Training

Sorry I didn't write more on the last entry. My host sister came with me and was standing over my shoulder. It was a little awkward. I have finally found an internet cafe that works with gmail so you have no excuse for not responding to my emails. I'll know. :-)

Mbalmayo is a good sized town for Cameroon. It's busy all the time and there are lots of people. For the most pârt they are friendly and security incidents for the group have been minimal. I had porcupine for lunch on Friday and it was terrible. Today I got yogurt, and it was quite exciting--dairy products are hard to come by here. My family only has powdered milk.

They are very nice people on the whole. They have hosted other PCTs before, so they give me my privacy, are patient with my French, and show me how to do everything. They tend to watch a lot of TV but tonight we're supposed to play a game. I have my own room, but opn Sunday I found a large roach. I hate roaches (in case you didn't know). So today I bought 'le Moon Tiger' to kill them. He may live now, but I will win the war. Oh, and monday morning a mouse was in my backpack. I whacked him with a flashlight until he ran away. The family cat must not be a good mouser.

My family lives near our training site. There are four girls: Nina 15, Andy 12 or 13, Lynn 9; and Xilia 4 or 5. The father is a teacher of masonry at one of the schools and the mother is a secretary in an office. Also, a younger sister or cousin lives with us. Her name is Mimi and she is a university student in Yaoundé. She's trying to take the TOEFL and go to the US. I think they want to take me to visit the volunteer they hosted. She is a teacher somewhere north of here.

Otherwise, the food is different but good. It can be a little bland and we don't eat much meat but I expected that. My host mother's neighbor is making me a dress, so I'll have to post a picture when it's done.

All the PCTs are getting along. Four have already quit (including one of the two married couples). I'm sure I can stick it out to the end. I had a rough night on Saturday, but I wrote Jeff a long letter and all is well. It's going on a plane back to the States so hopefully it'll be there soon. I'm still fairly upbeat. I haven't been very sick or uncomfortable yet *knock on wood* and I can't imagine any reason to quit and go home yet. Africa is diverse and interesting and I'm learning so much about myself every day.

The water wasn't working this morning so I took my first bucket bath. And I haven't screamed because of the roaches, even though they're really big. I don't like being so hot and sweaty all the time, but it's cool at night and I love the thunderstorms. So all is well.

A demain!