Embassy of Japan in Timor-Leste
在東ティモール日本国大使館

“From Timor-Leste to Japan with love”

 

By Nidia, Secretary to the Ambassador

 

　Being together with great people in a great place like the Embassy of Japan in Timor-Leste makes me feel very lucky. I learned a lot of positive things from my interactions with people who are experts in their fields. From them I learned that hard work, determination, dedication, and equal treatment of people are the keys to realization of our aspirations.

 

　Through my work, I became a living witness who is seeing how a country with the second highest economic level in the world is willing to continue helping a newly independent and poor country like Timor-Leste, my home country. I saw how the Japanese embassy staff carries out their tasks with a single-minded goal of helping a country that is still like a baby who is just learning to walk more stable and capable with self-reliance. Japan is a country that is committed to helping small countries such as Timor-Leste to be able to independently enjoy the beauty of freedom.

 

　I noted that Japan itself has one thing in common with the Timor-Leste which is equally referred as the state of the rising sun. I hope it will not be the only positive thing our countries have in common, but also we have to “imitate” the work ethics owned by the Japanese and their sincerity to forgive all the bad and horrible things in the past by looking to the better future.

 

　On this occasion I also would like to invite all Japanese to see directly and come to visit Timor-Leste. I want to give a little overview to you all about this country. After 24 years of struggling for independence, Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999, and gained independence in 2002, then finally becoming the world's newest country in the new millennium.

 

　Timor-Leste is located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and has long and the surrounding hills. And this land looks like the shape of a crocodile with its ridged back floating above the water of the Timor Sea. Timorese people often call the crocodile as their ancestors or Avo in the Tetum language.

 

　Timor-Leste has a uniqueness that you cannot find it in other places in the world. There are so many special things here in Timor-Leste and you have to visit here to experience it yourself, such as the pristine natural environment, its Portuguese heritage, and the spirit of its people. Because of the country’s small size, low population, and relaxed nature, you can easily meet with important persons here directly and often.

 

　I have a funny thing happened when one of the students from Tokyo University came to Dili last August. We were having lunch together at Hotel Timor in downtown Dili, and I pointed to a minister who was also having his lunch in the same hotel with us. She was very surprised and said, “Wow that’s great! In Timor-Leste you can meet many important people without difficulty. It’s quite different from us in Japan”.

 

　 The kinship system in Timor-Leste is so bound and close. Timorese traditional rituals combine indigenous customs and also former Portuguese colonizers’ traditions, making Timor-Leste a mestizo Latin country in Asia—perhaps the country’s most unique point. As a result, Timorese can easily adapt with both Eastern and Western cultures.

 

　The scenery of the nature and white sand beaches along this country will make you fall in love with it at first sight. If you enjoy diving then Timor-Leste is a must as a tourist destination. And while you are here, you can see for yourself how this country is struggling to grow and walk on par with other countries in the world. There are many Japanese here now who are working and helping my country in their field of ability and interest. And we the Timorese appreciate very much their assistance. So, please come and visit Timor-Leste sometime.

 

　Last but not least, on this opportunity I would like to express my heartfelt gratefulness and thankfulness for all the things I’ve learned at this embassy. This memory will last forever. May God bless us so we can continue to work together in peace and prosperity.

 

　Korekaramo yoroshiku onegaishimasu! Tottemo kansha shimasu…

 

 

(Nidia)