Talk to a Boss: Jumar

Jumar, Duarte & Viriato caught up with me on the road out Ainaro. We were on our way to a place called Same (Saw-may). Jumar and I  seem to argue only in the city, we've had some hum dinger's. There have been times that I've had to walk out of the office and a couple of times when he sent me out. We always seem to be disagreeing about the same things. He knows stuff that I don't I know about what it is to be a volunteer and I know stuff that he doesn't about being a boss.   We can never seem to share it all in the time we have. I have to work hard to want to listen to it. But get us under an open sky or on a  mountain highway with good music and the windows open and it's like the blinds go up in the sunlight can get in. He starts to smile, I start to relax and we can talk.

Ladies and gentlemen for your consideration Jumar:

Me:  Like Bon Jovi ,or Poison, or Quiet riot you know.

Jumar: : There is no such thing as a quiet riot. They are very loud and very scary. But exciting too.  When I was young we had them. Independence in my country, we did not have help. I know about the tear gas, you put a wet cloth over your mouth. Then it is just your eyes that are hurting. I was hit by a truncheon in the head, the police. We were proud, proud that it was me. I held out my arms and people cheered because I was their friend and I got hit with a truncheon. I kissed many girls.

:But now I am old it would be embarrassing if they hit me with a truncheon now. And I am big how would they drag me to the prison? They would have to bring their friends and drag me in a group. Too embarrassing. No, I am too old for riots. But I remember sometimes when it was hot the police would use water cannons. Cool us down, that was nice."

Me:  Bugs, really?

Jumar:  “In my country we do very much eat bugs. You do not? Oh, yes, beetles are very good. Some people in the mountains, the young, they cover themselves, their skin, with, how is it? Cow dung? Then the beetles from a kilometer away will fly to them, they have excellent sense of smell beetles, and you just catch them with nets. We cook them most times, fry them also. The insects they fly into lights, at night? Moths? We eat them, they are delicious. Pull off their wings and fry. Very good protein... And ants, we scrape up ants and their eggs.  Larva is very sweet. But the ants, very sour. Good together. But not just ants, too sour. It is almost lunch time would you like to find some? Ha ha, I am kidding now? You look scared."

Me:  Weren’t you scared?

“They told me to sit in the road, they told me to wait. And I am alone and I am very scared and I could hear gunshots. But they are my friends, and I wait. And then something is coming towards me and I am not knowing what it is. And it has no lights but I can hear it and I am sitting and I have a candle. And it turns on its lights when it is very close, and it is a tank. And they tell me to move, but I have been asked to wait.  And now they do not know what to do.  So we wait.  People, they are always people.”

Thank you and goodnight.