6/15/11

I just got off the phone with my parents. I’ve honestly never felt so good after talking to them. It feels like I haven’t talked to them in years, and it was starting to feel like I never would. The computers at the SED house keep breaking—having connection problems with the internet, power surges blowing outlets, and lack of basic electricity some times. The internet cafe I have heard has fast internet, but it’s the hottest place in the village and the computers cant read thumb drives. Not to mention they are probably infested with viruses so even if they could read USBs and I could get this journal onto my blog I could never use it again. Anyway, my parents were so happy to hear from me. I let them know I was alive—that I’d survived dysentery and the african hospital system. (We’ve come a long way from the Oregon Train it seems.) I let them know the 2 ways to get a hold of me for cheaper so they’re going to give me a call on sunday before they leave for the Bahamas with my aunt and uncles family. I told them I had the best host family—that they are good at teaching me how to do everything and making me repeat phrases I say incorrectly in french. I really don’t want them to worry about me, and I had so much to tell them! I love that family is so important here. Sometimes I want to cry when I think about how much I love my family and how lucky I am. So so lucky. I can’t wait until sunday when they call.

Yesterday Eric’s mom threw an office party. They’re were people there all night drinking and walking around the house. He had come over to tell me something that had happened at his house, but my family and I were sitting down for dinner. My host dad immediately got up and offered his seat to Eric to sit and eat. Eric sat and was served by my host mom and my host dad went to the couch to eat. My family is in love with Eric and it makes me so jealous. Anne is in town now—the oldest sister that lives with Jerry in Yaoundé for school. Jerry also returned yesterday, and had even brought back a dress as a gift for me. It was so pretty! I put it on in two seconds, and it was a little big, but I absolutely loved it. My first african dress! After dinner all the young people (including one of Anna’s guy friends from class who had come over for dinner) hung out on the veranda and listened to Jerry’s iPhone playing Ryhanna, Bruno Mars, 50 cent and other american pop/rap/hip-hop artists. We chatted until Eric’s mother came to make him come home to clean up the party and mop the floors. I definitely got the best family.

Today, Eric, me, Michelle and Sam took motos to the supermarche next to a big marketplace to find “pange” (pony) which is the fabric used to make all the clothes and dresses here. Eric and I also bought a bunch of pasta because tomorrow we are cooking dinner for our families. Past with a tomato sauce and garlic bread. I asked mama Lydie if she could teach me how to use the big grinding stone for mashing the garlics, tomato and little red pimento peppers. I hope they like italian food!