Heloooooooo

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am spending it with a friend who lives pretty near Batie in a little town called Bapa.  She is a quality individual and I am very happy to know her. We will have a strange combination of cranberries, apple pie, tofu (my contribution as a lady in my village makes it) and a nice bottle of wine. (She’s a vegetarian and I can’t kill animals....what a pair!) I went to Douala again yesterday to  get my computer which seems to be working perfectly now. Yes!!! Picked the wrong bus to come home on.  Hellish 7 hours on the worlds slowest bus.  All the passengers were angry and tormented the driver mercilessly.....I joined in with relish. 

I threw a party a couple of weeks ago.  About 10 people came from around the western region and we ate and drank and laughed and stayed up too late.  We built a big fire in the middle of my back yard (anything goes here) and made a lot of noise until very late.  Everyone spent the night. Waking up in the morning with a house full of people was wonderful. They hung around until early afternoon and then everyone departed to their various posts. The volunteers are really supportive of one another here.  It is a real joy.

Dry season has officially begun, which brings with it wind and lots of red dust which coats everything. (The soil here is red.) This means the end of planting and harvesting and the official beginning of party season.....funerals and weddings. I have only been to one funeral and no weddings so far, but am sure I will be participating in more as the dry season progresses. Also, it will be interesting to see how Christmas is celebrated here.  I am told there will be a big party at the Carrefour. But the guy who told me that was a bit (understatement)  drunk (men get plastered here often) so I can’t be sure.

I have met a couple of youths here that I really like. (Actually, I have met a shitload of kids, but most can be pesty and demanding and I have to get stern and chase them away or they keep knocking on my door and looking in my windows and asking for bon-bons.) Anyway, they are the daughters of my two favorite Mama’s.....funny how that works out.....  One is 13 and one is 18, both in high school and they are completely charming and sweet. They stop by to visit and just say “salut” from time to time. The conversations have been just superficial so far, but they are becoming more comfortable with me and starting to laugh easily, I look forward to some good conversations.  I hope I can have a good influence on them.  There is also one little girl at the carrefour (about 7 or 8) who actuallly works at the bar serving beers (yes, it’s true, kids work in bars) whose spell I have fallen under.  She likes to parade around in my hat and sunglasses and asks a lot of really sweet and innocent questions. 

Anyway, that’s the deal.  Haven’t done anything meaningful yet, just making friends and trying to understand this really rich culture and walking (sometimes by choice, sometimes not) all over the place. Here’s a picture of my little “bargirl”. (I hope)

                                                       Makko, my little "Bar Girl"