School In Session

Aah, I can hardly believe that it's been almost two and a half months since my last blog update. The school year has been busy as usual.

However, after Janice's visit at the beginning of October, Br. Simon decided that I have too much work on my plate... could be because I've had to miss some classes due to work in the office. So he searched around and found a part-time teacher to take over the English classes I have been teaching. She started this week. Since she's part-time, we also had to switch around a couple classes to fit her timetable. The fall-out is that now I'm full-time secretary on Mondays and Tuesdays; and the rest of the week I only have about 2 classes per day.

As school secretary, I get to enter the grades after exams, type any necessary documents for the administrative staff (fortunately Br. Simon types most of his own documents but Fr. Joe and the deans aren't as helpful), compile beginning of the year reports, run the photocopier, type the exam questions for the mock exams (and later for the promotional exams), etc. Br. Simon has decided that we can get income from the photocopier by allowing students and teachers to use the photocopier for a small charge per page. However, at present the photocopier and the computer are running out of the same outlet and there is not enough current to run them both at once, so whenever I need to turn on the copier I have to turn off the computer and vice-versa. Also, the copier doesn't like the cold and runs best when it has had a chance to warm up. Oh, and Brother had another idea for revenue by having a school phone and charging by the minute for usage and I am supposed  to monitor each call. Neither of these is difficult, but they do make for many interruptions.

Along those lines, the other day I was working in the office and one of the students came in to have some copies made. So I switched over to the copier (which I had to let warm up, since I hadn't used it yet that day). I had just started running the copies when I heard a squeaking from around the copier (note: the copier is on top of a cabinet) and next thing I know there's a paper jam. So, I open up the copier to un-jam the paper; and to my surprise the paper is fine and isn't jammed at all. Puzzled, I looked inside the copier to see what had jammed and I notice something gray and furry..... a rat (well, actually a mouse, but they call them rats here) had been squished between the rollers..... with it's tail, paws, and nose sticking out the other side. The problem then was how to get it out since the rollers would roll only one way. Brother called Pa Dora who runs a copy shop in Tatum to come and take a look; and he showed up the next morning. After looking at the problem for a little while, he had the brilliant idea of using a ruler to push the rat (mouse) back out of the rollers. The tail gave him a little trouble, but he got it unstuck and then scooped up the rat (mouse) on the end of the ruler to take it out of the copier. He brought it out like he was going to hand it to me and I just looked at him, so he took it and threw it outside. Then I had to find a rag and wipe out the inside of the copier to make sure there was nothing left of the rat (mouse) inside. So ended my latest adventure.

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday greetings. I only just read them since I've been without internet for over a week. I've been invited to Kumbo for a Thanksgiving party hosted by some Wycliff missionaries, but I don't know yet if I'll be able to make it (depends mainly on if they do it on Thursday or Saturday). We have a LMH-MDA get-together in Mbingo (between Bamenda and Njinikom) the first weekend of December which I'm planning to go to... although Brother mentioned the other day something that he needed me for around that same time. Sonja and Eleanor (the German mother and daughter who were here last Christmas) came for visit in October so I took a day off and visited them in Kikaikelaki (where I also had a chance to greet the Cardinal's 116-year-old mother whose house they were staying at).

On October 20th, we celebrated the school feast day for the first time ever. (The feast of St. Pius X is actually in August and therefore not during the school year, so this year they decided to pick a day when school is in to celebrate it.) It started with Mass with the Catholic Education Secretary (Fr. Cyprian) presiding. He gave a very good homily on the lessons we can learn from the example of St. Pius X. After Mass, the celebration moved to the school hall and there was singing and dancing and speeches and finally food. After all the guests left, the students ended the evening with a social (music and dancing) until bed time.

The dry season has started (a little late) so now, besides regular power outages, we also get regular water outages. I am very grateful for the generator and well on campus. I have come to appreciate the value of good plumbing and a reliable water supply. In Southern California even in the middle a severe drought, there is always water in the tap, they just charge more for it and ask people to use less. The mud on the roads has turned to dust so getting places it easier (just dirtier) and we are praying (like we did last year) that the worst spots along the way get leveled out before the next rainy season otherwise the road may become impassible. (I think political promises are the same everywhere in the world.)

-Debbie