Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
The world of the white and rich!
This weekend was very exciting. As you can guess from the title I met the other side of Douala! Huge villas, big cars, restaurants charging higher prices than Europe and corn flakes worth 10 Euros.
Luckily a colleague called me Friday morning to let me know that we did not have to work due to Ramadan. Thus, I had a nice long weekend. I spent most of my time walking around the district, Bonanjo, where my office and hotel is (I still didn’t move to my apartment) and Bona Priso, which is the home of the white and the rich! Most of the people living there are families from France and very very very rich Cameroonian families. I was so happy when I discovered a supermarket which sold more than just bread and butter, however my joy was quickly killed as I went through the huge allies and saw the prices! You can actually find everything in those stores. The place reminded me a bit of Publix in Miami. But the prices, wohhoo, I could easily spend my entire salary on a one week menu. Well filled with deception and accepting the fact that I will have to do without the luxury of buying food of which I know what it is and where it’s from. But then again, I am not here to live the luxurious life of the white and rich! Apart from the supermarkets, I saw a lot of nice stores and restaurants from all over the world. But I guess unless I really want to spoil myself one day and not eat for the coming three days, I will always see those restaurants from the outside. Nevertheless, it was a nice day, getting to know the other side of Douala. At least I realized that I was not the only white woman in the city, but I do know now that I am the only white woman here who does not have a car and walks by foot!
I also visited several sport clubs in order to see what I can do during my free time. I visited to horse-back riding clubs, hoping on cheaper prices than in Europe. But guess what, that was not the case. However, this club visits were quite an adventure! First, since I did not know where they were it took me quite some time to find a taxi which would take me to Youpwe, which is the district of the club. The problem was not that it was far or that the taxi drivers didn’t know where it was, I guess it was the very wrong pronunciation of mine. Finally, I found a taxi moto (which is a motorcycle) which took me there. The ride was fun and scary. It was nice to feel the breeze on that hot day; however the speed on those non existent roads could have been less in order for me to feel safe. But I arrived safe and sound, and I was not overcharged!
The club itself was really nice, the lady (French) immediately showed interest in me and invited me to an event on Sunday. At first I didn’t really get if it was a race, a competition or something else, but I accepted the invitation. Of course I asked about the price list, but let’s not ruin my mood and move on!
Finally, I went to Club Saint Georges, which also offers horse back riding. Well due to the impressions of the first club and just by the sight of the second, I knew I wouldn’t lay foot on Saint George again. Just for fun I asked a lady about the prices and well my impressions were confirmed. Alone the membership fee not including the horseback riding was 200 000 FCFA, which accounts to more or less 270 Euros.
Well I decided to spend the money I earn otherwise!
Sunday: I followed the invitation of the first riding club and arrived there after a second adventurous moto ride around 1 pm. As I got there everyone was gathered around a buffet. My first impression: I entered the world of the white and rich! Most families there were French. There were two Cameroonian families, one from the Ivory Coast and one family half Croatian, half Indonesian. Apart from the last two everyone spoke only French. On the one hand it was good, as I have never spoken that much French in my life before, on the other hand, when I got home I really had a headache! Well as I arrived, I was told to sit and eat. The food was delicious, and since I didn’t really eat the days before, I was happy to bite into some proper chicken. I even ate all the vegetables!:) As I didn’t want to be rude I took only a small portion, which at the end I regretted. I soon was under immense shock, when I saw a bucket making a round at the table into which everyone was putting 10000 FCFA (12 Euros). I believe I only had 5000 in my purse. I ignored the bucket at first, hoping for a miracle and not to die of embarrassment! Once the bucket got to me I pretended I did not know how much to pay and I kindly asked the lady how much I should pay. Thank god, she just smiled at me and told me I was invitedJ You should have seen the smile on my face at that moment! Until the next riding event started (kids were making some jumping test) I spent most of my time talking to the Indonesian lady, who was really happy that someone spoke English. She invited me to join them for a weekend to their house in Kribi, which is the nice beach area in Cameroon. Let us hope that really works out! Then my conversation moved to a Cameroonian family. That man was some mixture of Wesley Snipes and Indiana Jones. My observation really matched his work, as I found out that he is a professional hunter! Apparently, he is very famous around here! Well, in general I had a great time. Everyone was very kind to me and were offering me that they could pick me up when I want to go riding so I don’t have to go on a moto, inviting me to their homes for dinner and several other events. The highlight though was, when the president of the club came to talk to me, mainly about what I do and all. I told everyone that I am a student, doing an internship here, etc. Nevertheless, after me being there for more or less three hours the president asks me: “So tell me dear, why don’t you bring your husband and kids next time?!” They were literally shocked as I told them that I was not married, had no kids, and was 23 years old. Sometimes I really wonder if they were listening to me or if I really look that old! But well once that was clear I think it all made sense to them why I did not have a big car and a home in Bona Priso.
As I stayed until the end of the event, the family from Ivory Coast drove me home and as I got out of the car my day among the white and rich ended. As said before it was nice, however they do live completely different lives, thus I will be happy to accept some of their invitations, but I will not center my stay here among them. I guess it is nice to live in such a bubble for some moments, however that is not what I came here for.
Now a new week at the office has started. As you can guess, due to my long update, there is not much work at the moment. I was told that next week we will all be assigned to special projects, very exciting! The best news however is…. Apparently we are moving to the apartment tomorrow. Cross your fingers that that is true!
Luckily a colleague called me Friday morning to let me know that we did not have to work due to Ramadan. Thus, I had a nice long weekend. I spent most of my time walking around the district, Bonanjo, where my office and hotel is (I still didn’t move to my apartment) and Bona Priso, which is the home of the white and the rich! Most of the people living there are families from France and very very very rich Cameroonian families. I was so happy when I discovered a supermarket which sold more than just bread and butter, however my joy was quickly killed as I went through the huge allies and saw the prices! You can actually find everything in those stores. The place reminded me a bit of Publix in Miami. But the prices, wohhoo, I could easily spend my entire salary on a one week menu. Well filled with deception and accepting the fact that I will have to do without the luxury of buying food of which I know what it is and where it’s from. But then again, I am not here to live the luxurious life of the white and rich! Apart from the supermarkets, I saw a lot of nice stores and restaurants from all over the world. But I guess unless I really want to spoil myself one day and not eat for the coming three days, I will always see those restaurants from the outside. Nevertheless, it was a nice day, getting to know the other side of Douala. At least I realized that I was not the only white woman in the city, but I do know now that I am the only white woman here who does not have a car and walks by foot!
I also visited several sport clubs in order to see what I can do during my free time. I visited to horse-back riding clubs, hoping on cheaper prices than in Europe. But guess what, that was not the case. However, this club visits were quite an adventure! First, since I did not know where they were it took me quite some time to find a taxi which would take me to Youpwe, which is the district of the club. The problem was not that it was far or that the taxi drivers didn’t know where it was, I guess it was the very wrong pronunciation of mine. Finally, I found a taxi moto (which is a motorcycle) which took me there. The ride was fun and scary. It was nice to feel the breeze on that hot day; however the speed on those non existent roads could have been less in order for me to feel safe. But I arrived safe and sound, and I was not overcharged!
The club itself was really nice, the lady (French) immediately showed interest in me and invited me to an event on Sunday. At first I didn’t really get if it was a race, a competition or something else, but I accepted the invitation. Of course I asked about the price list, but let’s not ruin my mood and move on!
Finally, I went to Club Saint Georges, which also offers horse back riding. Well due to the impressions of the first club and just by the sight of the second, I knew I wouldn’t lay foot on Saint George again. Just for fun I asked a lady about the prices and well my impressions were confirmed. Alone the membership fee not including the horseback riding was 200 000 FCFA, which accounts to more or less 270 Euros.
Well I decided to spend the money I earn otherwise!
Sunday: I followed the invitation of the first riding club and arrived there after a second adventurous moto ride around 1 pm. As I got there everyone was gathered around a buffet. My first impression: I entered the world of the white and rich! Most families there were French. There were two Cameroonian families, one from the Ivory Coast and one family half Croatian, half Indonesian. Apart from the last two everyone spoke only French. On the one hand it was good, as I have never spoken that much French in my life before, on the other hand, when I got home I really had a headache! Well as I arrived, I was told to sit and eat. The food was delicious, and since I didn’t really eat the days before, I was happy to bite into some proper chicken. I even ate all the vegetables!:) As I didn’t want to be rude I took only a small portion, which at the end I regretted. I soon was under immense shock, when I saw a bucket making a round at the table into which everyone was putting 10000 FCFA (12 Euros). I believe I only had 5000 in my purse. I ignored the bucket at first, hoping for a miracle and not to die of embarrassment! Once the bucket got to me I pretended I did not know how much to pay and I kindly asked the lady how much I should pay. Thank god, she just smiled at me and told me I was invitedJ You should have seen the smile on my face at that moment! Until the next riding event started (kids were making some jumping test) I spent most of my time talking to the Indonesian lady, who was really happy that someone spoke English. She invited me to join them for a weekend to their house in Kribi, which is the nice beach area in Cameroon. Let us hope that really works out! Then my conversation moved to a Cameroonian family. That man was some mixture of Wesley Snipes and Indiana Jones. My observation really matched his work, as I found out that he is a professional hunter! Apparently, he is very famous around here! Well, in general I had a great time. Everyone was very kind to me and were offering me that they could pick me up when I want to go riding so I don’t have to go on a moto, inviting me to their homes for dinner and several other events. The highlight though was, when the president of the club came to talk to me, mainly about what I do and all. I told everyone that I am a student, doing an internship here, etc. Nevertheless, after me being there for more or less three hours the president asks me: “So tell me dear, why don’t you bring your husband and kids next time?!” They were literally shocked as I told them that I was not married, had no kids, and was 23 years old. Sometimes I really wonder if they were listening to me or if I really look that old! But well once that was clear I think it all made sense to them why I did not have a big car and a home in Bona Priso.
As I stayed until the end of the event, the family from Ivory Coast drove me home and as I got out of the car my day among the white and rich ended. As said before it was nice, however they do live completely different lives, thus I will be happy to accept some of their invitations, but I will not center my stay here among them. I guess it is nice to live in such a bubble for some moments, however that is not what I came here for.
Now a new week at the office has started. As you can guess, due to my long update, there is not much work at the moment. I was told that next week we will all be assigned to special projects, very exciting! The best news however is…. Apparently we are moving to the apartment tomorrow. Cross your fingers that that is true!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Second week and still no appartment!
A new week has started and well I am slowly getting used to my surroundings. This weekend was actually really nice. Saturday I spend with Carol, my little crazy friend from Kenya and we went to the market as she wanted to buy some clothes and shoes. It was quite an adventure! We took Willie along to take care of us, poor guy he must have been bored out of his mind. But well part of the market (outside) is crazy, you really have to watch your step and take good care of your bag. The thieves here apparently are really really good! Hehe but they had no chance with me! It was pretty funny coz Carol and me as a combination is not the best for trying to get the prices down. Well she has the looks of a local but she speaks no French, so its basically her doing the body language and me the talking. It’s crazy, they see that we are foreigners and the prices go up like crazy!!!! Almost at the end we found a shoestore on the other side of the market, where actually the more expensive stores are in, where the man gave us reasonable prices. He was really nice. We probably spend an hour in there trying on the funkiest shoes. We were joking with the guy and all, and at the end he even gave us really really nice prices. I bought high quality fancy leather shoes for app. 15 euros. The people from the other stores wanted at least three times as much for low quality stuff. Hehe now I have my personal shoestore, def: wont be the last pair I buy there! After the market and alot of exhaustion we went back to the aiesec house were we met a bunch of people and also Bartek, the polish guy. He invited me and Carol to come over for a swim at his place (which actually was supposed to be my place)!!!! Since it was already late we also decided to spend the night there. When I got there, wow, no wonder the guy feels so good here. That apartment is pure luxury. It was huge, new, clean, modern with ac in every room, an actual toilette and bathtub with hot water!!! That is luxury here! And the pool, ahh so nice! Carol, actually, when she saw the bed just jumped into it and did not even think about the pool anymore. As for me I felt like a little fish who just grew its fins. Bartek joined me outside but just for company. Ah that moment I felt like a little princess! And when I took the hot shower later, uhh even better. And what made the night perfect was the soft clean bed with no sand and no smell of sweat. Uhhh going back to the aiesec house the next day was really a shock.
But before we went back we went out for pizza… hehe they actually have it here, but it tastes very different to what we are used to. But its nice!!! Well the problem with the pizza place is that it is in a very touristic place and on the other side extremely dangerous place. It's the crossing where the chances are extremely high to get assaulted and robbed. Well the taxi stopped five meters away from the door of the restaurant, and it was funny to see that even for that short distance the guys approached us without a smile and already having there hands ready. I just hid behind Bartek who pulled me really quickly into the store. So nothing happened, but the guys where just waiting outside the door for us to come out. But then as we wanted to leave we sent Carol out to get a taxi in front of the door and she called us when she was ready so we could just jump into the cab. On the one hand it was pretty scary, on the other it was almost funny!
Well the rest of the weekend I spent with Monica a really nice mexican girl who arrived on satueday eve but is leaving unfortunately tonight.
I definitely feel better here now, but well it still isn't the wow feeling. Hopefully I will get my apartment this week and then things should change as well. Just had a chat with my boss and he told me that tomorrow wont work out but probably Saturday… well I am really curious if this will work out! It would be already two weeks, so if it does not work out this weekend I will have a not so nice word with them!!!
But before we went back we went out for pizza… hehe they actually have it here, but it tastes very different to what we are used to. But its nice!!! Well the problem with the pizza place is that it is in a very touristic place and on the other side extremely dangerous place. It's the crossing where the chances are extremely high to get assaulted and robbed. Well the taxi stopped five meters away from the door of the restaurant, and it was funny to see that even for that short distance the guys approached us without a smile and already having there hands ready. I just hid behind Bartek who pulled me really quickly into the store. So nothing happened, but the guys where just waiting outside the door for us to come out. But then as we wanted to leave we sent Carol out to get a taxi in front of the door and she called us when she was ready so we could just jump into the cab. On the one hand it was pretty scary, on the other it was almost funny!
Well the rest of the weekend I spent with Monica a really nice mexican girl who arrived on satueday eve but is leaving unfortunately tonight.
I definitely feel better here now, but well it still isn't the wow feeling. Hopefully I will get my apartment this week and then things should change as well. Just had a chat with my boss and he told me that tomorrow wont work out but probably Saturday… well I am really curious if this will work out! It would be already two weeks, so if it does not work out this weekend I will have a not so nice word with them!!!
First Impressions
I must say I am very glad that I lived in India before coz otherwise this would have been the cultural shock of my life! The moment I put foot in Douala I new that most of the things I read about it before were not going to be entirely true! The fact that there is a constant temperature of 30 degrees all year is the biggest lie!!! I arrived at 7 pm and the temperature was 35, and keep in mind that is the night temp!!!! I was lucky that I met a nice Nigerian man during my flight, as he was a diplomat he helped me get through all the controls quite fast. Nevertheless, the time saved didn’t get me far as the luggage pick up was the next burden. It was very funny to see how the guys were manually bringing the suitcases one by oneJ There were more guys trying to help you out with the luggage than actually luggage to carry. Then I almost got in a fight with this one guy who just took my suitcase without asking and later wanted money. Luckily Willy (my aiesec buddy) was there to help! Then the taxi ride was a lot of fun. I didn’t really see much as there hardly are any street lights in Douala but therefore I felt every single stone on the road, well if you can call them roads! They are more like one big hole after the other. As expected my apartment was not ready for my arrival, so plan B was to stay in the Aiesec house till Monday (just want to let you know, I am still here!) Actually you can’t really call it house. Its more like a shed. 
Well we have one big living room which is quite nice, and then a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom. (Oh one week later I found out that there is also a kitchen!) It’s all just a matter of getting used to, the fungus on the wall and the cockroaches. Well I lived in Maastricht, that helped I guess. The only thing here I still try to avoid as much as possible is the toilet… Well first of all there is no light so you really have to watch your step. Then I don’t think it has ever been cleaned, at least not for a very very long while. The shower are some buckets next to the toilet and you really don’t want to know how long those buckets have been standing there. I would say the water has some yellowish colour! But as I said, it’s a matter of getting used toJ Well back to my first night… Apparently it is an Aiesec thing that one has to share the room with the buddy…. Hmm well the problem was that he only had one small bed and there were some free beds still left in the house, so I convinced them that I am very prude and out of respect towards my boyfriend I would rather sleep alone! Hehe, baby thank you! Then I got a nice little bed in a bedroom which I am sharing with another guy under some nice pink mosquito net which is probably older than the house. 
But its not the oldest thing there, I guess the mattress is also growing some fungus, so it can not be that new. But nevertheless I was so tired that I was just glad there was some place to sleep!
Uh something important I forgot in between, dinner!!! The food brightend up my day. It was the weirdest combination I ever saw but it was delicious! I had macaroni with rice banana beef and some tomato sauce. Oh so good!
The next morning I was actually able to see were I was. At night it all looked a bit nicerJ But you really learn to like it. First thing we
did was go to a market to buy me some towels. That was so much fun! I will not even try to explain it coz I can’t put in words. I was a highlight there, all the time I heard…. “La blanche, la blanche, bebe, bebe” Of course all the prices went up by ten times as well! Oh who ever told me that life in Douala is cheap… big lie! Here people say it’s the most expensive city in all of Africa, now if that is true I also don’t know! One thing that I realised during our little trip was, though, that I really am the only white girl in the city! I am not joking. Until know I have seen 4 white men, one of them being Bartek the Polish Aiesec guy. I didn’t think it would be that extreme, but well another thing I have to get used to, or lets put it this way the people here have to get used to!
Talking about the people here, they are all really nice. Especially the Aiesec people, I met them all during a small party we had on Sunday, and there was not one I didn’t get along with.
They are very welcoming and fun to hang around with. The only problem is that they get a bid too attached. I really cherish my privacy and well for the past few days I haven’t had any! Funny is also the discussions I have with the guys. They are very interesting and sometimes end in up in arguments as our way of thinking does differ a lot, especially when it comes to the theme women. Apparently we are some weak little creature whose main task is to get married and have children…. Well I think the ones who know me can imagine how these conversations go!
But well, back to Douala. Sunday I accompanied Carol a girl from Kenya to look for an apartment. That was great. I got to see most of Douala, and then I finally saw some areas which do look nice also from the outside. Smart me of course forgot to put sunscreen on that day and now I can peel my skin like a potato!
Well what I actually came here for…work… I started Monday right away. The area where the office is seems really nice. The building… solala. But our offices have AC, which is a gift from heaven here. I immediately met my boss and we got along really well. Also everyone else in the office is really friendly. They all live their own lifes, but we get along great! The work itself, I can’t really say cause I haven’t really done anything so far! My boss said that I should use this month to really improve my French as he sees that I have a good basis, and his plans for me is to send me abroad to French speaking projects in one month or two. Hehe, that will be another great adventure :s
All in all, I really like it here. If it weren’t for my malaria pills I would also enjoy it even more. But ja as expected some nice side effects are showing up ones in a while as extreme moodswings. So one moment I am jumping around laughing the next moment I am about to cry and sometimes I even get angry at everything that moves or everything that is male. Well that really is annoying me, every man here tries to get to know me. At first it was funny and now it is just annoying and sometimes even scary (uhh I had a scary taxi ride)! Most of the times I ignore it, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. But I guess with time when I know my way around and I wont be that new to the others anymore, this will hopefully get better.
So all in all, first expression…definitely worth it. You can not imagine it unless you see it yourself! Let’s see what the future brings.
Well we have one big living room which is quite nice, and then a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom. (Oh one week later I found out that there is also a kitchen!) It’s all just a matter of getting used to, the fungus on the wall and the cockroaches. Well I lived in Maastricht, that helped I guess. The only thing here I still try to avoid as much as possible is the toilet… Well first of all there is no light so you really have to watch your step. Then I don’t think it has ever been cleaned, at least not for a very very long while. The shower are some buckets next to the toilet and you really don’t want to know how long those buckets have been standing there. I would say the water has some yellowish colour! But as I said, it’s a matter of getting used toJ Well back to my first night… Apparently it is an Aiesec thing that one has to share the room with the buddy…. Hmm well the problem was that he only had one small bed and there were some free beds still left in the house, so I convinced them that I am very prude and out of respect towards my boyfriend I would rather sleep alone! Hehe, baby thank you! Then I got a nice little bed in a bedroom which I am sharing with another guy under some nice pink mosquito net which is probably older than the house. 
But its not the oldest thing there, I guess the mattress is also growing some fungus, so it can not be that new. But nevertheless I was so tired that I was just glad there was some place to sleep!Uh something important I forgot in between, dinner!!! The food brightend up my day. It was the weirdest combination I ever saw but it was delicious! I had macaroni with rice banana beef and some tomato sauce. Oh so good!
The next morning I was actually able to see were I was. At night it all looked a bit nicerJ But you really learn to like it. First thing we
did was go to a market to buy me some towels. That was so much fun! I will not even try to explain it coz I can’t put in words. I was a highlight there, all the time I heard…. “La blanche, la blanche, bebe, bebe” Of course all the prices went up by ten times as well! Oh who ever told me that life in Douala is cheap… big lie! Here people say it’s the most expensive city in all of Africa, now if that is true I also don’t know! One thing that I realised during our little trip was, though, that I really am the only white girl in the city! I am not joking. Until know I have seen 4 white men, one of them being Bartek the Polish Aiesec guy. I didn’t think it would be that extreme, but well another thing I have to get used to, or lets put it this way the people here have to get used to!Talking about the people here, they are all really nice. Especially the Aiesec people, I met them all during a small party we had on Sunday, and there was not one I didn’t get along with.
They are very welcoming and fun to hang around with. The only problem is that they get a bid too attached. I really cherish my privacy and well for the past few days I haven’t had any! Funny is also the discussions I have with the guys. They are very interesting and sometimes end in up in arguments as our way of thinking does differ a lot, especially when it comes to the theme women. Apparently we are some weak little creature whose main task is to get married and have children…. Well I think the ones who know me can imagine how these conversations go!But well, back to Douala. Sunday I accompanied Carol a girl from Kenya to look for an apartment. That was great. I got to see most of Douala, and then I finally saw some areas which do look nice also from the outside. Smart me of course forgot to put sunscreen on that day and now I can peel my skin like a potato!
Well what I actually came here for…work… I started Monday right away. The area where the office is seems really nice. The building… solala. But our offices have AC, which is a gift from heaven here. I immediately met my boss and we got along really well. Also everyone else in the office is really friendly. They all live their own lifes, but we get along great! The work itself, I can’t really say cause I haven’t really done anything so far! My boss said that I should use this month to really improve my French as he sees that I have a good basis, and his plans for me is to send me abroad to French speaking projects in one month or two. Hehe, that will be another great adventure :s
All in all, I really like it here. If it weren’t for my malaria pills I would also enjoy it even more. But ja as expected some nice side effects are showing up ones in a while as extreme moodswings. So one moment I am jumping around laughing the next moment I am about to cry and sometimes I even get angry at everything that moves or everything that is male. Well that really is annoying me, every man here tries to get to know me. At first it was funny and now it is just annoying and sometimes even scary (uhh I had a scary taxi ride)! Most of the times I ignore it, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. But I guess with time when I know my way around and I wont be that new to the others anymore, this will hopefully get better.
So all in all, first expression…definitely worth it. You can not imagine it unless you see it yourself! Let’s see what the future brings.
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