I’ll admit I’ve been lax about writing my blog lately. I just don’t feel particularly eloquent.
The biggest, most important event was the arrival of six computers at the lycee. I’ve been kept out of the loop lately so I’m not very happy with the administration right now. We’ll see how things work out. I’ve only been able to hold practicals with one class because the electricity was cut for about 24 hours. Computers aren’t much good without it. It was total chaos in the computer lab because I was trying to evaluate the students and there are just too many of them.
I’ve been busy with school. We started back on the 8th of January and I haven’t had much free time since then. Friday was the end of a grading sequence. I have piles of papers to correct before I can calculate grades and fill in report cards. So much work! Next Saturday we’ve planned an excursion to the mountains. It will be a welcome break from the tedium of Bokito.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Bonne annee
Here I am, back in Yaounde after a very long month at post. Much, much too long. I'll take the time to write a proper message later this weekend.
It's hot. Hot during the day and cold at night. It's annoying, but I appreciate the fresh air in the evenings.
It's hot. Hot during the day and cold at night. It's annoying, but I appreciate the fresh air in the evenings.
Friday, January 05, 2007
I'm using the internet in Bokito! Hell is frozen over!
28/12/06
Well, I’m back at home for at least awhile. I’m tired of traveling. It’s hard, in this country, to get excited about going anywhere by bush taxi, you and your nine friends squeezed into a 15 year old Toyota Corolla. I plan to rest and recover for a few days. I told my host family I’d go visit them again in Mbalmayo (I went for a few hours one afternoon before Christmas) but I’d like to just sit. Of course, after a few days here with nothing to do, I might get bored.
I actually have a lot of things to do. I have a long list of tasks, especially around the house, that need to get fixed or cleaned or arranged. Lessons need to be planned, the cats have to be vaccinated, etc.
02/01/06
Bonne annee! Thanks to Sarah for informing me that young children wishing you a happy New Year expect candy. They bring you a leaf or a flower and you give them 50FCFA. As my fellow PCV texted me “What an odd people of beggars. How much am I supposed to give them?” It’s a little weird, but oh well. I’m still here. I’m always reflective around New Year’s and this year it passed quietly. For the most part, at least. See the story below.
I’ve been back in village for about 5 days now. Somehow, all this time has passed. I have no idea what I’ve been doing, but apparently it took a lot of time. I’ve done a lot of laundry, cleaned, cooked, visited, read, wrote letters and watched DVDs. I supervised the washing of my floors; I paid the girls in Jolly Ranchers. I’ve held a lot of babies. Just about everyone I know has given birth in the past month. It makes for a lot of diapers on the clothesline and more public breastfeeding than I’m comfortable with. I shelled peanuts. I went to market. The internet café is never open, so I rode my bike or sat on my front porch. I have managed to do only one work-related task (a report for PC) though I have yet to plan a single lesson. I’m glad I haven’t lost my procrastination skills.
I cannot fathom how boring the summer will be.
Your Pipe Is Broken
On New Year’s Eve someone busted the water pipe that branches off to my house. I had been at a neighbor’s house but came home after President Biya’s address to the nation. All of a sudden, it sounded like rain. In the middle of the dry season, what is going on? Oh, indeed, there was a downpour in my front yard, which quickly created a small river flowing down the street. I just wanted to go to bed and wait out the hangover, but instead I got crowds of neighborhood kids playing in my sprinkler system. Little did I know, I should’ve charged them admission to the water park. Everyone in the neighborhood came to inspect the problem. Since the break was ahead of my meter, I wasn’t paying for all the water now soaking into my front yard, but I no longer had water in the house. Nothing could be done, it was late.
The next day the kids told me “le chef de SNEC” (the state water company) had come and seen the problem. Surely he would show up. The guys at SNEC work on Sundays, surely New Year’s Day wouldn’t keep them from fixing their pipe. After all, everyone agreed, it’s their water being lost. Apparently he was hung over too, because no one came. Today my neighborhood went to their office to see what was what. SNEC wanted to see me. Apparently they’d been waiting for me to show up (despite the fact that I live a block from their office and they know good and well it’s my house). I was informed I would be responsible for the water lost (calculated by SNEC), the materials and the manpower to fix the pipe. Are you kidding me?
I pointed out I hadn’t busted my pipe, I didn’t know if anyone had busted my pipe, perhaps it broke because the pipe is exposed and they use cheap plastic.
Oh, well, you must protect the pipe yourself. You are responsible for your branch.
Sir, it’s not my pipe. It’s your pipe. It’s your water. I’m not paying for the water lost. You didn’t fix it.
Here’s the form you must fill out. We’ll have to send it away. Then we wait for them to calculate your bill. You pay the bill, then we fix your pipe.
Why do I have to pay for your water?!
Well, it’s clearly a case of vandalism and you don’t know who did it, do you?
No, but it’s not my fault!
You are responsible. Or you can pay for the materials and the labor now and we will come fix it today.
Today? How much?
I doubt the matter was solved “officially” and I’m guessing that no one else in SNEC is aware that anything happened. Who cares, I’ve got water. I paid $10 (unfortunately, ¼ of all the money I have) for one guy to work five minutes to replace a cheap plastic pipe in my front yard. The only satisfaction I got came when his work sprayed a bystander who was being particularly patronizing. You shouldn’t let any children play around here. It weakens the pipe. You see the soil has eroded from the rains. You must tell the proviseur and have students cover it with earth.
Gee, thanks, man. I’ll go ahead and put up that barbed wire fence I’ve been planning around my yard. How exactly do I stop my yard from being a crossroads? Trust me, I’ve considered this problem every time someone walks past my bedroom window at 4am.
As I was leaving the office, the director showed me his broken moto handle. Apparently he’d broken it when he came to my house around 11pm on Dec 31 to inspect the damage. Ashia. Next time just stay at the party.
Well, I’m back at home for at least awhile. I’m tired of traveling. It’s hard, in this country, to get excited about going anywhere by bush taxi, you and your nine friends squeezed into a 15 year old Toyota Corolla. I plan to rest and recover for a few days. I told my host family I’d go visit them again in Mbalmayo (I went for a few hours one afternoon before Christmas) but I’d like to just sit. Of course, after a few days here with nothing to do, I might get bored.
I actually have a lot of things to do. I have a long list of tasks, especially around the house, that need to get fixed or cleaned or arranged. Lessons need to be planned, the cats have to be vaccinated, etc.
02/01/06
Bonne annee! Thanks to Sarah for informing me that young children wishing you a happy New Year expect candy. They bring you a leaf or a flower and you give them 50FCFA. As my fellow PCV texted me “What an odd people of beggars. How much am I supposed to give them?” It’s a little weird, but oh well. I’m still here. I’m always reflective around New Year’s and this year it passed quietly. For the most part, at least. See the story below.
I’ve been back in village for about 5 days now. Somehow, all this time has passed. I have no idea what I’ve been doing, but apparently it took a lot of time. I’ve done a lot of laundry, cleaned, cooked, visited, read, wrote letters and watched DVDs. I supervised the washing of my floors; I paid the girls in Jolly Ranchers. I’ve held a lot of babies. Just about everyone I know has given birth in the past month. It makes for a lot of diapers on the clothesline and more public breastfeeding than I’m comfortable with. I shelled peanuts. I went to market. The internet café is never open, so I rode my bike or sat on my front porch. I have managed to do only one work-related task (a report for PC) though I have yet to plan a single lesson. I’m glad I haven’t lost my procrastination skills.
I cannot fathom how boring the summer will be.
Your Pipe Is Broken
On New Year’s Eve someone busted the water pipe that branches off to my house. I had been at a neighbor’s house but came home after President Biya’s address to the nation. All of a sudden, it sounded like rain. In the middle of the dry season, what is going on? Oh, indeed, there was a downpour in my front yard, which quickly created a small river flowing down the street. I just wanted to go to bed and wait out the hangover, but instead I got crowds of neighborhood kids playing in my sprinkler system. Little did I know, I should’ve charged them admission to the water park. Everyone in the neighborhood came to inspect the problem. Since the break was ahead of my meter, I wasn’t paying for all the water now soaking into my front yard, but I no longer had water in the house. Nothing could be done, it was late.
The next day the kids told me “le chef de SNEC” (the state water company) had come and seen the problem. Surely he would show up. The guys at SNEC work on Sundays, surely New Year’s Day wouldn’t keep them from fixing their pipe. After all, everyone agreed, it’s their water being lost. Apparently he was hung over too, because no one came. Today my neighborhood went to their office to see what was what. SNEC wanted to see me. Apparently they’d been waiting for me to show up (despite the fact that I live a block from their office and they know good and well it’s my house). I was informed I would be responsible for the water lost (calculated by SNEC), the materials and the manpower to fix the pipe. Are you kidding me?
I pointed out I hadn’t busted my pipe, I didn’t know if anyone had busted my pipe, perhaps it broke because the pipe is exposed and they use cheap plastic.
Oh, well, you must protect the pipe yourself. You are responsible for your branch.
Sir, it’s not my pipe. It’s your pipe. It’s your water. I’m not paying for the water lost. You didn’t fix it.
Here’s the form you must fill out. We’ll have to send it away. Then we wait for them to calculate your bill. You pay the bill, then we fix your pipe.
Why do I have to pay for your water?!
Well, it’s clearly a case of vandalism and you don’t know who did it, do you?
No, but it’s not my fault!
You are responsible. Or you can pay for the materials and the labor now and we will come fix it today.
Today? How much?
I doubt the matter was solved “officially” and I’m guessing that no one else in SNEC is aware that anything happened. Who cares, I’ve got water. I paid $10 (unfortunately, ¼ of all the money I have) for one guy to work five minutes to replace a cheap plastic pipe in my front yard. The only satisfaction I got came when his work sprayed a bystander who was being particularly patronizing. You shouldn’t let any children play around here. It weakens the pipe. You see the soil has eroded from the rains. You must tell the proviseur and have students cover it with earth.
Gee, thanks, man. I’ll go ahead and put up that barbed wire fence I’ve been planning around my yard. How exactly do I stop my yard from being a crossroads? Trust me, I’ve considered this problem every time someone walks past my bedroom window at 4am.
As I was leaving the office, the director showed me his broken moto handle. Apparently he’d broken it when he came to my house around 11pm on Dec 31 to inspect the damage. Ashia. Next time just stay at the party.
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