20.03.06 I just got back from IST (in-service training) in Kribi…because we’re lucky and our APCD is great we got to have it there, along the coast. It was great. The beach was beautiful and aside from the 8-5 “training” part the week was really fun—just kidding Kim, the training was great too :) It was really weird to be in francophone Cameroon again since I’ve been speaking only “special English” for 3 months. But I survived and realized how badly I need a French tutor. Kribi is great…it’s a tourist spot since it’s along the beach so they’re more used to white people—we still paid too much, got deranged, and stuck out (especially when traveling in a pack of 15). We ate fresh seafood each day, one night we went to a restaurant (a friend of a counterpart) and had shrimp, fish and crab for free…amazing. We also ate at a little rasta restaurant along the beach that was just picnic tables on the rocks-had flowers and shells everywhere, the waves were crashing on the rocks as we ate fish and shrimp that they'd just caught and the owner (I think) played music in the background. I could detail all the wonderful food but I’ll just say that it was some form of fresh fish each day. We had some karaoke-like singing each night at the hotel bar too—it usually involved one or two European tourists having one too many, buying drinks all around and the ‘singer’ (if you will) leading the whole bar in a rousing rendition of “When the Saints.” There were Glamour Shot meets Little Mermaid photo shoots on a rock along the beach, a few jellyfish incidents, waterfalls right into the ocean…a great week. Now I’m back in Yaounde on my way back to Ndu.

Before IST was International Women’s Day (March 8^th) and holiday I was quite unaware of before coming here. But it’s a huge deal…parades, singing, dancing, every woman in town in dresses made from matching material. Intense. I had my Kaba (or mumu) made and I’ll just say that if the camera adds 10 pounds, the Kaba adds 40! It was an interesting experience. The women were very proud, marching up and down the street holding signs and singing—all the authority figures came and watched. And then everyone retires to the bar to celebrate “their day.” I was leaving the next day for Yaounde and had an “ant incident” to take care of, so I didn’t join the women at the bar. I’m a little disappointed, however, because it seems there were a few entertaining events—one including a full out brawl in the street. There’s always next year.

It was great to see my friends from training…many of them I hadn’t seen since we left Bandjoun in December. We were able to tell about our posts and work, talk about possible projects, ideas, etc. I think we’re all planning a few trips to each other’s posts to help with camps or trainings. We also watched a “Globetrekker” movie on Cameroon. It was really interesting and I’m sure is available in America…isn’t everything? I think Globetrekker is a PBS show but the movies are available on the Internet and at libraries I’d think. Anyhow, if you’re interested, it’s pretty cool. That’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll have more soon!

PS-My March Madness bracket sucks…apparently knowing nothing about any of the teams this year + a few upsets, is ruining the whole thing.

PICTURES:
#1. Lindsey and me at the beach. We were all hoping for a great sunset but the haze/clouds didn't allow for that all week...amazing how easy it is to find somthing to complain about :)
#2. Jenny, Stacy, Lindsey, me and Lindsay at the beach in our pagnes.
#3. The waterfalls into the ocean.
#4. Women's Day 2006. Me with a few of my co-workers, Emmaculate, Patience and Rose. Like I said before, the camera adds 10 pounds, the Kaba adds 40! Very unflattering but I felt like I was wearing a tent all day and almost tripped on it once...I plan to wear it often, especially when pounding laundry or something like that.