In this interview, we hear from Silas Mullin. Silas is a Peace Corps volunteer working as an Education volunteer in Timor-Leste. What Silas shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Silas talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Silas’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Tell us more about serving as an Education volunteer in Timor-Leste.
Before joining the Peace Corps I worked as a science teacher in the US. Transitioning to teaching in a developing country has been an eye-opening experience. PC Timor Leste has two sectors: English Education and Community Economic Development.
As an Education volunteer, I work at a public middle school and high school. ED volunteers do not teach alone, we teach with a Timorese counterpart, and we work on improving their English teaching skills and directly teaching the students. Teaching in Timor Leste is similar to how I imagined American schools in the 1800s. The teacher writes material on the board and the students copy it into their notebooks, then the class is done. ED volunteers are working to introduce modern teaching strategies and pedagogy, but like all development work, this is a slow process.
A typical school day looks like this:
- 8:00-8:15 am: Morning Announcements and a Flag Ceremony.
- 8:15-10:15 am: 1st Period Middle School English Class.
- 10:45-12:45 pm: 2nd Period Middle School English Class.
- 1:00 -2:00 pm: Lunch at home.
- 2:00-3:15 pm: 1st Period High School English Class
- 3:30-5:00 pm: 2nd Period High School English Class.
I typically teach this schedule only 3 days a week, but school is Monday through Saturday. The other school days I have one or two classes and spend the other time planning or resting.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Timor-Leste?
I was motivated to join the Peace Corps by my parents. They served together in Papua New Guinea from 1992 to 1994. I grew up hearing about their experiences and could see how much of an effect PC had on their lives. From their stories, I knew the Peace Corps would provide an awesome adventure and opportunity to experience a new world. So far I am thrilled with the adventure I have been sent on.
I originally applied to a different post, but my departure timeline changed. So PC suggested a few other posts as a secondary choice that worked with my plans. I chose Timor Leste because it was a country in a part of the world I knew nothing about. I knew this would lead to a great adventure! It is also relatively close to Papua New Guinea so I hoped to have a similar experience to my parents.
I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had chosen a different post, but I am grateful I ended up in Timor Leste. As one of the newest countries, it has provided many great experiences.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation.
Living Arrangements
All PCVs are required to live with host families for their entire service. One family during PST and a new family at your permanent site. At first, this seemed like a daunting undertaking, especially after living alone for so long in the States. However, as of now, I feel completely different. The host family and community integration have been the best part of service so far. I am very grateful for how loving and caring my host family is. I truly feel like I am part of their family and community. I know that if I lived alone I would not be as well integrated into the community as I am now.
We live in a small house near one of the few paved roads. Our town is small, comprising about 5000 people, also living along the road. The house is made of cement with a tin roof and is only used for sleeping. The kitchen and bathroom are all in separate structures.
Food and Diet
Most people are subsistence farmers, with the main crops being rice, corn, and sweet potatoes. I often accompany my host family to their farm to help plant and harvest crops. These crops are the staples of our diet, but they are also how most people make money; by growing a lot of food and selling it in the markets.
Most meals consist of rice and fried or boiled vegetables. Vegetables are often prepared as a soup, which I always find very tasty. In my experience, I eat meat at least once a day, but this is not the experience of all PCVs. Beef, pork, chicken, and goat are either fried in oil or braised and boiled in soup. Spices and herbs are always available and included in the dish. My host sister loves to cook with a lot of garlic which makes everything better.
Something that I was not expecting was the inclusion of dog meat in the local diet. It is considered a cultural meal that is eaten on special occasions. Some Timorese people love the flavor of dog meat and rave about its sweetness. After trying it I found the flavor to be very similar to beef or goat. I was hesitant at first to try the dog meat, but by doing so I showed my family and the community members my willingness to integrate and learn about their culture and lifestyle. As a PCV you do not need to try the dog, but I would recommend finding ways to immerse yourself in the local culture and show your enthusiasm to learn. Such as trying new foods!
Food scarcity is real in Timor Leste, many children and adults are malnourished and have stunted growth. Many Timorese go days only eating rice. PCVs should be prepared to see these hardships and be prepared to eat a smaller limited diet compared to life in the US.
Culture and Religion
If you are considering PC Timor Leste you probably know that it is the most Catholic country in the world, aside from Vatican City. Pope Francis made a special visit to Timor in September of 2024 and this was probably the biggest historical event to happen to Timor since their independence in 2002.
Catholicism is everywhere in Timor. Classes and meetings are often started with prayer and some people attend church multiple times a week. However, it is also perfectly normal to not attend mass. So do not let religion discourage you from applying to Timor Leste.
I am not a religious person so I do not attend mass every week, but I try to attend mass with my host mother on important holidays or events. During the beginning of my service I found attending mass weekly helped me integrate into the community quicker. Interestingly in my host family, the men do not go to mass. So when I do go I am the only male representative from my family. It is common for women to more actively participate in religion compared to men.
Timor Leste also has a strong animistic culture. Many ceremonies take place in sacred houses. These ceremonies can be about praying to ancestors or praying for strong crops and good harvests.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had?
Recently my school was chosen to represent our district in a regional trivia contest. Some of my students had the opportunity to attend and compete. I took time with the other teachers to prepare the students for the contest and then we attended the contest to support our students. The contest was a big event with lots of other schools and teachers. It was awesome to see my students shine and answer questions correctly.
We did not win, but my students answered every question about English correctly. This provided some much-needed validation of my work and efforts in the classroom. A lot of the time during service it is hard to see progress in your teaching, but this trivia contest showed me that the students are slowly learning more English and can apply their knowledge.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about challenges in Timor-Leste?
Timor Leste has an incredibly social culture. Timorese people are always visiting each other and talking for hours on end. It is expected that everyone partakes and this social structure and most Timorese do without any reservations. Transitioning to this culture from my introverted American lifestyle had its difficulties. Now one year into my service I find it quite easy to socialize with my host family and fellow PCVs, but difficult to make friends and socialize with people who are not in my immediate circle. I also find I need more time to myself and I find myself avoiding social interactions.
Unfortunately spending time alone is often seen as strange or people assume you are upset with them. I am lucky in that my host family completely understands my need for space and respects that. However, neighbors and co-workers often perceive it negatively.
I find the best way to remedy this is to have a consistent schedule of when I am social and when I am by myself. For example 6 pm to 8 pm I hang out with my host family and engage in what they are doing. But from 8 pm to 10 pm I decompress in my room before going to sleep.
I also find that attending events such as trainings or conferences allows me to be social and discuss a topic or theme. Therefore this allows me to avoid the tiring repetitive questions and small talk that come with being a foreigner.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Education projects?
Introducing New Teaching Methods
The biggest and most surprising challenge has been adapting to Timor-Leste’s culture and methods of education. Many teachers in Timor teach by writing information on the board and having their students copy it down. The students may remember some vocabulary words or phrases learning this way, but they do not have an understanding of written or spoken English. However, this method of teaching is what teachers and students are used to.
As a PCV I want to introduce modern teaching methods, but it has been difficult to convince my counterparts to try something new. I have had many discussions and sometimes arguments about why we should try new methods. Over and over again I hear the response, “That’s not how we do it here in Timor.”
To overcome these challenges I made time in class for myself to demonstrate new teaching methods. I then used assessments and in-class activities to show that the students had learned successfully from the lesson and could apply what they had been taught. It took many months of demonstration and repetition to show that my new methods of teaching were more effective. I also needed to provide new exams that tested students on their knowledge, not just their memorization. By combining new teaching methods with new assessments I have seen progress in my student’s ability to understand written and spoken English. I have also seen progress in my counterpart’s ability to teach with new methods and replicate the lessons I demonstrate.
Maximizing Impact with Limited Class Time
The second biggest challenge has been the class schedule in Timor. Students only have English class once a week. Therefore progress is hindered because students only hear and practice English once a week. This combined with many holidays and school vacations has made learning slow.
To overcome this challenge most PCVs have limited their expectations to teaching English that is more realistic for the class schedule. This includes simple English that is commonly used without complex grammar. I also make my lessons and activities very similar from week to week. This way I am not spending time explaining how to do a new activity. Instead, I can focus on helping students complete activities and exercises in a format they are used to doing.
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
My host family is part of a Cooperative that farms and cares for the land together. A small part of the cooperative’s work is to give tours of the farm and local area to tourists. I have helped plan and lead these tours. As well as translating materials into English. I also participate in meetings and conversations about future plans. We have started to discuss and plan some grants and projects but these have yet to be implemented.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Education volunteer in Timor-Leste?
You will be seen as an English expert, make sure you study English grammar rules and can answer any question about English. For example, I had to study the formulas for different tenses so that when my counterparts asked me I could tell them. As a native English speaker, there are many rules we follow intuitively and do not learn in school. This is not the case in Timor. In the Timorese curriculum, the grammar rules are clearly stated and teachers expect students to know them. You also need to know these rules and how to explain them with examples.
9. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
I found the biggest benefit from PST was learning the language, the culture, and the history of Timor-Leste. Timor has a long and violent history leading to its independence in 2002. PST did a good job teaching us this history so we had a context of what locals had been through. The lasting effects of war and occupation are visible in Timor. PST did a good job teaching us about how these scars affect daily life and development in Timor.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Timor-Leste volunteers?
I am super grateful I packed an inflatable sleeping pad. I have used this for camping and I also used it under my mattress in PST, because the mattress was so thin and unsupportive. I would strongly recommend bringing one.
I also only brought clothing made from quick-dry athletic fabrics. No denim, cotton, or wool. This has made doing laundry and drying clothes so much easier, plus it keeps me cool.
I normally wear XL or XXL clothing and shoes. In Timor, it is impossible to find these sizes. If you normally wear a size large or bigger do not expect to buy clothing in the country. I was only able to buy clothes on a vacation to Australia.
I also would recommend downloading any video games, movies, or TV shows you want for two years on your laptop before leaving America. The Internet download and upload speeds can be abysmal in Timor. Thankfully, streaming YouTube and using the internet on your phone is very doable.
11. How has learning the language been?
The language all PCVs learn and use in their daily lives is Tetun. Tetun is relatively easy to learn because the grammar is simple and intuitive. Tetun also shares much of its vocabulary with Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesian. A background in either of those two languages would be helpful but is by no means necessary. Most PCVs pick up Tetun very quickly, and everyone agrees the best way to practice is by talking with your host family and community. There are very limited to no online resources to learn Tetun, so it is best to not worry about it before arriving in Timor.
Final Thoughts
12. Any last comments you would like to pass on to future Timor-Leste volunteers?
You only have two years of service which is shorter than you realize. I recommend focusing on the smaller more meaningful interactions. Such as conversations with your host family, sharing stories with friends and family back home, helping one student with English, playing with kids, bike rides, and trips to the beach. I think these interpersonal experiences will have a larger impact on myself and the community than any English class could. By focusing on these smaller more personal experiences I keep myself positive through the ups and downs of Peace Corps.
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Silas’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create apositive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Timor-Leste Government.
