Even in America you have to queue up!

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Today we renewed our two younger children's passports. I slipped out during lunch at school (I'm a teacher) assuring my principal I'd be back in time to teach my 7th graders. I headed to the local city hall, a ten minute drive away. Due to torrential rains, the first in months, it took me 55 minutes to get there. My husband had the day off and so he took the kids from school and met me there. We thought it would be a short wait, sign the docs, and take off.

The deal is that the passport office is only open from 12:30 to 4 pm. What kind of hours are those? Virtually everyone must take off work or school to make it at that time. Joe arrived at 12:45 and got number 10. An hour later, the agent was calling number 3! It was clear I would not make it back to teach. Our oldest called us from school to tell us his cross country uniform was in the truck and he had to have it by 3. Number 4 didn't show and then the nice older woman sitting next to us said she'd trade numbers because she had nothing else to do that afternoon. So we ended up 6. What a jewel! We'll have the passports in 4 to 6 weeks, just in time to apply for our visas.

I raced back to school.

Other news: Cody can't come afterall. His parents didn't want him gone for Christmas... I can understand. (Although I have to say that I have fond memories of Christmas in Cameroon. My second Christmas, I travelled to northern Cameroon with several other teachers. We stayed in a Catholic guest house and drank breakfast coffee au lait out of what appeared to be bowls... We attended Mass in the evening. In French. The songs were all familiar even though we didn't speak French. We sang along in English.)

Talked to the travel clinic. They recommend current tetanus shots, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Polio, Yellowfever, Menigitis shots and then malaria prophylactics and stuff for diarrhea. We won't need all of those, however, since all seven of us have been overseas in the last few years (either Africa or Ukraine).

Mom is already figuring out what to pack, how to dress, and what to fight mosquitos with... I'm tempted to travel with two wrapas and a couple of shirts. Travel light.

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Comments

[Kwasi Appiah]

Great
Ah, what a beautiful family, and what infectious smiles they sport; and from what you write, the brain power to match the billion-dollar smiles. You know, I came from Ghana to attend college (Yale and Princeton) a few years ago and now I live in Chicago. This explains my fascination with your family. I arrived with a shaved head (aka Michael Jordan) and I still keep the hair off - aha, I've one on you Mr. former 'fro! I try to keep an eye on developments on the continent, especially from the viewpoint of those who revisit. So now you know where I am coming from. I have bookmarked your journal and would be checking in now and then to see how things are coming. Thanks for responding.

[Robert Tambe]

Grandpa's experience
I live in Baltimore and grow up in Cameroon(Mamfe). My mom is a memeber of the Presbyterian Church in Mamfe. I enjoyed reading your grandpa's writeup. I intend having my future kids go to cameroon for the experience and to see life from a different perspective.