My nickname - Udoh Ukot
From Rpcvdraft
Story 1
U da cut ? I don't speak much Annang, but I do have 12 community farms and this is my 8th meeting to hear how a village is going to weed the oil palm at that time of year. I had not heard that phrase which was being used often by the villagers. That is when I discovered my nickname.
Ikot Ekepene is noted for its palm wine. A couple of months before, my Peace Corp friend Mike S came from the Western Region to visit me for a week. We attended a village ceremony celebrating a new road. This was at my favorite village, my most remote. All the women and children and most men had left.
Since this is a short story, I challenged the village maker of native gin to a drinking contest. With the second full glass, I realized that I was going to be able to finish it without taking a gulp of air. Realizing this would not be a good idea because it would mean a 3rd tumbler of white lightening, I removed the glass from my mouth with a great florish, finish the rest and turned the tumbler upside down on our drinking stool.
"Akpan Ukot" said the winner of the competition. My friend the teacher translated "He is saying you are the first son of wine>" Well I knew enough to say "No, he is Akpan Ukot, I am Udoh Ukot". Losely translated this means "the second son of wine".
Fabian, my trusty cook who sometimes traveled with me, was translating that community farm meeting. I quietly asked him about this word "U da cut". He started to laugh and the meeting came to a halt. He first explained to the village what I had asked and they all started laughing. Then he said, "Sir, you remember that village celebration, when you drank with that man. That is the way these people say Udoh Ukot".
Post Script
I was trained, well there was an attempt to train me, to speak Igbo. However I was stationed in Ikot Ekepene Division, Annang Provence, Eastern Region as the Rural Development Officer. Annang was as close to Ibo as English is to Russian. All this took place in 1966.--Rcollman 17:12, 28 October 2007 (EST)
