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!