The joy of a new pair of shoes

I'm still in Dili...
I still don't know when I will be deployed...
And I still don't know how, by air or by road!
Today I was assigned a beast of a car, a Toyota Landcruiser so it is to be assumed that I, along with C, my other colleague assigned to Bobonaro, will be driving 'The Beast' (the name I have given our car!) to Bobonaro. However, this afternoon we received an e-mail saying that Bobonaro people will be deployed by helicopter, so long story short, I have absolutely NO idea what is going on, luckily (because that's how I choose to see it) neither do any of my other colleagues!
I have spent this weekend going round all the supermarkets, buying bed sheets, pillows, food, pots and pans and all other little things people need to feel at home, and in the process I have spent more money in these last few days than in the first three weeks in Dili! I've already even sent an electric oven off this past Sunday with another colleague that was off to Bobonaro...yes, there is NOTHING in the districts so we have to get everything from Dili (except for Chinese stuff, that there is a LOT of, as usual!)

Amidst all this chaos I have found a silver lining... a boy named Antonio that 'works' on our street selling souvenirs when he's not in school. He's 19, so he says, although looking at him, you'd think 16 at most. Our relationship has been mostly one of me buying him dinner or lunch when I see him but yesterday it escalated when he asked me for a pair of shoes for school, he's usually barefoot when I see him. How could I say no when I've just spent so much on little pleasures for myself. So today after I was done with the last of my shopping, Antonio and I went off to find him a pair of shoes! I had seen one shop close to our hotel but he told me 'Não senhora, ai é muito caro!' (No Miss, there it's too expensive!) and so we went to another store where he had seen some shoes he liked that were cheaper. After much perusal and trying of different types of shoes he chose a green and yellow pair of trainers with the flag of Brazil on them. His smile was priceless! That's all I needed to get my head out of the chaos that is our life here in Dili!

We tend to take certain commodities for granted, like a new pair of shoes...how many shoes do you have? I know I have a LOT, more than I need, and yet Antonio took a long time choosing his shoes because he knew he probably won't have a new pair for a long time...I know talking about a good deed negates it but his smile was so honest and beautiful I needed to share the experience, just in case one of you ever finds yourself being asked for a pair of shoes, it's worth it!