"They only send women to the East."

It looks like the shift key on the ride side of my keyboard is not working, so I’m starting to practice using the one on the left. Silly computer.

I noticed, after perusing the blag from yesterday that my English is degrading. This is especially awkward for me considering that’s what I’m here to teach. I’m starting to write English with Frenchy grammar and it’s not a pretty thing. I talked to Vas on the phone today and I couldn’t think of the word ‘upload’ (as in photos) in English. Oh. Just figured out how to fix my shift key. I turned on “Sticky Keys”, oh my gods I’m a genius.

It’s dark outside and somewhere in the quartier someone is blasting some beautiful music, it’s going to be an easy night to fall asleep. It’s been a fantastic day, I slept in (until 9am) and only managed to drag my bum out of the room at around 10. The two things that really forced me outside, because I was having some complacency issues, were that I was starving (I had a Cliff bar for dinner last night) and after brushing my teeth I was officially out of water.

I went out the door, setting the goal for myself to walk all the way to l’Université Internationale de Bertoua. Let me tell you, I did it people and it was a long, hot walk. The first thing I saw as I left the house was a man on a moto wiping out, he just stumbled to the side of the road and sat down leaving his motorcycle where it lay. It looked intensely painful.

I stopped at a street vendor stand and asked for an omelette. It was pretty close to the CW2 (microfinance bank that Patricia works at) and I sat down on a bench and met some of the people in the quartier. They were pretty impressed that I had walked all the way there from where the priests lived (I decided to keep my actual location vague).

For those of you (lucky) people who have access to google maps, I live north of where the River Dja crosses the city and past the hospital. I walked all the way to the eastern part of town, where the university is located. I did pretty good though, I only got lost once!

I ate my breakfast and spoke with Julianne and her friends, and the egg cart guy and his two friends (one of their names were Valéry—I’ll explain why his name is the only one I remember). I basically sat down and started talking to Julianne and her friends with the full intention of getting on with them (because I will have female friends. That is an affirmation.). As we talked about English and how it’s necessary, and the expensive nature of the Uni where I’ll be working and how my hair isn’t naturally purple the conversation eventually delved into exchanging names and….the asking of phone numbers.

I basically refused to give my number to any males, though I did say I’d take their numbers if they really wanted me to be in contact with them. I told them that as a new ‘white’ woman in town it was important for me to be friends with women, not men, and that until I knew them better they couldn’t have my number. Period. Julianne and her friends suddenly became ten times more receptive to my overtures of friendship, which surprised me—though it probably shouldn’t. Being direct about what you want always seems to be the best policy. Julianne and I exchanged numbers—we’re going to hang out at some point in time. Valéry was the only male who decided to give me his number—and that’s why I remember his name.

Also my sandwich also only cost me 200 cfa after I’d originally been told it would be 300. Wooo hoooo for making connections and getting the local price for food.

I went on my way and I found myself only getting “la blanche”-ed as I got closer to the University and exiting the center of town. I also stopped in this crazy fancy grocery store—it was kind of awkwardly beautiful and overpriced. By the time I got to the University I was disgusting, dripping in sweat and sunburned. Once I entered the campus I found I missed a call from Mgr. Krynski, he wanted me to find someone but I missed the question. Turns out he wanted me to find Catherine, one of the students at the Uni and an elementary school teacher. I, of course, went to Maman Sophie to ask for help. I waited with her for Catherine and told her about some of the heckling and how I was trying really hard to make female friends. She said, “you already have one” and pointed at herself. I seriously love this woman.

Catherine came and found and we went to look at an apartment that she (and Mgr. Krynski) wanted me to take. It has a salon, a bedroom, a bathroom and a super tiny kitchen and at this moment is completely unfurnished and kind of dirty. I’m going to take it though, because it’s so close to school and I won’t be living on the campus. The place I have right now is BEAUTIFUL, almost too beautiful and it’s a compound. When I came home today a little girl addressed me as ma sœur…they’re going to think I’m a nun if I stay here! Ok I’m exaggerating, but I like the idea of living next to Cameroonian families (I met the neighbors, one is a physical education teacher and her husband is an English teacher. On my other side there are students.). I want to be safe, but I don’t want to be over-safe…I want to be forced to go out and explore. The other nice thing about this neighborhood is that there are tons of children. I just feel safer when there are a bunch of kids around.

We went to Mgr. Krynski’s house to hammer out the final details. He’s going to provide me with furniture and a gas tank and he wants Catherine to insert a hot water tank for the shower (!). I’m going to be moving in probably next Tuesday. Tomorrow morning I’m going to go with Mgr. Krynski and Raoul up north to the savannah. We’re going to mass and then to a funeral. One of the professors at the University died recently and Mgr. has taken over his classes. He was apparently a really hard worker and is very much missed in the community I’m entering.

I need to wrap this up, because I’m supposed to be up pretty early to head out tomorrow morning.

For dinner tonight I didn’t stay in, I ventured out on the invitation of Patricia and Grace. I met them at Mgr. Krynski’s house and we moto’d into town. They took me to a fish-grill place, where you pick either mackerel or carp. (Sara, for the record, I went for the carp. Those dogs and their cans of jack mackerel have scarred me for life.) Once you pick your side of plantains or manioc sticks we crossed the street and sat down in the bar. I also had the chance to meet up with some of their counterparts from a city three hours away (I forget the name of it already) though they were telling me about how they’d just spent some time at Ralph Nader’s nephew’s house(?!). Apparently it’s a beautiful compound and it has wifi that works and a generator.

Before I went out I had put on bug spray, because the (female) mosquitos that spread malaria are apparently only out between 6pm and 6am. I made the unfortunate mistake of licking my hand after I spilled some coke on it. Let me tell you, coke and bug spray do not make a good cocktail. Grace laughed at me (she spends a lot of time laughing at me) and just said “there’s cholera here, you really need to start letting things [as in the minuscule drop of coke on my hand] go.” Then she told me that I should put it in my blog. So I did.

Both she and Patricia area interested in working with me on the clubs, which I think will be super fun as well as beneficial to the students because they’ll get to interact with three native English speakers. I’m feeling pretty good about life, the universe and everything. Added bonus: I got a chance to talk to Mary tonight, now that she’s decided to call when she says she’s going to call and not inconveniently schedule her car breaking down. It’s been a good day.

Also in terms of safety, when I got home tonight I knocked on the door and set off the guard dog and the guard walked me to my door. Aww.