Happy Easter!

Some girls at the social center where we will be hosting the camp - they got into the egg-decorating spirit after I made some cut-out examples.What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Nice work ladies! These eggs were all hard-boiled and would be eaten that night.  

Easter morning sunrise service was a tradition growing up - I did my own version this year with a lovely morning walk up a trail overlooking the German-build Catholic church/school complex in my town where I went for services later that morning.

"Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory"

Big day for these girls! First communion. My area of Cameroon is heavily Christian, and also takes formality and ceremony and dressing up very seriously!

Another white-dress occasion - Cala, the daugher of one of my closest Cameroonian colleagues, was baptized on Easter along with her 3-month old brother. I spent most of the after-party at his house playing with her and all her cousins...I love kids! They all wanted to know if I knew Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and Rihanna personally...and when I could not whip out a Miley Cyrus song, they did, not knowing what he words were saying but with incredible conviction on the tune.

Two great guys (Marcelle on the left and Sime on the right) who will be part of our camp, walking me back from the social center after a day-long camp-planning session with a few other volunteers and staff.

Peak into my town - walking around is no breezy affair! This is why when I got to Manhatten in February and could just stroll down huge, uncongested sidewalks, it felt so invigorating.

When we want a delicious splurge, we head to Marie Poulet for the freshest chicken I've ever tasted. A large chicken killed, cleaned, roasted to perfection, and served with plantains and rice - a big dinner for four - for $14. See the little foot on the platter, waving to you? Katie, on the left, is my closest volunteer (we get mistaken in town a LOT), and Emily was visiting for the weekend.

More good eatin' (with my friend Liz from Louisiana) - corn chop, one of my favorite dishes in Cameroon. The corn kernals have all been taken out of their skin - tedious work, so naturally we pay kids to do it. "Bon appetit", as everyone says here even when you are just eating  handful of peanuts on the street-  one of the many incidences of formality in an informal setting.

Easter night, after chocolate-banana pancakes and mango-papaya smoothies, plates of Cameroonian food at the baptism party, and a Mexican dinner feast, this about sums it up. Definitely don't worry about me starving over here, southern Cameroon is blessed with fertile land and robust and plentiful food staples, and I'm in the right zone for enjoying the best of it.