Conquering laziness...

Sorry I’ve been so bad at updating, but between the Cameroonian heat and the growing workload (okay, not really) I’ve been slacking on my blog. I’m really just trying to keep you all in suspense. Well here goes! I have fallen in love with a five month-old baby girl, her name is Allison and she is the daughter of my host uncle. She just likes to sit and hold onto my fingers, and could not be any cuter. Literally. Other than the baby, there isn’t too much other family news to report, everything is still going wonderfully! The only damper was the other day when they killed a chicken (I know, I know, how can I eat a chicken and not be okay with killing it), which was a little traumatizing. But I’ve been learning a lot about practicality, and once it was de-plumed, I was totally able to help. Sort of. I am finding that I am a little useless in the kitchen, which I suppose is not altogether surprising.

Classes have gotten going, and a lot of our work is reflecting on our experiences and writing them out in words. I want to post a reflection I wrote for my creative writing class (I’m a nerd, I’m sorry) about one of the markets we visited, because I think it might be something you would enjoy. I could be totally wrong. But I’m gonna go out on a limb and try it anyway!

I slide into the backseat of the cab, squishing myself in beside the other two passengers, trying to ignore the sweat that is no doubt glistening on my face. The taste of sugar cane still lingers in my mouth, which is slowly but sure drying out in protest, in search of its next thirst quench. First stop, Marché Centrale. As soon as we enter the gate that guards the market, we are bombarded. People selling everything you could possibly need or want, and at prices that put Casino to shame. The vast amount of products being bartered over and exchanging hands makes me wonder how I have never noticed Marché Centrale before. It’s not exactly easy to miss. It pretty much looks like a giant swirl ice cream cone topped with a million multi-colored sprinkles, melting in the middle of downtown Yaoundé. Which is funny, because that is exactly what I am doing.

The street vendors and their products cater to every extreme end of the spectrum, from prescription drugs and glasses, to tissues and candy. Everywhere we go, we attract a large crowd of people advertising products, marriage proposals, and everything in between. We stop at a man selling oranges downtown, and he tells us about how much fruit he sells every day, which is an entire wheelbarrow. But what really amazes me is that this man and the orange vender ten feet away from him have no animosity towards each other. They simply work in harmony without worrying about the competition. And this is not unique to this street corner. Lesson learned: although Yaoundé may often be overwhelming, underneath the hustle and bustle it is clear that the city is unique in its dedication to community

So that was my lame attempt at an academic reflection of my surroundings and experiences, and there will be many more to come. I am looking forward to a visit from mon pere very soon, in just under a month! I am working on posting some photos to facebook, so if I get that up and running I’ll keep you posted! Until next time. Let me know what you think of my reflection!