day 1 - Blogabond

my first meal in cameroon consisted of fish and rice and sauce. the fish reminded me of a very fishy trout...with little bones, good meat, and the skin still left on it. it's round and long with one bone through the center. it made for a delicious first...and second...and third meal :)

after that the doctor's daughter and i went to market. it was brilliantly busy with MANY buildings made with a pole at each corner, a tin roof, and some had something similar to seedsacks laying on the floor to keep it clean. there were vegetables, spices, and fruits of all kind. (2 small pineapples selling for 500 franks (1 dollar=450 franks!). People shop very locally around here! :) We even bought a chicken (a live one) and carried it home (tomorrow we'll eat it). ....For a chicken about to lose her life, she was very well-behaved.
I was looking for some pants (i DEFINITELY could have worn my own), and stepped into the 'dressing room.' (there were more pants around me. no mirror.) ...it's quite an adventure.
fortunately, i felt that i'm not as famous here as i was in India. more people smiled at me in a friendly way, than in a "i can't take my eyes off of you" kind of thing. i did get hissed at only a couple times and it took me back to bolivia for a moment. phht phht...
i feel like a child at times. slightly dumb since i'm unable to communicate very clearly with people. lucky for me this is primarily an english speaking area and the only thing really holding me back is catching on to the accent. it must be what newbies experience in the heart of kentucky with our "ya'lls" and "ain'ts".

when we returned from market, the daughter and i worked for half an hour to an hour on peeling ginger and garlic. my mom would probably be proud of me, but offended that i don't work as hard at home! (sorry mom!)

then i went to take a short nap...which turned into three hours. i thought night shift would make the time change easier but i find myself very sleepy. of course, it is only the end of the first day.

speaking more with the doctor about the kind of work that we will do is very interesting. we've talked about a lot of ideas i hadn't thought of when it comes to community healthcare. i'm very eager to work bedside her and learn....

all for now! love you all!

written by

theresa on October 17, 2009 from Douala, Cameroon

from the travel blog: to africa

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