Friday, September 29, 2006

Party Crashers

No picture for this one, so I hope that my description will paint a picture for you. Last Friday night the five of us (Peter, Meredith, Marianne, Fred, and I) decided we needed to go out to dinner. It is not as easy a concept as it sounds. First of all, once it's dark the police come out looking for their beer money. Second, there are no street lights and it's very difficult to see all the pedestrians that cross directly in front of the car. Anyhoo, we all piled into Marianne's car for an evening adventure. We went down the main Bastos Road and turned down a side street to park and find the gate, but couldn't. Marianne did a U-ey and we parked on the main road. Now, when I say park, it is not how you imagine. Parking consists of pulling one tire up onto the pot-holed sidewalk so most of the car is out of the street. Luckily Marianne was able to pull her whole car up onto the sidewalk without taking out any banana or peanut stands. We all got out of the car and entered a gate. We were greeted by a man with an umbrella, which is customary during the rainy season. I was the first one in so I greeted this lovely African woman with, "Bon Souir", thinking I was all that. There were about 10 people standing around on this veranda having drinks. They all looked at me quizzically, so I said, "La Salsa?"-the name of the restaurant we were trying to get to. Suddenly, a burst of laughter from the crowd. The nice African lady went on to explain, in pretty good English, that this was a party at a house, not a restaurant. We had crashed a private party!!!! We profusely appologized and quickly fled. As we passed through the gate it began to rain, Africa style. As we were running down the side street to find La Salsa we quickly became drenched as we were pounding on all the gates, to no avail. At this point Marianne smarted up and ran back to the car. Fred ran down the road, arms flailing, down the hill in the wrong direction.
Eventually, we all got into the car and went to this restaurant that we had been to before, Il Pasticio. We got in ok, squishy shoes and dripping clothes, to a nice table. Now the only saving grace for this restaurant is that it has really good French bread. The bread goes soft/stale within hours here because of the humidity. We decided to make the best of it and order. Unfortunately, our waiter decided that what we wanted to order was not right and argued with us about it in French. In the end, Fred's meat was gross, Meredith and I ordered the same thing but instead of cheese raviolis in a cheese sauce, she got red sauce with raviolis that were filled with tuna fish. Gross.
Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, for once, it didn't. During the meal our landlord had come into the restaurant. He let the rude waiter know he was picking up our tab! So in the end we at least didn't have to pay for the awful meal.
I am telling you this story because that is what our everyday life is--ups and downs. Nothing is easy here even though we do live a priveledged life. Just when we think things can't get worse, they usually do for a bit and then suddenly something really great happens. Good news is I am handling all this with mostly laughter and really doing ok with all of the crazy things each and everyday!!

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Good People, Good Times


At first some people were hesitant to dance at the party. After a few drinks and new music everyone got up and started to dance. What a great stress relief.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Dinner Party Extraordinair


The photo on the right: Helen, Dawn, Francois
The photo on the left: Jennifer, Francois, Helen, Jennifer Kennedy
As we were dancing Francois tried to show me how to dance African style. The great thing was that even the men starting dancing too, so Pete busted out his break dance move from the wedding where he spins on the floor. It was so great to be in a group of people that just like to dance.

Saturday Night Out


On Saturday night one of the French teachers, Carolle, had an awesome dinner party. Carolle is the lady on the forefront of the left picture. We pulled up to a long drive way, then entered through a gate , to a beautiful wrap-around drive way and a veranda. She had an open bar and really excellent food. There were people dressed in white to serve us. I keep saying, "different income bracket". We then started to dance. I have never been to a party where people just started to salsa. SO FUN!
The picture on the right: From the left is Dawn, Francois, Carolle, and Jennifer (Jennifer is married to a Sultan and is the head wife, so she is considered a queen- she is one of the ladies who works in the front office)

Food Photos



This is the meal that was served afterwards. It's not just the shot, the beers are indeed huge. It is 630cfa for a liter of beer. That translates to about $1.60. Claudette was at the head of the table so she took these shots. Yes, that is Fanta in a glass bottle!

Mbalmayo Ebogo


These are shots that Claudette took from our weekend trip to the pottery school and pirogue rides. Pretty huh?

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Saying Auvoir!

As we tried to leave, we had to go through another receiving lone. This time Waffie introduced us to his father. Harry told me that it is traditional for the men to only put their right arm through their sleeve. You can see in the picture that Waffie's dad has not put his left arm in the sleeve. You can also see the large screen that they have images of Saudi Arabia projected onto. There were huge photos placed all round the room too. They gave out posters and books that all these leaders/ambassadors/businessmen were all gong crazy for. Oh, and I did I mention the open bar was of juice and soft drinks? No booze.

Sexy Ladies!



We look good and we know it!

Good Looking Group

Jennifer, Katie, me, Claudette, Meredith, Waffie, Peter, Marianne, Fred, and Nanci.

What about the food?????

I didn't want to be too conspicuous and take a lot of photos. I already stood out in my bright green dress, with a 6 foot 4 guy swathed in yards of blue fabric by my side. However, Jennifer took this shot. The whole center of the room had these little delicate French pastries. The problem with these little French pastries is much like the other things here, they look so good from a distance, and then when you try them, they just aren't. For some reason anything chocolate has a funny taste to it. It's not just me, we have had entire conversations about it, with various people. The outer edges had a a buffet that went the entire length of the ball room. The best was the hummus, there were various mystery meats, Saudi Arabian fare, and of course a few Cameroonian dishes. Not lovin' the Cameroonian food so much.

Claudette-librarian, teacher, friend


Claudette and Peter are out on the patio, by a palm tree, sand, and a wooden camel. She is a great lady and has been a wonderful help with this "African Experience", as she likes to say. The other shot has Jennifer in it. She is the fourth grade teacher who I bugged with so many questions before we moved, another great lady.

The Big Event

When we arrived we walked down a long carpeted corridor, with guards all dressed in white. The receiving line had Waffie's (the boy in the picture is a senior at ASOY) father and some of his close personnel. We shook hands, bowed a bit and said, Bon Souir, as we entered. I forgot about women not pumping the arm during the hand shake and got stiff-wristed. In the photo- Pete, Meredith, Waffie, Marrianne, and Nanci. His father invited the whole staff. I would say there were over 300 people, almost all African, maybe a dozen Saudi Arabians, and maybe 50 expatriots. Waffie does not dress like that at school, just formal occasions.

Pajama Party????

Peter's outfit without the top layer, minus the hat. He only wore the hat for pictures. We weren't sure how the outer layer went, so we had to go down and ask the guards. Our driver gave him thumbs up! It was amazing how much more friendly people were to Pete and I because of how we were dressed, compared to how others in "western" clothes were greeted.

Heading Out for a Night on the Town


These are taken at Fred's apartment as we were heading out. Marianne also got her dress made. Despite not seeing them in the shot, her shoes were worth the battle to get them. She looked great! As did everyone else.

Stylin'!


Thursday night Peter and I went to our first Embassy Event. It was at the Hilton Hotel. We were invited to celebrate with the embassy workers of Saudi Arabia, all 3 of them. Pete and I got these outfits made down in the Muslim section of town called Briqettere. Our new mentor, Claudette, took us to her tailor on Monday after school. We went back Wed. Night for a fitting. the got them Thursday morning. Mine is a shirt and long skirt, the top is embroidered and cut out. Peter's outfit is really pants, and long undershirt that is all embroidered and goes down to his knees, and then the outer shirt, all embroidered. They are customary outfits for here. When we first got fitted it was during the day and the market place was packed. Luckily, Claudette's driver knew what he was doing and they have a Land Rover as the dirt roads were treacherous, from the huge potholes. We left and went to get Marianne some shoes, I will never do that again. It was part of the market place where the sellers are aggressive, shoving shoes into my hands, yelling. On the way home one of the traffic circles of death was all backed up so Mbalo, the driver, got out and directed traffic. Then he would get back in and inch up a bit, and get out again. INSANE!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

School Daze




These are shots of some of my students busy at work. I now have gotten student number 9. It is another boy, so the girls were disappointed. However, it is a good thing, because it evens out the boys to 6.

Last night was Open House. All of my kids and their families came, with the exception of the new student. It was a success, though it was a bit stressful for Pete. He had to do a speech at the beginning. He did do a good job by getting the audience loosened up.

Tonight we are off to the Saudi Arabian Embassy for a reception. Pete and I got outfits made. Stay tuned for some great photos, and of course all the details!!!!1

The Deep Dark Forest



The roots are where we entered into the rain forest itself. Meredith took these shots. We are actually inside an area like the picture to the right, still in the boat.

Scenic View



These are some shots of the river as we traveled down. The lili pads were a beautiful white and there were purple ones that were shaped like petunias.

Crazy Tourist


This is Fred holding a calabash. They are deceivingly heavy, the tree branches bow down to the ground with their weight.

Boating Antics


Here he is, Mr. Ya Gotta Regatta 2006!

Lazy River Ride



These are some of the shots Meredith took. You can see how nervous I was feeling in my body language. There was no where to put my stupid purse so I was clutching it the whole time. We have to have our i.d.'s with us at all times, and of course, hand sanitizer.

Take-out


That is the shack they cooked the food in. The chicken/fish were grilled whole. The chicken looked like someone just flattened it, but kept it in one piece. When it was brought to the table, each chicken had a gizzard on top. It is an honor to eat it, reserved for the oldest male. I think Fred refrained, but I am pretty sure Harry ate one of them. As you all know I have a heard time with meat, so I just concentrated on the beautiful scenery as all the true carnivores tore into the meat. I was fine as I enjoyed my liter of Castel beer and ate fries with hot sauce and a little fish. It is truly an experience to have a beer with your “principal” tearing into a chicken leg!

Crazy Calabash



These are calabash trees. They are not edible, but are used for making water containers. The lamp shade in Pete’s office is made from a calabash. They are the African version of Tupperware. You cut them open, take out the seeds, let them dry, and wha-lah!, instant waterproof container. I asked if we could have one and the man who ran the restaurant we ate at cut one down for me. As you can see, previous people had carved messages into some of them. There are some Asian writing symbols right by Pete’s head. Marianne got one too and we asked our guard to cut/dry it for us. I was too tired to ask him to show me, so don’t worry, that won’t be my homemade Christmas gift for this year!

You can see the restaurant we ate in afterwards. Claudette ordered for us. It was the usual fare- grilled chicken, fish, French fried potatoes, and fried plantains. It does not have a lot of flavor so there is this sauce they call pepper. It is hot, my eyes were watering, but the endorphins kicked in.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Team Canada



We were the first to pull away from the shore. However, Team Canada, Harry’s boat was always in the lead as we traveled.

Water Nymphs



These shots are of Fred and Marianne in their pirogue. You can make out in the background the women who were bathing nude as we got there. On the shore the lady in the pink shirt is Claudette and Fabien, our driver for the day, is up to the left on the shore. You can also see people doing their wash. If we had to do our wash that way we might get mango fly worms, as they lay their eggs on damp clothing. Fortunately for us, we have those tiny European washers at home.

Water Rides



The picture on the left is of a pirogue that is still being carved. They told us it takes 2-3 months to carve one by hand. I did not see any tools around, but they use machetes for everything here. I have seen them used to peel fruit, cut grass, hack weeds, and to stir up coals in a fire. The right photo is of the dock. The guides sit on boards that go across and are up higher. We all sat on wooden chairs with no legs. I asked how many kilos/people fit in a boat. He said 5 adults and some cargo. Pete, Nanci, and (I think) Fred put their hands and feet in the water. It was brown, but not murky and muddy. There were water lilies everywhere along the shore line

Pirogue



We then went on to a river ride in a pirogue. This van ride was even more adventurous as we went of the main high way again, into a more forested area. We stopped where a bridge was being built and Claudette spotted the river guides. So we all scrunched together, opened all the windows, and gave them a ride down to the river. It was the first time we heard “mondele”, which means white man. As we were driving we traveled through the two men’s village and all the little kids were waving and running after the van, just like in the movies. The two guys were laughing and explained that they were their kids and wanted to know where Daddy was going!

These shots are of all of us walking down to the river to get into the hand-carved pirogues. I was excited, as I had read all about the boats, and couldn’t believe they looked exactly like the books said. I was also tense as because in all the books it says not go in any water, except the ocean here, too many parasites. So, Pete and I got in and with the guide, the boat’s edge was only a few inches above the water. I flinched every time the boat listed to the side. I also tried to mentally measure the amount of water in the bottom boat, to see if it was increasing as we glided along the mirror flat surface of the river. The man in the right of the picture has a car seat on his head, that was one of the chairs someone sat in. He also has the oar he used to paddle us down river, and guide us back with the current going our way.

Pottery Barn...Not!



These are some examples of the pottery we saw. The photo on the left is still being hand-painted. There is a rooster on it. I purchased the bud vase, right above Fred’s knee, for 5000 cfa. We did not bargain or haggle for the prices at the school, because the funds go to the students to help pay their tuition. It was fun to shop and not have to argue with anyone. It was also very hard to choose as I wanted one of everything.

May the Force Be with You...



This is a door to one of the classrooms. It is all hand carved. Each door is one solid piece of wood. I am pointing to one that looks like Yoda for Star Wars.