I probably jinxed myself yesterday when I wrote to several people, "Thank god for the internet!" It went down right after that and has been off most of Saturday and all day today until my one last try right now before bed. Made me think of the South Park episode when the internet goes out across the country and it turns into the “Grapes of Wrath” search for the internet. Such a dependence we have! The greetings today were consistently, “Hello. Say, is your internet on?”
Today started out with church service. I went with Martha, Hans, and Karen, primarily for the cultural experience and to hear the several choirs there sing. It was packed, and what was most fun was to see very colorful and beautiful dresses on the women and tunics on the men. But it was long and hot and we were packed in like sardines, and of course, I am not understanding a word of it, so when Martha said we were going to scoot out after communion, I was cool with that. I told them, “Well done, just like any Catholic would do it!” You Catholics out there know what I’m talking about, the skipping out right after communion, the sort of “eat and run” approach to the holy day. Gets you a table sooner at Perkins if you can get there before all the other church goers!
OK, here’s how much progress I have made in less than a week:
1) I no longer turn the light on the kitchen and yell out to the resident lizard that I’m about to enter, which I believed would encourage him to hide from me before I saw him. This doesn’t mean that I enter dark rooms yet, without waiting for the light to finally come on (takes up to a minute sometimes) but passersby won’t hear me talking to reptiles any more.
2) I keep my backpack and sundries bag unzipped, no longer afraid that Madagascar cockroaches will crawl in and take up residence. For one thing, I don’t think they have Madagascar cockroaches in Cameroon. I’ve only seen one small one crawling up the wall next to my berth on the train in the middle of the night. I had kind of wished I had not turned my flashlight on at that very moment.
3) I got through today only washing my feet twice!
4) I know now NOT to give any money to the deaf/mute beggars that knock on the door. They seem to know immediately when someone green has arrived. Also when the guy came by collecting money to build a hen house next to the hospital and had his very official logbook showing me all of the people who had already donated, I noticed there were people in the logbook from 2008. That must be one fancy hen house to still be collecting money for 3 years later! (No, I did not donate.)
5) I’ve got the mosquito net process down to science. I think I have not had any mosquito bites either. Seeing that one patient with malaria last week in the middle of rigors quickly convinced me of the benefits of using my DEET. Although with each squirt on my skin I still think “cancer, cancer, cancer.”
I still am afraid of snakes, but that is a reasonable fear to have here, though they don’t hang out in urban areas a lot. The most common poisonous snake in these parts is the cobra. Today, Jacqueline, the nurse/pastor took Karen and I to Mountain Ngaoundere (see pictures below) and just about the time snakes crossed my mind, Jacqueline says, “You do want to be careful of snakes. They’re not real active this time of year, but keep an eye out and if you see one, run in the other direction. If you see one coming at you, run very fast in the other direction.” Sage advice. I saw lizards but no snakes, and some really nice vistas.
The day ended at a restaurant Hans and Martha love called the Coffee Shop. It was great and fun to go out. Delayed my having to cook the chicken I bought yesterday that looks very different than the deboned, skinless chicken breast I get at Lunds.
Miss you all. One of the last things I threw in my bag before I left was a rock in the shape of a heart, given to me by a friend many years ago. It's a reminder of the people who are so important to me everyday, and how much love I am supported by, and how much I love you all.
Thanks for reading and for your comments. It truly helps me process everything I'm seeing and feeling. Love, Kris/Krisy/Kerstin
 |
| Some of my neighbors. It's cute--there's always 1 or 2 brave kids who venture out and ask to have their picture taken... |
 |
| ...and then they are immediately joined by a bunch of their pals. |
 |
| These guys were playing football on Saturday. I was watching from the end field and all of a sudden the ball starts getting kicked out a lot, towards me and I'm running around getting their ball for them, and they're laughing and saying, "nasarra" which means white person. Cute. |
 |
| Jacqueline, our adventurous guide in front, Karen in the back. Doesn't Jaqueline look like a modern day Moses? |
No comments:
Post a Comment