January 8, 2007

I’ve wiped off the self-pity I was wallowing in, and after a long shower I’m ready to get started with enjoying what are probably my last two-and-a-half months in Cameroon.

It’s time to make an effort to see parts of the country I haven’t seen, and to meet people I haven’t met. I think I’ll enjoy this.

Of course, I still haven’t bought a plane ticket, so I reserve the right to change my mind.

Thank you for indulging me.

Just so no one is worried about me, here’s a link to something I contributed to the Sub-Saharan African Roundtable. It’s a more fleshed-out version of what I wrote about election reform in Cameroon. If you’re at all interested in Africa, you should check out the other stories here.

Before you read my post, Samuel Eto’o is Cameroon’s national football star. He is a striker for FC Barcelona and his face is everywhere here – on fabric patterns, on magazines, on advertisements. There are songs about him and he is always on television somewhere in the country. I just wanted everyone to get the reference.

And while I’m at it, here’s a link to an interesting Cameroonian blogger. If you want a much better understanding of life, politics and history in Cameroon than I can give, you’ve got to read Dibussi Tande. There is a far more informed critique of the penal procedure code I wrote about last week a few items in.

In other news, the technician was able to fix the transformer for our Game Cube. Only in the developing world would someone try cutting through the welded and bolted plastic cover to get at the delicate electrical components inside. That’s just what Desiree did, and it worked.

Unfortunately, within two minutes of plugging it in, the transformer buzzed, then smelled, then started to emit white smoke. So there goes that. I think the Game Cube is coming home with me. Bec will keep the Gameboy. We’re so mature.