Spicy Tidbits

   What is this sign on the ground for? It is an important communication tool here at the University. Since there are many last minute changes, there is no better way to communicate than by this type of written sign. You have to get used to looking down or you will miss some appointments! Note that dates are written differently here than in the U.S. This date is April 9th, 2002.

   Talking about signs, do you people working with Steven at SAIC know that your SAIC is not unique?

   This picture includes more than just some signs. There is an internet service store right beside the mattress store. The water in the front is free, this picture is certainly loaded! ( with information about Cameroon)

   Water may be free here too, but the service at this location is not --- this is a carwash center! Sometimes, we have seen dozens of cars getting their "cleaning" here. Our taxi driver, Dennis, takes his car here twice a day, as Buea roads are under construction this year and the dust is very bad everywhere! (When we stopped for Tom to take a picture here the operators wanted to charge him 10,000 francs (about $15) for the privilege. Tom declined and has since taken quite a few pictures of the place from a moving car!)

   We told you that Cameroonians like parades, but we did not tell you what they carry in the parades. Almost everything is allowed in a parade as long as the "boss" thinks that it can convey his/her message. This lady is showing off her large papaya (we are not sure exactly why), can you imagine how heavy it would get by the end of this parade?

   No, these girls from a health club were not carrying white balloons in this parade. They are blown up condoms! Education on AIDS starts very early here!

   As a matter of fact, balloons which fly up are hard to find in Cameroon. They are very expensive, as "He" is not produced locally and must be imported from Europe. These balloons were given to Janice when she celebrated her birthday this year - the only ones we have seen here.

   Why is Janice holding a mop here in this picture?  No, Tom is not a slave driver. The mop is new, just imported from Nigeria in May. Janice has wanted a mop since we arrived here in Cameroon last September. Cameroon does not have them! And she does not enjoy washing floors on her all fours! Our friends were all looking for them and one of them finally found one in Nigeria. She will have nine more weeks to enjoy it!.