FYI Part 1

I realized that I have not been succeeding in all of the stated ambitions of this blog. Passing on suitable information to other people who are going to follow in this post is really important to me so therefore, a bullet list of things you need to know.

·         Fine the Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) in your town. They have a ten week orientation in Cameroon compared to the one we got, which was only three days. They know more than you do.

·         If you are going to be in Bertoua make sure you purchase a helmet for the moto rides you will inevitably be taking.

·         Buy a water filter. Bring duct tape.

·         Buy a voltage converter for things that are important to you, like your computer. The voltage is really jumpy here, mine is a small plastic one but the PCVs have a really large metal contraption.

·         Moontiger takes care of bugs, but make sure you don’t take care of yourself at the same time.

·         In Bertoua the moto prices are set (but of course unless someone tells you what they are you don’t know) so make sure you ask a local what they should be. No one hesitates to take your money if you offer too much. Also the price goes up at night. At the time of this writing it seems to be (during the day) 100cfa for up to a 1.5 miles, 150 cfa for up to 2 miles and from one end of town to the other 200 cfa.

·         Do not assume that what you consider to be polite is actually polite here. You could actually be impolite by trying to be polite American-style. (I’m still working on this one, it’s difficult to do things you think are rude.)

·         Shake hands with important people. As a guest and a stranger you are expected to either know, or figure out, the hierarchy and act accordingly. This is something that I have been learning by trial and error. It’s not easy.

·         It is best for me, in Bertoua, to get a bank account at the SGBC (since there are branches all over the country). All it should take is a passport photo, copy of your passport, the slight hint that you will be depositing some money from your bourse into their bank, and an imposing yet friendly Cameroonian priest. (Micro-finance organizations like MC2 aren’t everywhere and are not very organized—other than that they do cool work!)

·         You can either follow the proscription of one tablespoon of 10% bleach to 2 gallons of water or you can use Dettol and water to wash your vegetables. Dettol is the funny bottle that tells you it can clean off the HIV. Awkward (not to mention improbable).

·         Make an effort to learn the names of the quartiers and carrefours. That’s how you tell the motos where you want to go. I’ll try to put them up as I figure them out. So far the ones I know are Enia, Mere Poule, Italie, and CAMilitare. It’s not enough.

·         It should not be difficult to get the USB drives/keys for the internet. You can get internet keys from CAMtel, MTN, and Orange. I’m using Orange, it works okay. I went for Orange because the lady at MTN wanted way too much information.

·         All yogurt here is sweet yogurt. I like Wako and Dolait Ninou the best.

·         Don’t be afraid to purchase a large amount of water, moto drivers can balance amazing things—including you.

·         Unless you find yourself severely needing the toilet, try to walk off stomach problems. You really will feel a little better.

·         The medication you’ll want on hand for Malaria is Coartem. You can get it in any pharmacy. It is in pill form. The PCVs told me that shots should be a last resort.