Settling In

It's amazing how being online makes me feel immediately more connected to people! At our house sometimes it feels pretty lonely since we are in an out of the way spot.  It's also weird not being able to pick up the phone and call a friend when I feel like it since phone minutes are such a precious commodity you don't use them haphazardly. 

So far much of my energy has been directed towards getting settled. Cleaning out our house was a priority on my list since it was in bad shape from whoever was here last. This would be a daunting task anywhere but here without regularly running water, cleaning supplies, towels, or a proper broom it's positively excruciating. You should see our broom--it's hilarious!

 

There are also approximately a gajillion spiders in every room. As a person with a deep loathing of spiders bordering on phobia this has required me to pull out my deep breathing exercises to keep my head. Like that time Helena woke up and came over to me and tangled in her hair was an enormous black spider, dead thankfully. But still! Or Isabelle came up to me crying and said "mommy a spider on my face!" and sure enough there was a huge black spider on her face. I'll admit, that time I forgot to breath--I just hit her in the face. . . whoops. I got the spider though! Others have shown themselves simply by their bite, they aren't poisonous  but do leave a nasty mark. 

Eric was working on digging us a hole to burn our trash. It's funny because in some ways being here is like being extremely green-- we have a gray water system, only use cold water, have limited power, walk everywhere, but then there are these odd moments when you find yourself doing something like burning all your plastic trash in a pit behind your house. Then you feel decidedly not green.   

The plan is to acquire some goats and some chickens and maybe plant a few plants if we can clear away some spots around our house. I am amused at myself since I always said I'd never have goats, but that was because they are such a nuisance; always getting out. Here in Cameroon all the goats are out already and nobody cares so maybe my hang-ups won't be an issue.  

Fruit trees, hurray!  We have so far found a papaya (called pawpaw here), a lime, and a mango tree. The other side of our duplex has bananas but I think we can't pick those. 

 -Logan