I’d like to warn readers that I have fallen in love with Cameroon, and can therefore guarantee an inappropriately long blog. Each time I try to cut down on the length of these writings, I seem to end up writing more, so if you decide to persist, do crack open a beer, or fetch a glass of wine, or a tall latte - whatever blows your hair back. We entered Cameroon via a bridge across the Cross River. It had been a slow drive from the Nigerian town of Ikom on account of our cab being stopped for numerous police checks. [View Full Entry]

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So we went to Kribi and it was alright the places that people must visit are the waterfalls and do not take those guides they will just clean your pockets for you :p Also go to grand batanga i think thats how you spell it, I'm not quite sure. Normally I would stay at Hotel du Phare but there is also July hotel and others. Most foreigners stay at Illomba. The setting is just like that of the village but its alright a bit far from the city but people are nice and do not forget to drink coconuts if you [View Full Entry]

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Typing using a French keyboard so difficult to use... will keep it short. We just traveled 12 hours by van in two separate middle of the night trips to get from Nkambe where the well project was completed to Bamenda and then back to Yaoundé where our flight departs at 2340 hours tonight. Legs 1 & 2 of the 6 leg journey complete. Next up is Brussels, New York, San Francisco, Truckee to Tahoma. I cannot wait to get home. Was an amazing experience, but I am missing John (and Kenya and Webster too) and home where my heart is. That [View Full Entry]

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The well has been successfully drilled and we are currently developing it. Pump is installed and the concrete pad goes in today. Hurray! It is pumping clean water and we have tested it for many water quality constituents. Will need to wait 24 - 48 hours for bacteria analysis, but it is looking good so far. Water hygiene education program is going very well. The Council Member in charge of sanitation and hygiene is so excited about the materials that I brought to share. He has been going to the radio station to announce more workshops and so the information dissemination [View Full Entry]

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Our road trip was painful but safe. My back went into spasms and my ass had a stroke! The first trip was about 7.5 hours on dusty, pot-hole roads, with 9 people and 14 bins and bags stuffed into an old toyota previa. We each had about 1/2 seat. But we made it to Bamenda safely. Then, the next day was 6.5 hours on an even worse dusty, windy, mountain road. This time we each had our own seat, but it was so dusty, we had to cook inside with the windows closed or risk respiratory failure! Again, we made it [View Full Entry]

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We made it safely to Yaounde' Cameroon after almost 3 full days of travel. We had two overnight flights and had some restless (seated) sleep on the planes. Exhausted to the point of brain damage. Tantoh, the man organizing the work we are conducting and community leader from the village we will visit, is an amazing personality. He is very animated, lively, and is excited that we are here. He has mentioned that the TBI program he participated is finally creating impact by all of us arriving. Bryon VL would be so proud and excited to hear him talk about the [View Full Entry]

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Getting ready to leave tomorrow. Wanting a way to keep in touch without having to memorize everyone's email addresses! Be back in 2009. [View Full Entry]

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Map of travel route attached. [View Full Entry]

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The Republic of Cameroon, located in the heart of Africa at the cross points of West and Central Africa, is full of mystery, tales, and stories. Cameroon is one of the oldest countries in Africa. The creation of what is now Cameroon remounts to 8000 BC and was considered as a meeting point of cultures, ethnic groups and peoples. The country is blessed with miles of cost line, beautiful beaches and gorgeous mountains and picks, rain forest and waterfalls, and wildlife and savannas. Modern day Cameroon started in 1472 with the arrival of the slave traders and colonial masters known as [View Full Entry]

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New things I now eat: I love pickles. Once I loved pickles the way I love ice cream. I am becoming tolerant and even care for eggplant (small pieces) and I do like green olives! My host father is very happy that I can eat cooked apples and not ones that grow from the tree. I love food. I thought I loved dark chocolate, and I do, I just don't like REALLY dark chocolate because it tastes not good. Today, Tuesday, I do not have class until 3:25pm. This is quite nice because I usually get to have a relaxing awakening [View Full Entry]

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