So you thought I'd given up...?

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long reprieve. Lack of Internet access is taking a toll on my Peace Corps updates. You'll be happy to know that I'm still in good health and enjoying my service. The new academic year is just getting underway and I'm in Yaounde to pick up some new books for our library. We have many more students this year than the year before. They're telling my I have more than 100 students in my class. Yesterday, I went to the Cameroun vs. Egypt World Cup Qualifying Match which turned out to be a disappointment. The match ended in a draw, thus eliminating Cameroun from qualifying for the World Cup. The mood is really quite somber at the moment. I had such high expectations for the team and I even brought friends from my village to the stadium for the match. What a letdown!! I guess most of the excitement happened after the match as angry fans vented their frustration in not-so-productive ways. I'm told it's common for fans to burn player's houses...We heard gunshots from Peace Corps headquarters...and apparently the players were trapped inside the stadium for quite some time after the match, unable to leave because of an angry mob...Among other dangers in Cameroon are the pesty varments that lurk in the bushes. I saw my first deadly venomenous snake outside my home less than a week ago. There are also the ants. I've literally had ants in my pants on a few occasions and they bite!! They aren't the innocent, but annoying ants we have at home, but rather the vicious, colony-defending ants, that ravage everything in their path. If you've read "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver you what kind of ants I'm talking about.

Many of you know I'm an avid scrabble player and I finally broke 500 points in a game against Allen. My big plays were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G across two double-words for 118, P-L-A-Y-P-E-N to open the game for eighty-some points. Q-U-O-T-I-N-G across a double word for Ninety-some points and Z-E-R-K-S onto a triple word for sixty-some points. My final score was 522 points.

I'm told from a reliable source that the Internet connection in Nanga-Eboko should be back by the end of the week. Hopefully this is true!! Then I can be a little more regular with my updates.