Hey guys! Long time, no post. I've been hanging out in Yaounde, same old same old. As I've heard said before, it's harder to write about a place after you've been there for a while, since things aren't new and exciting anymore. Life in Cameroon is still going well, though!
A few moments of interest:
-We walked into the SIT compound last week to find a small German Shepherd chained to the tree. Apparently, our Office Manager Bobo (a goofy man-child) bought him to protect SIT. Our live-in guard/janitor (a common job here), Jeremy, takes care of the dog, who has been named Hercules. The dog spends his days chained up and his nights, after the students leave, running around the compound (protecting us?). All of the Cameroonians involved in SIT, except for Jeremy, instructed me to steer clear of the dog and didn't seem to have any interest in ever getting to know him. Dogs are certainly not "man's best friend" in Cameroon. Even so, I decided that Hercules and I would become buddies. After a few days of him growling and barking at me, he warmed up to me and now he sits and gives his paw at my command. He looks a lot like my old dog, Julius, which means I'm obsessed with him.
-A few of us went to Douala, the economic capital and largest city of Cameroon. It's extremely hot there - I was dripping in sweat most of the time - but I got to see the ocean and some cool buildings. Perhaps the most interesting moment was when a completely nude old man wandered by us in the street.
-I met an intense Israeli man named Ofir who runs an NGO called the Last Great Ape Association, as well as several other NGOs that aim to fight corruption (particularly within the NGO community). He talked my ear off for about an hour and a half, giving me some ideas for my independent study project (ISP) - which starts in about three weeks! Overwhelming!
-A guy from the Israeli embassy is going to give me some matzah for Passover, which we're going to observe while in the mostly Muslim city of Ngaoundere. Should be interesting!
Now I'm off to finish the mounds of work I have to do for tomorrow. Wish my luck!
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