Computer is (probably) dead : (

Well, bad news. My computer is on death row, or probably dead. It's my own damn fault, with a juice spill, not directly on it, but obviously enough splashed into some critical area to cause it to go black immediately, despite my dive to rescue it. I went through all the stages of grief in about 2 minutes: shock, denial, anger, tears.  Then I moved into my favorite life philosophy so many of you have heard from me: oh well. I have the IT guy here looking at it, but I'm not hopeful. Graciously and generously, Remi and William are letting me use their computers, so I may be able to keep posting a few blogs here and there. I have also retrieved that old fashioned method of documentation: paper and pen, so I am still writing down thoughts, ideas, stories.

I am at the 10 days to departure mark--can't believe it. I haven't felt homesick at all, but will be glad to get home. The longer I stay though, the more attached I feel. I expect I will need and want to come back in a year or two.

I had an opportunity yesterday to try millet wine--a traditional drink here. We were leaving a village where we had seen two patients and the woman who operates what could be described as a small business/bar, motioned us in to the hut. OK, this was sort of a stretch for me, but I did try it, and they all laughed. I wish I had snapped a picture.

I thought you all might enjoy my comparison of how men handle getting lost here in Cameroon, compared to men in America. They actually stop and ask for directions! We were seeing 2 patients in a neighborhood on the outskirts of town that Remi and William had not seen at home before. As I have written before, I am amazed that they know where and how to find people anyway as there are no street signs, house numbers, and lots of winding roads and paths. We stopped about 4 times to ask people on the side of the road if they knew where this woman lived, and on 2 of those stops, the guys got on the back of William's motorcycle to take us to where they thought the patient lived. We finally found it and as I disembarked from the bike, I explained that men in the US have a reputation for never stopping to ask for directions if they are lost.  William explained there is a saying here: "The only man who gets lost is the man without a mouth."