Moving, Dancing, and Drumming

Suddenly, earlier this week, my host family told me we were moving. The reasons were a bit unclear to me, but I overheard my host sister saying something like, "the financial crisis has touched a lot of people." Originally, the family was going to move to another of the "SIT-approved" neighborhoods, called Golf, but there was a problem with the landlord. Instead, we moved to a slightly farther neighborhood called Etoua Meki. My family said they were planning to tell Nathalie, our homestay coordinator, after we moved in.

The neighborhood is much more mixed than Bastos, which is the wealthiest in Yaounde. We live in a small but nice apartment in a two-flat, next-door to mud-walled shacks. For security purposes, we have a guard who sits outside and a police officer who drives through the area each night. (To achieve this, Maman took me to the police station, where everyone seemed to know her. "Bonjour, Maman!" they said. She put her arm around me and explained that she was caring for a young American, and needed extra security around the house. They agreed without argument. It seems that Maman has some pull around here...)

This afternoon at the SIT office, we had an intense dance class that was a mixture of workout routine and traditional African dance. There was a lot of hip-thrusting. The background music was supplied by a drummer playing a West African instrument called djembe. The dancing was followed by a drumming lesson, after which my hands felt completely raw. Now I've got to take a taxi back to Etoua Meki (it's a little too far to walk) to see the family. Tomorrow, we're visiting a gorilla sanctuary! I'm so excited!