I thought that the first blog in Cameroon should be some first impressions since we have arrived in Cameroon.
I was trying to write this blog entry a few days ago, so I hope I can remember some of the items that may almost seem normal now.
First Impression #1
People drive like in a video game! Yup!!! No traffic police = no rules to driving. In Cameroon when it comes to driving only 1 rule applies: Never assume the car in front, on the side, or behind you to do what one might expect. We had a motorcycle pass us on the right side of our van and then immediately make a left turn in front of us (all on a normal 2 lane street). The taxi's dart in and out of traffic stopping to pick people up and drop people off. No stop signs, traffic lights, nothing. Some missionaries have commented that it is kind of fun to drive as anything goes, but you always have to watch out for the cars that at full speed come across oncoming traffic from a side street. We will see if I dare to get a Cameroonian driver's license (lots of missionaries do here).
First Impression #2
The Cameroonian food is excellant, but you can find most all Western food here. The Cameroonian food is blessed with so many vegetables and fruits! It is currently the towards the end of the long dry season and still we can buy almost any produce, most from Cameroon (ex. Apples from South Africa, but Cameroon doesn't grow apples any time of year). You can find Western foods (cereal, bread, pasta, canned goods, etc) but for the same or higher price as you would pay in the US.
First Impression #3
We live in a compound with about 10 flats that are divided into about 21 apartments. So missionaries drop by like when people would show up at our dorm in College.
First Impression #4
Bugs/ so far ants are our roommates. Ants (the little sugar ants) can quickly figure out you have food in your kitchen and march themselves from the front door all the way into the kitchen and up the counter.
That is a quick list of first impressions here in Cameroon. Leah and I are continuing to adapt to the nice warm climate, but still enjoy a cat nap on a daily basis. Also, we loved our first semi-real Cameroonian lunch that I made today: Plantain with Red Beans.
That's all for now, I could go on and on.
Mark J
