1. Yesterday the other blanches and I went to Yaoundé's only movie theater. The movies are, with rare African exception, bad American movies dubbed into French, and they are always shown in double feature.
Yesterday morning's double feature started at 10 a.m., which does not make sense, but the pairing made sense: a Samuel L. Jackson marathon, "The Boss" followed by "Snakes on a Plane." The afternoon pairing, though, was "The Exorcist" followed by "As Good As It Gets." That does not make sense.
(Unfortunately, I missed the "Motherfuckin' snakes on this motherfuckin' plane" line, but knowing French, I'm sure it was something along the lines of "Merde alors! Il y a des serpents sur cet avion-ci!")
2. Cameroonians are compulsive about cleaning certain things but ignore other aspects of hygiene.
My host family, for example, gets on their hands and knees to scrub the front porch three or four times a week, but leaves food (corn kernels, for example) uncovered, outside, for weeks at a time. Everyone scrubs the hell out of their shoes and washes their cars all the time. Bathrooms, however, when they exist, are always revoltingly disgusting, and no one seems to mind that everyone throws their trash everywhere. The city is an extended dump.
3. Cameroonian men ask us for our phone numbers all the time. Literally, before they ask our names. I usually say that I don't have a phone (a total lie), to which a number of people have asked if they can give me their numbers. You can give me your number, I say, but I'm not going to call it. They insist on giving me their numbers anyway.
4. Coffee is grown in Cameroon, but there are no coffee shops in this entire city and the only coffee available is instant Nescafé.
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Haha, the coffee thing is true here too. How can it be that I am so close to coffee plants but am only offered instant coffee? But I am spoiled because there are coffee shops here, especially in La Mariscal (also known as Gringoland) which serve real coffee. Even so, I guiltily miss Starbucks. Ecuador doesn´t believe in anything to go and they haven´t discovered the joys of iced coffee yet.
How is the malaria? All better now? It was lovely to read your post on my blog :) When do you come home to the States?
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