Blonde hair/blue eyed girls are rare...

Salut mes amis!

 I miss you all and life in the US especially. But things are really improving and I’m starting to feel more and more happy and comfortable. I’m not as home sick or nervous. However, just when I’m starting to feel really comfortable we are leaving for the next city (Dschong) on Saturday. We will have a new home stay for two weeks and then we will to go to another city, Bamenda, for a weekend. Bamenda is the English speaking part of Cameroon. Cameroon is actually officially a bi-lingual country (French and English). I was learning the history of Cameroon in class today. It’s pretty interesting since the country only became independent in the 1940’s from England and France. Alas, there are provinces which are French and those which are English, although French is more prevalent throughout. I kind of wish we were staying in Bamenda for longer so I could have a taste of English, haha. But I guess the English is what they call “pigeon English.” It’s not exactly like the English we speak. We’re going to have one class on “pigeon English” so that will be interesting I’m sure.

Last Wednesday we found this really cool hang out place after school. I can’t remember the name but it starts with a C and it’s a really nice bar with comfy chairs and tables outside under this unique covering. Some of my classmates met the owner the day before and he said we could come whenever we wanted and sit and relax and even use our computers; there’s wireless there! So on Wednesday we all went and relaxed and had a beer. It was pure beauty. Normally I don’t even like beer but I tried this local one called “33” and it had a nice and unique taste. Essentially, it was no Keystone…

Last Thursday was student’s night. The school office is open until 8 PM so we can stay after school and hang out and make food and stuff. We made spaghetti and sauce and it was delicious. The Cameroonian student, Ornella, is so funny. She thinks we’re such cushioned little Americans. I think her point was proven when we attempted to light the stove about seven times and kept turning it off. Haha. I realized that I have a huge fear of fire, by the way. Note that. We cut up tomatoes, garlic, and onions to add to the sauce. Ornella put a chunk of it in the blender with some basil and surprisingly it was DELICIOUS. For some reason it was kind of spicy (maybe the six cloves of garlic??) Feel free to speculate. Whatever, I indulged in the spaghetti. However, spaghetti is actually really common here. And when I say common I mean it is not rare to buy a spaghetti and bean or spaghetti and egg sandwich on the street. Those crazy Cameroonians.

After school on Friday some of went back to the bank. It was less of an adventure this time since we remembered to ask the taxi driver for “SGBC Bank,” haha. Then we met up with the rest of the group at this really neat garden/park. We wanted to play soccer or frisbee or something but it was actually a really nice and unique garden area. It was huge and full of different spots to sit and relax. We felt a little out of place sitting in the Jardin D’Amour" (Garden of Love) haha. This group of young school boys came over to where we were all sitting and were really obnoxious asking if we had any “cadeaux” which are presents. This is the first time we’ve experienced people/children asking for anything. They were not too serious and settled for a few minutes with the soccer ball. Then a few of us went to a grocery store across the street. I legit stared at the packaged cheese for about 20 minutes. It took all my might not to buy some. I have not had cheese once since coming here. I’m sure all of you reading this know my sincere love and devotion for cheese (grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, eggs and cheese, pasta and cheese, fettuccine alfredo, etc. etc. etc.) So this is very difficult for me. The only time I had a small taste of cheese was during breakfast yesterday. My mama gave me a surprise small “Laughing Cow” piece and I legit like drooled. It was mildly embarrassing but oh so worth it. J Anyways, at the grocery store I ended up buying two packs of cheap cookies. On the taxi ride home I ate an ENTIRE pack. It was really disgusting because I didn’t even attempt to engage in the conversation with the taxi cab driver. I just kept stuffing my face and saying I was busy. I’m so gross but oh so hungry. However, for the record, I have been getting more and more used to the food here and even had extremely delicious fried plantains this past weekend. Who would have guessed?

Saturday was a wicked fun day! We met at the school and then went to a "boulangerie" and grabbed breakfast and lunch foods. Then we went to an art school of sorts and had a tour. I bought a couple of small things and took some pictures. Most of the students who go there are only like 17 or 18 years old and the art is AMAZING. Whenever I visit places like that I end up feeling a tad bit depressed because I lack artistic talent, haha. At least I’m somewhat creative. Then we drove to a gorilla sanctuary. It was so amazing. We essentially trekked through the rain forest to see all these different types of monkeys, apes, and gorillas. They like chased us and tried to throw things at us! I got some really cool pictures. The place was huge and outside. I’ve only seen animals like that in a zoo and this was totally different because they keep the gorillas there for their safety and it resembles their natural habitat. Also, most are native to different parts of Africa which is so neat. Then a couple of girls and I went to this Chinese restaurant for dinner. On the way there, we sustained the usual greetings by annoying boys but one said “Madame Sarkozy.” We all thought his flirting was especially creative! The Chinese food was simply amazing. I would like to note that I had WHITE MEAT CHICKEN WITHOUT BONES. If I didn’t already say, Cameroonians generally eat meat and all of the bones. The chicken was in what tasted like a duck sauce and it was perfect. I had an orange soda (Fanta is huge here) and I was in heaven. I wish Chinese/Italian food was not so expensive. I say expensive by Cameroonian terms because it can be anywhere from like 6 or 7 to 10 dollars in American. But most meals are like 1 to 3 dollars so by comparison, it’s really expensive. The food isn’t bad but sometimes I just get sick of rice and spaghetti and plantains and vegetables. The peanut sauce is really good though!

After dinner we were walking back to the school office and one of the girls I was with got pooped on by a bird. I don’t really know why I’m including this in my blog, but it was pretty funny because we weren’t under any trees and there weren’t any birds in sight. I guess it’s a sign of good luck, so she must have been especially lucky! Then we went to a concert with the rest of the group. It was at the French Cultural Center and there were a few different acts. The first one was this man singing half in English and half in French with these two dancer-ish women. It was so painful. I looked around and everyone had an “umm what is this?” face, haha. I think he was somewhat drunk as well. Needless to say, after two songs I was not sad to see him leave the stage. But the main acts were so good! The first time we saw someone go on stage and put money on the singer and dance we thought it was so rude and was sure a security guard or something would remove the person. Then we saw a lot of others do it and realized, yet again, how different cultures behave. We started getting really into one the groups who seemed to be singing like tribal music and the entire group actually got pulled up on stage. We were given the tribal staffs and these shaker instruments. I’m sure we looked hilarious as a group of American kids, but it was so fun!

On Sunday I just relaxed at home with mama and did some homework and caught up on sleep. The water stopped working Sunday morning and it just started again this afternoon. It was funny because I asked mama in French why it stopped working and I swear she said a snake or something. I was inquisitive because I was wondering how a snake could stop the water for all of the capital of Yaoundé. I asked in class and the director laughed because apparently “Snek” pronounced “snake” is the name of the water company. Oh, the powers of miscommunication, haha. School has been good so far but there definitely is a lot of work beginning to pile up. It’s not a ton in the grand scheme of things, but it’s difficult to find a balance for doing work and being with families. It’s been a while since I’ve lived in a home and obviously my home was much different than here where I need to be present to help with chores and the like. I am pretty lucky because it’s just me and my grandma/mom (who I call my “grom”) and my brother/dad (who I call my “brad”) haha. My mom really babies me because she gives me my breakfast, makes my tea, warms my water, etc. The house maid Sylvia washes the clothes and makes food too, so I feel like I don’t do too much. I try to do dishes and stuff whenever I can though to help out and show my appreciation for their hospitality. I’m sure things will be different in my next two home stays, but the one I’m in now is especially important because we return two more times during the program in between visiting other cities around Cameroon.

When we were leaving a restaurant today at lunch time one of the guys eating lunch asked me if one of the girls I was with was my “mommy.” I’m sure you’ll all be happy to know that I am thought to be a small child in Cameroon as well as the US, haha. My big pink backpack and my little girl hair cut probably does not help the situation, but whatever. Also, since we’re students and living in houses our parents and the community generally consider us children as well so it’s kind of an interesting concept. Not much of a change for me! Haha, just kidding.

Oh, today after school I bought fabric with two other girls. We went to this place that had so many styles of fabric for purchase. It was overwhelming! But I am so excited to get dresses/other clothes made! I got two really neat designs. I think when I get back from Dschong I will go with my mama to the dress maker and get measured and pick the styles I want. J

I must do my homework and eat dinner now; a tout a l’heure!

-Brittany