From Ngaoundere with Love

Been in Ngaoundere since Tuesday and have had a good time settling in, learning about the culture round here, and exploring the town a bit.
Train from Yaounde was long - 16 hours in total, from 6pm to 10 the next day. We sat first class, which costs about 34 US Ds, but that translated really just to a little more foot room on a train out of the 60s (if it were in the US). So i got barely any sleep, since i like to lay down myself. I'm still feeling the effects of that.
We stayed in a protestant dormitory place the first night, but had a little time to explore the town. But I felt like a zombie, being so sleep deprived. The terrain is very different - more desert like, and once again some dust, though not as bad as dschang. The people are really different in nature here too - a lot less staring and a LOT less attention. We dont get hardly any hellos or calls or les blancs etc from people, but everyone we've met has been super polite and helpful though. I ended up eating at the same place for lunch, with friends by random choice, and dinner, by choice of program planners, the first day. Sleep felt good, but wasnt even enough.
Day two we did some class stuff, learning how to function round here, in the very Islamic-influenced culture. That topic stuff continued to today, but along with intensive fulfulde language study. We moved into homestays in the afternoon after a film session, but there was no soiree like in dschang, just a drop off at each house.
So, homestay: I am living with the Shehou family, who have hosted students (almost all male) for the past 18 semesters. The father is a mason, about 42. Three kids, ages 3 (boy), 6 and 11 (both girls). The MAma is younger and bursting with a baby inside, due any time now. Only the father and the 11 year old speak French. Thus the family life is one in fulfulde. That is pretty crazy, of course. My fulfulde is terrible, with only 6 horus of formal training, but I get by enough talking when i need to, and playing is a universal language. I really love my family right now, and having the kids is so fun. I resent the fact that I'm just one of a long list of whites to have stayed, but I'll make the best of it, and try to make an impression. The newborn whose coming has been rumored to be name nathan, if a boy, which is very interesting to deal with, since that was said just the first night. that would be a lasting impression though...
Facilities: the exact opposite of dschang for me. I have my own room and bathroom, which gives me privacy for once, though. But I got a hole for a toilet and not a drop of running water. There is electricity and they have a TV, though it only gets one channel. Food is cooked in a separate kitchen, over a fire, as it was in the chefferie. But it all works. Hole use is not difficult, and more natural, even prefered by several other students on the program now (don't think i'll follow that path myself). Oh, and cockroaches. There is a party in my room and bathroom every night, but they dont make noise, they're just gross. I think I'm going to treat my room tonight though, so no longer any company.
The Muslim life is way difft. Each family is selected in part because they are Muslim. But 5 prayers a day is wild: 5am, 1:30, 3:30, 6:30, 7:30. All at the mosque. And kids go to Koranic school in the morning and afternoon, surrounding the the regular school times. That can never be a life for me. Definitely nothing like any occidental religion. I live right next to the grande mosquée, which is easy for directions, but terrible because i am woken at 5 every morning by loudspeaker prayer calls. Its interesting.*
So that is Ngaoundere so far. Its an interesting life. I dont love the city, but it will be a great experience. internet kinda sucks, but i'll try to keep up. I'm thinking Yaounde for ISP i'll be back on the technology thing. But I'll get back in the meantime at some point.