It's been almost a month since I last wrote - so much to do, so much to prepare to get myself packed up and away in two suitcases! Well, yes, the luggage was overweight but that's the way it goes with many things to take that may be either unavailable or very expensive in Cameroon. There were more training days in Melbourne at the AVI (Australian Volunteers International) office at the beginning of January and then just a few days to say goodbye to family and friends before departure. I would like to thank all those who helped me in many little ways and Barbara, Michael, Kristine and Naic who facilitated my departure at the airport. Your help was invaluable.
Arrival in Cameroon went smoothly, quickly learning about Cameroonian time with a 45 minute wait for the luggage to come from the aircraft. A VSO representative was there to pick me up and take me to the hotel. The warm night air reminded me of being in Veracruz, Mexico, and the single story dwellings and city buildings painted a picture of a low-lying, sprawling urban landscape.
The VSO office is located in an old house in the international part of town. There are the dusty and broken-up sidewalks but there are also some trees and with good air circulation, the office maintains a pleasant temperature. Younde is indeed over 700 metres above sea level so it is cooler than Maroua at just over 300 metres a.s.l. in the Far North, making it a good stepping-stone before heading for the hotter climate. The journey by road takes two days, by train and bus a full 24 hours and by plane, well a day given the several hour wait at the airport. So, tomorrow I'm off by plane feeling the weight of mental overload with all the new cultural and logistic information to assimilate. There are challenges still to grapple with but more of those in my next posting.
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