i no stret

(pronounced “Ee No Straight")

Life is neither dull nor slow around the SIL translation center.  That’s one of the reasons we’ve had such difficulty finding time to post blog entries as often as we’d like.

 

The police came for me the other day.

 

Over many years, the center has had to implement all sorts of security measures to protect the center’s property.  Each missionary family has also had to take serious steps to keep “raskols” (hint: sound it out) from stealing electronics, tools and other desirable items.

 

All missionaries are rich, don’t you know.  We have so much more than the people we live among; and, if something is broken or stolen, it’s only a couple of months before we replace it.  (Of course, it’s our friends and supporters who come through for us at great sacrifice).

 

The CTS (Communications and Technical Services) department where I work has two separate buildings, obviously with a lot of equipment in them: telephone system, radios, computers, servers, satellite equipment, and a small store for computer accessories.  In addition to bars on the windows, curtains (to keep outsiders from seeing inside), and double locked doors with deadbolts, the two buildings have separate alarm systems.

 

The last person to leave my building is supposed to alarm the system. A couple of times I assumed wrongly that I was the last one out.  The building I work in has three work areas.  The IT manager and the telephone guy are in the other two areas.  As I engaged the system one day, the IT manager heard the panel beeps and yelled out that he was still there.  That worked.

 

Our workday ends at 5:00. On Thursday, I left around 5:15.  I walked out the door to check the other offices.  Manager’s office empty?  Check.  Telephone office empty?  Check.  I went back to my office, grabbed my bag, and was about to set the alarm when I heard the sound of an alarm going off!  At first I thought it was the alarm for the other building; but I checked and it wasn’t.

 

Just then, the telephone guy showed up and told me he had alarmed the system from the other panel, not knowing I was still inside.  My hearing is obviously not good enough because I didn’t hear the panel beeps as it became armed.  Leaving my office to check the other two offices actually triggered the alarm.

 

Then the police showed up.  The explanation to them?  “i no stret” which, in Tok Pisin, means, he goofed (literally, a mistake or “it’s not straight”).

 

I guess that’s what I get for working late.  Now, like the other guys, I try to leave with or before everyone else.