A very memorable 4th of July

Saturday July 4, 2009

Happy birthday America. We celebrated by welcoming the UD immersion students to the village. Their first stop was the chief’s palace for a small welcome and introductions. I found it quite funny that they probably didn’t understood much of anything since it was all spoken in Pidgin. I’ve come a long way with Pidgin since my first day in the village. Speaking of which, I don’t think these students get the same level of immersion that the ETHOS program provides. They live in huge houses in Kumba when they aren’t traveling. This was their first experience of any village life. They are also much more protected and shielded than us. I can’t imagine how bored I would be if I had to spend everyday in Kumba.

Anyways, after the introductions we strolled up to the storage tanks. I hope it was interesting for the students to see our daily commute. It was a very hot and sunny day . Most of them were huffing and puffing by the time we reached the tank. At the tanks Mark explained some of the engineering behind the project and the steps required to bring water the water to this point. Dr. Amin asked Brian and me to describe our experience with village life and what we thought of Cameroon. After the storage tanks, we headed up to the aeration chamber to observe the water flowing into it.

However, when we turned on the flow, the water was very muddy. In addition, the pipe was now flowing full into the tank. The water continued to flow muddy even after we walked the short distance to the stream crossing. Brian, Mark, and I all assumed that it was probably just a buildup of mud in the line that had broken up. That would explain the dirty water as well as the change to full bore flow. If dirt had been blocking the line, it would have prevented full flow from reaching the chamber. Mr. Benjamin didn’t feel the same way and walked up toward the catchment to try to find the answer for the muddy water.

When we got back to the village, the students came to our house to see the way we live. I offered them some palm wine, but only a couple of them had enough courage to take a small sip. The final part of their trip to the village was a traditional meal at the chief’s palace. We returned to Kumba a short time after they left. Benjamin apparently found the problem and informed us that the second air release valve was leaking. It was the same one we had trouble installing a few days earlier.

The ride home was an eventful one. We decided to take ocada this time as we could fit all our things in book bags. Julius, Brian, and I rode on one bike while Mark and Carine took another. Travel tip: Do not ride 3 people and a driver on an ocada. You will get stopped at every checkpoint. We were pulled over approximately 7 times before we made it home. Wildlife checkpoints, taxation checkpoints, and of course the local police/military all had their lectures for us. Of course they wanted money from us. Somehow, we managed to make it all the way to the edge of Kumba without paying a dime to them. But a man at a taxation checkpoint took our driver’s key and made us dismount until we split up onto two ocadas.

The immersion students invited us to the July 4th party at the Dsonge motel. The motel is probably the largest in Kumba and is where many well-to-do visitors stay. All the immersion students were there as well as the coordinators and Dr. Amin. The club was really nice (although the drinks were expensive) The DJ was excellent and after a couple of beers, everyone was dancing. Carine brought here twin sister Catherine to the party as well. Catherine told me I was the 2nd best dancer there. (I tend to disagree) The bartender had trouble making any change. So, I was given a slip with a balance on it. Every time I purchased a drink, she would scratch out the old balance and hand the slip back to me. Good old Cameroon.

The immersion students were hauled home sometime around midnight, but the ETHOS group’s night was far from over. Olabi Maze (a nightclub) was next on the list of places to go. Buying a bottle of whiskey got six of us inside and also bought us four Cokes and bowls of peanuts. The place was almost empty but we still managed to have a lot of fun. Brian and I were tired out by 3:00 AM. (The bars/clubs here can sell drinks 24/7, some night we’ll probably stay out until the sun rises) We headed home while Mark and Julius stayed another hour.

Much to our surprise, we found the gate to our compound was locked. We had told Clinton it would be a late night and to leave the gates unlocked. Apparently, the message didn’t get through to Fritz who actually locks the gates. So, in my drunken, tired state I decided to hop over the gate. It was no easy task sober. There were few places to hold on the 9 ft tall gate. After three tries and a little help from Brian, I made it over. But on my way over, I managed to kick a nearby dead light bulb, showering glass pieces all over the sidewalk. I then unlocked the gate and let Brian inside. We ran as fast as we could to our rooms to avoid the dogs barking as much as possible. Mark came back an hour later and slept in my bed because the door to his section of the house had been locked as well. Needless to say, it was a memorable night.