Cameroonian resident!
I went yesterday to the immigration office to get instructions on what papers I needed for a residency permit. Next thing I knew, I was being whisked around, making photocopies of my passport, and 500 dollars later I have my temporary residence permit, with the real one coming in two months. I didn't even have to provide any proof of my employment--nothing that is normally required. I don't normally like to exploit my skin color but sometimes it really comes in handy. It was a real example of how the Cameroonian system works though and why it is so innefficient. In the middle of processing my paperwork, the woman stopped and started talking to these two women who had no business in the office other than that they wanted to sell fabric and facial cream. The officer spent at least 15 minutes talking and bargaining with them. Now imagine that happening all over the country, all the time. And that is a huge part of the problem in Cameroon.
The conference, for the most part, went well. I'm SOO happy it's over. It was super stressful and super tiring, with lots of Cameroon like incidences--resulting with me almost getting in a fist fight with a military officer. I swear, there are some people here who you just can't even believe the extent of their dishonesty. Basically he was throwing a fit because he wanted more money than we had already paid for the room we were using for a big party, even though it had a broken refridgerator and they then expected us to go and buy ice. Customer service just does not exist in Cameroon and attempting to rectify that is futile, especially if when you get upset you can't speak French properly anymore.
For those of you who have been following my journal since last year, you should recognize the name Carol. I just found out last week that his dad died. It's a huge financial burden for the amily, and devastating for me because it was the first death I experienced here of someone I knew. I feel so awful for the family.
I'll be home in less than 2 weeks, it's so weird to think about. Hopefully I'll have a buddy in tow, but I'm not sure the visa application will go through. A few weeks later, I'll turn around and come abck here to follow up on some job leads. I hope it works out!!!
The conference, for the most part, went well. I'm SOO happy it's over. It was super stressful and super tiring, with lots of Cameroon like incidences--resulting with me almost getting in a fist fight with a military officer. I swear, there are some people here who you just can't even believe the extent of their dishonesty. Basically he was throwing a fit because he wanted more money than we had already paid for the room we were using for a big party, even though it had a broken refridgerator and they then expected us to go and buy ice. Customer service just does not exist in Cameroon and attempting to rectify that is futile, especially if when you get upset you can't speak French properly anymore.
For those of you who have been following my journal since last year, you should recognize the name Carol. I just found out last week that his dad died. It's a huge financial burden for the amily, and devastating for me because it was the first death I experienced here of someone I knew. I feel so awful for the family.
I'll be home in less than 2 weeks, it's so weird to think about. Hopefully I'll have a buddy in tow, but I'm not sure the visa application will go through. A few weeks later, I'll turn around and come abck here to follow up on some job leads. I hope it works out!!!