Stranded in Cameroon

okay, being that it is difficult to really communicate how things go over here, i'll try to give a detailed account of my everyday existence.
wake up at 650, usually before though, due to roosters crowing around the neighborhood or loud family members or a loud radio in the next room. people get uip early here, for sure. then i make my way to the bathroom, handle some business, flush the toilet by pouring down water from a bucket. then i gotta transfer water from the big bucket into a smaller and take my cold bucket shower. i feel pretty clean over here so far, which is nice. my towel needs washing though, it stinks. go back to my room and change into whatever not quite clean outfit, then go to the kitchen to eat breakfast of french bread and nescafe. usually no one is out there with me - either sleeping or gone already (im not even sure). say a few goodbyes then leave the house at 730 to walk to class/the SIT program at the university. i usually walk with diana who lives further down the road than me. we pass many people walking to work or school and plenty of motos. the road is all paved, and we get to enjoy an excellent view or inhabited mountains. the walk is downhill and takes about 30 minutes walking at an american pace. if we're late we are supposed to pay 50 francs (10 cents). i am strongly against this punishment thing.
there are 3 class sessions during the day. either french (in groups of 3-4 along with a prof, sit outside), or full group lectures on specific topics. during lunch break from 12 to 130, well split into (still changing) groups and walk into town to go to a restaurant or bakerie and get something. usually costs about 1.50 to 4 bucks to eat, even at restaurants. the walk to and from most places in town is about 20 minutes. classes end at 3:30 typically, unless we have to watch a movie or do something else.
after class, i might hit up the internet cafe back in town, do some work at the sit office in town, buy necessities or walk home. ive been getting home around 530 on average. i have to knock at the gate and someone lets me in. to clarify, i live alone with my cam family, and each student is in a different home. the families all speak only french. once home, ill set down my things and change into sandals. i then do any number of things - homework (french essay or project or something), play with darlene, talk with family members, or watch tv. dinner is usually at 8, and my family is unique in that most of the members eat together, except Papa, who eats later usually. the tv is on during dinner. i help set and clear the table. after dinner, always take my malaria pill, and might do work or watch tv. i try to get to bed before 10.
in all cameroon, traffic is crazy and crossing the street can be an adventure. you usually walk on a semi-paved sidewalk or on the side of the road to avoid the dust. dust on dirt roads is annoying, but fortunately, i spend little time on them.
bugs are not a big issue, but they exist. plenty of flies during the day, but they hardly bother you (make no noise, cant feel them land). at home, bugs are not an issue, maybe because my house is quite nice. live animals around town can be interesting or annoyinga. chickens and goats are very common, marked with some symbol of ownership, but let free to wander. there is a goat family that i pass each morning and afternoon near my house.
lotsof people around town always, and many stare at the whities. since everyone walks, it is the case.
so life for me is relatively comfortable. other people have it much worse, with a hole to go in, less electricity, and nasty bugs. i hope to not downgrade too much during my homestay in ngoundere.
so that is my life...

i wanted to give some snipets about life here to give some better idea about how it all is. also the basic updates.
the dust for me is better. i followed advice from a number of locals and drank lemon juice and honey. with tissane tea is even better. that has cured me, and will again. clothes and shoes staying clean is an issue though, always.
my new african outfit is totally sweet. i got a hooded long sleeve shirt and matching pants in a blue diamond covered fabric. i'd like to put a picture of it (and me) up, but we'll see how i manage that.
tv is big here. but hilariously dubbed and containing mostly bad shows. my family gets about 13 channels, almost all in french. some usual programs we watch are dubbed soap operas mainly from the US or mexico or brazil, but also including one cameroonian one which is severely lacking in production quality; i saw that they carry 24, season 4 on some channel, dubbed of course; i heard oprah is on here; then there are bad or old, often dubbed, movies and of course the news. the TV is on thoughout the entire day, and the one in my house is placed quite central to everything.
i did laundry by hand for the first time last sunday. it was tough and i had a lot. unfortunately, you have to leave clothes be for three days after they dry or iron the, or else you might well get worms under your skin. awesome, right? turns out quick dry was not the way to go, since those clothes tend to be unironable. however, they dont retain smell too much, which lets me wear them more often.
sunday was also the fete de la jeunesse, a huge holiday celebrating young people over here. huge parade went on for ever, including chilluns and university students. streets became crowded and as is more noral here, police had to beat back children onto the side of the road to let the parade pass. got to watch it all from our perch on the 3rd level at the SIT office.
also visited a village waterfall thing on sat, which was cool.
for now, must leave for more learning.

life goes well in dschang. the dust here is really getting to me though, and should continue until the rainy season begins in march. i felt sick when i woke up this morning and can't get it out of my lungs. walking everywhere right next to the road isnt much help either.
yesterday was eventful... presented homestay gifts to my family - maryland calendar, multi-purpose tool, chocolate, lip glosses, the source feb issue, american flag bandanna, sudoku book, and coloring book + crayons for darlene. all were accepted well. the hershey kisses went fast (especially into mamans belly), and i spent the night teaching xaverie sudoku, which i think she enjoys. papa was really impressed with the tool thing. i am about out of girly gits though. hopefully i will have more males in my other homestays so i can give out most of the remainder of my gifts (the good ones imho).
i've been setting and clearing the table of late, trying to be a real family member. darlene is crazy about me (maybe just crazy), which results in hours of strange interplay. i served myself the fish head last night, but didn't know how to suck the brains out properly, much to their amusement, so i gave it up.
before going home i stopped by the tailors yesterday and ordered a whole outfit. i'm supremely excited to get it on saturday. i also desperately need to do some laundry this weekend, but i should probably beat the dust out of my pants before even starting.
i'm going to come with a detailed typical day entry soon enough. till then i need a respirator and new legs.

Life is a bit slower now. I moved in with my homestay family this past saturday night. Papa is a professor at the U of Dschang, Maman stays home and does some sewing on the side. I have all sisters at home, ironically enough, considering the makeup of the program. Oldest daughter at home is Xaverie, age 27 and the equivelant of a graduate student at the U. Second is Hueguette, 23 and also grad student. Ingrid is 19, in the last year of "college"/high school (except you earn your bachelors). And Darlene is six, the daughter of Xaverie. The family is quite well off compared to other host families. We live in a house in the neighborhood called Foto, which is about a 30 minute walk for me every morning. We have electricity (except for the occasional blackout due to infrastructure issues - but its the fault of an american company) and running water, theoretically, because its been out since i've been there. Life without running water really is not hard though. Just dump water to manually flush the toilet and use collected water to wash yourself. I feel accepted in the family, but as a boy, dont do muc work (yet, perhaps).
School is not too difficult so far, except we have class 6 days a week, usually from 8 to 3:30+. Intensive French, Culture and Development Seminar, and The Field Study Seminar rotate to fill the schedule.
Social life is very different, since your not allowed out at night because of crime and lack of lighting. Bedtime is understandably earlier. All these girls aren't getting to me too badly, but we'll see how i continue to adjust. It will be weird (but welcome) reentering a world of men back home.
Food is definitely different over here. I haven't eaten anything too delicious at home so far, and there aren't many choices for lunch out on the town. Hopefully, I'll figure out some alternatives and learn to cook african style at some point (although men generally don't cook). I really have no clue about what goes on behind the scenes at home, so I think I better look into that and start being a real family member.
So all is well. All is so cheap. And things will continue to pick up. I definitely miss my comfort zone at home, but need to try to find new ways to relax, since snood and comedy central are no longer options. anyone not near the equator can be quite jealous of the weather here at least.
take care yallz.

Alriiigghhhht. We just got into Dschang, our program's main location with the longest homestay. It's been quite the past week. For anyone whose never been to Africa (maybe developing nations in general), it's truly a new experience. Everything around you is different - people all around walking long the roads, constant attention since you are the only white people around, and dust everywhere. What is luxury here is nothing like luxury at home.
We've spent the last few days in Banjoun at the compound of a wealthy woman, getting to know eachother, learning the country's basics and eating very well. I happen to be the only male on the program, which might be trying, but I expect I can handle it (I do get special attention, considered kind of a chief). All the girls are so interesting, everyone with their own amazing experiences all leading up to this. Christianne is the program director, a cameroonian native who is so helpful and smart. She speaks 7 languages!
We've spent a fair amount of time traveling so far. Roads are all paved so far, but many in poor condition. In general, driving here is hectic and dangerous.
Computers are interesting, and we're about to have a power outage...
P.S.!! my cell number here is 2375644643 (237 is the country code) we're six hours ahead. till next time...