Day 13: Bobbing head lizards

Jane in Cameroon:

Crap. So I had a post all written when the power cut out and I lost everything. Anyways, here goes... again.

Saturday: Went out on Market Day to go shopping. I later learned that some villages operate on 8-day weeks so if Market Day is on Tuesday this week it will be on Wednesday next week. Had lunch at Dreamland, a restaurant that caters to foreigners because of their menu selection, prices, and the fact that they accept payment in Francs, Euros, or Dollars. Charlie and Ryan were our lovely buddies for the day. Called home and Aaron on the public payphone. It is weird that the public phone costs only 70F/min while my cell phone, which operates on the local Orange network, costs more than 300F/min to call the U.S. Then went shopping in a handicrafts store for souvenirs and in the Main Market, which is a maze of stalls filled with everything you can think of. Power went out while in line at the grocery store, New Life, so we just stood there waiting for the backup generator. Went to Steve's mansion in the country for a party and met some other VSO volunteers.

Sunday: Relaxed all day. Did some reading, napping. Unfortunately the pirated DVD we got wouldn't play on Adam's laptop. It was a big disappointment as we had been looking forward to watching the movies for a while.

Monday (yesterday): Interviewed patients at a HIV/AIDS support group in Bamessing. My stomach had been on the fritz all day since waking up that morning. So when we were served fish, njama njama, and fufu at the end of the meeting I couldn't help but gag a little while eating. I wasn't alone. I looked over at one point to see Adam trying to swallow whatever had come up from his stomach. Why do people here eat so much fufu?!?! It's like a giant glob of paste the size of a small watermelon. Raymond, the group leader, does a lot of work helping the local group members get their drugs each month and working to increase awareness about AIDS. He gave an inspiring speech about how the problems of one's neighbor must also be one's own problems as well so people should work together and help each other. His twin baby girls were so adorable running around naked in the rain. The interviews once again made me wish I knew how to speak Pidgin. On the SUV ride back, our vehicle hydroplaned on the wet mountain road. I really thought the vehicle would flip over and tumble down the steep mountain cliffs. Thankfully we stayed on the road. Why it is these Cameroonians drive crazy fast on the roads, as if they're in a rush to get somewhere? It seems contradictory to the way they normally take their sweet time doing anything.

Evelyn told us a funny story about the bobbing head lizards that live around the clinic: There used to be a Hunter who would go hunting with his Dog. The Dog would help the hunter chase down the animals. During one of these hunting expeditions, the Dog came upon the Lizard, who asked "Why do you not bring food to me?" The Dog explained that the Hunter would take the meat and put it in his pocket, so the Dog never got any of the meat. So one day the Lizard secretly followed the Hunter and Dog and watched as they went hunting. When he saw the Dog bring the food to the Hunter, and the Hunter pocketing the meat, the lizard nodded, saying "Ah, so it is true!" As funny as their bobbing heads are, I really hope those lizards stay downstairs and don't come up into the apartment.

Tuesday (today): I was up part of last night worshiping the toilet. I think the doxycycline (anti-malarial) is making me sick. Today my stomach feels a little better probably because we're not traveling like yesterday. First thing int he morning we shadowed Dr. Njinjoh during consultation appointments and rounds. There are so many malaria, AIDS, and TB cases.

Tomorrow we'll be heading down to Commercial Avenue to watch the National Day parades.