March 4
Today was our first full day in Cameroon. We started the morning with breakfast at the guesthouse in Douala, and then we were picked up by our driver, Vincent. He took us to exchange money at an exchange, ie. a local on the side of the road with a pocket calculator! We also picked up food at a bakery for our “road lunch.” Our trip to Mbingo was a grueling 5.5 hr. death-defying drive consisting of narrowly missing pedestrians, cows, and motorbikes. Luckily our driver was very capable and had our safety in mind, although we aren’t sure if his horn has many honks left in it! We had one short stop in Bamenda to meet the field director and program director of Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC. After a short trip to Mbingo, we were given our room for the month. It isn’t fancy, but compared to the locals it’s luxurious. We have 2 beds, 2 dressers, a desk and chairs, along with a private bath. We met a nice couple, Ellen and Tom, from Massachusetts who have been here for 8 years. We met them at their house for a glass of water and a nice look at the mountainside behind their home. Afterwards we had dinner at the kitchen, where we met the cook, Margaret and a helper. We met 2 others who are working/volunteering here as well, a German girl and another from Arizona doing a rotation. Oddly enough she did undergrad at McGill, so Nick and her had a lot to talk about; what a small world! After dinner we explored the grounds a very little bit, because it was already dusk. Up by the hospital we ran into a Canadian anesthesiologist, and she gave us some tips for the upcoming days. We were back in our room by 7:15 to try and get our blog updated and watch some 24.
Day 2
March 3rd
What a LONG day. We finally made it safe and sound, but it took some effort and nerves needing to be calmed! We boarded our flight to Douala around 9:45 a.m., then got delayed nearly an hour due to an unruly detainee, who wasn’t too excited to be deported back to Cameroon. He was making sure everyone knew it, trying to make a ruckus to get kicked off the plane. His plan worked to get everyone up in arms, but we took off anyway. We made it a bit late but fine to Douala where we were greeted by the humidity and heat. After searching for our greeting party unsuccessfully, we waited in line for an hour to go through customs, and then it was on to the free for all of a small baggage claim area filled with 2 carousels and way too many people. After a few minutes we found 2 of our 3 bags and were greeted by Rachel. Nick found our final bag and she said, “Alright, Just push your way to the door!” It was an absolute zoo. We each had one bag in our hands and were corralled out 2 small openings where there were about a hundred young children and men who were all pushing and hoping to touch our bags, only wanting a bribe. It was quite the experience, let’s just say our hearts were sure pumping within no time. A few minutes later, our driver met us and we were able to leave the gated area. We drove about 15 minutes to our guest house which felt much safer! We met two other workers from the area who took us to dinner. Nick tried a local dish right away with some Ndole, some sort of greens stir fried with pumpkin seeds, meat and shrimp. I played it safe with a supreme pizza! We also got introduced to UBC soda, Pamplemousee, mmmm. At about 9 p.m. we had our sheet cocoons made up and turned in for an early evening at the guest house.
Day 1
March 2nd
Got up at the crack of dawn to make our 6:20 a.m. flight from CID to DTW. Thanks Boomer! We were then met at the airport in Detroit by my bro, Danelle and Wyatt. We spent the day eating our last dose of American food, and hanging out. Took Wyatt to the Children’s museum and his first trip to Chuckie Cheese, fun stuff! In the evening we made our way back to DTW to board our 6:50 p.m. to Paris. Flight was half full and uneventful. We arrived in France early.
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