The following is based on reports from two 2nd year Social Entrepreneurship students who are currently doing their internship in Timor Leste. In the photo, on the left is Fishah, and Naoko is to the right.

“Always be ½ full, remain calm, be happy in all situations…believe you’re fashioned for Greatness and be scientific at all times,” Fishah writes. Having spent one month in Timor Leste, Fishah and Naoko have been assisting the teachers at the Science of Life Systems school at Dili, handling practical tasks, managing, and learning from students in their day-to-day activities.

Rationing supplies, budgeting, attending to affairs in the kitchen and at the shop, Fishah and Naoko are immersed in a world they would never have experienced, had it not been for their determination to learn first-hand what it takes to build and manage a social enterprise in such an environment. They learn the difficulties—overcoming the language barrier, dealing with blackouts, water shortages, gangs, and the individual problems of the students—as well as the rewards. Taking inspiration from the teachers at the school, their positive outlook allows them to appreciate the effort of the teachers and directors of the school and the influence and impact the school has on its students.

“The most valuable lesson which I am learning here is that how powerful and effective the teachers are and how important they are for the students,” Naoko shares. “They are the ones who create this positive environment. In East Timor, there are many fights and the students get affected and lose their concentration very easily. The teachers are always calm and they make them focus on their studies. I can feel that students are getting [a] tremendous amount of power from them. I am learning how the teachers view these situations and handle the problems.”

Fishah reports on the progress of the school: “I also think it is excellent that the teachers are constantly finding ways to develop the school. In the one month I have been here, a new co-op store was built, sunshades were made out of palm leaf, new flowers were planted and the store was moved. All of these activities sub-consciously instills the spirit of progress and positive development within the trainees and the students.”

Given their experiences the past month, Fishah and Naoko will continue to learn and grow within the Science of Life Systems, contributing not just to the building of the school in Dili, but adding realizations and lessons learned to their personal development, and to the aspirations they have for their future social enterprises.

“It gives me a clearer picture of what I want to build for my future,” Naoko writes. “I want to be able to be a person who can create love and unity.”