Updates (Titles are the Hardest Bit)

The trick to a successful blogpost is, apparently, all in the title.  You can look over to the right and see the top five posts and figure out why they are there.  I think if I learn to combine these titular successes with some actual wit I might be able to gain a more widespread readership.  As of now, it seems clear that my readers are whoever happens to be on facebook at the time I post.  Though I'm not really sure why I care since I don’t make a dime off this or anything of that sort.  Let’s say it just strokes my ego.

Well, you will be happy to know my computer is up and running.  It cost a hundred bones for them to replace the harddrive and fill it with goodies like Windows.  A bit too much of it is in French at the moment and I did lose lots of data.  Pictures I’ve taken of Cameroon and some documents of varying importance.  As well as the entirety of my nighttime library.  If anyone was willing to throw some things on a flashdrive, I’d very much enjoy some music.  A dance mix would be nice; I never bothered to collect that sort of thing myself, but it just is non-existent here.  Erin and I require soundtracks to our Bogo dance parties: Pitch Perfect only goes so far.

My friends, life is good.  Work slowly drags itself into the making.  I’ve somehow become a slight intermediary between an NGO called Education Fights AIDS based in Maroua and the GIC (association/organization/whatever) that I work with in Bogo.  I say that, but all the real credit goes to the most amazing Natasha.  She’s a VSO volunteer based in my town.  She’s a Canuck that has the luxury of knowing French from birth and thus is an infinitely more effective volunteer.  Natasha also happens to be infinitely more ambitious or proactive or I can’t even think of the word, but I spend most of our time together desperately trying to figure out what the hell I can contribute.  The rest of the time I’m thinking about how I really just want to have the opportunity to hire her at some point in the future.  She could work wonders with an actual budget; until then she keeps me busy.

I’m down south at the moment since I was fortunate enough to join the HIV/AIDS Committee which is designed to help assist and encourage all volunteers in country to work on projects combating the disease.  I will also be sticking around to learn more about water, sanitation, and hygiene and how to help schools.  That last one was requested of me and a bit of an accident.  I avoid schools like the plague.  I can’t deal with that many unruly children; someone needs to teach them some damn discipline.  Based on fantasy, my disciplinary actions would all result in my sudden imprisonment or possible deportation.   We’ll see how I can assist my lovely ville in improving their school system’s sanitation practices.

ET or Early Termination

First, I'd like to primitively apologize for the spelling/grammar of this blog entry and all those following.  Normally all blog entries undergo a strict process of refinement.  I write them out during the wee hours of the night after a hard day of giving a damn about languages and cultures beyond my understanding, then I review them a few times, and finally I upload them to the internet whenever I've the opportunity.  A few occasionally slip through under the pressure of booze and the good humor associated with it.  I suppose this might be of that variety.

My laptop is dead.  A part of me died with it and I very well may just have to turn tail and go home.

I feel incredibly guilty with how hard I am taking this.  When I signed up for the Corps there was always the chance I would be posted a million miles from any access to the outside world.  There are a number of volunteers in Cameroon without cell phone access, power, or any other luxuries of the western world.  I'm not one of them.  I can see a cell tower standing in my well-lite back yard in the middle of the night.  I lack running water, but I've a manservant I send to bring it to me in a cart.  If he's not around a child will do it for the low, low price of 40 cents (actual price, paid in full yesterday).  So other volunteers, close your eyes and ears.

That laptop was my window to the outside world.  It was my escape and my comfort.  It was how I was connected to you, my dear readers.  I could prepare blog posts and, when I had a working internet card, occasionally post entries.  I got emails from friends and family that reminded me that while I may be lost here, I have a hold world elsewhere.  When I was exhausted and frustrated, I could turn to watch a few movies or TV shows that were legally obtained in whatever manner you might legally obtain such things.  My rule was Cameroonians out of the house by 8, bit of time with the journal, then laptop time till 10.  Now I'll have to study language or some other drivel.

Lord knows what I'll do now.  Shit, I remember erasing old AOL internet floppy disks and filling them with images of scantily clad ladies downloaded with a 56k modem for times like these (maybe even a 23k at one point).  Now I'm left with nothing.  The hell am I going to do without pornography?  I can't recall a world without it.