this --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpe0w6aHXEs
is my other favorite song here. This entry's title comes from it and translates literally as "I am in the joy".
Tues Mar 15
We have a total of a mere two classes this week, which is a bit of a shock after finally getting used to being in class all the time.
For lunch I went back to a tiny restaurant I hadn’t been to in awhile, and the woman was so happy to see us again that we exchanged bisous—now that’s the sort of thing that makes me so happy to be here.
Nathalie (homestay coordinator) is an absolute doll and fixed the broken zippers on my suitcase for me…good! We leave again on Saturday!
The combination of the lack of structure and uncertainty-overload with regards to my ISP sort of had me pulling my hair out today. On the plus side, we finally located the NGO I want to work with and I handed over my letter…hopefully they’ll get back to me soon. As in, VERY soon.
This evening I started transcribing a 40 minute interview in French. About a quarter of the way through I was ready to cry and so gave up for the night. Transcriptions will probably be the death of me.
My buddy Ellen is going home for 10 days. Good news for her—she’s got an interview for a nationally competitive scholarship—but bad news for me--I’ll miss her!
Wed Mar 16
Woke up this morning and realized first thing that I forgot to take my malaria pill yesterday. Oh shiz, and I was doing SO well. In my efforts to repair the damage, I immediately took one without thinking about how empty my stomach was…mistake.
Since we didn’t have class today, I spent a whole lot of hours at school working on transcribing.
Back at home: laundry. I don’t think I’m getting any better at this…
Manuella was overly eager to “help” with the wash and I’ve decided that my patience with babysitting has officially run out.
Great news, though! I have running water in my bathroom again! Wheee! Sink! Toilet! SHOWER!!
Thurs Mar 17
Happy St Patty’s day! Too bad they don’t know what that is here.
I thought maybe, just maybe, they knew it was St Patrick’s day, because they were passing out free Bailey’s samples at Dovv (our grocery store). Just a coincidence, though---they had ‘em again on Friday. (I think Bailey’s is my new fave.)
No class. Finished my beastly transcription!!
Went back to the NGO I want to do my practicum with, this time with Christiane (academic director) in tow. Things are looking good, but nothing’s for sure. And we leave Saturday. And I have to start it as soon as we get back. Eek!
Somehow it was already our last student night together here in Yaounde, so we splurged and spent five bucks each on pizza we’d been eyeing for over a month.
A friend of mine in the USoA wrote “You have the best life” on my facebook wall today. What a good reminder! She’s so right!! I love it here, and I’m so grateful for the experience.
Fri Mar 18
Had our group discussion on recent lectures on minorities (women; Anglophones; pygmies) and got a bit of info on Ngaoundere (pronounced: GOW-un-dare-ay). Apparently it’s:
-the gateway to the extreme north
-predominantly muslum
-very hot
-slightly larger than Dschang
We’ll spend two weeks there with our final homestay, and when we finish there, ISP starts! Ah!
Also gave into my biggest Cameroonian weaknesses 1. Swapped pagne with other girls and ordered more clothing 2. Had a delicious éclair. I’m maybe going a bit crazy on the pastries, but here’s the thing—we get a daily lunch stipend of $3from SIT, so when my lunch only costs $1, it’s hard to feel guilty spending another $1 on an éclair…
Back at home I watched Hotel Rwanda. I’d seen it before, but it seems even more horrific when watched on African soil. Also, I actually conversed with Magnus tonight, which is good, because I now remember that we are, in fact, friends.
