March 12, Paperwork, Cooked Cow Head, Women’s Convention, Deaf Church Design

The day started out, not very interested but ended up with cooked cow head.

This morning and into the afternoon I was working of creating forms for the repair team to use when they go to repair a pump and for the community to have to use during the routine testing of the pumps. I took a break from this and decided the wind was good for cleaning the screens on the windows on the south side of the house. The wind was blowing out the house on the south side. So most of the dust from cleaning the screens was blown outside. I had cleaned the north side a few days back.

Mid afternoon the power went out and I decided to walk up the street to HDM Digital Solutions, the new Internet Café to print and copy the forms I had made. I got about half way to the Cafe when I realized I had not removed the three books from the computer bag. I was wondering why it was so heavy. HDM is a three room business on the second floor of a fairly new building about 200 meters up Mohammed Mustapha Way from the Cathedral. This puts them only 1/2 kilometer from my house. I had previously been walking 2 kilometers to City Cafe. This is a new business owned by a young lady. She teaches basic and advanced computing in one room and has the internet Cafe in the another room. You get a good dose of carbon monoxide as walk by her portable generator running in outside her second floor office.

3 Cow Heads Cooking

When I got back to the LCCN Mission Quarters Jimeta (I found out today that was the name of what I had been calling LCCN Compound Jimeta.), I saw Bulama’s truck outside his office. The meeting that had been going all day was breaking up. I gave Bulama his copies of the draft forms and discussed them with him. He  gave me the designs he had received from the Architect for the Proposed Deaf Church. Took them back to the house and had a quick look. I realized I would want to draw all over them so I dropped my computer and headed back to the Internet Café to make copies of the drawings.

The Yola Diocese Women's Convention Cooks

I took the back route where a group of women were cooking something. They said they were cooking cow heads for the Yola Diocese Women’s Convention that starts tomorrow. They laughed with they saw the expression on my face when they said cow heads. I asked if they cook the brains. They said they throw the brain away and cook most everything else. Basically, they chop the head into little pieces and cook it all. They got me little piece of meat on a plate. It was quite tasty. I started leave and they stopped me and gave me two more little pieces. The meat will be stored in an insulated container and will be added to a soup and served with rice or pounded yams, corn, rice or casava. 

The women's convention will be at the Cathedral for the next four days. Their theme is "Just A Little Oil" ftom II King 4:2. Women from the far parts of the diocese will sleep on mats in the various buildings. If I were not here the house would be full of women. 

Deaf Church Design

Original design on left my suggestion on right.

There are few people experienced with designing specifically for the Deaf. I have been studying it but in no way am I and expert. Lighting, sight lines, and not having the congregation tilting their head back  to watch the signer seems to be the basics. The plans were pretty much for hearing church except the seating was on four steps. The people seated in the back row would have a horizontal view of the Pastor at the Altar which is three steps higher that the lowest seating level. I have written up some suggestions. Including making the Altar only two step up from the lowest seating area and converting the first step into a stage area. I have eliminated the pulpit. The sermon will be signed from the stage area. Hymns can be signed from the stage and I think we could fit a fairly large choir on the stage level and a step down on the lowest seating level.\\

The drawings had on details on interior finish. At this point they are concentrating on the exterior and basic floor plan. I drew up a sketch of what I think the front wall of the Sanctuary could look like. The large white area is for video projections of scripture readings, creeds, confessions and other announcements. On that side we would eliminate the upper window.

East and West Side Views

The heights of the window is based on the inside floor height. I think it looks odd this way. I have suggested that all the windows are at the same height on the exterior. I also suggested that they add another set of window near the ceiling and extend the roof. These upper window will allow heat to rise out of the building and provide more indirect light. The extended roof will reduce the heat load on the sides of the building and minimize direct sunlight from entering the upper windows.

North and South Side Views

I had just finished cooking dinner when the power from the church generator went out. I had only just begun my review of the Deaf Church plans. I got my little generator out and it started right up. Then quit a few seconds later. I tried to restart it but gave up after a few minutes. I went inside and ate supper by the light to my flashlight. After supper I gave the generator another couple yanks. It started. It has been going for over three hours now.

The internet is not working right now and I just heard gunfire out on the street. Usually, at this time of night (10:30PM) the police have caught some smugglers who resist. It was small series of single shots. If it had been automatic fire I would have already shut down the lights. It has been quite now for several minutes. I will try to send this and add the pictures in the morning. At 4:30 the power came on for about a half hour. I uploaded the pictures and blog, made a few edits. I will post it now and go back to bed as loudspeakers blast out the Call to Worship and morning message. It must be sun up in Mecca.