I thought Africa would be hotter...

So I made it ok to Africa. The flights werent so bad. Philly to Paris, 2 hour layover, paris to douala cameroon, 1 hour layover, douala to yaounde. We left at 645pm friday, arrived to cameroon at 7pm saturday. It went by quick though, and not too much jet lag. There are 38 people in my program, from all over the country. We have a pretty good group - everyone is pretty laid back and fun. Since we have gotten here, we have eaten a lot. they have a salad (always different) for every meal, then rice, meat and veg, then fruit for dessert. im having a bit of trouble, since i dont like most of the fruit (pineapple, watermelon, other melons), but im trying a couple bites each time. We are still drinking bottled water though. tomorrow we learn to treat the water so we can use it from the tap.

We had a party last night at the country directors house, with a big buffet. I ate chicken, beef, 2 kinds of fish, little egg rolls, shrimp, fancy breads, and fruit. We also met the Ambassador. She was the US representative in cameroon. That was kind of cool. I also got my first mosquito bite. (i was wearing insect repellent too!)

The weather here has been cooler than i thought it would be. The nights are cool, where i need a sweater, with the same in the morning. All the days have started out about the same, and cloudy, then around 10 it gets a lot warmer and humid. Its nice though. Further north its much hotter, but wetter also. This is the rainy season.

Yesterday we had a chance to walk around town. A few of us headed toward town, close to wear the soccer stadium is. I guess in 2 years, the world cup is supposed to be there. Most of the roads are paved, but there are no sidewalks and no grass. There are a lot of vendors on the street, selling peanuts, grilled corn, grilled fish, watermelons, pineapples, and a lot of other goods. We are not allowed to eat any of them yet, or i probably would have bought something.

today was testing for french, as lessons begin tomorrow, and some more shots. i only have 6 left. we also got our med kits, and more anti malaria pills. I'm in yaounde for another few days, so ill try to post more. i also get a cell phone later, so i wont be out of touch. email if you get a chance!
a bientot!