JOLIET, Ill. (AP) - Sergio da Silva and Armindo Goncalves - part of a young generation from a young country - came to Joliet Junior College this year to study agriculture, hoping to improve farming back home.
The Timorese students, recipients of the Timor-Leste Hillary Clinton Scholarship Program, arrived in Chicago last October after a long journey spanning the globe. Da Silva, 20, was happy to be in a different place filled with tall buildings - something he had never seen before.
Goncalves, 26, felt a mixture of happiness and concern.
“I’m happy because I’m in the United States, and I’m proud of myself,” Goncalves said. “Everybody wants to come here, but they didn’t have the opportunity to come and I had the opportunity to come. I really appreciate it and I’m really happy, but on the other hand, I still know that I’m going to face a lot of big challenges.”
Over the past several months, the students have adjusted to dietary changes, language barriers and homesickness while forging new connections in a country about 9,380 miles from home.
They are part of a young generation of Timorese leaving home and learning new skills to help develop a country liberated in 2002, after decades of brutal Indonesian rule.
From Timor-Leste to JJC
Goncalves and Da Silva hail from Timor-Leste, a small country of about 1.2 million people north of Australia and south of Indonesia.
They set out to learn more about agriculture and business in the U.S. after applying for a scholarship program that helps Timorese contribute to their country’s social and economic development through education and training.
Out of all the schools where they could study agribusiness, they chose JJC. Both said they were impressed with the community college’s agriculture program and its surrounding farms. They also were impressed that it was the first community college built in the U.S.
“I just heard from my professors that there (are) a lot of professional people who graduated from this college,” Da Silva said.
The two hit several stops along the way to the U.S., traveling to Hong Kong, Singapore, Dallas and then Chicago. They studied English intensively at Loyola University before coming to Joliet in January, although they had studied English for years back home.
Switching from the tropical climate of Timor-Leste to the cold, gloomy Midwest winter took some adjustment. Dayna Crabb, JJC’s International Student Services Coordinator, said that when the pair arrived in Joliet, there was a snowstorm. She saw they needed to go shopping.
“They didn’t have winter jackets. They thought they would be fine in hoodies and their hats and gloves,” she said. “We made sure to stock up on winter stuff.”
The food took some adjustment, too. Goncalves said rice is mainly eaten back home. Da Silva, however, discovered he was a fan of McDonald’s.
Goncalves and Da Silva live in an apartment near campus and receive assistance from peer mentoring programs, making new friends through the college’s International Student Club. Students come to JJC from countries such as Brazil, Germany, Palestine, Nigeria and Canada, Crabb said.
Enhancing agriculture in Timor-Leste
Goncalves and Da Silva wanted to study agriculture and business at JJC to improve farming techniques in Timor-Leste. The country is newly liberated and needs economic development after Indonesia’s destructive occupation, they said.
Unlike in the U.S., farmers back home don’t use GPS to collect data or use meteorology when farming. There is poor access to electricity and inefficient equipment, such as hand tractors.
“In my country, we never use a weather forecast company that can detect the exact weather that can be suitable for farmers to farm their seeds. Here (in the U.S.), everything is available,” Goncalves said.
Both Goncalves and Da Silva grew up farming. Da Silva said his father is a farmer and they have a huge farm back home, abandoned because it lacks financial support.
“I was just thinking, if I can go back, I can help my dad,” Da Silva said.
Goncalves said he enjoys the independence of farming, such as choosing his own hours to work. He said by studying in the U.S, he can go back and help other farmers know how to grow based on scientific methods and increase their productivity.
Liberation from Indonesian rule
The two students were young when Timor-Leste was occupied by Indonesia. The Southeast Asian nation had occupied Timor-Leste from 1975 to 1999 and about 200,000 Timorese were killed by Indonesian forces, according to the Center for Justice and Accountability, an international human rights organization.
The Indonesian military used starvation, sexual violence, chemical weapons and napalm during that time, according to the CJA. When the Timorese tried to fight for their independence in 1999, it caused more violence and destruction, with 75 percent of the country’s infrastructure crippled.
Goncalves and Da Silva said many people weren’t allowed to work and many faced violence, rape and torture from the Indonesian military.
In 1999, in a United Nations-supervised popular referendum, the majority of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia and fought for it despite blow-black from anti-independence Timorese militias and the Indonesian military, according to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook.
Since being liberated, Timor-Leste’s democratic government has worked with neighboring countries - including Indonesia - to help with economic development.
“We aren’t going to go anywhere . so that’s the reason my government decided it’s better to cooperate,” Goncalves said. “It’s better for us to sacrifice justice instead of sacrificing many things, such as economy, education . it’s better to forgive the past in order to move to the future.”
“I hope in the future there is justice,” he added.
Going back home
In about two years, Goncalves and Da Silva can go back home. They said they’ve thought of many things they could do with their newfound knowledge and skills. They may work with local businesses in Timor-Leste, international organizations or start their own business.
They keep in contact with their family through social media and Skype. Da Silva said he took some pictures of snow and sent them back home.
Goncalves is optimistic he’ll find work when he returns, but he’s not certain. Until then, he’ll keep learning.
“I’m studying here with the one hope that I can make a change,” Goncalves said.
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Source: The (Joliet) Herald-News, https://bit.ly/1x06MKb.
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Information from: The Herald-News, https://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews
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