A Series of Incredible Events

The Extreme North and Dad’s Visit

The month of April has been full of wonderful and exciting trips. The first was Papa Hershner’s visit to Yaoundé! He pulled out all the stops and somehow found a free weekend in all his business trips to come visit me here in Africa. It was a great weekend. He got in on Thursday night, and upon leaving the airport, we were stopped in our car by a police checkpoint, or maybe it was gendarme, I couldn’t tell. They asked to see our papers, and it was clear that they were trying to find a mistake or something they could get money out of. They checked the trunk, just to see the luggage, but unluckily for them, we are law-abiding citizens. The rest of the weekend came together in a whirlwind of shopping and eating.

On Friday, we visited Briqueterie, the Muslim neighborhood, and bought fabric galore, stopping only for soya. We went downtown to La King, the fabric store and found the perfect African shirt for Dad to wear at the reception that night. We were such efficient shoppers that we also made it to the Artisanal Market, and made some great purchases there as well. I have to keep those a secret, because some people (Mom and Laura) might be reading this. Friday night was the reception at my host family’s house. It was really beautiful. A few of my fellow programmers, all of the family and some family friends gathered first for drinks outside, and then into the salon for a huge feast. It was delicious, and my family, thoughtful as always, held back from making anything spicy. A few toasts and full stomachs finished the night, and when everyone left I distributed the presents for my family. They could not have been more excited to get everything, and the biggest hit of all was the photo album. Saturday started off with a delicious breakfast at Anne’s host family’s house, specially made in my father’s honor. We visited Sarah’s host mother to fit a few shirts for Dad, did a little more shopping, and ate lunch at one of my favorite bakeries before heading back to the hotel to unwind before the night’s festivities. We went out to our bar of choice near the apartment with all of the students, which turned out to be really fun. The weekend sadly ended Sunday night at the airport, where I couldn’t stop crying, but my host family generously decided to accompany us there, so we took a few (very bloodshot eyed) photos before he left.

The following day, Monday, we left for our trip to the extreme North. IT WAS SO HOT. Like over 100 degrees hot. Let me tell you, I was not made for that kind of weather. The train ride up was intended to be a 12-hour ride, but it ended up extending for 12 extra hours, due to some train delays. We finally arrived in the North and our adventure began. We spent two days in Maroua, most of which were passed at the markets, buying fabric and other works of art. It was pretty amazing. The North is predominantly Muslim, and most of the venders were Muslim. They were tough bargainers, but I set my mind and worked my way through the market. We then traveled to Waza, which has a giant national park, where we took a safari and saw 2 LIONS. Up close and personal. We also saw giraffes, warthogs (Pumba!), antelope, and a lot of birds. It was exactly what I picture the African savannah to be, and at the end of it all, I was ready to collapse on the couch (preferably with air conditioning) and watch the Lion King. Instead, we traveled to Rhumsiki, which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It borders Nigeria, and I think I can confidently say that I have been in Nigeria. Mr. Teku is a smart man, and booked us in a hotel with a pool, which, by the end of the 9 days, was quite literally an oasis. The group went on a hike on the final day of the trip, that, sadly I missed because I was pretty sick. But other than that we spent the day swimming and resting, before heading home to Yaoundé. We arrived back here yesterday, and it was wonderful to feel like we were truly coming home. The trip was a huge success and it was an experience I will never forget. When else in your life can you be 50 feet from a lion? And don’t say the zoo.

For now, I’m off. We now have exactly two months left here in Yaoundé, so I better live it up!

Visiting a junkyard

I am about to shock you all... two posts in record time! It's currently 6:30 am and I can't sleep, so I'll take the opportunity to be productive. I think that some of the reflections I write for my creative writing class capture pretty well the cool adventures I take here, so I'll post another and see if you like it. We visited this street in Yaoundé that is lined with shops selling used car parts, most of them specialize in on particular brand. So here was my impression:

Once we arrived at the street famous for its plethora of car parts, the smell of oil was overpowering. Grease was everywhere, spilling out onto the pavement from the dirt side of the road. It framed the doorways of the small shacks bursting with metal coils and replacement car doors. Metal coils and replacement car doors. That’s really the best I can do. To be honest, I am the furthest thing from a car connoisseur, and I felt pretty out of place at the junkyard. If you told me to pick out one piece from either of the shops we stopped at, I guarantee you I wouldn’t be able to tell you what it was. Unless it was that old seat inside the first shop. I know what that is.

Aside from my lack of knowledge about cars, the junkyard was pretty interesting. The best part was getting a first row seat to the corruption show. After a police officer showed up and fitted a big boot on the wheel of a car that was being worked on, we got to see the Cameroonian justice system in action. Cars are not supposed to be worked on in the street, and a few guys were fixing the engine. I think. But in any case, this police officer happened to notice, and he took the opportunity to make a few extra bucks. We watched the police officer and one of the men working on the car take a little stroll, and a minute later, someone came and removed the boot.

The episode reminded me slightly of Hortense and the tax collectors, although this time it benefitted both sides. The corruption in Cameroon is often talked about, yet this was the first time I had witnessed how even the smallest things can be dealt with under the table.

Pretty crazy!