3 August 2014
We arrived in Yaoundé Tuesday night –
Later than planned, as the weather made our flight
late.
Our friends, Gabrielle and Blake came to help with our bags
and sort out help at the airport. Amazingly, all 15 of our checked bags
arrived. We made it to our new ‘home’ around midnight, found pajamas and
toothbrushes and went to sleep. Wednesday
we woke to cereal, eggs and bread provided for us, and the beginning of the
fight with ants. The Mayos helped us
with lunch (peanut sauce beef) and all kinds of information:
How to use the water filter in our home (it’s a big plastic
bucket with a spout and another plastic bucket on top to put tap water it), the
importance of drying our dishes after they are washed and before using them,
making sure clothes are completely dry before wearing them, how to get internet
and phones, little tidbits about buying food from the ‘boutiques’ on the street
(little shacks or lean-tos on the side of the road); washing fruits and vegies
in bleach water solution for 20 minutes.
They had stocked our place with some essentials, but we would need to
shop soon.
We unpacked more in the afternoon and then had dinner with Ray
and Ann Kapteyn and their son- yummy mac-n-cheese and noodles with chicken
sauce.
(They were house sitting a parrot)
Wednesday night I took Noah’s temperature. 102.6.
No visits for him on Thursday! Thursday we went to turn our passports in
and receive certified copies until we have local id. And we went to the coffee break. We were fortunate enough to be there on a day
that a new testament was having a preview dedication. It is finished and has been sent to the
printers in Korea, but two prototypes were given to the pastor and leader of
the community.
Friday we had to
figure out lunch and it was only bread with jelly. Laura took us to a store in the pm- santa
lucia. That night it was dinner with Joey (guess what- peanut butter sauce
beef!). We talked a bit about the project
we might go to, the foundations that have been laid, and the distance to
travel. Food for thought-
Saturday we were up to meet Blake at 745 to go grocery
shopping. I don’t feel like we got
nearly enough food, but we ran out of money. We did buy something for dinner
for the week and some lunch meat. That
night we had dinner with the Isaac family.
Kendall and Renee have 3 boys, full of life and enthusiasm (and a bit of
mischief…) It was NOT peanut sauce! We
ate a sudo-lasagna with tomato and cheese and green beans and stayed and played
games.
Sunday we overslept and missed church, but had a picnic at
Rainforest International school. We met
lots of teachers, students, parents and staff of both rfis and greenhouse.
Tonight our hot water line leaked – tomorrow they will fix it!
(and they did first thing!)
First thoughts:
It is not all that different from what I expected.
The traffic is similar to that in Casablanca and what I saw
in Sicily 20 years ago.
The people are, at least outwardly, friendly.
Everyone is working.
There are so many stores or boutiques, or people walking with wares.
They are all looking
for more work. We have been offered
house help from many people and with high recommendations. On the aisles of the grocery, there are
people who are supposed to help you. One
on each aisle!
I have refrained from taking pictures of many things, but I
will take more as I sort out what is culturally acceptable.
Taxis are cheep and you give your price and see if they are
willing. A good taxi driver helps with more than driving. Pay with your right hand.
Meat is less expensive than in France. Other things, not so much. Cheese is pricey and there is not much to
choose from.
You buy peanuts in repurposed whisky bottles and they are
good.
Bread is white and not as good as in France, but not bad. Your house help can make it too or you can go
to the booth down the street. We can get
bagels here! And English muffins! We never found those in Albertville.
Older women are called mama.
You can barter, but the vegetable woman right outside my
gate does not lower her prices. She is
there all day each day with her children- except for Sundays.
Converting prices is crazy!
5,000 here is about $10 US. So
when grocery shopping for the first time, 50,000 is most likely not enough!
Power and water and internet outages are common, not usually
for too long, but it can be annoying when you had planned a Skype date and
something is out.
Weddings can go for HOURS!
The music Saturday started early afternoon and went all night until 8
a.m. LOUD with a wide range of styles.
They told us it is not like that all the time, but it is not unheard of
on a Saturday night. Tonight, Sunday, it
is quieter than any other night- or day for that matter.
Dogs are on the street at night.
When the president is scheduled to leave his palace, stores
are closed along the route for hours.
Guards with machine guns (or some kind of gun) line the street and are
atop of buildings. Don’t take pictures
of them.
I am tired here and hungry.
Always seem hungry. I think I
will have a snack now.
Outside the city is really rainforest but the city keeps
growing and moving in on it.
The roads here are like the JAARS off-road driving
course.
When the tap water is non-potable, cooking is seriously more
difficult and everything takes longer.
There is chocolate to be found here. It is not in the same class as
French/Swiss/Belgian chocolate, but it works!
There are beautiful flowers, birds, and lizards, but it is
hard to take their pictures because they are small/far away, or fast!
Food is more expensive than I thought it would be. Meat is
less or the same as in France, but other stuff is more that France.
Powdered milk isn’t so bad especially if it’s cold.
The kids are beautiful.
The ladies dresses are beautiful.
There is much beauty.
View down my street from a neighbor’s
porch
Red clay is still hard to get out of clothes and it will suck
off a flip-flop.
Thanks for reading and praying!
If you’d like to send a letter, our address is
Gassler Family
c/o SIL
BP 1298
Yaoundé Cameroon
We have phones and a shipping address if you would like that
information, send me an e-mail.
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