July 4

July 4, 2008
I tried to post this yesterday, but the power was out pretty much all day.
Independence Day and I am not in the U.S.A. Actually, being outside
the country makes this day even better because there is an
understanding with other Americans that is unexplainable. We were all
very patriotic today, lol. Really, this entire experience is
unexplainable, what I tell you is not anywhere close to the reality of
what I, and other stagaires, are going through. Seems like last
year's 4th was just here, I remember lighting fireworks off in
Goodyear Heights like it was yesterday. We made cheeseburgers today
and they were sooo good! At home they would have been the worst
burgers I've ever eaten….but here they were the best thing I've eaten
thus far…well, with the exception of the so called "street meat". No
one is quite sure what kind of meat it really is, maybe cat, rat, cow,
only the Cameroonians really know and my French isn't good enough to
ask them, plus I don't think I want to know. The good news is that it
hasn't made me sick (yet). Another stagaire has been diagnosed with
malaria and typhoid fever at the same time, however the proper
medication has quickly improved their situation and everyone is happy
for that.

Time has flown by, I'm already a month in! It seems like it's been
longer than that, but I know the next 26 months will fly by. I know
where my post will be; I go there to check it out next week! Should
be interesting to say the least.

I'm sorry I haven't responded to everyone's comments or emails very
quickly but there is hardly any time after a full day of training.
For some reason, I've gotten used to waking up at 6 a.m., not taking a
nap AT ALL during the day (most of you should realize that I always
sleep at some point during the day), but I do go to bed around 9 or 10
at the latest….a total change in life style. Maybe I can pick the
naps back up at post…but I doubt it because the sun sets at 7 p.m.
here every day and doesn't change, and once it gets dark it is hard to
walk around because there are no street lights, its muddy (and
therefore slippery), and there are giant holes in the street where the
water has washed away the earth. Some of these holes are pretty deep
and, consequently, have become a trash dump. However, the roaming
dogs and chickens seem to be pretty happy about this because that is
where they get their food. Some families do feed their chickens, but
they still roam about and join in our classes at the lycee or wander
into the bar. Both occasions tend to be hilarious. Speaking of
chickens, I came home last Sunday and went to remove my clothes from
the line and just as I got there a chicken decided it wanted to jump
on top of my clothes and sit on the line. As I tried to scare it off,
it knocked my clothes on the ground while it jumped from one line to
the next! Bastard chicken! This was a bonus to having my clothes out
all day in the nice weather drying, but, about an hour before I went
home it rained and no one took my clothes in. Not cool.
Anyways, be happy you have lawn mowers, because they just use machetes
here…seems like a total back breaker and I don't really get it, but I
guess they don't put a lot of importance on lawn maintenance here,
lol. It's taken a week to cut down two blots of tall grass at the
lycee and I bet they are only about 20 X 30. Maybe I can help change
that while I'm here, although I'm sure someone has tried, at least I
hope so.

Some nights there are so many stars it's unreal, tonight was really
nice. Other nights it rains so hard, and the roofs are made of tin so
it gets extremely loud, however I usually sleep well when it rains
like that, I just don't like it during the day when I have to go out
and walk in the mud. Ah well.
I'll post again soon!

by the way, what a bad connection to the internet today!