June 5, 2009 - Morning After Arrival

I woke up super early this morning around 5 am. I went outside on the front porch and found fog so thick you couldn't see ten feet in front of you. If you've seen the movie Hotel Rwanda, it's like the fog in the part when he runs over dead bodies.

It's spooky, cool and beautiful. Rain-forest fog is mesmerizing. I needed a coffee fix so I set out to find a little street boutique that was open. It's the rainy season so everything is powerfully green and the earth is red as blood. I walked up a dirt road with green corn husks a mile high on each side. I was alone in the fog, slipping along the wet red road in the pink flip flops that Olivier and kids had saved for me.

I found a little boutique and bought a pastry for our new guard. He seems to be a very sweet fellow. But I need to remember to stay his boss and not be his friend. That always gets me into trouble because I lose people's respect. In Cameroon, the boss is the boss, not a friend. I hate that! I want to be friends with everyone but Olivier keeps me in check. "You're the boss, not their friend," he reminds me.

I also just hate being a boss in general. I'm uncomfortable giving orders and I'd rather eat dirt than correct employees....but I do it. And thank God, Olivier is good at it.

So on my way back from the boutique, enjoying the rain-forest fog that makes it seem like I'm not in a giant city of 4 million people, I found a little surprise that I almost stepped in.

Human feces, long and bright green, right there in the middle of the road. Wow. Welcome home, huh?

There were also two little stick-thin kids dressed in rags carrying buckets on their heads. They were out searching water. I wanted to take them back to the house and wash them and give them a childhood. But they have parents--they're unreachable. They were so beautiful. I think the little girl recognized me from boutique trips past. She was trying very hard not to smile at me with her eyes wide open. I always say hi to the little kids I see. They reply with sober faces and then squeal and giggle when I'm far away from them 'not to notice'...

I don't think there's anything more precious than little five or six year old Cameroonian kids walking along a dirt road. Their little coconut smiles steal your heart and its so hard not to just stop and pick them up and run away with them so they'll be treated as they deserve.

I'm back. God bless Cameroon and its people. It's such a tragic place in every way with SO much hidden beauty and squashed potential....I have to say I love it deep down...

NEXT DAY:

So yesterday we spent the whole day dancing in our little dance "studio." Raissa, Joel, Joseph, Modeste, Adriana and baby Olga were the main class participants. SO fun to teach these kids tap dancing! I love it. Then we worked on jazz and ballet until I was so exhausted that I thought I'd pass out. I pushed a little too hard after three days with no sleep!

We had a great day. It was so great to see Grandma Abomo (our cook). She is as sweet as apple pie, errr, coconut? She gave me the biggest and longest hug when I saw her... I love that lady! I have so much respect for her. She's not educated, but she has so much poise, pride and dignity that you can't help but to adore her.

Joel spent the entire day practicing his new tap dance moves and Raissa and I spent the entire evening getting ready for a visit from our amazing friend Jackie, a U.S. diplomat who is basically our Mom in Cameroon. She came over and we ate peanuts and had a great time catching up...

I'm in a cyber cafe right now....I went to the school this morning with the kids so the driver could drop me off here. His name is Romanus. He's the sweetest person ever. He's calm, patient, and is always pressing his lips as if he's going to laugh.

We rocked out in the car. We were supposed to be listening to English lessons, but since I just got home, we made an exception!