Things are looking up

Ok, I realize that my last blog might have been a bit discouraging so I wanted to explain that things are already getting better. Also, we don't have any exursions planned this weekend so I have a little extra free time.

So today, I woke up around 7 am (which is sleeping in), and discovered a maid in our kitchen! But I didn't know if she was a maid or a family member, so I said, "Est-ce que je peux vous aider?" And first she looked at me for a moment and then laughed, and I worried that I had insulted her before she set me up to do all the families dishes for the past few days! I didn't mind though, I've been without a dishwasher before, and I was happy to help. Standards of cleanliness are sooooo different here...it's a good thing that I'm not a very cleanly person.

Everything I do here seems like something worth talking about, worth discussing. I'm going to pick the most uplifting thing that happend to me today, because I only have a few more minutes at this internet cafe (also, it's about $2 for 30 minutes here and it's a really upscale place! Cabs are like $0.40, everythings so cheap!).

So after I did the dishes I showered, ate breakfast, did some reading, and really tried to interact with the maid and my host siblings, but I got so discouraged because I can't follow them at all! Eventually they kind of gave up and started rapidly speaking to eachother again, and I don't blame them, I'm sure I would do the same, and probably have done the same. After awhile I went back into my room to do some homework, which I have a lot more of than I thought I would, and after an hour or so a timid knock comes on my door and the children start spilling in. I have a host sister Michelle, who is 14, Sheripha is 9, there is another girl who is 9 (she wasn't there and I can't remember her name), a little brother who is 6, and this boy who apparently lives there but isn't part of the family and he's 7 I think.
So all of a sudden I have these 4 kids in my room and I have no idea what to do, because as many of you know I am awkward as hell around children. I didn't know what to do so I pulled out my picture book of Oregon and the world map that I brought, and that did the trick. Pretty soon we were talking all about the world and where we wanted to go and how huge the world is and how far I had to travel to get here. Then they taught me a game that's kind of like that hand slapping game that me and Chris used to play, and then I taught them that game! It was really encouraging. Also, Sheripha runs to give me a hug whenever I come home, so that's nice.

It's still hard here. I still miss Julian so much that I could be sick again, and I am constantly confused, and embarrassed (my host siblings are ALWAYS making fun of my french, but I just have to laugh with them), and hot, and sweaty, and smelly. I guess you just get used to it though.

I would also like to say that Cameroonian french is really different from Parisienne french. Once I discovered that I felt less terrible about my french. Also, my host father is missing his front 4 teeth, so he kind of lisps too.

Oh! And the parents are teachers! The mom teachers primary school and the father teachers physics and chemistry in highschool! Mom, I talked to the dad a lot today about his high school. He says he teaches one class but it has 100 students! And he understand when I told him you teach business, but teaching cooking is an ungraspable idea. Very american.

Well, I could write forever, but I'm about to run out of time. And I gotta go buy some more water.

Bye everyone! I love you!

sorry

hah I realize the end of my last entry may have been alarming. May time just ran out. And now it;s run out again!

Je suis comme un bebe!

Last night was my first night with my home family. It would have been better if I could understand more than 15% of what they were saying to me, and if I wasn't just getting over being terribly sick (more about that later). It's me, a mom and dad, three young children, and one young teenager. From what I've gathered I am with the biggest family in the least nice house, which seems strange to me, but most of the people who take in american students are definetly on the wealthier end of the spectrum. They all seem very nice, but I slept almost all of last night, and then have been at school all day (it's lunch break and I'm at an internet cafe), so I am not sure. I live about 30 minutes from school, and it's not too bad of a walk.

A few days ago I woke up at about 4 am and was violently sick. I can honestly say that I have never been that sick before. Without giving too many details, my body was trying its best to expell any and all fluids. Use your imagination. I couldn't even hold down water for awhile. Finally, at about noon, I finally agreed to go to the hospital with Nathalie, the homestay coordinator. I was really apprehensive, but Nathalie is the is one of the most wonderful human beings I have ever met, and she was very good and letting me rest while she took care of signing me in and lending me money and helping to translate. The doctor told me that it was probably just the food. I think it was the goat meat that I ate. I am feeling sick just thinking about it.

I feel like I should explain that the hospital was not a big bustling place, it was more like a doctors office I suppose...I guess in 1991 God told this German to build a hospital in this valley of Cameroon, and by 1999, viola! L'hopital Bethesda!

Anyway, the doctor gave me some medicine, and told me to rest, and eat rice.

I feel much better now, but I am still very weak and tired. I really did sleep for about 11 hours last night. Today is the first day that I have been able to participate in a full day of class, and have been able to eat a full breakfast and lunch. I think I'll start feeling 100% very soon.

Almost all the other students families have maids and cooks and grown up siblings, and houses with wall hangings and fancy electronics. But not my house. It's mainly cement with lights that work sometimes, and a kitchen that is half inside and half out, and a mother that takes care of her 4 children, and many of their friends who frequent the house. I asked her to wake me up tomorrow so that I could help with the ... SHIT GOTTA GO!

first impressions

I don't have much time left on this internet cafe's computer, but I wanted to get a quick post in!
I got into Yaounde yesterday evening (seems like forever ago!), and was taken directly to our hostel on the top of a hill in the middle of the city. I don't know what to write, because there's too much to say! It's amazing, and scary, and beautiful, and dirty, and run down and modern, and so much else. I feel like it's a city of contradictions: a coca cola sign hanging on the sign of a building with words from a tribal language painted on the side, women carrying jugs of water on the heads past bars full of people watching soccer (football, Egypt beat Cameroon last night, BAD NEWS), huge europeen styles houses next to clusters of concrete shacks with tin roofs, hords of Cameroonian school children, and a group of 15 young americans walking down a main road.

It's so hot here, I am very angry at the people who told me it wouldn't be so bad. They lied, I haven't sweat this much in a long time. My hands are swollen from the heat, and I just won't stop sweating! I think I'll be so accustomed to the smell of misquito repellent in a few days that I'll never again notice the smell of Deet.

Our hostel is fantastic. I have a roommate in our small room, but our room is still bigger than the dorms at UO! I am really really glad that I bought a misquito net with a floor, because right before I went to bed I found a spider the size of a sand dollar hiding underneath it. There's also an ant hill in our room, but it's by the door so I'm not too worried.

This morning I was woken up by a symphony of jungle noises. Birds and monkeys and mythical beasts I'm sure. There are chickens and goats and random animals walking around the compound.
Oh no! Out of time!

I love you guys and I'll write again as soon as I can!

Paris, FINALLY

At about 8:30 am on the 22nd, Julian and I left for the meddy airport. Three flights, 13 hours of lay-over time, 3 changed flights, 5 hours of sleep, 2 airplane ¨meals¨and almost 30 hours later I found myself in CDG. Another 15 minutes and Hugh, the son of a family friend came to get me (thank god, because I would have been SO LOST). About another hour and we emerged in downtown Paris to hordes of attractive young Europeans in dark jackets, smoking ciggerattes and jostling about. It looked like fun until I remembered how tired, hungry, and dirty I was. I smelled like airport, not a good thing.

To quickly explain the story, my first flight was delayed so I missed my two following flights and ended up in Paris about 8 hours later than expected (but atleast I got there). For some reason, the lady at the Medford airport decided to send my bag to Frankfurt as my final destination, but the wonderful people with United were able to stop it in San Fran and reroute it for me. Once I got onto the flight to Munich, things were pretty smooth. I have to admit that I felt pretty out of place whilst waiting to board. First off, I was the youngest female by atleast 10 years, and the only female traveling alone. Secondly, I was holding the only blue USA passport amongst a sea of red ones, and thirdly, after my rediculous morning followed by a 7 hour layover, I really did look like a homeless person.

Last night was a bit rough. I fell asleep for a few hours around midnight, and woke up a few hours ealier. As soon as I woke up, and rolled over to not see Julian beside me, I started bawling. I figured out that since we started being friends in middle school, we have never spent more than a month apart. I am constantly reminded that this trip is going to be one of the hardest things that I do (and not just because I am almost crippled from missing certain people). As is the way with most difficult experiences though, I will learn so much. I know it'll get easier.

Anywho, after I read about 100 pages of "The Dragon Reborn," I finally calmed down enough to fall back asleep. I slept for about 11 hours after that. Now it's 5:30, and I should really try to finish reading, "Men Own the Fields, Women Own the Crops."

Tomorrow I'll leave to catch a train to the airport at about 7am. At 10:30, I'll be off to Cameroon. I really hope I'm ready.

To any friends and family who read this: I love all of you very very much, and I already miss you all dearly. MWAH!

Roughly 35 hours until Paris

I have no idea if I'm prepared, I don't think that I really could be for this. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I suppose I'll learn along the way! And in all actually, I probably am very prepared, but I'm having a hard time battling the control freak in me.

I still need to finish some scholarship applications, and double check that I have all important paperwork. Mom told me to get some sleep, but I've reached the point where I accept that I am going to be awake for a long time. I'm too anxious to sleep anyways. Julian's giving Laura and Gaur a ride home right now...I still don't believe that I'm leaving tomorrow! I'm worried my friends think that I don't care that I won't be seeing them for awhile, since I haven't shown much emotion when I say goodbye. Really, I just still think I'm about to go back to Eugene soon. I can't bring myself to believe that this is the last 15 hours Julian and I will spend together for 4 months.

Meh, I'm going to go double check my giant bag of medication.
GOOD NIGHT!