August 26, 2007 : An African vehicle is never full

The last week has been hectic. We swore in on Wednesday, packed our stuff and traveled to Yaoundé on Thursday morning. Friday morning I traveled - by myself with all my stuff - on a bush taxi to Lolodorf. "My stuff" is a big green metal footlocker, the 2 suitcases I brought from the states, a duffel bag full of books and manuals, a mountain bike, a water filter, and a back pack.

A "bush taxi" is van that travels between villages. Some are smaller and have seats for about 20 people with all the "stuff" loaded on the top. Now, here in Africa, if a van "seats 20 people" that means we can pack in about 30 people !! And they do - every time !! So its 3 to 4 hours shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh with your neighbors, who sometimes carry children or live chickens on their laps - really. Goats are too big to fit in the bush taxi so they get tied up - on top - really !!

Anyway, back to my itinerary, I traveled to my post, all alone, like a big girl, on Friday. I was super apprehensive that morning about my big adventure and finally starting my new life for the next 2 years. All went well and I spent the first night alone and not nervous or scared in my new house. I spent half the day Sat, cleaning the spiders and spider webs out of my bedroom. I covered my hair with a scarf, my nose and mouth with another scarf; sprayed bug repellent on my skirt, legs and feet, rubber gloves and off I went - to war with my broom!! I am no long afraid of spiders !!

I traveled back to Yaoundé today - Sunday - because I need to open a bank account on Monday so Peace Corps can pay me. I also need to stock up on stuff I need for the house, like buckets and bowls, and dry goods. The prices are better in the capital city.

The anti malaria pill I take each day is an antibiotic that tends to cause yeast infections - so guess what.... The anti filarial pills I take once a week (each Sat night) are very harsh and cause a lot of nausea, so guess what....(sorry if this is TMI - too much information) As it happens, I feel like crap, so I will take the opportunity to visit medical tomorrow as well ;-) Overall, I am in good spirits and I know I will feel a lot better in a day or two. I travel back to Lolodorf on Tuesday, so I'll be home that afternoon. Stage (training) was an absolute b*tch - it was like cultural boot camp. Now that it’s over and I am settling into post, I feel a lot stronger and more confident. I plan to stay at post (in Lolodorf) for about a month. All the travel and excitement has taken it toll and I need to rest and get to know my town.

In Lolo there is no running water. I have a 4 ft tall barrel in my kitchen that we fill from the local water source. It’s an underground source and the water is very fresh and clean. I bathe with it and wash my clothes and dishes with it. I filter my drinking water. Normally we have electricity, but the power has been out for a week now and we don't know when it will come back on - hopefully in a few days. There is a place in town with a reliable generator who only charges 200CFA to recharge a cell phone but I may keep my phone turned off at times - to conserve the power for necessary usage. There is no internet service in Lolo either, but there is another village about an hour away that has a cyber cafe. I will try to make it there in a week of two to check email.

;-) Christine