We're on the bus from Ngaoundere to Meiganga, and once we get there, Meidougou, Emily's village is a 20-minute moto ride away. And I celebrated another milestone: first time peeing en brousse (in the bush)! Over the course of the three-hour bus ride, our only stop was at a mosque to pray, and of course, it had no bathrooms. (Even if it did, women aren't allowed in mosques here.) So we had to improvise.
It was actually quite picturesque, surrounded by green hills, grazing goats, and a few thatched-roof huts in the distance, as Emily's girlfriend Halima sang the theme from The Sound of Music.
Our first 24 hours in Adamawa have been a blast, between lunching on beer and burgers, bartering for pagne at the petit marche, and watching the World Cup at a pinball bar, where one of the regulars bought us a round. The latter was a bigger deal than it sounds like: the stereotype of Americans here is that we're all fabulously wealthy, so it's a pleasant surprise when a Cameroonian offers to pay for something rather than asking for something.
While in Ngaoundere, we all got to take hot showers at the case (the regional Peace Corps house), which was freaking glorious. We slept in until about eight, and had some delicious spaghetti omelettes for breakfast. Seriously, America, get on it.
At the bus station earlier, I was dealing with some nausea and vertigo, probably due to some questionable soy fruit juice, but I'm feeling much better since Carl gave me some of the off-brand anti-nausea meds in our PC medical kits.
There are 32 of us in this 20-passenger van, but I can't complain. The windows are open, the wind is in my face, and the landscape is lush and untamed, save the occasional cell phone tower. At this moment, I feel so lucky to have the chance to call this place home, even for a little while.
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