A huge
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| This shelf has never been so stocked - I'm eating like a queen! |
A huge
THANK YOU
to everyone who made the effort to get a box of goodies packed and out the door for my 25th birthday - I know care packages do not throw themselves together, and I am truly overwhelmed with the incredibly generous response to my request for mental health boosters. The time and care that clearly went into putting the packages together is so touching - you have definitely taken the edge off "going without"...who knew what some Annies mac and cheese or scented lotion or nice tea could do for my day!
I have all the bath necessities to keep me (starting out) clean and sweet-smelling for months, enough chocolate to derail my bridesmaid slim-down plan (I've had to put a picture of the dress as my desktop background to keep me on track, but Ohhh is it worth it : ), Peeps and decorations for Halloween, momentos from my best friend since childhood's recent wedding (congrats Anna!!), cereal, tupperwear, peanut butter, tea, hair clips, lots of canned tuna, nuts, brown rice, lentils, bed sheets, notecards, fun jewelry... even pressed fall-colored leaves to bring a sense of seasons to the tropics.
Anna wins the prize for the lowest claimed total value of contents ("$3" - nice work!) and Mrs. Corey wins the prize for getting the most packed into a standard sized box (she's a dedicated care package sender with lots of practice!) I was stunned to get a boxful of love from a friend from grad school I'd lost touch with, as well as from my dear high school advisor - wow, you all know how to make a girl feel special! Every box was delightful and is being cherished (though that's a delicate-sounding word for how fiercely I tore through the packaging - luckily this time I was the first to get to the goods, no rodent-ravaged snacks)
And while I know it was an effort to get those presents off to me, they did not just fall into my lap once they crossed the Atlantic...three of them (totally random, not based on contents or anything else in your control) were slapped with a $50 "customs" fee, above the fee I already pay to pick up packages. $50 (25,000 francs) is a LOT here (you can get a plate of food for 20 cents), and is a large chunk of my monthly stipend, so X3 was just out of the question...but so was relinquishing your lovingly prepared boxes.
The fee is totally bogus too - no explanation, no papers, no regulation anyone could quote...nor would they offer me ANY address, phone number or name of whom I could contact to find out more. Just a huge sum on my pick-up slip, and after that, nothing but dead ends in trying to get to the bottom of it...the director of the post office told me I should go to the seaside port myself where the fee had supposedly been applied and "see if someone there wanted to listed to me"...gee, THANKS. Until, after pleading and crying and yelling and stomping and cursing in the post office lobby did nothing but negate all my efforts thus far to come off as a classy and well-adpated American, I spent two weeks working with Peace Corps security officials and getting in touch with and finally meeting the top government authority of this region. I brought him an official document stating that Peace Corps is exempt from customs fees (a nice way of saying workers' trying to make a buck or 50 under the table won't fly here), and he proceeded to give the local post office a solid shake-down much more effective than my whining - I had my packages within the hour!! Hooray - one small step in the fight against corruption, one giant leap for my sense of accomplishment. And of course it made all the treats inside that much sweeter.
The fee is totally bogus too - no explanation, no papers, no regulation anyone could quote...nor would they offer me ANY address, phone number or name of whom I could contact to find out more. Just a huge sum on my pick-up slip, and after that, nothing but dead ends in trying to get to the bottom of it...the director of the post office told me I should go to the seaside port myself where the fee had supposedly been applied and "see if someone there wanted to listed to me"...gee, THANKS. Until, after pleading and crying and yelling and stomping and cursing in the post office lobby did nothing but negate all my efforts thus far to come off as a classy and well-adpated American, I spent two weeks working with Peace Corps security officials and getting in touch with and finally meeting the top government authority of this region. I brought him an official document stating that Peace Corps is exempt from customs fees (a nice way of saying workers' trying to make a buck or 50 under the table won't fly here), and he proceeded to give the local post office a solid shake-down much more effective than my whining - I had my packages within the hour!! Hooray - one small step in the fight against corruption, one giant leap for my sense of accomplishment. And of course it made all the treats inside that much sweeter.
Before he took action, the government official (called the "prefet") asked if I was a Christian and believed in God. I smiled - no matter how inappropriate this seems to me, I've got this routine down, and was not going to let my feelings about separation of church and state get between me and weeks of eating well. He gave me a Bible and a booklet he wrote about the experience that brought him to God years ago - angry townspeople apparently burned his house to the ground, killing a child of his that was inside. I am supposed to read it and give him my thoughts on Jesus and salvation at our next meeting. My thank-you gift of tupperwear and some fruit was notably less heavy.
My actual birthday was a lot of fun - I had a little party of volunteers and Cameroonian friends (low-key since the presidential elections had been a few days before and no one was supposed to travel far in case the results sparked any issues, which luckily they didn't). I made my specialty here (my dad's specialty, really) - pancakes, which I serve with jam and yogurt - a big hit! We also made a huge bowl of guacamole, and had fruit salad, fresh fruit juice and cookies. I planned to make an actual cake, but the city was quite literally out of flour. I got lots of nice calls from friends here (Cameroonians are great at thinking of others like that) and from home - my whole immediate family got on the same line from three different locations and sang happy birthday in unison - unforgettable!
I had the Cameroonians laughing at my stories of being a naive newbie a year ago...ex. the first time I rode a motorcycle taxi, I threw my arms around the driver's waist as he tore off down the road...isn't that what you do when you ride a motorcycle? Turns out that's a clear local signal for wanting to "take him home", and when we arrived to my village homestay house and he tried to follow me inside, assuring me it was no problem if my host parents were there, the conversation was awkward at best. I had no idea what mixed signals I was giving him - poor guy!
I had the Cameroonians laughing at my stories of being a naive newbie a year ago...ex. the first time I rode a motorcycle taxi, I threw my arms around the driver's waist as he tore off down the road...isn't that what you do when you ride a motorcycle? Turns out that's a clear local signal for wanting to "take him home", and when we arrived to my village homestay house and he tried to follow me inside, assuring me it was no problem if my host parents were there, the conversation was awkward at best. I had no idea what mixed signals I was giving him - poor guy!
25 feels pretty great so far - making mistakes, making progress, making a dream come true by being here, all the while held up by loving friends and family - I'm a lucky lady!
Thanks again from the bottom of my heart for the support you all show me in all your ways <3
Thanks again from the bottom of my heart for the support you all show me in all your ways <3
