Another day in the office . . .

Back to the office! Now it's time to start looking through all those hundreds of questions I asked people and figuring out what they mean. "What language do you speak at home? What language do you speak when you go to the market? What language do you use when you pray? What language do you use when you argue with someone? What language do you use when you talk to your parents? What language do you use when you talk to your brothers and sisters?" I asked these questions (and many more) of young men, middle-aged men, older men, young women, middle-aged women and older women. Now I get to sort through all the answers, look for trends, summarize, and hopefully write a report that will give a clear picture of which languages are used when, where, and by whom.

When we were out in the Wagi language area, we had lots of kulau (pronounced koo-low . . . rhymes with 'now') to drink. Mmmmm . . . just seeing it in the picture makes me want one now. If you pick a coconut when it's still very young, you can cut a hole in the top and drink the water, which is lightly sweet, slightly fizzy, and incredibly refreshing. Sadly, they don't grow here in the highlands where Ukarumpa is . . . I'm sure I would write this report much faster if I had one today. By the way, have you ever wondered how you pick a coconut growing 30 feet above the ground on a tree with no branches? This kid's an expert!