Last weekend I went on a hen night to Spain - i know this sounds very glamorous after spending a year in Cameroon and being skint but my friends and Joe offered to pay my flight and we stayed in the hens Grandma's apartment so I could not say no!
It was a complete reversal to the life I had become used to, out every night with so many drinks to choose from I got quite lost in it all!!
We had great fun spending each day on the beach, now I really look like I have been in Africa for a year. the big night out was in Benidorm which i was dreading. It is really not my scene and I am far to old for this sort of thing. We arrived and I really did not want to get out of the car it was terrifying. We were dressed as nuns which attracted lots of unwanted attention but we all took it on the chin and soon put the men in their place. We actually had a great time. Tessa and I were completely lost trying to dance as she too has been out the country. I just went for the good old Cameroonian shrug of the shoulders - goes great with dance music. Louise was a star fulfilling all her dares and we got home at 8:30am.
The rest of the week was a little quieter staying in Calpe few drinks and a bit of karaoke. A great time was had by all and a special well done to Frankie and Tessa the two non-nurses, especially as I was being filling in on so much nursey talk all the time! (photos to follow)
We are currently living as nomads, I worked out over the space of a month I would be sleeping in 10 different places. moving round trying to see everyone filling in time before we get our house back on the 7th July. Living out of a suitcase is not easy and trying to remember where we out everything before we left - Joe cannot find his battle of the planets t-shirt and is gutted.
Soon however we have the mammoth task of driving around the country collecting our stuff from various family members - thanks guys and trying to unpack our house. It has been tough feeling we do not belong anywhere and cannot completely settle, I look forward to relaxing again in our own house. but it will not be for long we hope to sell up and move away from the chaves. We would love our Cameroonian neighbours to come and live next to us as apposed to the noisy neighbours we have now - but we cannot have everything.
We have pretty much settled in to life in the UK, it was not too hard. starting work on Monday will be strange but i am looking forward to it, getting my teeth in to some acute nursing will be fun!
Have more photos and stuff to post but will wait till we are set up at home with broadband again - any suggestions of a good provider?
Last night Joe and I went to to see Pirates of the Caribbean, At worlds End. We were very excited about it as we got a little obsessed with pirates while we were in Cameroon and watched the two first films about 5 times each.
when we got home everyone told us the new film was pretty rubbish but we had to see it for ourselves and just watching Captain Jack was bound to be fun.
Well we enjoyed it, some parts were very silly but that is pirates for you we expect it. Captain Jack did not let us down and at points there were loads of him of screen at once. the story line was complicated but easy enough to follow especially if you know the history of the characters. It was great to watch it on the big screen, just like film night at Bills place but the pop corn cost way more!!
All in all a very enjoyable evening.
I have read quite a lot of American literature whilst in Cameroon, this is because our great local book shop - books and things mostly sold American books. I have really enjoyed them all and also enjoyed Huckleberry Finn. Once you get used to the dialects people are speaking in it becomes an easy read with a charming story.
The book is as you would expect full of adventure and mishap as Huckleberry Finn and Jim make there way down river. I guess I should now read the adventures of Tom Sawyer to find out what antics he and his friends get up to.
We are currently spending a week with may parents then on Friday we move to Watchfield to be with Joe's parents. It has been pretty busy, lots of people want to talk to us and catch up with us which is great but pretty tiring.
Over the weekend we have managed to fit in two of Joe's greatest friends - which is funny as we are in my home town. So Sunday we went to a medieval fair to see James and Sonia who were working there doing puppetry with their company Theatre of the Small. It felt like going from one end of the scale to the other, Cameroon to medieval England! We wondered round and watched the puppet show then enjoyed a beer together.
Monday we went to Aldebrough, a lovely seaside town up the coast from my parents. It was a cold day but we sat of the beach. Bill here is a picture of an English shingle beach for you - not quite Batoke! We then shared a delicious meal with Devi and Chris. Each meal is like an adventure at the moment eating is even more fun that usual.
Many people have said to us return culture shock is one of the hardest things about living away from home. I however do not really feel I have experienced this. Coming home everything is as I remembered it. I can remember what Ipswich town centre is like and do not feel out of place being there. I remember that there are tons of clothes shops with loads of clothes and do not feel shocked about it.
Maybe we were not away for long enough or maybe I am just shallow but so for I do not really think I have experienced a culture shock. Yes it is very clean and there is so much to choose from which is difficult but not shocking.
Maybe it will hit us more when we return to our own house or work. currently we feel like we are on holiday going here and there dossing around at my parents. Maybe once we start work it will hit us. I think however you adapt pretty quickly to whatever surrounding you.
so here we are in the UK and in some ways it feels like we never left. Although choosing a new phone was difficult as there were just so many to choose from. And when looking in the clothes shops I had no idea what to like!
Well are trip home went so well. We were so worried we had a suitcase full of masks and were sure we would be over weight and get mega hassle at the airport explaining my pacemaker and the flight would be late etc. etc. Oh there was so much to worry about. It all went very well, check in was easy, we paid 5000 francs (£5) for our masks at customs. The airport staff have to be the friendliest I have ever met and were so helpful. Once I managed to explain my pacemaker (Don't think they get many through Douala) there was no problem, in fact they did not even do a hand check at either of the two check points - naughty. The flight was on time and we even arrived early! We did get our water taken away at the gate once we were unable to buy any more air side which was a little annoying.
the plane food had to be the best I have had, situational rather than tasted I think, anything would have tasted good - we got cheese!! Did not sleep much so were very tired.
We then had our day in Brussels apart from really tired we had a great day. It is a beautiful city, apart from the fact it took 1 1/2 hours to get breakfast as everywhere opened at 10! We had waffles and beer and of course and ham and cheese toasted sandwich. We visited the comic museum and got back to the airport in time for our flight. Our final flight was great it was a business class only flight - not sure why we were on it! It arrived on time and we were out the airport within 15 minutes with all 4 of our bags.
So tomorrow we go home, I cannot believe it after almost 11 months in Cameroon it is time to return - eek! This will be the last blog entry I write from Cameroon as we are very busy over the next two days. I have spent lots of time with Helen handing everything over. This evening I complete my final HIV educators' course. Tomorrow we still need to pack - there is nothing like being organised. Then we leave tomorrow evening and take an overnight flight to Brussels.
Life remains interesting right to the end of our stay, this afternoon we are appearing in Tata Kingue's music video. Not sure if it will happen or not but its all fun! Life will apper boring once we are home!
So we have a couple days more of goodbyes and then we are off. Saying goodbye is hard, when we left the UK we knew we were coming back and would see everyone again no we do not know if we will ever see these people again it makes it very difficult. These people have been our friends and 'family' for almost a year and now it is goodbye.
I have very mixed feelings about going home. There is so much I am looking forward to but so much from here I will miss. I have recently been feeling work is progressing well so it is hard to leave it. I know it will be in good hands with Helen but I feel I am leaving just as everything is established.
When we came here we did not really know what to expect, what it would look like, smell like, feel like etc. Going home we know what to expect so my feelings are very different. Coming here was exciting going home is also exciting but in a different way. It does not feel like an adventure this time but there is plently things to look forward to.
Life is all about new beginnings coming here was one so going home will be too. I look forward to what it will bring but I am sure life will not be quite as interesting!
This week has been busy. I collected Helen from the aiport after a six hour delay as her plane got struck by lightening, don't worry she was fine at said it was very pink.
We then had a few days of showing her around Buea and explaining the work. I have not pretty much handed over so am just tying up the loose ends.
We have had a week of parties. Wednesday was our send off at the house. There were speeches, ours were short and the Cameroonians were far to long. We were presented with a matching outfit as out gift. Unfortunately I have just managed to delete all my photos off my camera so I have no to show you - grrrrr, very annoyed.
Friday night was our whiteman send off along with Jerry a Peace Corp who flies the day after us. We went out to a local bar had fish then went to the French Cultural centre where there was a band playing. We had Tata Kingue with us (the local pop star) so he was asked to sing and we all had a great time dancing (again no photos lost them all, I am sooooo annoyed!). Helen has kindly given me her photos so here is us having a bogie with Tata Kingue himself.
I am after some advice from any well travelled readers of my blog. One week from now we will have a lot of time to kill in Brussels. Our flight home causes us to land there about 8am and leave about 5pm. We tried to change the flight but will loose our 46 kg luggage allowance down to 20 kg and I am telling you we can not do that! So the result is a forced day in Brussels. First we were none to chuffed about it. We have an overnight flight from Douala so will be tired, we will have heavy hand luggage to carry about but then we thought of beer and chocolate and decided not to fret. So dear readers any advice on what we can do with a day in Brussels to help us absorb and adapt to European life?
