On the road finding internet is always a problem and when we do get it we snatch every precious second of it we can get. I’m in the process of adding pictures to our online albums, checking our email, updating our website, downloading important files and updates for my computer, and managing our contact lists from the churches we’ve visited. The most important thing I’m doing, though, is sending Sharons paper off to the grader’s. Here’s how it came in:
Pages: 115
Hours: 100+
Sharon is SOOO happy to be done. Now we party. We’re going to the beach and then shopping. Wednesday we will go to the aquarium here in town.
Sharon sitting down to sort through mounds of Cherokee data.
As Sharon sits behind me she alternately scratches her head, bounces her knees, and bangs some phonetic writing out on the keyboard. Today is her first full day of work after four full days of packing, cleaning, traveling, visiting, and unpacking. Outside the orange leaves on the trees are almost gone and rain is in the forecast for the next three days. In the kitchen is a pot of hot coffee and under Sharon’s feet a small space heater breathes warmly on her feet. Ideal conditions.
Now if only the computer would work right, the data would fit together perfectly, someone would spoon food into her mouth, and the kitchen would clean itself. Then it would be perfect, but that’s probably asking too much isn’t it?
Please pray that Sharon will be able to focus on her studies and finish her analysis of the Cherokee language before we hit the road in a few days!
Have you seen the new sign at Michigan’s borders? We took this picture in front of it while we stopped for a much-needed break on our way back from Oklahoma. Maybe it’s a play on words with two meanings, one indicating that the state is very environmentally friendly and the other making it clear to all crossing the border that Michigan is not two states, but in fact is just one state (despite the fact that a lake separates its two main halves).
We are back in Michigan for a few days while Sharon works on her write-up of Cherokee. It will take a lot of concentration and effort on her part! While she is doing that I will be working on the house we’re living in with my dad and preparing for our next round of travels to Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and Arizona.
Sharon made some delicious indian tacos on Saturday with her language helper (Bobbie) and some of her friends who are also in the linguistics course. The time Sharon has spent with the Cherokee friends she has met here in Tahlequah has been priceless, but we are ready to move on and be completely done studying. Sharon still has a lot of work to do! Breaks like this one are much-needed and well-deserved.
Sharon attended a Powwow on Saturday and had a great time watching the dances and seeing the costumes. She was able to try Indian Tacos and even some of the dance moves. Cherokee culture is rich and intricate, so Sharon went to the powwow to learn some important culture that will help her with her analysis of the language and understanding her language helper. I will be posting some video of the event tomorrow.
Here is a really simple video tour of the camp we’re staying at here in Talehquah, Oklahoma. I’ve sped parts of it up, but it’s still a bit long. Make sure you watch the end, when we talk to Sharon about the work she’s doing in linguistics.
We made it to Tahlequah, Oklahoma safely and have been unpacking, organizing, and cleaning since. We are staying at in a summer camp, which was a mess when we got here. Cleaning it up has taken all day, but now it’s ready to live in for a few months. Sharon cleaned all the bathrooms and I helped in the kitchen.
Sharon will meet her “language helper” tomorrow, the person who she will be listening to intently for the next seven weeks. Sharon will be spending much of her time gathering language data on the Cherokee language, and almost an equal amount of time cooking, cleaning, and doing chores with other people on her team. Please pray for her as she manages a demanding schedule!
Here are some pictures of our room, part-way finished.
Tomorrow pray for safety as we head to Oklahoma. We will be on the road for five hours and when we arrive we’ll be setting up “home” for seven weeks. During these weeks Sharon will be gathering Cherokee language data and analyzing it. Her goal will be to form an alphabet for the language, among other things. While she’s doing that I will be doing a bit of traveling, using Oklahoma as a “home base” to visit churches, friends, and family in the midwest area.
Tomorrow we head to Missouri and then Oklahoma, where Sharon will analyze the Cherokee language through data gathered with a language helper. She will spend two months gathering data and analyzing it, then about three weeks writing a hefty paper about what she did. She explains the process and the specifics here:
Ric and Sharon Bruce 
