hellooo

SO first of all, I'm sorry I haven't been in contact with well, anyone, yet. . .but I am at my first internet cafe in Cameroon and I'm going to do my best to update you all!

I'm in the Northern province of Cameroon in a small town outside of Garoua which is the third largest city in Cameroon. Right now it is very green and savannay with little mountains popping up here and there. In a few months, it will be very arid. I'm living with a butcher named Oumarou, his wife Didi (she's 24) and four beautiful children, who are great at teaching me French and Fufulde. It is hot, hot, hot here and I sweat buckets most of the time. I think I'll adjust to the heat, though I don't know how I'll ever handle Minnesota winters again once I do.

I really like it here. Everyone greets everyone they pass on the street, and a parade of children follow me on walks. Bucket baths are awesome and wake me up like nothing else. During the day, I go to Peace Corps school and spend about half my time there in language lessons and the other half learning all about community health. Last week the focus was on well, diarrhea. I really liked learing about water sanitation and hygeine projects from current Peace Corps volunteers. Next week we get to start working with community groups! My french is coming back quicker than I thought it would, which is great.

And now for a few stories. . .

Yesterday, I was eating dinner and my little host brother says that the men are going to go kill a bull. When I woke up this morning, the entire head of a bull was sitting in my courtyard.

I did laundry for the first time this week. My host sisters were watching as I clumsily thrashed the clothing around in my bucket. They came up and showed me how to rythmically move your hands and lather, scrunch and squeeze clothing dry all at once. I tried to mimic their movements, but I didn't quite get it right so they pretty much did everything for me. Somehow, my fingers still wrinkled into prunes (which was hilarious to them) and theirs remained as pretty as can be.

One morning, I was eating my breakfast of beans and bread, when my host mother Didi sat beside me and sprayed perfume under each of my armpits. I think she was hinting at something. . .

Well, that's all for now, folks. My phone number is 74199802. If you call me, it's pretty cheap for me. I can text message you as well, but I don't have any numbers right now. I love and miss you all!!