Sorry for the long delay between entries everyone. It would help if I was ever in Yaoundé for longer than 12 hours at a time. But now I’m back until next Wednesday, so an update is long overdue. However, I also apologize for the length of said entry. This one might even rival Kaitlin’s blog Mom.

Easter Weekend Mr. Teku took Ben, Terence, Harry and I to his village Ossing by Mamfe. Cecilia’s host dad, Dr. Ayuk comes from the same village and took her and Katelynn so we were able to meet up at various points. We were supposed to leave around 11am Wednesday morning, but alas Teku showed up around 1pm. The bus then left around 2pm for Buea which is about a six hour drive. Poor Harry was crammed in the back with four others next to a somewhat toothless old woman sweating rain sized droplets. Ben and I managed to luck out as a woman in our row got off 2 hours into the drive. Ahhhh the comfort of being able to change position so your butt stops falling asleep. We make it to Buea where I found a wonderful natural bathroom behind a parked car. I am beginning to think toilets are overrated. Honestly, the outdoors or a hole is just so much easier. It saves the hassle of actually having to find a toilet. Or for that matter one that works.

We then boarded another bus for the hour ride to Kumba where we ate a late dinner and hit the sack. I also got a shower which was glorious. The next day we had about a 4 hour ride to Mamfe. It should really be more like two hours but it’s all village roads aka dirt with potholes and rocks. Also it rained the night before so at the beginning it was kind of similar to hydroplaning on ice. Plus we were 4 on a three person seat so most of the time I sat up front on the edge to avoid the uncomfortable bar between them. On the bright side my posture improved with such an endeavor. Finally we approach 30 minutes from our destination when we spot a family with car trouble by the side of the “road.” Our driver decides to be nice and try to tow them. However, the towing apparatus turns out to be a seatbelt which breaks off every 3-5 minutes. We made it in 1.5 hours. Also stopping along the way for a woman to toss her cookies. So I guess not a bad time at all.

In Ossing (the villagers call it Ossing-London because it’s rather a large village), we arrived at Bridgette’s (Mr. Teku’s wife) parents house where we had a delicious dinner and waited for Katelynn and Cecilia to arrive from their hotel in Mamfe. The rest of the evening was rather absurd where we visited Mrs. Ayuk’s brother where we got a bottle of whiskey offered with about a five year old Coke, then packed 9 of us with luggage into his car to drive the city of Mamfe for the night. In Mamfe we stopped at the chief’s house to be introduced, who is somehow related to the Ayuks. We walk in to be greeted by the sight of about 10 Chinese doctors eating food on couches. Random but hardly surprising. Then we had to eat again. Don’t expect to lose weight in Africa. These people feed you all the time.

Exhausted we travel to the hotel where we all are supposed to have a place to stay. Turns out only Katelynn and Cecilia do. So the boys and I pile back into the car and they find us another hotel. Did I mention the electricity and water are off this entire time?

Hot and sweaty (we are close to the rainforest so picture a summer day where you don’t even want to venture outside) we find that even with the generator at our hotel the water, air conditioning and tv do not work. And then we forgot to put bug spray on and got eaten alive. My legs resemble a World War II battle zone. Around 8:30 Harry and I hear a knock at the door. We find Dr. Ayuk on the other side asking what we were still doing sleeping and that he expected us up about two hours ago and breakfast is ready at his house which is about a five minute walk. So we walk there in our pajamas. And then we walk to see a bridge built by the Germans in our pajamas. And then I got to take a bucket shower. Five minutes later I was dirty again.

We then visited an old chief of the village, whose smelled disturbingly like urine and all helped to drink a 5 year old Heineken with about 7 layers of dirt on the bottle, but had a lovely conversation about Nigeria. Katelynn was then whisked away because Teku signed her up to play in the woman’s soccer match. Dr. Ayuk got us all motos to ride to the match on. Teku was not pleased when he found out. But sometimes you have to live on the edge. Katelynn scored two goals! Then the boys decided they wanted to play in the men’s match. So they ran up and down the field, intoxicated, because the chief kept offering more beer. Only in Africa. After a late lunch, we visited Mr. Teku’s house in the village which was started in 2000 and has yet to be completed. Or have electric and water. But that’s where the four of us were staying for the night! Nothing like the real village experience in 90 degree heat.

Saturday we woke up and packed stuff to shower at Bridgette’s place because their electric was back. But first Teku wanted to show us a community house and meet some people. So we walked there in our pajamas. A lot of Ossing saw my pajamas on this trip. I also saw a porcupine being skinned over a fire. That was pretty cool. Then drank some palm wine at 10am. Teku had a council meeting to attend as general secretary and Harry was given a hat and proclaimed chief of Noone (that stands for tortoise which is the symbol of the village). We sat on the stage with all the important people, sweating profusely for two hours listening to a meeting in a dialect we did not comprehend. The clapping and random singing at intervals was entertaining though.

During a break, Teku proclaimed the elections would be next. When we returned people were called up, him included, and then all of a sudden I’m walking down the line shaking hands with them, wondering if these are candidates for positions. I also got adopted by some random woman. So we sit back down and all of a sudden there’s clapping and singing and somehow the election is over? All I know is Teku became president and the rest is a blur of dancing and shouting of which I took many videos. So there was a party at his house (a generator was brought) in which I had many an interesting conversation with drunk Cameroonians. After a great shower the next morning we started the 12 hour ride back to Yaoundé. This time it was 14 people in a 9 passenger bus. I’ll never stop being amazed at what they fit in and on top of transportation devices. So I squished myself in the back with Harry, Terence and Teku for the first 4 hour trek. Then some people got off in Kumba where I switched to the middle area between a man and Bridgette, which altogether really was not that much more comfortable as Bridgette was still like two people. Also she calls me Katelynn and Katelynn Morgan. I didn’t have the heart to correct her after the entire weekend. Moral of the story is we arrive home at midnight. A 12am shower was never more appreciated. I really should have taken a picture of the tissue I wiped my face with beforehand. But I’d rather not gross anyone out.

I fall into bed around 1am to wake the next morning and pack for the trip to the Extreme North. Our train leaves at 6pm that day. But where’s the fun in life if you’re not riding the struggle bus? I tend to drive it most days. Or get run over by it. Anyway, this is incredibly long so I think I will post this portion of “Morgan’s life the past two weeks” and continue later with the far North.