Learning Everyday Life in Cameroon

The last time I blogged I was listing our first impressions of Cameroon. I believe the next phase of moving into a new country is re-establishing a daily routine. So, let me take you on a day in my shoes here in Yaounde, Cameroon.

On any given weekday I wake up around 5:45 AM, just before the sun comes up. I shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Breakfast here is rather mixed, Leah and I have ate a lot of eggs and bread or in a rush just some bread with peanut butter and honey. The one surprising gift has been fresh whole wheat bread, a local Cameroonian lady bakes bread, tortillas, and bagels. Her father then comes around our housing compound in the late afternoon to drop off the fresh baked goods! Leah and I are out of our flat by around 6:45 AM to walk down our road to the main road (about 2 blocks) to catch our ride as we carpool with 3 others that work at RFIS. We usually arrive at RFIS just after 7 AM and I begin my daily routine to check the network, turn on the computer lab desktops and check the nightly backups. We have coffee break for 15 min just after 9 AM and let me tell you they bring in fresh coffee grown by a co-op of farmers in the Northwest part of the country in a town called Bamenda. SO GLAD to have locally grown coffee brewed daily! We break for lunch just after noon and can buy the Cameroonian meal of the day that a local lady prepares and sells for about $1. I will talk more about Cameroonian food later. We usually find a ride back to our compound that has about 20 flats, around 4:30 PM. We then either start to prepare dinner or a couple days a week will walk to a lady's produce stand to buy fresh produce, rice, and oil. We have been growing more comfortable with the type of meals we can prepare here in Cameroon. Through the help of my Cameroonian co-worker we are being introduced to making more traditional Cameroonian meals. Typically it is very affordable to buy produce and it is cheaper buy produce than it is to buy processed foods and that makes me very happy! After dinner we hang out with other missionaries or we relax for a bit before fitting in devotions and head to bed around 10 PM.

Obviously not everyday is the same, but this gives a snapshot of our daily routine that we are settling into here. Between the people, the food, and the environment we are falling in love with Cameroon!

Peace and Joy in Christ
Mark and Leah