Teaching Practice April-May 2014

Teaching practice at Government Technical High School (GTHS) Nkwen. It was fun having a guidance-counselling session with the students on the notion of self-assertiveness - assistance in moulding the personality of the students. In this session, we talked about behaviour, aggression, passivity and assertiveness very important aspects that shapes our personalities in one way or the other.

Pencils & Erasers

Pencil and Eraser - This is dedicated to parents and children...
Pencil: I'm sorry
Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.
Pencil: I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.
I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.
All my life, I've been the pencil.
And it pains me to see the eraser that is my parents, getting smaller and smaller each day.
For I know that one day, all that I'm left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have.

Source: from Facebook posted by Shey Tatah Woo Scandy on 21st May, 2014

Africa IT-Connect Conference Nairobi 2014 Series 4

Africa IT-Connect Conference Nairobi 2014 Series 4.
For two weeks, IT Support staff from SIL and WBTO's who work in different field locations around Africa gather to study and share with one another how together as one, they can use IT to facilitate the work of Linguistics, Literacy & Bible Translation using ICT tools.

Enough Parking Space now at BRTC

When we worked at BRO in mile 3 Nkwen, there was hardly enough parking space and staff will have to park their cars outside and sometimes along the highway which was a bit dangerous. Now at the new site, there is enough parking space.

Language Technology Consultant Training (LTCT) 2014

March 30 to April 5th 2014 was another opportunity for Language Technology Specialists and Consultants from 8 African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tchad, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya) to get together in their anual training event - Language
Technology Consultant Training (LTCT). It was a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing as we all learned from one another as we shared the challenges and successful that we face in doing our job. This is also a time to discuss what is new in available language software area. A time of problem solving and working as in team in learning how to use language software and how to train language software users back in our entities. One thing stands out in this training event - As Language Technology Specialists and Consultants our goal in learning about language technology is so that we can train and build capacities of language workers in the area of Language Software Technology so that Linguist, Translators, Literacy Personnel, Multilingual Education Personnel, Scripture Use Personnel etc etc can do their work well to the Glory of God.

AdaptIt Training in Weh

After learning how to use "AdaptIt" a computer application that takes a translated scripture and easily adapts to a neigbouring language that has more or less a similar structure, Pastor Mei Eugene now things that the translation of the Weh New Testament is going to advance rapidly. It took only two days in October 2013 for me to get Eugene started on AdaptIt and he could almost finish adapting the first chapter of Matthew from the Aghem to the Weh language in just less than two days.
There is no electricity where the Weh Bible Translation and Literacy Office is located so they depend on the generator to work. They also use the BGAN technology to get their emails. Pastor Eugene has to set the BGAN outside daily and hook up the generator to get things up and running during the working sessions.

In Wum there is a lot of farmer-grazier problems as you can see cows almost every where

On my way back from Weh on a motor bike, I witnessed an interesting accident. The bike rider drove past us at top speed but for some reason something sort of bind his breaks and she and the lady he was carrying fell off and the maize they were carrying poured out of the sac.

Oku NT Dedication 12 October 2013

The people of Oku now have the word of God in the language that they understand better "Əblam Əbkuo". Oku honey is very sweet but the Ŋwaale Feyin Kelef Kefɛɛ as the Oku New Testament is called is sweeter than the Oku honey.