Artsy Fartsy

Trying to learn how to use the stitch assistant on my camera. Not so successful.




Rice patty through the slats of a shelter on the field. Need to know more about focusing with my camera. Don't know what it can and can't do.

"Blue skies,
nothing but blue skies..."








Trying to catch raindrops on camera on a rainy day last year in KL.

I've taken to collecting coral that is shaped like letters. I'm a bit limited in the words I can do, but hey, still pretty cool, I think

A close-up on the rice

Drip, drip, drip . . .

That's my nose right now. Don't you hate it when you have a cold and literally your nose drips like a faucet? Seriously, I should just stick a bowl under my nose . . . .

Exploring

I spent a day out at the cliffs, just me and a few of my favorite things (Bible, journal, guitar, iPod, computer, camera). Discovered some new territory and caves and a new fish I've never seen before. He was in a big tide pool just outside the cave.

Living Light, Sept 18, morning

Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word.

He opened their minds to understand at last these many scriptures. Then he explained to them that only they were permitted to understand about the Kingdom of Heaven, and others were not. And Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children. Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it this way.” And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) to tell us about the wonderful free gifts of grace and blessing that God has given us. How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly. I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me! Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his wisdom and knowledge and riches! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who among us can know the mind of the Lord? Who knows enough to be his counselor and guide? For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. To him be glory evermore.


Ps. 119:18. Lk. 24:45. Mt. 13:11. Mt. 11:25, 26. 1 Cor. 2:12. Ps. 139:17, 18. Rom. 11:33, 34, 36.

Buds

A few of my little buddies.
How wierd does my head look?



Visitors came with balloons
and a pump.
I'll tell you who was pumped!


Home on the right

Watermelon Art

My teammate at work with her amazing culinary skills. I cut up the fruit salad to go inside the basket, I'll have you know. :)

5 Shakes in 1 Day

Yeah, the other morning I woke up to a fairly strong earthquake. C flew out of bed and started changing her clothes. I sat up, but was too tired to cover up properly and run outside, so I just sat there, trying to decide if it was worth it or not. Eventually it went away and I laid back down. A couple hours later, An even stronger earthquake shook the village out of homes. We all sat outside, people watching the ocean to see if the water would retreat (signals a tsunami). About 15 minutes later, while still sitting outside chatting, we felt another tremor. And then another tremor about an hour later, and then another that afternoon. That's a record for me! During the night we thought we felt some more movement, but who knows? So maybe it was 6 shakes in a day, or else it could be sort of like that feeling you have in bed after a day of playing in the ocean. :)

(later found out online that the earthquake was only around 5.7 on the Richter Scale)

Home SWEET Home

Thought I'd put a few newer pictures up of the house. Sorry some pictures are a bit dark, but hopefully you can still get an idea. Since the last house pictures I posted, a breakfast nook has been added (okay, well, all-the-meals-nook), which is fun.








In the wide picture above, you see (from left to right): part of a stool from the table; the shower area, blocked off by a wooden divider; a maroon bucket which holds shower and dish-washing water and is accessible from the shower side and the sink side (still have to draw water from outside, but plans are in process to hook up a pump to the well out back); a sink; the propane tank and stove corner; dishrack; drinking water stand (yeah! no more boiling drinking water!); the everything kitchen counter, including the box oven on the second shelf.








My neighbor has lined flowers along the backside of the kitchen, and they are growing up, making the jungle view even prettier! Don't know if you can see them....
Electricity is completely unpredictable, so kerosene lamps are posted all around the house for those frequent nights without electric. Sometimes it's easier to leave both on, to avoid getting up and down switching back and forth between the two. On the right is a peek view from the kitchen area into the bedroom where the new desk/bookshelf sits. I love this house. It has been so fun to build it bit by bit.

Ode to Ophi

By the way, Ophelia is gone. Not really sure what happened to her. While away on survey (staying at "the new Hilton") I left her with the neighbors. Usually we would bring her to camp where our other teammates are, but we had decided she was a big girl now. Anyway, when we came back, she was nowhere to be found. Everyone said someone stole her, so that's what we figured, but then a couple days later we were gone again, and the neighbors smelled something and found her under our house. Not sure what happened. :(

I think she was destined to be a good mouser, eventually without the help of the traps. I don't think we'll be getting another cat--not that it wasn't fun having a little ball of fur on which to pour out my affections. These traps do a good job.

The Cliffs

Just about a 20 min hike from the house are some amazing cliffs overlooking waves that crash onto exposed coral. And TALL trees! How do those coconut trees hold on horizontally with virtually no root system?








DOES it get any more beautiful than this? CAN it get more beautiful? What WAS the Garden of Eden like? What WILL heaven be like?

Wrapping up survey time

One of the NGO's (Non-Government Organization) put on an expo in town the other weekend. We decided to take advantage of the event, and set up a small table for people to try out the orthography survey. It was a great success. Within a few moments we had drawn quite a crowd, and in just over an hour collected 18 surveys. Each school we have gone to has taken at least 2 hours, so that was pretty exciting! The survey is comprised of 48 words and 6 sentences which focus on sounds that are not used in the national language. We are curious to see how people are representing those sounds on paper.

A couple days later we made that long trip with an overnight (my "new hilton") and collected more surveys from schools, government officials, and people who were hanging out and willing to do it. The survey was done on a ping-pong table in one school, a non-ventilated room in another, a government office, a small restaurant, and outside someone's home. I did a little babysitting while some ladies worked on the survey. Apparently dad passed by, so that's what we're looking at. :)

Of Blinkers and Horns

What's a blinker for? In the U.S. you let someone know the upcoming movement of your personal vehicle by signaling. Here, when someone is coming down the road towards you with their blinker on, it isn't information. It's a command for you: You there! Get over! Make more room. I'm comin' through, and you are not giving me enough space.

What about a horn? If I'm not mistaken, in the U.S. (at least in the city) they are generally used for warning or to announce anger/annoyance. Not here. You'd better honk--at everyone. Anyone you pass on the road--coming towards you or going around. It's a friendly greeting or announcement of your presence, and you might be thought rude or arrogant not to honk. I have gotten so much in the habit of honking at people I pass on the road, that when I'm not paying close attention, I occasionally find myself honking at animals, too, and embarassingly, once at a pile of bricks.

The New Hilton

Yeah, so my idea of a great getaway has definitely changed. On Monday we drove 2+ hours away to a town to do more language (orthography) surveys. We stayed in a little local guest house type place. It had a single bed with a trundle, just enough space to pull out the trundle bed, a floor fan, and a bathroom which was just big enough for a squatty potty. I tell you what, that place was a great getaway! It was so relaxing! Mostly because I was able to hole up in the room and not talk to anyone, and because they had electricity the whole time we were there. I wish I took pictures; there is not really a way to describe the place. This is the only pictue I have. Not much to see, as I couldn't back up for perspective. :) I would be mortified to stay there if I came across it in the U.S.. But here... wow. I loved it.

Why DID the chicken cross the road???

I was driving my motorcycle down the road today--on the left side, where we drive here. From my right a rooster bolts from his safe position well off the road, darts onto the road, crosses over the road to my side, and comes to a screeching full stop--smack dab in the middle of my path. WHY?????!!! I want to know.

Chickens have got to be THE DUMBEST animals ever!!! Or at least close to the top. You really get terribly accurate insight into the chicken jokes living on this island.

My Hemisphere

So, after about a year back in the States, my sister is now only a couple time zones away from me. And thanks to the wonderful world of Internet, I can talk to her almost without planning ahead! It is so fun to have her on this side of the world. My parents just took off back to the States (mom had bilateral knee replacement--ouch!--on the 15th of Aug), so I was left alone in this hemisphere, but now I have been rejoined by my sister. I happened to be at camp where I check email, noticed an email that had come through from my sister only moments before, so I hopped on skype, and VOILA! We got to have a little Friday night chat! One in which we could both say "good night." Lovely. :)

Actually, in all honesty, it is almost as easy to catch my parents online with skype on the other side of the world. But it ends with "have a good day" and "have a good night" at the same time. How wonderful Internet is! It connects the whole world right at your fingertips. Now if only they could figure out a way to instantly send over a piece of that warm bread my sister's neighbor just dropped off over at her apartment...

Right now I'd like...

...to be able to sit outside in shorts and a sleeveless top and eat some s'mores. Hmmm... no, if I had to choose, I'd say chips and salsa. YUM!!! Followed by fajitas with bell peppers and SOUR CREAM!!!! Sad. That won't be happening anytime soon. :( If only there were a Don Pablo's in the area....

Fun on the town

A chance to see "town" from the perspective of some of our village friends several weeks ago. A lot of crazy picture-taking. :) The day ended with more photos on a ferry that was taking half of our village to a wedding on another island.

Ortho-what?

ORTHOGRAPHY...

noun:
a method of representing the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols.

(WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University)


or·thog·ra·phy (ôr-thŏg'rə-fē) n. pl. or·thog·ra·phies


1. The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage.
2. The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words.

3. A method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling. (American Heritage Dictionary)

What if you had only ever spoken your language and never seen it written down? But you knew how to read and write in another language. How would you write your own?
We are in the process of surveying the speakers of this language--focusing on schools, but seeking all ages and occupations. How do people write their own language that they have never read before? So far we have surveyed 50 or more individuals, and the writing styles for the same words are nearly as numerous as those taking the survey. Hmmm....