Ndu Day 3

(Note: This post is post-dated for the day it was written, not the day it was posted.)

Class started this afternoon. I had 2 hours of class, and we were able to get through introductions and I did an overview of what we will cover this semester. I have 8 students, from 7 language groups, and they are in their 3rd year Master’s program in Translation.

It’s amazing to see how far they get by relying on each other. There are few personal resources, as most people can’t work as they do their studies. Teachers come in, share their knowledge, and go. A crate of notepads came from a mission team, and the administration was able to give one to each student. There is a sign in the library…actually the second largest library I’ve seen in Cameroon (thanks to some partners)….that says “Knowledge available, bring your own container”.

These students come here, having dedicated their lives to God, to get the best education they can and serve the Lord. In a land where an intelligent person might become a doctor or especially a politician, and can guarantee prosperity for their children, they choose a hard, yet rewarding life. They are truly storing up treasures in heaven. I may be able to teach them about translations software, but I should be learning from them about perseverance and passion.

Some of the rooms still have dirt floors. Best I can figure, local power is out every night from 9pm-10am, except Wed and Sunday where it is reversed, and you only get it at night. This turns out to be a problem as I try to charge up and ration my batteries for a day of teaching. Internet service here has been out since September. My lodgings are quite nice, an obvious contrast from the situations of the students. I heard someone justify this on Monday, saying that it is not that visiting professors deserved better lodging, but that if visiting professors are comfortable here, they are likely to come back. It’s striking how much comfort and options drive a westerner’s life. If we’re not comfortable on public transportation, we drive ourselves. If we’re not comfortable with our job, we go look for another. No, our resources are not unlimited, as many Africans think, but sometimes it seems our options are.

Lord, please help me to be continually guided by love, calling and by need, not by my own comfort level. Remind me that good things are often hard, and be with me. Take this time at Ndu to improve my character, so that I will not be like shifting sands, knowing that challenges produce perseverance, perseverance produces character.

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Ndu Day 2

Day 2

I didn’t start teaching today. Today was orientation, final prep of the materials, and…well, whatever else came up.

Morning was spent around the campus, chapel, touring and meeting with a mission team from Atlanta that’s been doing all sorts of things for the seminary.

I spent a chunk of time repairing a hole-puncher, which ended up taking about 2 hours. After lunch, I used it, then returned it to the office.

Some of the fixtures in the staff-house needed to be replaced, so I spent some time with that. As it got dark, it was getting a little chilly (50’s at night), so I decided it was fire-time. I went out to chop wood, but found enough…that’s my first fire since arriving…interesting.

Then I sat back to do paperwork and watching the power blink on and off. It’s off as I write this. Good night.

Unimportant Update for yesterday: I mentioned to Val (my boss’s wife) that it was interesting to me how George (my boss) was very cautious about slowing down and missing potholes, but very aggressive about passing people. This led to a few ridiculous situations where George would zoom around a motorcycle, then immediately slow to a crawl to pass through a hole in the road. Unfortunately, there was too much luggage behind me to see the frustration on the motoman’s face when this happened….oh well.

Ndu Day 1

Yesterday at 6:15 am, we left my house in Yaoundé headed northwest. I had spent the whole night packing everything I would need and storing everything I want to keep…and was still awake at 6 when my new boss and his wife arrived. I ate a little breakfast, and 20 minutes into the trip, I was asleep. I woke every time we stopped for gas or food, including a wonderful egg/spaghetti sandwich in Makanene a and a potty-break in Bafia, but the first 6 hours of road flew by my window pretty much un-noticed. Bamenda arrived with little notice, and we got out to deliver the inter-office mail.

At 4pm I woke again at Banso Baptist hospital, touring the campus and having some supper. I took some photos of the pretty mountains, the pretty lake Oku, and watched villages, trees, and goats whiz past my window.

The worst part of the trip was that we saw a motorcyclist meet his death. He was well in the other lane and in front of us, and apparently didn’t notice the big white Toyota truck heading for him. The truck swerved at the last moment, and the motoman’s head went through the driver’s window. He was dead before he hit the pavement, as verified by the medic that jumped out of the wrecked white truck. Amazingly, his passenger on the bike was able to get up and walk off the road, obviously in pain, but gloriously alive. Medical attention was started within minutes of the crash…so we moved on. I verified from my window that yes, he was gone.

After arrival in Ndu, I settled in, got locked in my bathroom for a moment (good thing I had my multi-tool), went to a meeting and sang some praise songs…then off to bed under the blankets.