If I could only remember everything that has happened since I last was able to get online…thank god for word docs, eh?  So a brief synopsis of what’s going on here (gotta keep it brief because I’m MOVING…AGAIN…tonight.  After a few nights with no sleep and no access to a kitchen (ie buying all meals out) I finally decided to move up to the Baptist Rest House temporarily.  Thankfully, there is a room available in a house (with a washing machine!  AH!  The luxury!) with one of the German volunteers.  So after a night in the BRH, and a hot shower to boot, I’m heading to Upstation and will finally be able to settle in.

Here’s the very short version of what’s been happening here:  they killed a few chickens outside out door at 5am (I woke up to the sounds of the knife being sharpened), made said chickens in to a major stew (and when I mean chickens, i mean WHOLE entire chickens heads, feet and all) for this tribal meeting where we were introduced and asked if we were open or closed–and they were disappointed that we couldn’t have two husbands since we were closed; we went to a big celebration at a Fon (local chief/king)’s palace and got some awesome cultural “animation” and I got a shout out for being a whiteman from the mayor of Bamenda; we spent a day listening to holdings (aka judgments) in court; we were assigned reading on the legal system and our supervisor suggested we wake up at 3:30 am to do it (HAHAHAHAHAHA)…and that’s the very very very short list.

I’m off to move in to my more permanent home here.  I’m going to buy a mobile internet port since I won’t have access up at the house otherwise (and it’s the same cost per month as it is for us to have internet connection in the office…which we will have to pay for anyhow).  Hopefully I’ll have more regular connectivity within the next day or so and can actually fill in the details of how this crazy trip has been.

note:  title came from the Chief Justice of the High Court…the legal professionals here are loathsome of the fact that they are so underdeveloped (see, all records and judgments hand written and kept in stacks of paper that are tied together and piled randomly wherever there is room).  More on this all soon.  Take care all!