August 7: Getting Settled in

Friday’s highlights:
Received lots of supplies for the workshop from someone who brought them from Nairobi, where they are much less expensive. Successfully found my way to a restaurant and got something to eat at noon. Met lots of people and had numerous interesting conversations. Got myself officially registered as being present in the country, as what is done at the airport immigration counter apparently isn’t quite sufficient. Got some local currency so I can buy meals this weekend. Began looking through the materials that were sent from Nairobi, making sure everything is in order. More details follow in the paragraphs below

I am happy about my accommodations here in Juba.  There is a kitchen in this guesthouse with a fridge for us to use. After having cereal, bread, and a banana for breakfast, I went to learn about services done at the office.

I learned that, in South Sudan, new arrivals need to be officially registered with the government within 72 hours of their arrival. The office here took care of that formality for me.

I received supplies for the workshop from someone who had brought them from Nairobi, and began looking through the materials, making sure everything was in order.

There is a mid-morning tea break each workday, so I joined a roomful of people for that this morning. I met some new people, learned that five Scripture translations are expected to be completed next year in South Sudan, and had an interesting conversation about how to get dictionary data and draft Scripture translation to work together effectively.

At noon, I found my way to a restaurant and got something to eat.

I took some time in the afternoon to create a database for the workshop. I had some trouble hooking up the keyboarding file used to type characters that don’t typically appear on a computer keyboard (e.g., ɔ, ŋ), so I went and asked the IT guy for help. He had the problem resolved in just a few minutes. Then I looked through the folders into which the questionnaire had been organized. I found a few problems, so spent an hour or so setting those details straight.

I’m invited to the home of Justin & Danielle Luth for supper this evening.

I hope to be able to add some pictures to this blog, starting tomorrow.