So, here we are. Devin and I are anxiously awaiting a Netflix 'instant' movie to download, and since our internet connection is SOOOOOO good, it takes a few hours. (And this is a GREAT improvement from before!!!) It has been a while since the last updating of the blog, and I'm sure everyone is anticipating a new entry to the exciting blog... Well, here it is: Nothing! Absolutely Nothing!!!! Stupid!! You're so stupid!!! (Anyone seen UHF???) No, you're not really stupid. But, really, we've been super busy lately, but for the life of me I can't figure out why....
Let's see. Saturday, there was a bazaar at the Embassy. Devin was supposed to go early to help set up some tables and chairs and things. We all ended up going with him, since the kids LOVE to go places other than home (I don't blame them). We helped get all the food ready for the bakesale, and I checked out what the vendors had brought as far as their African Art...and Devin set up tables and tied up a tarp to give some shade to the servers because it was SCORCHING!!! Whew!! I found some super fun things there, and enjoyed speaking French and haggling with the vendors. That took up just the morning, but by the time we came home, we were all completely wasted! So, we watched some movies on the big screen! Woohoo! I love giant white walls and projectors! :) We went back to help take down, but in the middle of the take down, there was a HUGE downpour! What fun!!!!!!!! We all got soaked! I was laughing and enjoying myself, and Claire was crying her poor little heart out! Andrew kept walking right out in it and just standing there, wondering why he kept getting wet! :) Josh was mad because he got wet, and Devin looked like he'd been thrown in the swimming pool! :) LOVE the rain storms here!!!! A good soaking never hurt anyone! :)
Sunday was a nice day at church. It was a cool morning, due to the rain storms of the night before, so it was so much more bearable! :) Claire and Andrew still have struggles with church. Josh is ok, as long as I'm continually translating everything into English for him...which is good for my French comprehension, but he's not picking too much up. Oh well. After church, we had our home teachers over. We ended up having them for lunch as well, and that was really nice. We got a chance to 'BRT' (build relationships of trust) with them a bit, and get to know them--maybe helping them feel a little more comfortable with us. (Because we're SUPER scary people...) Then, we had all the missionaries over for dinner again. I cooked more food this weekend... No wonder I had lots of stress headaches!! Whew!! But, it was yummy! I made minestrone soup, with the famous Italian breadsticks (thanks for the recipe, Mom!!!) and yummy carrot cake for dessert! I didn't think I would have enough, but everyone seemed to eat their fill. Kind of like the widow and her son feeding the prophet Elijah...the flour just seems to keep coming, and we always have more than enough! :) (Just like every meal we eat...I always give all our leftovers to our guard(s) and/or housekeeper, and we always have enough! it's fun!)
Monday, Devin went to Douala...here, he is going to tell you about it:
Yep, I got to go to the biggest city in Cameroon and still come back home the same day at about the same time I usually do. Douala is the economic center of the country, the highest population center, and also the primary port city (Atlantic Ocean). We have an Embassy Branch Office there, which is primarily concerned with getting shipments through customs for US employees in Yaounde and a few other neighboring embassies. I got to install a regional HF radio there, which is used for communication in the event of emergencies.
The drive was probably the most interesting part. I saw lots of huge logging trucks traveling around 25 mph or slower. The highway from Yaounde to Douala is best compared to a two lane divided canyon road such as the one in Spanish Fork canyon. There wasn't too much traffic as we were traveling on a Monday during the day, but I hear that it gets VERY congested on the weekends. There were three "toll booths" where you had to pay to continue the route. At each of these stops, all kinds of vendors come up to your car and try to sell you things (usually snacks such as fried plantains, cooked fish, bananas, or other fresh fruit). I saw a fuel tanker with a goat tied on top of the truck, among other interesting mixed loads. There were also a lot of broken down trucks. To warn drivers of the trucks on the side of the road, Cameroonians grab clumps of grass with the roots and all in place of cones. It was pretty effective, but might not work during the frequent downpours in the rainy season. Then again, driving in general is in question during those downpours, like right now! Yes, the rain is pounding on our roof as I type this message. Emily is getting giddy! (E: Yes, I'm contemplating going puddle jumping, since the kids are asleep, and with the rain pouring down, I doubt I'll be bitten by a mosquito...)
All in all, Yaounde is a much more pleasant place to live in my humble opinion. Douala is more crowded, more hot, more expensive, and more dangerous. So it was an interesting trip, and I'm glad to be back home in Yaounde. Ok Em, back to you!
Thank you for that interesting look into Douala and the surrounding areas of our beautiful country of Cameroon. :) I just sat at home and tried to recover from all my cooking endeavors! :P
Tonight, while we were eating dinner, we were all just talking about something, and Claire pipes up and says, "When I'm a mom, I can wear necklaces all the time! But only when I'm a mom." Where did that come from?
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