on est ensemble
on Camarooned Clara (Cameroon), 09/Sep/2009 21:44, 34 days ago
Hi from maroua! Arrived here yesterday after spending first week on phase one training in yaounde (the capital.) Was pretty thrilled to get out of there; lots of wild roads, congestion and potholes (one of which a fellow volunteer tumbled down and is now most likely having to go back home to Belgium with a broken leg. Yikes.) We got to stay in the same hotel as the cameroon national football juniors though– exciting until they took to accosting us on the stairs (yes philbear, sexual harrassment is the word! Wish i knew the french for that too).Training was intense but pretty much as expected– oh except for the somewhat alarming statistic that 12 volunteers have got married out here since 2006! (and that's not including the pregnancies. don't ask). Nooo worries ma, every intention of honouring that promise and not coming home with a cameroonian in tow! (be it a baby or a man.)Journey up to maroua was pretty interesting. Had been told it was a 12 hour train ride followed by an 8 hour bus ride. Double that with an overnight stop in n'gaoundere more like! A 20 mph speed limit had been imposed after all the derailments/accidents last week - i was just chuffed to get here at all. 'least of all cos we had to drive impromptu off-road through a river at one point! The one time i actually neeeeeed a 4 wheel drive... i find myself in a clapped out cameroonian bus of course.Got here fine though, if a little startled, sleep deprived and scorched by the midday sun. 36 degrees? in the SHADE?! how they have the nerve to call this the 'cool' season i don't know. truly desperado to track down that swimming pool (hopefully finding the time somewhere to enrol more girls into primary school too... whoops! eye on the prize etc etc!) news on that next time i hope. phase 2 training this week before starting work on Monday. GULP!