Day 106 - Cameroonian Travel Adventure

Friday, January 19, 2012

Well today we are leaving to travel around Cameroon for the next 10 days. We will be catching the bus to Yaounde very shortly, nice and early here 6:00 am. When we arrive in Yaounde we will get train tickets and take the overnight train to another town. Our final destination will be Koza, Cameroon where one of Mary and Tabby’s friend from school is serving. However, the only way to reach Koza is by a long moto ride, this is going to be a great experience! Once we reach Koza, our plan is to go on a “safari” and head to Rhumsiki. This was a last minute trip, so we will see how everything turns out! We have a long trip ahead of us on bad roads, it will probably take close to 3 days to get to the Extreme north of Cameroon, so please keep us in your prayers as we go on our adventure around Cameroon! I cant wait to tell all of you about it when we return, this is going to be quite the adventure. We don’t speak French, we have never been there, it was last minute and we don’t know what to expect!
I will be leaving the internet behind for the next 10 days while we are gone, so keep checking back in about 2 weeks to hear all about our adventure around Cameroon! I love you all and will keep you in my prayers as well! Hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the snow, I’m slightly jealous of all of the snow! Talk to you soon! Can’t wait to show you the pictures and tell you about our experience of traveling in Cameroon! Love you!

Day 103-105 - What a week!

Day 103 – Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Today was pretty busy in the clinic, we saw quite a few patients. I don’t remember everything that happened. All of the days have been jumbling together because we have seen so many patients. It is very weird being the one to make the final call, I’m not sure I really like it; I liked having more than just one opinion. Anyways its good practice though.

After work we went up to market and got some things and then we came back and got ready to head to Lea and Christiane’s new place. When we got there, Lea was still at market, so we waited for her to come home. Christiane worked on dinner and we hung out and helped a little here and there. When Lea came home we all hid and yelled “surprise” when she came in the door because we were celebrating her birthday. We had cake and fruit salad first and then we had dinner. For dinner they made Irish potatoes and beans all mixed together with palm oil, it was actually pretty good. Once we finished dinner we made some s’mores. I think they all really enjoyed that.

We then hung out, and watched football and then the guys walked us back home. It was so sweet of them, that never seems to happen back home, what gentlemen! When we got back we went straight to bed, we were exhausted.

Day 104 – Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Today was pretty slow in the clinic, not many patients. We did some research on things and just hung out. We saw a few patients here and there, but not as busy as some days.

After work we all decided it would be a good idea to make vegeburgers, so that’s what we did. Yanin came over and we had supper together. After supper we all made the decision to head up north for about 10 days or so leaving on Friday. We discussed it and kind of planned a few then out. We then called it a night. Today wasn’t very exciting.

Day 105 – Thursday, January 18, 2012

Today was SOOOOO busy. I don’t even know where to begin. It was like once we finished one book there was another book in the door. And then I couldn’t keep the patients straight. It was busy and stressful today. We were missing Sarah and Lea today, which may be why it was so stressful! Anyways, it was very busy today and we saw many patients.

Mary and I went and took a break around 1 and we got some more soy milk along with some digestive cookies, they were wonderful. Once the day finally ended it was such a relief.

Once we finished up in the clinic we went to the bank and headed to market. We also got our bus ticket for Yaounde. When we were at market today, I guess so guy was trying to steal things from us, so one of our friends came and told us that he was, and when he told us he was not happy. It was so nice of him to tell us!

After market we got back around 7 and we went down and ate dinner at Bill’s. It was very good. After dinner we worked on packing and getting ready to go. Called my parents and Lizzy and then called it a night.

Day 102

Monday, January 16, 2012

Today was just one of those days. Everything was awful. This morning was very boring for me and I felt like I wasn’t needed. I saw maybe one patient, I can’t remember, all I remember it was a rough morning. Around lunchtime everyone left to give blood, however I decided not to because last time I checked I was slightly anemic and Andrea needed my help to set up the tofu demonstration.

I didn’t go back to the clinic because it had slowed down and I was helping Andrea set up. We went to grind the beans and then set everything up. We also started making it before people came.

The tofu demonstration turned out really well, there were about 25 people that showed up and I think it went very well. After it was finished everyone tried it and then we started cleaning up. We visited with the French people and had a nice chat. After that we went down to Bill’s place and made some dinner and hung out. After dinner we went up and hung out. Then called it a night.

Day 101

Sunday, January 15, 2012

This morning we woke up later than planned. I was going to do laundry, but we didn’t have any water. We went and asked Samba about it and come to find out they had shut the water off due to another leak. We grabbed some duct tape and fixed it and turned the water back on. We had water upstairs for about 30 seconds and then we had nothing. So I called down to Mary and Tabby and they had water, so I went and showered down there. There was very little pressure, however there was water. As soon as I got soap in my hair there was no more water. Mary went to check it out and I tried using the faucet. The water came back enough to get the shampoo out of my hair. I then but conditioner in my hair and started washing my body, but again the water disappeared. There was enough for me to wash my hair out under the faucet, definitely not the ideal way to take a shower.

We then left for Limbe when everyone arrived. We went to Limbe to grab some lunch at Arne’s. We had a Mediterranean pizza and sandwich. I also enjoyed an iced coffee. It was a very relaxing day.

When we returned home from Limbe, I hung out in my hammock for a little bit until I got too warm. As I was sitting on my bed relaxing, I heard Jordan (the dog) come up to our room, but I didn’t hear Bill so I went out there. Bill was coming right behind Jordan and wanted to see if we wanted to go for a walk. I went with them and it was very nice to get some “fresh” air.

When Mary and Tabby returned we hung out, and watched a movie together with everyone. After the movie, it was late so we decided to call it a day. Goodnight.

Day 100

Sabbath, January 14, 2012

Today we woke up, got ready for church and went down to walk up to church. Before going up to church I had to change because I missed the memo that I was to wear the dress that Richard gave us. After changing we walked up to church. Surprisingly today was super short sermon in church, which I was very surprised.

After church we walked back, we made chili and cornbread (thanks for the corn bread mom, it was a hit). Yanin our Costa Rican friend made a delicious fruit salad. Andrea and Walters were there, so the two of them joined us for dinner as well.

After eating we were so full, we hung out and relaxed and visited. After a while of visiting I was tired and went up to take a nap. I don’t think I actually ended up sleeping, but I attempted. I sat in my hammock for awhile and then decided to get ready to go to dinner.

We were planning on going to Jay’s Grill, but when we got there they were having a private party, so we decided to go to A-1 Bakery. When we got there, once again they were pretty much out of everything, so I got the usual; egg sandwich. It was alright. I also go “heavenly” hot chocolate, its pretty good actually. The British manager named Esther came out and brought us a big pitcher of hot chocolate, and told us Happy New Year and gave that as a New Years gift. It was so sweet of her! I was so full by the time I finished everything I didn’t think I was going to be able to able to enjoy any more hot chocolate, but I definitely made room and it was delicious. When we finished eating we headed back and went to bed.

Day 99

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Well today was another interesting day.

This morning Trixy was in a meeting for about an hour so we started seeing patients thinking she would only be at tops 20 minutes, but she was definitely more than that. The first patient we saw had blood in his urine, so we took a history and physical and then went to find Trixy. We told her we wanted to do a Urine Analysis along with a Sediment spin down and she said that would be alright. We told the patient we spoke with Trixy and that was alright. The next patient  (not for little ears) we saw was having problems with having an erection and keeping his erection. We again did a history and physical. We went out of the room thinking Trixy would be back shortly, but she was taking to long so we just decided to have him do some lab tests. We had him do diabetes, HIV and urine analysis, I think that was it, but another problem he has uncontrolled HTN.

When Trixy got back she looked at what we did and was fairly content. She then did an echo on the patient with blood in the urine to take a look at his bladder, unfortunately she didn’t find anything in the echo. We saw many more patients but I don’t remember all of them, but it was a busy day. We had a few echos to do as well.

To be honest the only other thing that I really remember today was the lady that had a miscarriage. I’m not sure how far along she was, but she wasn’t extremely far along. She came in and was in a lot of pain, so we sent her to the lab to do a malaria test. Poor thing not only had to go through having a miscarriage, but she also had malaria. Trixy went in and started removing blood and the placenta that was coming out of the uterus. She kept pulling blood and placenta out until it wouldn’t come anymore. The last thing she pulled out was a big chuck about the size of an egg. We took it into the other room and she showed me it. You could see the gestational sac and the placenta, you could also see where the pregnancy implanted into the uterus, it was very interesting to see it, but very heartbreaking.

The lady who had the molar pregnancy came back today and had confirmed her complete mole pregnancy, which means there is no embryo. The patient decided to go back to America to have the mole removed. I think that was the best thing to do, I think she will be back for about 3 months to measure the hormone levels for a while to make sure everything is alright. Please continue to pray for her and her family as they travel back home and as she has the mole removed.

After work today, I worked on my project. We had bible study and then went down to the hospital to talk with the patient that was in there, he decided to head home, so we visited with him and then discharged him from the hospital. When we finished with that we went and said goodbye to Trixy. Went up and went to bed.

Day 98 - Beautiful People

 Wednesday, January 11, 2012

During worship this morning the phone was ringing towards the end and it kept ringing, the person was very persistent. It was our patient from yesterday who was in preterm labor. She called to tell us that her membranes ruptured. I’m not sure what will happen, but whatever the outcome I pray that the Lord will comfort her!

Today felt busy, but we really weren’t very busy.  We saw several babies today, along with a few older people. The people here are so beautiful! The kids are adorable, especially t the ones that are easy to examine and don’t cry when you touch them. This one old lady came back with her results today and she had an enlarged spleen, so we wanted to palpate it, it was definitely enlarged.

Today I examine two little babies and they were both very good, they were little angels, so adorable! Both were very happy. I saw another little girl today who was very big, childhood obesity, very cute, but she gave us a few laughs because she was not very cooperative. It was so sad, we examined a little girl today who had many malaria parasites in her blood, so I asked Trixy if this girl was lethargic and she said that she could be consider lethargic. This girl couldn’t even sit up on her own, she was very very sick. She had malaria, jaundice and I’m sure she had anemia, hopefully not severe enough for a transfusion, but we sent her up to the General Hospital for admission.

We saw another patient near the end of the day who was “10 weeks pregnant” and was having some bleeding. So she came in to do an echography. On the echo, we found no fetus, but after looking it up we found a molar pregnancy. The patient felt like she was pregnant, but there is no pregnancy, it is very interesting you should read about it. But I ask that you all pray for her and she decides what to do, whether to stay her or leave her large family and go back to America to get it taken care of.

After work today one of our neighbors brought over his French students and we practiced doing histories on them so they could get a chance to practice their English. The person I worked with did very well; I was impressed.

We finished around 5:30. I relaxed in my hammock and then Sarah and I went up and got beans and puff puff for dinner. Again one thing was missing, Lizzy. We ate dinner down at Bill and Trixy’s, visited with for a bit then came back up to the room. I caught up in my blog then called it a night. Before going to bed I gave my grandma a call to let her know I was thinking of her and praying for her. Please pray for my grandma as well, she is going in for hip surgery tomorrow.

Day 97 - More Prayer

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Well today was another one of those days. We were very busy once again seeing 27 patients. Today we got to see a white person; she had symptoms of an ear infection but a very subtle infection in her ear. We also had another guy this morning who spoke onlye French so we needed mom Regina to translate for us. It was interesting, because he said he started getting symptoms after he went on an “adventure”. Anyways we examined him and sent him back for labs. He didn’t come back until the afternoon, but unfortunately we had bad news for him because we had to tell him that he was HIV positive. It is always so heartbreaking having to tell people they are positive.

We also had another very sad case today. One of our antenatal patients came in today with spotting and abdominal cramps; she was about 25 weeks along. After examining her Trixy diagnosed her with preterm labor. She gave her many medications in order to hold off labor as much as possible, we will have to see what happens. She was having a very hard time with it, as we all would. We all went in and said a little prayer with her and gave her a hug and just comforted her. She was one of the patients that was very unsure about the pregnancy in the first place and didn’t really want it, but it’s still a precious life and it was her baby and she of course didn’t want this to happen! Please pray for her, even in America, the chances of a baby surviving at 25 is not very likely, so please PRAY.

Now to a happy thought, one of our antenatal patients came in with her little one from awhile back whose baby is now about 1 month old. It was so good to see her! The baby is gaining weight, which is a good thing. I got to hold the baby for a little bit; she is so precious!

What a day, good and bad, God is amazing, and He knows what is best and He has a plan for us so all we need to do is TRUST in Him.

After work, we all went to market; I bought a bunch of fabric for a project I am going to work on…we will see how it turns out. After market we hung out, I worked on my project and then we went down and watched Castle with Bill and Trixy. I was then ready to call it a night.

Day 96 - Prayer

Monday, January 9, 2012 – Prayers!

Wow, today was so busy. I think we saw nearly 22 patients today along with some 4 echos. Today was extremely interesting. We saw some pretty sad cases, yet interesting.

Well for happy things, we saw a super cute little albino girl that came in, she had malaria which was sad, but it was crazy seeing albino come in, we haven’t had any babies come in. We dashed her some sunscreen because it is important that they protect their sick, the mother was so thankful, I love when they get dashed something because they are all so grateful!

We saw another patient who had severe headaches. Before examining her, she told us that she had been burned when she was little. I went to palpate her stomach and I lifted up her shirt and her whole stomach was full of scar tissue. It was tough skin, I felt so bad for the lady. It happened when she was little, but it is still a tough thing to go through. She also had one leg that was longer causing her to have scoliosis. It was very sad.

The three of us girls were sitting around and Trixy comes out and tells us to come into her room. A lady with a swollen eye is sitting there and we wonder what is going on and then Trixy asks her to show the medical students. When the lady took off her head wrap she had cancer that basically took over her whole scalp. She had basal cell carcinoma, which was diagnosed in 2010, but no one did anything about it. She has had this open wound on her head for the past 10 years and doctors kept treating her with antibiotics. I feel as if they are so nieve here, why wouldn’t someone do something if she has had this for so long! Also, the person who ordered the biopsy, why wouldn’t they send her straight to an oncologist with those results? Please pray for her, I am not sure whether they will be able to do anything about it now, it has basically taken over most of her head.

After work all of us girls went down to Molyko with Trixy to get some purses made. We also stopped at a shoe store…I bought a pair of Birkenstock sandals for 4000 francs which is 8 dollars, I don’t think I did too bad! We then stopped and got some fuel. I went to get my pants…but guess what they weren’t finished…whats new!?

I took the night easy, hung out relaxed and then called it a night. Love you all!

Day 95 - 3 months

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Well, this morning I woke up late thinking I didn’t have much to do. Well guess what, when I woke up everyone was out cleaning. I enjoyed a cup of coffee, then headed out to help everyone with the cleaning of the hospital and clinic. I helped clean off the railings. Prosper made it entertaining, put me up for a challenge of who could clean a set of railings the fastest. Surprising he won! Who would have thought a Cameroonian would be able to bet me at cleaning railings, my experience is they all work so slowly, not Prosper. He had a trick to it though, he used both hands instead of one to clean them, and even then I wouldn’t have thought they would be that efficient.

After cleaning we went out to the garden and visited with Mary and Tabby for a little while. I then went up and set up my hammock. I made a poppyseed “cake” that my mom sent me and then I spent a ton of time relaxing in my hammock. I read, looked up Cameroon and just hung out. It was so nice, not too hot, but I was almost too cold…for once.

Richard came over and gave all of us girls cabas that he had had made for us. It was so sweet of him. We visited with him and looked at pictures. We ate a little something then I headed up to the room. I watched the sunset while hanging out in my hammock.

I went into the conference room and skyped one of my good friend Eric Barcelo for a little while; it was so good to talk to him. I also skyped my parents, who I love being able to talk to and skype, they are so amazing and I miss and love them so much! I also got to talk to my best friend Lizzy who I am also very thankful for! She’s great! I spent a little time drawing and just hanging out. I then came in and called it a night. Goodnight

 Love my hammock!

Day 94 - Midnight snack!

Sabbath, January 7, 2012

Happy Sabbath! Well I wasn’t really in the mood to go to church today so I woke up a little later than normal, but I had already decided I was going to go to church before I even got out of bed. Got ready for church and decided to head up to the church around the time it started, 9:30. Sarah and I taxied up to the church because I am still in the process of healing and we were running late anyways.

When we got to church there was another white man sitting in church, but none of us knew who she was. So after church we decided to talk with her. She was from Costa Rica, working for Outreach. She sold everything she had to come here, wow; God definitely works in interesting, but amazing ways!

We visited with her over lunch and until about 5. It was very nice visiting with her and learning more about her, she’s a very sweet girl. I went up to the room hung out, relaxed and took it easy. Today was a very relaxing Sabbath. Hope you all enjoyed your Sabbath as well.

At about 1 in the morning right before I was about to head to bed I got on facebook and I saw that Mary had posted on my wall. She said that she had something hot and yummy for us. So we let them in, they had made puff puff. So we had a late night snack of puff puff before we went to bed. What a way to end the day! Haha! Good times!

Day 93

Friday, January 6, 2012

A 4 day week in the clinic and we saw 90 patients, what a week. Normally on average we see 300 patients a month. We saw close to 1/3 of our patients for the month in 4 days! Wow, God is amazing!

Today was very busy for a Friday. I didn’t think it was going to be very busy because when we first came in there were very few patients and as the morning went on very few people came in, but just as we thought it was going to be a slow day, everyone came.

We were using both consult rooms. I honestly can’t remember everything we saw, but I’m sure there wasn’t anything TOO exciting. It was a good day in the clinic though. Although one thing happened that was very sad for me to see. One lady came in and we tested her for Chlamydia, and it came back positive. One of her questions was basically, how do you get Chlamydia if you are married and have never gotten it before. You could see her heart drop. Although Trixy gave her a good answer, chances are she got it because her husband was not faithful to her. It was heartbreaking.

After work today, Andrea came in and had a package and letter for me. I got a book from Opp & Seibold and everyone had signed it! That was so special to me, thank you all so very much! I also got Brandon and Jamie’s Christmas card; it was SOOO adorable!

The little Brandon was over this afternoon while Sarah was baking banana bread, so Brandon helped Sarah with the baking. I then started washing the floors, and Brandon came over and helped me with it. Sounds like child labor, but he offered to help, but he kept telling Sarah that if she needed his help to let him know. Anyways, after washing the floors, I felt very accomplished.

We then ate a little something and went to Bill and Trixy’s place and listened to a podcast. I worked on a bracelet while listening, but I got a little something out of it. I then came back to the room, watched some Grey’s Anatomy, then called it a night.

Day 92

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Well, I had worship this morning and I talked about “Living for God”. So my challenge to all of you reading this is to step back and take a look at your life and if you are living it for yourself, I challenge you all to live your life for God. I too will be working on living my life for God in all that I do!

Today was slow at first, Mary, Sarah and Tabby went up to the General Hospital to donate blood, but I didn’t go because after checking ourselves one day in clinic I found I have mild anemia. I stayed back with Trixy and saw what few patients we had.

I took a quick break with Mary around 10 to go grab a yogurt down the road along with some crackers. Came back saw a few patients then we all went over to Bill and Trixy’s to eat some lunch. I had a frozen banana and then went up and made some eggs.

When we got back to clinic we saw a few more people, not many. We did an echo on one lady just for fun since we had time to spare. I found the crown rump length and saw cardiac activity. We saw maybe one or two more patients then the day was over for all of us.

We came up stairs and started making supper. I was going to go pick up my pants, but the lady came over and told me the guy doing my pants “wasn’t feeling fine” so I would have to go pick them up on Sunday. I have been waiting for them for forever, my goodness!

I got a package from the SM office today; it was awesome, got some really fun things and nice notes from several people, thank you all so much for the support!

We made pizza tonight and they were so delicious! Sarah also made some more banana bread…amazing! After dinner, we hung out, I wrote in my blog and listened to music, and now its time to call it a night, goodnight.

Day 91

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Wow today was so busy in the clinic. I think we saw close to 20 patients today. Trixy was in a meeting for the first hour or so, so we just decided to get started. We got started and throughout the day I probably say about 6 people by myself.

I saw an old lady that had itches all over her body, so we checked for filaria, but that came back negative. I saw another little girl with malaria and her brother had a slightly large liver, but not past the costal range. I saw another lady with “worm like” crawling all over her body, so I told her to get tested for filaria and she was certain she didn’t have filaria. When we got the results back, guess what she had…filaria.

Trixy and I were examining another patient and I was palpating her stomach and I felt something hard, harder than the normal stomach, so I asked Trixy about it and sure enough she had a superpubic mass. Those were most of the patients that I remember seeing today, but today was so busy.

After work I washed my sheets and then went to go to get my pants, still weren’t done. Then they came back to the health centre looking for me, which was weird, but he wanted to measure my legs to see where he needed to make the pants. Sarah and I made some popcorn and brought down eggs to Bill and Trixy’s. We also had some lemon bars that Sarah made. We ate dinner all together, and then we were all on our computers hanging out the rest of the evening. Then we came up and I called it a night.

Day 90

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Well, I was pretty certain today was going to be another busy day, first day back from a three day weekend. We got to the clinic this morning and surprisingly there weren’t very many people, but the time worship was over there were many people.

Today was all a blur, all I remember was that we were busy all morning with patients and then around 1 or 1:30 I went up to the room to take something for my migraine, I laid down and next thing I knew I woke up around 3. I was out like a rock and after the nap I didn’t feel great, but I felt a little bit better and slowly started to feel better. I could believe I slept for that long, that was not the plan at all, but I think it was much needed after being sick all weekend.

After Sarah got done around 4 or so in the clinic we went to market and got what we needed. We then went to pick up my pants, but he wasn’t finished. I am anxious for them! When we got back we hung out relaxed, ate some dinner and then called it a night.

Day 89 - Tole Tea Road

Monday, January 2, 2012

Well today I slept in and much as I possibly could, but I didn’t sleep in as much as I would have liked. I woke up around 9 or so because we were planning on leaving to Limbe around 10. I was somewhat dreading today because I am still healing from the mountain along with being sick, but I decided to go anyways.

The 6 of us girls left here around 10:30 or so and had Bill drop us off on Long Street to start our long trek to Limbe. It was an amazing walk to Limbe for the first part at least. We had a beautiful view of the Tole Tea fields. The mountain wasn’t visible, but the view of the fields, trees and everything was astounding. About 2 or 3 miles into it my hip started hurting, then my knee started paining me. After about 2 hours I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it. I may sound like a baby, but it hurt so badly and I’m usually not one to complain about that. We finally got to Mile 4 in Limbe after 3 hours of walking. What a day!

When we got to Limbe I was so ready for a nice cold drink! Andrea, Sarah and I decided to go hang out at the Wildlife Center and Mary, Tabby and Trixy went to Mile 6 beach; I had had enough sun from the walk.

When we got to the Wildlife Center we got something to drink because we were all ready for something cold! We got our drinks and then ordered some food. Our waitress knew exactly what I wanted to drink…this must mean I’ve been going there a little TOO much.  We got our food, which I feel was well deserved after about 8 miles of walking in the hot African sun. I then splurged and got another cold drink, I just couldn’t resist, I don’t get those every day. After finishing my drink it was time to head back because we were invited over to a “white” couples home for dinner.

When we got back, we took a quick shower and got ready to head to dinner. We were invited to this couples house because when we first arrived we had a patient in the clinic that had herpes zoster and we took care of him, however the man we took care of was actually this couples cook. When we arrived the couple wasn’t home, but the cook was there so she offered us drinks and gave us some snacks. The couple soon arrived back to their beautiful home.

We visited with them and then were served dinner. Dinner was absolutely amazing, the food was wonderful, not African, but it was very good. The wife offered us some of her tea with mushrooms in it, it was interesting, and definitely one of those things you would like to plug your nose while drinking. Sorry. Everything else was amazing, and all vegetarian! We stayed there until about 10 and by then we were all ready for bed. We had a wonderful visit with the couple.

The wife didn’t speak very good English, but she made it work. She was from France and he was from Germany. Their daughter was 15 that we met and their other daughter who was working in Limbe at the Wildlife Center was 14, but we did not met her. A great couple, very sweet and lots of fun, it was a wonderful evening well spent. Goodnight.

Day 86-88

Friday, December 30, 2011

Well it’s Friday and I’m back to work now. It was so nice having Lizzy here and I miss her so much! Nothing too exciting happened today that I can remember. This afternoon we just hung out and did nothing I think. I am starting to not feel so hot. Anyways nothing too exciting. So goodnight.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Well today I didn’t go to church because I wasn’t feeling well, my throat hurt really bad and I felt very weak. I laid in bed most of the day. As the day went on I started to feel a little better. During the evening I hung out with Bill and Trixy, and then we hung out in our room. What a way to spend New Years Eve…in bed.

Kim went out to hang with people, but since I wasn’t feeling well I decided to say back and get better.

I got to welcome in my New Year talking to my family, which was amazing! I got to say hello to everyone and talk with them, so there couldn’t have been any better way for me to spend my New Years Eve than with my family! Thank you guys for making time to talk to me! I love you all very much and I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years Eve.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year! Happy Happy! Bonne annee! Slept in. Worked on feeling better. Not much happen today besides me sleeping in and taking the day easy. I hope you all have a good New Years! I wish all of the best to you in this New Year and may you all be blessed!

Too bad I spent my New Years being sick, that is unfortunate, but it happens sometimes.

Happy New Year!

Day 85 - Lizzy is gone! :(

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Well today is a sad day…Lizzy leaves this evening. This morning we woke up somewhat early and Lizzy started packing to head home. I felt like we had lots to do today before she left because I needed to go get things to send home with her. Lizzy pants that she got yesterday were so awesome that I decided I wanted a pair just like hers! While Lizzy was busy packing I decided it would be a good opportunity for me to go get a pair of pants made just like hers, so that’s what I did. I walked down to Sandpit with Kim and we got measured and asked to have a pair of pants made just like our friends.

When we got back Lizzy was still busy packing, so I decided I would go down to the Total Station in Molyko and get some Cameroonian Coffee to send home to my family. So kim and I left and went down there. When we got back we hung out and helped Lizzy with packing and I cleaned up the room a little bit since it was a disaster with 3 of us in there. Bill came up to see if we wanted to up to the Campost to get my package, so we all piled in and went up there.

On our way back Bill stopped at Camtel and we got out and walked up to a guy who was selling jerseys because we couldn’t decide whether or not to go to Muea market or not. Since this guy’s jerseys were way over priced we decided to go to market, but quickly because we were running out of time. When we got to market we went straight to where the jerseys were, we found one and I bought it. We then went to find some pepe and we asked some lady if she knew where we could find it and we asked for “wet pepe” and she thought we said “white pepe” anyways she didn’t understand so we just thanked her and headed back to the compound. I also tried looking for a jar of peanuts, but I couldn’t find any.

When we got back from market we dropped at Sandpit and we went to find some nuts, I knew just the place. We got one jar of roasted peanuts and one jar of sweet peanuts. We headed back to the house. We finished packing up Lizzy. We had a hard time deciding, but we decided to go grab a spaghetti omelet before we left. When we finished we came back and finished packing, showering and getting ready to head to Douala.

Pascal and his “brother” showed us around 3:30. As we were walking out the door Prosper stopped us and asked to have a prayer for us. After praying I was holding back tears, but I couldn’t hold them back any longer, I was crying before Lizzy even left the compound. Lizzy said her good-byes to everyone and we got in the car and headed to Douala. Kim was going to come with but we decided she probably shouldn’t because she didn’t have her ID.

There were two guys in the car and I asked, “so you are Pascals brother?”, and the guy in the passenger seat said he was….I was so confused. We stopped at Mile 17 and they asked for our ID’s, I was still very confused. Anyways Pascal then came over and said that his brother would take us safely to Douala. We were now on our way to Douala.

On our way we got stopped at one of the checkpoints and the guy asked for our ID”s so we gave it to him. We then went on our way; we made it to Douala by 5:15 and left Buea around 4:00. Usually it takes 2 hours to get there, I was a little scared at times.

When we got to Douala we at the Mediterranean restaurant. We had a greek salad, drinks, bread, hummus, and pizza, oh and ice cream. We had more than enough food! We told our driver he could have whatever he wanted, so what does he do, it orders a beer…just lovely…oh Africa. I guess I should have said a non-alcoholic drink! After eating Lizzy and I sat and talked about life, her time here, school and careers, it was a good way to spend my last few moments with my best friend.

We left for the airport just a little before 8. When we got to the airport I took Lizzy in. As she went through the doors and I was saying good-bye, I started crying like a little baby, I didn’t want to see my best friend leave me, we had such a good time together and I was really going to miss her! I watched her check in and everyone saw me crying. One lady came up to me and told me she could come back out when she was finished. The lady watched her and told me when she was finished. When Lizzy got done, I told her to come back out, so we hugged and she held me while I cried. It was very hard to let go of a familiar face. She was then on her way, I am going to miss her so much!

We left the airport. On the way back we picked up an older couple and took them to Tiko. I must admit, its pretty freaky driving in Cameroon at night. I was a little scared at times. We made it back safe and sound, maybe with an increased heart rate on my end, but thank God we made it safely. When I got back I was so tried and sad, I went straight to bed. Goodnight everyone! Lizzy I miss you lots already! I missed you before you even left!

Day 84 - Last day with Lizzy :(

Wednesday – 12/28

Today, Alyssa, Kim, Nate, and I headed out to Limbe for another adventure. After meeting up with Nate, we all squished into a taxi and drove out to Limbe to enjoy some sun at the beach and see the Wildlife Center. Once we got to Limbe, Alyssa, Kim, and I took a moto to the Wildlife Center and Nate took a taxi. When we arrived at the Wildlife Center, Nate and Kim decided to hang out at the café there while Alyssa and I walked around the Wildlife Center. Although the Wildlife Center was small and limited, it had some amazing animals! Alyssa and I took lots of pictures and had a fun time just talking with each other and walking around. Once we were done with the tour, we sat down at Arne’s café with Kim and Nate and enjoyed a nice meal. This time, Alyssa and I ordered the Bunny Chow and a Mediterranean pizza and shared it. It was delicious, but I knew it would be anyway.

After a very satisfying lunch, we decided to head out to Mile 6 beach. Nate took a taxi, again, and Alyssa, Kim, and I took another moto out to Mile 6 beach. This moto ride was the scariest, but by far, the funenst moto ride yet. We were flying down the rodes and dodging the potholes and cars. It was definitely a sketchy ride and we were all glad we made it safely. Once we arrived, the moto driver offered to teach us how to drive a moto. Kim, being the most adventurous of us all, took up his offer and he took her down and back the rode leading to Mile 6 beach. After Kim’s success, Alyssa decided she would have a go for it. I decided not to do it, but by the look of Alyssa and Kim’s faces, it was worth it. 

 

Mile 6 beach was beautiful! There were very few people out there and the tide was far out. I felt that Mile 6 knew I was coming today because they played Justin Bieber about 3 times during our visit there! After taking lots of pictures and playing around, Nate and Kim went for a swim. Alyssa and I decided to get our tan on and so we spread out a beach towel and lay in the sun and talked. I’m pretty sure that at the rate of sun exposure I’ve been experiencing lately, I will soon match the color of the natives here. I’m excited.

After spending a good amount of time at Mile 6 beach, we decided to make our way back to Buea. On our way back, we stopped at Down beach, shopped at the vendors nearby, and sat down for some cold drinks. While relaxing with our drinks at a table, we noticed a vendor come up and try selling us his jewelry. We had seen him on Monday and we remembered that he wasn’t very good at bargaining with us. But we tried bargaining with him again. Alyssa and Kim ended getting “dashed” with some ankle bracelet. To get “dashed” is to give a gift without really expecting anything in return. I think that America should take up this idea. Just a thought. We also were able to “bargain” two sweet elephant necklaces and Alyssa and I decided that those would be our “bff forever” necklaces…haha.

Well, we finally made our way back to Buea. Once we returned Alyssa, Kim, and I decided to pick up the pants I had tailored with the fabric I bought. I was very pleased with my purchase and so were Alyssa and Kim. They were a perfect fit! I got some nice compliments about them. So I guess I helped the guy out with some business because Alyssa and Kim will be getting some sweet pants made by him too! After picking up my pants, I changed into them and wore them proudly on our way back to the compound. After freshening up for a little bit, we met up with Nate and decided to go get some beans and puff puffs for my last Cameroonian dinner.

Once we arrived at Clerk’s quarters, we noticed the usual lady who makes the beans and puff puffs wasn’t there. So we searched and finally after walking uphill for a little bit, we found someone making the delicious beans and puff puffs. We got our dinner and sat next to the vendor and ate our last meal together, it was definitely delicious and fulfilling. It’s amazing that a meal that costs about 40 cents could taste so good and be so satisfying! I look forward to Alyssa making these infamous puff puffs when she returns! :)

After din din, we walked around for a little bit and then decided it late and time to head back. Nate and I said our goodbyes and gave each other hugs. It’s starting to hit me that I’m actually leaving tomorrow. Anyway, once we got back to the compound, Alyssa and I hung out in the room with Kim and Sarah for a bit, then we decided to watch an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Once the show ended, we just went straight to bed. We were pooped.

Well, today is the second to last day before my stay in Cameroon will have ended.  I’m not sure I want to leave just yet. I’ve had too much fun here with Alyssa and it has definitely gone by way to quickly! I’ll definitely miss everyone here that I’ve met and I can’t wait to see this girl àAlyssaß again! 

 

Lizzy compared to a gorilla.

 

Comparing myself to a gorilla..embarrassing.

 

The Wildlife Center

 

 

Me learning to drive a moto!

 

The family we met on the way back from Limbe!

 

I'm definitely going to miss this girl!

Day 83 - Facials!

Tuesday – 12/27

Today was a lazy day. Alyssa went to work in the clinic around 8am and I came to join her around 8:30/9:00ish. I hung around the clinic for a bit, then Tabby and Kim came and got me to go run some errands. We first went to the bank and afterwards walked down to the post office to check up on packages. Tabby got two decently sized packages. We then procdeded to go to Clerk’s quarters, a small walk down the hill from the post office. We found the bakery and bought some bread and I also got some sugar balls—which are as delicious as they sound! After catching a taxi back to the compound, I went back up to the room, dropped off the stuff, and decided to take a nap because by then I had acquired a headache and stomach ache.

After sleeping for almost 2 hours, Alyssa walked into the room, hissing at me. The reason why I bring up the hissing is because here, in Africa, various people will hiss and (usually men) will make kissing noises at us “white” ladies. I have come to accept the fact that I am considered a “white” person here, even though my skin tone is much closer to the natives here than any of the other white people here. I’m not being racist or anything, just stating the facts. Anyway, I digress, again. So, one of the habits Alyssa has picked up here is hissing at me to get my attention. It is very annoying and I feel almost like a dog, because whenever she hissssssssses, my ears perk up and I immediately turn my head in the direction of the hiss. She seems to enjoy the new trick because it works.

After I woke up, Alyssa, Sarah, Mary, Tabby, Kim, and I headed to go eat rice and beans at a restaurant known as The Strand. Once we received our food, we noticed that the beans had chunks of meat in it. We automatically thought that the beans would be “empty” (served with no meat); however, we were wrong. We asked the waiter if we could have “empty” beans, and he took our bowls and came back out very quickly with “empty” beans. What probably happened was that he picked out some of the meat chunks and threw it back into the crock pot. Hey, it’s Africa, what are you gonna do about it, eh? After eating the very spicy beans and rice, we headed back to the compound and got ready to go to market. Kim and I decided to take our fabric we bought in Limbe yesterday to a seamstress to make her a blouse and me some pants. We found a seamstress that was close by and after I explained and showed him via pictures what I wanted, he took my measurements. I didn’t look at the numbers because I didn’t want to see how much my waist had grown since I’ve been here. Kim decided to keep looking for a seamstress (specifically a female) because she had a bad experience before and wanted to find the “perfect” one. So we walked further down the hill and searched around some more. No luck. We decided to walk back up to where market was and see if we could find anything for her there. Along the way, we ran into Mary and Sarah and I joined with them as Kim kept hiking up to find her seamstress. Mary, Sarah, and I then headed back to the compound.

That night we had a “girls” night. It consisted of doing facial masks and lots of popcorn and fruit. I couldn’t bring myself to put a yogurt-based mask on my face and so I just curiously watched. It was interesting.

After girls night, Alyssa and I decided to wind down to another episode of Grey’s Anatomy. However, before we even got started watching Alyssa made a very bad decision. She started hissing at me again. I decided to retaliate. Every time she hissed at me, I would bring out the tickle monster in me and pin her down like a trapped bug. I think she finally got the hint that if she hissed at me I would tickle her until she stopped. After that little hiccup in our plans, we were finally able to watch Grey’s Anatomy and go to bed. Oye vey, what a day.

Day 82

Monday – 12/26

Ah, the post-Christmas blues have begun. However, anticipation of the New Year is finally able to pervade our minds with thoughts of new resolutions and unaccomplished goals we hope to see ourselves reach this year. But, I digress.

After spending most of Christmas evening in a serious food coma, waking up late and in a half comatose state today seemed like the natural thing to do. Last night’s food and festivities were imprinted into my memory bank and the realization of how fortunate I was to spend Christmas with such a wonderful group of people brought a smile to my sleepy face. However, I do very much so miss my family and pets at home during these celebratory times. But how many people can say that they’ve spent a Christmas in Africa with their best friend, wear tank tops and shorts in late December, meet awesome people, and get a good tan? As I said earlier, I am fortunate to be able to do such a thing and I am very grateful for this opportunity.

Well, today Alyssa, Kim, and I planned our whole day to be spent in Limbe. Limbe is located on the west coast of Cameroon, just southwest of Buea (about a 45 min taxi drive). As we climbed into our first taxi, we picked up two other Cameroonians along the way. One girl, about the same age as us girls, squeezed with the three of us in the back of the taxi. She was a student who had just spent Christmas in Buea and was returning home to Limbe. I don’t quite remember her name, but she was very nice and she and Kim had a good time dancing to the tunes in the back seat. They were entertaining to watch and listen to. The other passenger, a man about in his 30’s (I’m not good at guessing ages), sat in front. He was very friendly and asked where each of us were from. Alyssa and I told him we were from America, specifically Washington State, while Kim told him that she was Germany. After a little bit of conversing, he looked curiously at me and asked if I was Asian. I told him that I was half Korean and half Ecuadorian and he seem surprised (they usually are). He then proceeded to tell me that he had spent some time visiting Korea and we were able to list food names that we really enjoyed. It was pleasant to meet someone who has been to my dad’s homeland and could relate to the culture. Anyway, after some time he arrived at his stop and we all said goodbye.

 

On our way to Limbe, we made another stop. This time a missionary couple hopped in and squeezed in the front seat. The husband was a native Cameroonian and his wife was born and raised in Italy. What an interesting match, but they were so cute! They were also friendly and we found out that they are Jehovah’s witnesses doing mission work out here.

The drive to Limbe was beautiful. The scenary is just amazing and the trees are so beautiful! There is one tree in particular that I remember each time I’ve been to Limbe that just stands out from the rest. It is isolated from other trees and looks like it has its own pedestal. It’s quite magnificent.

After we finally arrived in Limbe, Alyssa, Kim, and I said goodbye to the girl we met on the way there and waved a moto taxi in. We found a moto driver that could cram the three of us onto the back of his moto, thus having four people total riding a moto that should comfortably fit two people. We had the moto driver take us to the Wildlife Center. The moto ride there was so much fun! Kim sat on the back and I was right in front of her, holding on to her legs to make sure that she didn’t fall off the back. Driving and traffic here are crazy! Combine that with 4 people on a moto, that’s a recipe for an interesting ride, to say the least.

After reaching the Wildlife Center, we thanked our driver and thus proceeded to head to Arne’s café (the Wildlife Center eatery). I’ve heard very good reports about this restaurant from Alyssa and so I made sure to come hungry. We sat down and ordered our drinks. Alyssa and I ordered blended coffees mixed with a chocolate syrup and Kim ordered a fruit smoothie. Once we received the drinks, we were all very pleased with the signals our taste buds were transmitting to our brains. I’m sure my dopamine levels were abnormally high after that drink. We then made up our minds as to what we wanted to eat. Alyssa ordered a Mediterranean sandwich, and Kim and I ordered “Bunny Chow”. Bunny chow is essentially a sandwich made out of French bread, filled with avocados, cheese, tomatos, and lettuce. Once we received our meals, I chomoped down into my sandwich and after one bite, I knew that this lunch was going to be a great one! And it was. After chowing down on this delicious meal, we sat for a little bit to let our stomachs rest and digest. By this time, I was sure that I was heaven. Good thing we were coming back.

After our delicious meal, we found a moto driver to taxi us down to Down Beach. Once we were dropped off, we shopped at various vendors to see what deals we could get. The first vendor that we stopped at sold jewelry. Alyssa and I found these identical bracelet we thought were very cool. The vendor noted I was wearing a Cameroonian soccer Jersey (Alyssa bought it for me for Christmas, and it’s pretty legit, if I may say so myself). He asked if I liked it here in Cameroon and I said definitely. He seemed so proud of his country and that I was wearing a jersey that he gave me the bracelet for free! I decided that I would need to wear this jersey for the rest of my stay.

After shopping at more vendors, we didn’t really find anything else worth buying. We then headed to the market just up the hill. We walked all over and didn’t really find much. However, we did find a fabric shop where Kim and I ended up purchasing some fabric for later use. After wandering around some more we ended up catching a moto back to the Wildlife Center to enjoy some more ice cold drinks. Kim and I ordered a pineapple drink, which turned out to be not quite what we had hoped for, but we still drank it. Alyssa ordered another iced coffee. One would think she likes coffee or something! ;) After enjoying our drinks, we caught a moto back to where the taxis were. We found a taxi that would take us back and waited for a little bit for the taxi to fill up with more people.

I don’t remember much on the way home because I kept nodding off. Apparently, our taxi driver came quite close to an oncoming car (it may have been a truck) while passing the car in front of us. Anyway, I’m thankful we made it back safely.

Once we arrived at the compound, we found out that Mary and Tabby were learning how to make puff puffs from Elizabeth, a Cameroonian girl about the age of 16. Elizabeth is so sweet and I am privileged to have befriended her a couple days ago! I knew that this would be the last time I saw her (I leave Thursday) and so we exchanged emails and said our goodbyes when it was time for her to leave. It’s weird and sad to think that I will probably never see her again in my life. I can only imagine what Alyssa has to go through when she has to say goodbye to all of the awesome people she has met here when her time here is up.

For the rest of the evening, we just relaxed and Alyssa and I got to watch an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, a weekly tradition we used to do last year when studying would get the best of us. After a dramatic episode, we decided to call it a night. I can’t wait to go to Limbe, again, on Wednesday and eat more Bunny Chow! I can only imagine how much bigger I would get if I were here for almost a whole year, the food here is quite amazing.

~ Lizzy

Day 81 - Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Wow, I can’t believe it is Christmas, I’m bummed I didn’t get to spend it with my family, but I am so lucky to have my best friend Lizzy here with me, it makes me feel more at home!

This morning we got to sleep in, thankfully, it was so nice to be able to sleep in. Once we woke up we started on our process of making breakfast of the 7 of us. We made pancakes and Bill and Trixy made scrambled eggs and hash browns. We had a feast for breakfast. As soon as breakfast was finished we started working on the process of preparing dinner for many more people.

Sarah made her famous deviled eggs, and I helped her cut them out which was quite time consuming because we cut them like cracked eggs. I then washed up the veggies and Lizzy and I prepared them. We cooked them and then fried them up.

Lizzy and I had to find a white elephant gift tonight for the Christmas party so we walked down the street to see if we could find something. Nothing, today is Sunday first off and it’s Christmas day, so pretty much nothing was open. However, when I got back…I had an epiphany, I will do a s’mores kit including; marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate and a candle to roast the marshmallows over. This was only one. My next gift idea was a “coffee mug” inspired by the mountain, so I took a water bottle, cut the top off and Lizzy gave me the idea to wrap it with duct tape, so that what I did. In the “coffee mug” we created, I placed some Starbucks coffee along with creamer and Dove chocolate. It was fun putting these together.

 

Just as we finished putting them together it was time to head down. When we got down there, we had a table full of food. We took a few pictures while we waited for others to show up but then we decided to dig in. We blessed the food and enjoyed lots of food! I was so full when we finished eating. We then hung out and visited for awhile then dug into the delicious desserts!

The white elephant then began when a few more showed up. It was so much fun, some people had some entertaining gifts. Each individual person added to the game and made it interesting. I ended up with a notebook and some pens and gum. Lizzy ended up with some lotion (which she left here with me). By the time we wrapped everything up we were exhausted and ready for bed! Merry Christmas everyone! I missed all of you and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Love you all!

 Lizzy and I - I am so thankful to have her here with me!

The girls!

Our white elephant gifts

 Walters, Lizzy and myself

Day 80

Saturday – 10/24

It’s Christmas Eve, but it still hasn’t hit me that I’m actually spending Christmas in Africa with Alyssa.

Waking up and getting out of bed was still a process because our knees still haven’t recovered from the climb. After getting ready for church, Bill was kind enough to take Sarah, Kim, Alyssa, and I up to the church. I couldn’t have imagined walking uphill all the way to the church. I would have died for sure.

Church was long, to say the least. It was camp meeting today and people from Limbe, Douala, and other various places all congregated today at the SDA church in Buea. One thing I really like about church services here is that everyone actively participates in the service, especially when singing hymns and praise songs. Everyone sings at the top of their lungs and it just sounded so good! Several people gave special music throughout the service. There was one particular little boy (I later found his name to be Cami) who “played” his ukulele and sang for the church. It was the most adorable thing on earth. All the children there were so cute and I was almost ready to take all of them home with me.

As I said earlier, the service was very long. I found myself constantly shifting my weight side to side because my bum was getting a little numb. Kim, Sarah, Alyssa, and I definitely tried our best to stay awake and focus on the sermon. Around 2:00pm, church service was over and the congregation walked outside to watch the baptisms that were to take place. After the baptisms, several of the women proceeded to fix up potluck. During that time I was privileged to meet some of the church members and make friends with some of the little ones. If I recall correctly, during this time Alyssa snuck out to use the restroom and locked herself in it for quite some time.

After going through line and piling our plates with delicious food, we sat down to eat. The food was (again) amazing! I was able to try an African drink called falari (I’m not sure how to spell it, but that’s how it sounds). This drink had a drak purple hue to it and tasted like a grap/fruit punch mix. It was delicious. Potluck was definitely a success and we left with full stomachs, ready for a Sabbath afternoon nap.

When we got back to the compound, Alyssa and I relaxed some more until it was time for dinner. Dinner that night was down at Bill and Trixy’s palce. It consisted of Spaghetti, bread, and some delicious brown sugar with cinnamon plantains that Alyssa made.

After dinner, we relaxed some more and then decided to call it a night. What a great Sabbath and Christmas Eve!

~ Lizzy

 Some of our church members singing a special number for church

 The African women cooking lunch for everyone over an open fire! They are so amazing!

Day 79 - Rest day!

Friday – 12/23

            Today, Alyssa and I had the privilege of sleeping in. Once we awoke, getting out of bed was a struggle because our legs and especially our knees were aching and crazy sore. Hobbling around like old ladies was probably an amusing sight for those who didn’t know we had just climbed Mt. Cameroon. After taking a nice shower and eating some breakfast, it was time to do a little laundry. I curiously watched Alyssa as she dumped some of her soiled clothes into a large bucket and fill it with hot water and soap.  She then proceeded to move the clothes and work the soap into them, and then finally let them sit for a little while. After letting them sit, she rinsed out the clothes, wrung out the excess water, and then piled the damp clothes into another bucket. Then she took the clothes down to Bill and Trixy’s backyard to hang dry.

            Now it was my turn.  Thankfully, Alyssa helped me through the process. After the whole process of only washing clothes once, I am again amazed at the things Alyssa has so easily adapted to. If it were up to me, I would probably do laundry once every month (if that).

            Throughout the day, we relaxed and also enjoyed a nice lunch that consisted of top ramen. Even though I have only been here for a week, top ramen never tasted so good. On a side note, today is day 10. I started my travels in Walla Walla on Wednesday 12/14. Ever since then I have not had a good B.M. I for sure thought that by the time we climbed Mt. Cameroon, something would have come out. Didn’t happen. Now I was getting worried. Earlier today I took a stool softener (given to me by Mary) and ate some papaya that Alyssa so graciously prepared for me. About an hour or two after eating the ramen and drinking some more water, I finally felt the urge to really use the rest room. To cut out the extra information, I made myself “comfortable” in the restroom for about 20 minutes. After doing the dirty deed, I walked out feeling like a new person. My walk was lighter (literally) and my worries were lifted. I couldn’t help but tell everyone that I had finally let it out. It was then that I knew today would be a good day.

            Evening time rolled around and we all got ready to go to dinner at a friend’s house in Limbe. Once we finally arrived at hour hosts’ house, we realized that this wasn’t just any house. The house was surrounded by a large gate with large doors. Once the doors opened, we were able to see the house, and let me tell you, this house was the biggest house any of us girls had seen – period. There were columns and marble floors running outside. The interior of the house was beautiful. Marble floors and a beautiful interior design left us in continuous awe of the exquisiteness of this house. Outside was beautiful as well. There was a yard with tables and two beautiful trees. It was the perfect setting for a perfect dinner that evening. The hosts’ greeted us and we were eager to see what was in store for dinner. There was even a butler who brought out ICE cold drinks. This was the first time I had ever drank anything that cold, and I definitely felt like I was in heaven.

            After snacking on some chin chin (a fried African delicacy) and conversing with our hosts, we found out that our hostess was a pharmacist and her husband an electrician who has his own business. Once the food was finally ready, the butler brought it out and set it on a table outside. We were eager to dig in. Dinner was amazing! There were African dishes, fruit kabobs, and there was even some grilled chicken that Alyssa and I tried. Everything that night was delicious. However, I do recall eating too much pepe (a spicy pepper sauce) with one of the dishes and had a hard time recovering. Other than that, we stuffed ourselves and definitely had to loosen the belt buckles. I have been loving the new African flavors that I have been privileged to try since my arrival.

            After some more conversing, it was finally time to go. We thanked our hosts and the guard ushered us out. All of us couldn’t stop talking about how big the hosue was, the butler and the guard, and how nice our hosts and their family were! It was definitely a great way to welcome in the Sabbath.

 ~ Lizzy

 The beautiful home we ate supper at!

All of us girls in their beautiful yard!

 Our hostess and her daughter, she is a pharmacist in the Buea area, she's a great person!