May 23, 2006
Well…There’s not a whole lot to update on. Life has become very routine and a majority of the craziness that is Cameroon is shocking me less and less (which is good, I think!) aside from the technical difficulties and harassment which can still ruin my day—as a few of my email recipients can attest to!! Things are going well, work is kind of slow, a lot more planning for perspective projects that actually doing much. The rains have really come though, which is nice since I also have not had running water in over a month…rainwater sustains me! I have realized, too, how much water I actually use—and this is doing everything in buckets too! It’s a good lesson on conservation…it’s all a lesson of some sort. I have also officially become a Harry Potter junkie…I was up till 3:30 AM one night finishing #4 and used it in an analogy this weekend…embarrassing? A little…but at the same time, I really ok with it. I am saving #5 for a rainy day!

So this past weekend was “20th May”…that’s what they call it, really it’s “National Day” (or 4th of July Cameroonian style, as I was calling it). Being friends with the DO (divisional officer) has many perks. One is just having fun friends but another is the holiday celebration comfort (take this as you will…we’re still talking Cameroon). For the march pass (just like Youth Day and Women’s Day…they just march, and march, and march…) I was seated under the grandstand with Linda, Debi and Lance (my missionaries—yes my missionaries). The rain started falling about 5 minutes before it started and it got really wet and really cold really fast (that is for all those not under the cover of the grandstand). Luckily that meant fewer people marched and the whole thing, which was supposed to be 5 hours, lasted 1 ½!! I retreated to mini-America (ie, Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary) and watched tennis on satellite and ate pizza. The soccer match was next and the rain had cleared up. Again, I got seated front and center—with Linda and her husband. It was a good match, Ndu vs. Wowo (a town just outside Ndu). It went to shoot out and I was nervous—aside from the anxiety of the game there were probably a couple thousand people standing around…crowds make me nervous. It went well though, Ndu winning, no riots and aside from the police beating (“controlling”) a few people with sticks, no injuries. We headed off through a crazy main street; people were psyched, to the DOs for a cocktail. Good food, good company and the Commissioners (the acapella group I mentioned last time) performed. All in all, a great National Day for me—one of the first times I have enjoyed the attention brought on by being one of 4 white people in town.

It’s hard to imagine that it’s summer since it’s just getting colder here. No snow though…that’s still a rumor (however we’ve decided they may think snow and hail are the same thing…who knows?!). I am feeling less and less like leaving Ndu, even for Internet or vacation—which is good, part of integrating, I think. Even this weekend, I was hesitant to leave aside from being out of powdered skim milk and oatmeal (my two staple food groups…besides mangos). Hopefully work will pick up and some projects will start coming around. Until next time…