Summer Alone 2

I have doubled my efforts to be sociable and to fully embrace and appreciate my fellow persons.

I had dinner with Palestinian headscarf/cloth cap man and listened to 2 hours of conspiracy theory that the VSO team here in the Far North are actually trying to get rid of all volunteers so they can give the money directly to their mates in the projects. I had to concentrate to stop my eyelids drooping as I know I am capable of falling asleep sat in a chair however uncomfortable.

I went for tea with the Spanish sister at Bogo catholic mission who is about my age and keeps inviting me, but up till now I could not understand her French. I can understand most of her French now and asked her all about the projects she was working on in Bogo with people with disabilities and with women’s groups in villages.

I went for dinner and helped prepare a plan of Maroua with website couple who have their own struggles with their placements and one is enjoying it more than the other. I am beginning to appreciate that even those who are out here as couples get lonely too. They have changed placements and are going to work in the capital Yaounde next week on VSO projects.

I had a spaghetti omelette and a beer with American Doug from peace corps who is also in Bogo and we talked about how peace corps is different from VSO and the post graduate programme he is trying to get on when he gets back. He is 28 and has never had a proper job.

Harira showed me her photograph albums.

The comptable matiere opened up his office and gave me a copy of the Bogo development plan which I have been able to get photocopied and is actually quite an essential document to help me make progress. I had an OK meeting with 1ier adjoint who I am starting to understand is pulling his hair out travelling to Yaounde and Doula to try and influence government officials to put more money into Bogo.

I made another lawane visit and had a really good meeting that about 22 local small business women attended who make food to sell, are dressmakers, hairdressers, calabash and pottery makers or other artisanal objects. There was a huge age range in the group and it is a big breakthrough for me where I am being supported by the regional delegate for the struggle for women and families or some such name.

I dealt, with help, from Hammadou the carpenter who was thankfully in the house at the time putting up curtain rails and fixing my toilet seat, with a huge swarm of flying termites. You don’t use bif baf powder on them. You turn off all the lights and then put a light on outside and open the doors and they all fly out. They don’t bite but they are big and were such a dense swarm around you it was disgusting. I have been finding dead ones in the house ever since.

I purchased 4 fantastically unique colourful bags (see the only one I have left above) made by prisoners by actually going into Maroua prison to ask, where they promptly open the hatch in a huge door – I think all the prisoners are just together in a giant compound and said give us your bags and about 20 of these beautiful hand-stitched bags came through the hatch that I could choose from at a fantastic price. I didn’t barter, but I wonder how much actually went to the prisoner.

We have all received a warning that there is a cholera epidemic in the Far North. It has been raining heavily and the electricity has been off all week, but it is not quite so bad not having a fridge because it is not so hot. I am pooing normally. I am a bit worried the mosquito scabs round my ankles are getting infected as we have been shoeless in the streets wading through muddy rivers of water and have been using antibiotic cream.

The moutons are still escaping and have eaten my maize and are now starting on the beans. They chew through the ropes we have been using to stake them to the ground. I am going to talk with Bouba about letting them graze outside the compound during the day and hoping that they have orientated themselves enough to come back at night.

Ramadan has started so no one is eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset and the mosque starts the call to prayer at 3.30am in the night so they can get up, pray and eat breakfast before it is light. The call to pray is less strident than Charles the male chicken crowing in the morning, but I still like him. He is so proud and handsome. The female I have called Cressie.

I have started visiting relevant ONGs – these are non governmental organizations working in the area to try and find what they are doing. I saw Sodecoton (support for cotton farmers), ESA (water, soil & trees) who advise on agriculture and I am going to 2 development projects in Maroua tomorrow before I head back to Bogo.