First Week in Yaoundé

What you will read below is simply the e-mail that I sent earlier this week - additions to this blog will be made from time to time! Happy reading!

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Yaoundé

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Well, it has been a week since I arrived in Yaoundé, and I thought I should send at least a brief report. The blog still hasn’t been started (tut, tut), mostly due to my status as a novice in that area, but it will get done, never fear. I must admit that I’ve also spent most evenings just sitting on the balcony, here at the hotel, and relaxing – an amazing feeling!

The trip over went well – it was a bit exhausting flying directly from Toronto to Yaoundé, but I did manage to sleep on the flight from Paris to destination – at one point waking myself up with snoring, and probably disturbing neighbours all around! Poor things… I slept well the first night (I’m sure that you’re really interested in all the small details!), and spent the Sunday doing nothing much. I did walk around a bit, found a supermarket, where I bought bottled water (details, details), but generally did nothing much except revel in the temperature!

I started work on Monday and met my new colleagues, who all seem like fun, and then spent the next couple of days doing administrative stuff, like registering at the Canadian High Commission, trying to open a bank account etc. You have to love this stuff! For example, in order to open a bank account, one needs to have a letter of accreditation from the High Commission, basically confirming that one will be working in Cameroon (to come), two photos (not a problem), a photocopy of the passport (not a problem) and a copy of a lease agreement (problem). I pointed out that it would be difficult to get a lease agreement, since I need to have a bank account to which funds can be sent in order to be able to pay the three months advance required by most landlords before I could get a lease. Ah, they said… We left it at that for the moment, but I shall return early next week and see what has percolated! There is no doubt a solution!

I have walked around the downtown a bit to see what there is on offer. Only during the day, mind – as in any big city, it’s probably not a good idea to walk around in the dark, especially as street lighting (if there is any) is not up to par to ours, and having to avoid pot-holes and other dangers is quite a chore. Lots of shops, of course, selling everything one needs, some at quite a price! It’s hard not to gasp at prices that say 395 000 francs for a fridge – although that translates into nearly $1000, which is about the same price as at home! Yaoundé is built on seven hills (yes, honest), and my hotel is at the base of the main hill, as it were, which houses a lot of the administrative buildings as well as the shops.

So far, I haven’t had any bad experiences – warnings had been given prior to departure and also here at the High Commission about being constantly harassed when out walking (always use the car, I was told) by street-hawkers, beggars and anyone out for a quick con. Well, so far, such harassment has not been my experience – street-hawkers there are, advertising their wares, but accept a refusal, provided that the latter is offered with a smile. I haven’t seen many beggars, and haven’t been conned yet (well, I don’t think so!). I’ve found the Centre culturel français, no doubt one of many such centres, which has a library, so will become a member there sometime this week – it will also be a place to meet people, no doubt!

I visited the Central Market yesterday (Saturday) to get a sense of what was on offer there. It is housed in a coliseum-shaped building, with numerous stalls around the various levels, as well as stalls in the centre, and, of course, outside. Again, no harassment, just funny looks at the lone white man wandering round. I made sure that everyone knew that I wasn’t buying, just getting a sense of where things are, etc, and will probably return every so often to ensure that my reputation is not forgotten! Haggling, of course, is a way of life, even in the shops (not in the supermarkets), so shopping is a full-time activity…

Obviously, foreigners (of the white kind!) don’t walk around much – I saw a total of four others on my wanderings yesterday – definitely a visible minority!

The weather? No complaints on that score either! This is the end of the short rainy season, so it’s quite dry (so I’m told!), although it has rained every day since I’ve been here. However, the rain has come down at night only, so days have been fine. Since Yaoundé is in the mountains, the rain flows down the hills, so there are not as many puddles and sink-holes as I expected. Again, because of the height at which the city is located (700 metres above sea-level), it doesn’t get overly hot – maximum mean temperature is 31 C, with the lowest (in March) dropping to 14 C (I trust at night!!!). Marion, of course, will be delighted, since that range of temperatures will suit her, with perhaps, the exception of the 31-degree days!

A phenomenon that has surprised me is the lack of mosquitoes. I came armed with about two dozen bottles of Deep Woods, but haven’t had to use any yet! It was explained to me that, as it’s the dry season, there is nowhere for mosquitoes to develop – this in spite of the nightly rain! So that’s all to the good, as it means that one can spend evenings on the balcony and not worry. I’m sure that there is a mosquito season later on, in March, when the heavy rainy season starts. And, so far, no signs of major insects or other animals of a creepy-crawly nature – obviously, I’ll have to get out of town to see some of those!

On Tuesday, I thought I had found a place to stay – I visited an apartment, not far from where I’ll be working – a furnished place, with all mod cons, and available immediately. The rent (calculated on a daily basis) was reasonable, since it included electricity, water and both day and night-time security (essential). So, I was all pleased, and ready to move in over this weekend and made arrangements to meet with the landlord yesterday (Saturday), and try to persuade him to give me a lease agreement for three months (this would help for the bank, see above!). However, when I met with him yesterday, he insisted that the lease would have to be for a minimum of one year, which I was not prepared to sign. The apartment would be fine for the short term, but definitely not for the long term. We discussed for a bit, and he finally relented and said that he’d be ok for a three-month lease, but with an increase in the daily rate. This was unacceptable (I mean, it’s not that luxurious!), so I said that I deeply regretted but that this would not be possible. In the meantime, my colleagues, including the boss person, a Salesian priest, have sent out the call that a house is needed in the area, so I trust that something will come up soon.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week – work is fine, life is fine and I’m enjoying myself tremendously! I’ll try to set up the blog soon (yeah, right!). In the meantime, I’ll try to write fairly regularly (no promises with respect to timelines, though) to keep you up to date. There is no pressure to reply, by the way! I’m having a good time on the balcony in the evenings…

Cheers!

David