Lizard Cowpies

In the US, if I was eating breakfast and lizard shit fell from the sky and landed next to my plate, I'd be a little upset.  In Cameroon, while eating breakfast at my favorite Garoua omelette shack, lizard shit fell from the sky, landed next to my plate, and I just thought, "Hey, that's some lizard shit. Glad it didn't land on my plate. I'm still hungry."  I've been here for nearly five months now, two at post, and I find this whole lizard dropping thing one sign of how I have changed.

 

Don't worry, I'm won't do a big whole thing about how I love Africa and Africa loves me and I'm finding myself here. I'll save that for later, and it'll be incredibly sappy and lame.  But I will say that in my short time living and "working" here, I've gotten used to and accepted so many things as normal that would have been crazy to me a year ago.  For instance, thinking that a pit latrine is the ultimate waste removal system compared to a flush toilet is something I wouldn't have believed back in the States.  Being relieved to be on paved roads, going to restaurants where half the menu isn't available, bargaining with vendors, realizing how a strong middle class might be the only way to develop/make things more like Europe or America and that it's in the government's best interest to stop that from happening.  That last one was a little intense, n'est pas?

 

I'm seeing possible projects in my village.  One major one might be to start a PVVS group in Lagdo (PVVS is a French abbreviation. I don't want to get too excited or have too high expectations, so you can look up the abbreviation for now and I'll explain as time goes on what it entails.  This could be a major opportunity for me, and I don't want to jinx it by talking about it too much right now.  This isn't on par with Wade Boggs eating fried chicken before every game, but it's my superstition and I'll be annoyingly vague if I want to.)... 

Track 9 on Sticky Fingers

So I've been asked a few times what I would like sent to me, and as I do like people giving me things for free, here are some suggestions. Also, it's taking either 25 or 45 days for stuff to get to Lagdo, nothing in between.

 

     - Magazines (not Newsweek. PCVs get that for free! It's so worth it just for the that...)

     - Dried foods, instant anything, things like that

     - Maps... weird choice, but I have a lot of wall space chez moi, and I'm a dork when it comes to maps... food courts, Europe, whatever

     - Newspaper clippings... speaking of which, did the AJC really print that picture of Michael Vick giving the bird to ATL fans? That's awesome. Really good year for the Vick family all around.

     - Stickers/Magnet... stickers are for my moto helmet (nothing offensive please, Cameroon is a bilingual country. Not many people actually speak English up here, but they can pronounce it), magnets for my frige (yes, I have a frige. Posh Corps.)

     - Books... I've threatened Stine that I'll ruin her wedding if she doesn't send me the last Harry Potter book, but any other books are welcome, too. I have a lot of free time on my hands.

     - Anything really... beggars can't be choosers, I appreciate anything anybody sends me, granted it's not dead flowers or something like that.

 

Lagdo has some awesome barbeque fish.  The fish is sold by "fish ladies" at night, for 800-1000 francs (about 2 bucks) each.  It's reallly good.  They chop up some onions and tomatos, use some pimon if you want it, put on some soy sauce (Maggi is the brand, made by Nestle. It's everywhere.), then you eat it with your hands. The meat comes right off. It's freakin' delicious. And if you don't want to eat the head (it's served whole), a Cameroonian will, or atleast a mangy dog.

 

I also just finished My Life by Bubba.  What an interesting book.  It's especially interesting because I was too young to really understand the events of the 90s, and he's obviously one of the most important people of that decade.  He didn't mention That Thing until page 773.  The best argument for why Hillary should be president: she made Bill sleep on the couch for two months! Literally sleep on the couch.  If she has enough power to make the president of the United States do that, well then, she has my vote (if the absentee ballot gets here on time).  And GWB didn't even care about al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden when he talked to Bubba in 2000 after the election.

 

The hot season officially begins in March. That's a lie. It's hot already.