July 7, 2016  Met with government officials to inform them about the workshop

In spite of my sleep deprivation during the flights of the past two days, I was unable to get a complete night's rest. Normally, going in this direction, it takes only a couple of days for me to adjust to the new time zone. Going back home is another matter entirely.

Today’s activities included getting my computer connected to the internet here at the SIL guest house. (I’ve learned that I will not be able to post my entries to this blog myself, due to the slow internet speed, so I’ll be emailing them to Anita for her to post for me.) I also delivered the items I hand-carried for various people and met with the local SIL Director, who informed me that a meeting was planned for this morning with SIL’s major partner in the government, the branch that is responsible for overseeing what is done in the non-formal education sector and especially the development of the various languages spoken in the country.

That meeting went well, according to those whom I accompanied. The government officials introduced themselves to us, then the highest-ranking individual gave a little welcome speech. The four of us from SIL introduced ourselves, and I was asked to give an overview of what we hoped to accomplish via the workshop I had come to lead. Then the SIL Director gave a brief update on recent developments in SIL’s work in the country. It was a PR visit and an opportunity to keep the host government informed of SIL’s activities, reinforcing the fact that SIL is acting in line with the government’s own objectives.

Kevin Warfel

Below are blog entries from Tuesday and Wednesday:

July 5-6, 2016  Flights and climate upon arrival

I had two flights with a 2-hour layover between them from Washington, DC to my final destination. Both flights were on time and encountered almost no air turbulence. Processing through security checks and customs was routine, and my luggage arrived here with me. Unfortunately, I was unable to sleep much on either flight, so I was pretty tired when I deplaned at the end.

I was met at the airport by a taxi driver hired by SIL to pick me up, and he brought me and my luggage to the SIL guest house. I’ll be here in the capital city for just a few days before traveling to the part of the country where we’ll conduct the workshop.

It’s quite warm here, though not as hot as a few months ago. A few rains in the past weeks have brought the temperature down somewhat, but at the same time also raised the humidity level, making it a bit uncomfortable. The fans in my apartment are being put to good use, and that provides some relief.

July 6, the day of my arrival here, turned out to be a holiday, the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan. So I had to wait until the next day to conduct my necessary business in the SIL office, including getting access to the internet in order to keep up with my email correspondence.

Kevin Warfel