I'm back! (well one Cook is anyways)

Hello to all my faithful readers! I can say that, because if you're reading this now I know you keep coming back. Its been...ahh 3 months :( since I've last posted anything about my time here in Cameroon. For that, I am truly sorry. The ironic part of it all - 3 months ago I had internet installed at my house. Yikes! I guess I should own up to the honest truth: I check my gmail account every morning, think to myself "wow it was great to hear from that person", then proceed to close out of my inbox, and that person is lucky to get a reply within three weeks time.
SO what I'm vowing to do from now until the end of my service -- keep you in the KNOW.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to welcome a visitor to Cameroon! Rich Cook spent a total of two weeks travelling the country with me - and to think I wasn't even sure I'd get him past baggage check! Welcoming a visitor is something that every volunteer hopes for. We get to share Cameroon with someone close to us; more importantly, someone can relate to all our strange stories when we get home! If I can say one thing about my Dad's time here it would have to be that he was an excellent sport. While sometimes I would catch a nervous stare or that of disbelief, I never once heard a complaint. Even after a "ball busting" moto ride to Lac Mystic (more on that later). While visiting it seems he picked up the spirit of blogging. I've decided that to get this blog posting in 2010 started, I'd share with you all his mass emails to family and friends. I'll introduce them in series. You get one for today - another when I get back from Rumziki in a few days. Really quick before I leave for the bus station - I want let you know that I'm currently on a tour of the North and Extreme North regions. Talk about a different part of the country! I this before coming up - that the Grand North would feel totally different- but I guess you can't really understand it until you've been here. I feel as if I've been transported into a completely different african country (Botswana maybe dad????) and that I'm finally seeing it Africa as it was before people came pouring in. More on my travel opinions later - for now, here's Rich Cook....

Email 1:
Went to 50th anniversary party of a chief yesterday, saw lots of dancing plus the organizer of event took us under his wing and we had front row seating, he led us through throngs of Cameroonians to stand very close to the chief. He has had a total of 80 wives but down to 40 now - did not meet any of the lovelies though. after the event we had a couple of beers with friends-warm-no power on Sundays, and then went to the home of one of the people who was honored at the festival with a very high award--they were all dressed in traditional bright African dress and we walked in with t-shirts and cargo shorts. But the host greeted us and insisted that we eat first-felt awkward but they have traditions that guests get special treatment- and being they only white people there we were easy to spot.!!!!!!!!

I guess I was expecting to see a more mixed race here, but both Yaoundé and the city we are in now, Bamenda, have more than a million people and I have only seen about 3 other white folk.

The poverty is what strikes you the most – and still right now we are in the wealthy part of a town with a million plus and our accommodations are modest at best.

Well all for now will leave tomorrow to another town where we are to attend a funeral-which is quite festive in Africa.

Found a beer I like for $1.00, but always warm.

To my girls at UTA, if you need to talk to me today, email back shortly, and I will make contact--after I send this I will open my g-mail-if any one is available