Winter is coming. The days are shortening and the nights are cool… There’s a strange feeling in the air where people seem more relaxed and will be enjoying the season. Maybe it’s because on May 20 the Timorese celebrated their independence day and everyone was in good spirits. Not much happens in Dili, and much less in the rest of the country, so when May 20 came around, people took to the streets to celebrate and attend the all-day celebration at the Palacio de Governo. It was a holiday and so many families also went to the new urban park in front of Hotel Timor. Did you know that Timor has one of the highest birth rates in the world? Each women has an average of 7-8 children.
There’ll probably be an even bigger bash in August – this is when the people went to referendum and ‘voted’ to become an independent nation in 1999.