I

10/2/2010
Last week I went to get some authentic Cameroonian clothes tailored. Gramps took me to his guy and luckily for me, this man spoke a little English and understood that I wanted a boubou made with matching pants. For anyone who doesn’t know what a boubou is, google it, it is amazing. Originally the guy gave me the homme blanc price but Gramps and his sister, who came along with us, talked him down to a solid eight grand (in CFA, of course) . Pictures will come soon. After that adventure, we went back to his sister’s house where we were served some cous-cous and fish gumbo. I will be happy when the day comes that I do not have to look my food in the eye before I eat it. Then we went to the supermarket so I could get some much needed supplies for washing my clothes and cleaning my water (same substance). This market is in downtown Bafia and, I am not going to lie, it is definitely not a safe area. I felt as though I was being watched and not with the amusement I have experienced in Lable, but suspicion and maybe some malice.

Speaking of risky situations, the Peace Corps flew us into the city of Doula, Cameroon. The city is so dangerous that normally PVCs are not allowed to visit for any reason. When we exited the airport, we were guarded by about 20 police officers and loaded on a bus that was surrounded by gawking people. One person tried to steal a bag of ours and was beat off by an officer. We then had police cars escort our bus through the streets, which were so crowded that the officers had to literally push motos out of our way. Once we got to our hotel, we were not allowed to leave and officers with Uzis guarded the door. Welcome to Cameroon.

By the way, I am sorry for the spelling and grammar but I am writing this on the fly due to the electricity situation.