Blogs from Cameroon, Africa - page 7

Want to see exactly where we're going? Visit these URLs: http://www.travelblog.org/gmaps/map_tx.html http://www.travelblog.org/gmaps/map_ty.html I've finished all my packing. Let's hope my husband and kids actually pack their own clothes. Otherwise we'll have to shop upon arrival. I can't wait. I'm almost giddy. I always thought we'd live most of our married life in Cameroon but it didn't work out that way. It was a good thing in many ways but I am eager to see how things have changed, or stayed the same. If things are as I remember them or if the lenses of my youth are different than the bifocals of middle age. This time, however, I'm not sewing extra pockets into all my skirts. I did that the first time so that I could carefully slip food items I didn't like off my plate ... read more

Well, I just spent 45 minutes typing an updated entry and somehow managed to delete it... Oh, the joys of technology. Now, just watch, I didn't lose it and it'll appear right before this message when I recheck tomorrow. This time, you get the abbreviated version. We now have updated passports and visas. I couldn't believe that each visa cost $150! Wow. When you think of taking a trip, you just can't know all the incidental fees. Then, there were all the shots and meds we had to get. My family was covered by Kaiser and so it cost very little but my parents had to pay about $1000 for their shots. Ruth and I had the most to get as our shots were out of date. We had two kinds of hepatitis shots, meningococcal shot, ... read more

Eighty-three days sounds like a long time but it's less than three months until we leave for Cameroon, West Africa. There are tons of details to take care of before then: renewing passports, applying for visas, getting appropriate immunizations and last, but not least by any measure, packing. This is the story: As a 20 year old college graduate, I went to Cameroon to teach in 1980. I taught lit, math, and typing at Saker Baptist College. While there I met a young man (dressed in an orange polyester western leisure suit, with white cowboy boots, and sporting a Jackson Five 'fro -- but that's another story) who impressed me. After my two year tour, I returned to the US. Two years later, Joseph came to the US to finish his studies. We had kept in ... read more

I've noticed, that a negative strap line seems to get more visits to my blogs! Give the punters what they want! Whilst I've been here in Cameroon, the student protests have been a major news story. University students have been protesting about increases in student fees and inadequate facilities, including a lack of toilets. On April 27th the military and riot police invaded the campus of Buea University. They shot dead 2 unarmed students. The government has promised an inquiry. There's more coverage of this story at: IRINnew.org and at http://ambazonia.indymedia.org Cameroon, as a tourist destination has it all. Beach resorts, rain forests teeming with wildlife including lions, traditional villages clinging to rocky cliffs, and the regions tallest mountain. Poverty But, I wasn't in the country in the tourist season. I was here during the rain ... read more

Hola Discúlpeme todos por no haberles escrito antes la semana pasada estuve muy ocupado con mi trabajo y preparando un evento que es el tema de mi experiencia de esta semana: bueno estuve en un congreso que se llama NLDs (National Leadership Development Seminar) seminario nacional de desarrollo de liderazgo, este evento fue realizado en Bue una ciudad anglofonona, este evento se realizo por 3 días, fue buenísimos, conocí mucha gente de Camerún y de otras partes del mundo, por fin pude hablar un poco de espanol que por cierto ya me estaba dando dificultad hablarlo, conoci personas de Suecia(Sweden), Suiza(Switzerland) Japon(Japan), Holanda(Holland), Espana(Spain), The cook Islands (la verdad no conocía este país, para mi este pais si queda al otro lado del mundo queda mas lejos que Australia, estas islas son preciosas yo vi las ... read more