WILL run you over, driving down the wrong side of the street and head on if necessary. If you complain or try to interfere they WILL pull a gun on you. Between the white vehicles, the Timorese military and some of the Timorese non-government agency drivers, you can be assured of at least two, sometimes three incidents like this a day.

Ok, time to take a break again. I'll write more about this subject next time. There is a gazillion more examples of the things that can get under your skin here...