February 8, 2010
Well, here I am siting in the parlor at Phyllis Sortor's home in Iket (It is spelled several different ways). I just watched a rerun of the Super Bowl (the live program was on at 1:30 AM) congrats Saints, what an exciting game. This seems to me to be so unbelievable. I'm in a land that doesn't have a fax machine in the whole country, and yet I can watch the Super Bowl. The boys at Emi-woro who are boarding at the school sleep in thatched huts,don't have running water or a bathroom (as we know it) but have cell phones. Things just seem so contradictory. What an amazing place.
Phyllis' home has three proper bathroom, six bedrooms that I've seen, and a guest house that I haven't seen the inside of yet. It is a perfect place for a teqm to come and be housed. In addition there are a number of projects that can be worked from here.
We did not leave to return to Emi-woro today because the van is being worked on. That back axle needs to be firmly in place before we start back. Our driver, Nse, assures us that all will be well. He did that each time the van engine died on the way here too - and we made it. We will leave early Tuesday morning. This means that I will miss my evening class for beginners. I'm sure Bridget will ask Mohammed to cover for me. Attachments are formed and therre is an investment in the lives of the people here. There is a need to see projects to completion.......

We have scrapped the plan to drive by the Hope Academy that was taken over by Joe. We would have to drive through his village to go by the school. The pastor assures us nothing will happen and we have every right to do it. Bature is dead set against it. He says that you cannot predict the young thugs. They don't think about the consequences of their actions. If one of them recognized us on the road he could hurl a stone and at the very least damage the van. This would also stir them up and make the oppostion angrier. None of us were afraid to go, but thought that Batures' argument was valid and chose not to make that trip. Paul has some video of the school from 2008, so we will look at that to get a picture of what is there. The courts have all agreet with Phyllys and there is a "warrent" out for his arrest, but no one is interested in enforcing it apparently. The wheels of law enforcement grind slowly here and sometimes not at all.
Phyllis and Devin were gone most of the day. Phyl was to have a meeting at 12 but no one showed up (including her) until 3. Then Phyl and Devin came home an hour later and them others arrived. The meeting got under way about 5 pm. NEPA(power company) - ( also popularly known as Never Expect Power Always) was on and off today, and the jen went down and wouldn't start. Devin was getting concerned that he wouldn't be able to watch the Super Bowl.(there was another rerun at 7:30) The Nigerian way of doing things is so different from the States! ! !