Not a good week

N

 

In general, I am not having a very good week this week. I still haven’t moved and after a month of waiting am having to up the anti to try and get staff to help me. I have been trying myself. I went to one of the two estate agents in Maroua at the week-end and am asking around as many of my contacts who are likely to know. The lack of privacy is really beginning to get me down.

 

The next crisis was the bloody gas canister which ran out. Gas canisters are heavy and awkward – 2 locals needed to disengage the thing as it was encrusted to the cooker, on the moto (big bribe to get clando to take one) on the bus, on another moto – turns out it is an obscure gas canister so have to swop for Total gas canister – return journey – need help to reattach it. I get frustrated with my inadequacy with practical tasks.

My national volunteer who I had such hopes for is at the moment more of a hindrance than a help. She has got immediately sucked into commune politics and runs round after the secretaire general which is not what she is supposed to do. Yesterday she froze at even reading out in French so I had to do it and think of challenging questions in a language I haven’t spoken fluently for 30 years to a bunch of smug men who think they’ve got Bogo sorted. I can do the work, but it is thankless and as yet I just can’t identify anyone who has any real commitment to it. The 1er adjoint who has all the power just gets on his mobile and makes sure they all come to the meeting and then goes off and does something else himself. Some of the staff do everything in their power to make me small, mock my French, speak in front of me in Fulfulde, but not all and these may in time be those who can influence change. It continues to utilize all my experience and is very tiring.

One of the interesting discussions we have on a regular basis is about the number of VSO volunteers who are moderately wealthy and spent their 2 years giving out their own money or money they have got through contacts to the local populace. This is a nightmare for the next white person that occupies their house as immediately they are inundated with requests for money for worthy or not so worthy causes and it can be very difficult in terms of relationships with people if you say no. One of the volunteers came after a wealthy Irish man named Rex and has had all sorts of problems. She tried to raise having a VSO policy on it, but some volunteers insist it is their right to do that if they so wish – not really what VSO is about though – but as I am fast beginning to realize shades of grey about what we achieve or how we achieve it are enormous.