back to africa...

I have to admit, i wasn't crazy about coming back to Cameroon after two weeks in France.  Life was so comfortable there.  Food was so available.  Wine was so real.  Water was so clean.  Now i'm in the PC house in Yaounde as the rain pours down outside.  I'm thinking about how fun its going to be getting to the train station in a few hours with all of our bags.  Catching a taxi here means standing by the side of the road and shouting at cabs as they slow down.  If they have room and are headed in the direction of your destination, they stop, if not, they simply continue driving.  I know its not personal, but you do feel a bit dejected when they leave you on the side of the road.  Anyways,   we'll get to the station wet and muddy, ready for a 14 hour train ride.  As you can see from Judie's entry, the train can be fun.  However, we weren't able to get sleeper cars, so we'll be sitting upright all night.  If everything goes smoothly we'll be off the train by 6 am and into another car for a few more hours.  This is exactly what i did not miss.  the hassle of getting around this country.  Enjoy Amtrak while you can.  Stop to think about the paved roads next time you get in a car.  if you see a pothole, think of us.  How about those sidewalks, convenient, aren't they?

What I also realized upon our return is that people here can be so damn friendly.  Its perfectly normal to strike up a conversation about soccer or America as you're sitting on someone's lap in a cab or standing in line for tickets for over an hour.  

So other than the actual trip back to our village, I am happy to be back.  France was refreshing, and seems to have given me a renewed motivation.  WIth no formal obligations until August,  I plan on staying put for as long as I can and getting some real work done.  

We'll be back to the internet in a few months.  Enjoy the summer.  Miss you.