Getting leafy greens and water.
Tuesday September 24, 2003
I went to the market this morning early… after spending some time in bed debating whether or not I wanted to get up. I had some feelings of anxiety, and claustrophobia… which are unusual for me. I’m wondering if the Meflaquine is making me feel weird. Its hard to tell if I am just looking for some private time and space to recuperate from (I get very little of either,and process (new job, new language…sort of… new culture) all the stimulus coming in; or if the drugs are making me feel strange… anyway, nothing serious yet, but worth keeping an eye on. Brigitte (one of my co-workers) was there, and helped me get some of the food I wanted with a minimum of hassle. I wanted to get some lettuce, but the guy selling wanted 600CFA (about $1) for each head… normally they are 100CFA each. I didn’t want to hassle, so I didn’t bother haggling. I got green peppers, tomatoes, and a pineapple (which is out of season, but looks good). One of my neighbors brought me lettuce at 100CFA a head… which I washed in water that I added a little bleach to. Yummy, leafy, green and kind of bleachy tasting. Mmmm.
I went to the drinking water well for the first time today. I worked my arms pretty well… and carried the water back. The old man who runs the well hassled me for cutting in line (there were a bunch of kids filling up buckets ahead of me). In my defense, I was just following Alex and another neighbor. Apparently the old man was just giving me shit. When he asked if I had payed my “abonnement”, and I told him Alex had, he said “oh, that bastard… I don’t deal with him”. It’s the first time I’ve heard a Cameroonian swear (except for the occasional –merde-)… anyway, it was a good workout, and carrying the water back was even better of a workout (my arms are sore). I need to learn to carry it on my head because that is the way people don’t spill any.
I worked on a bunch of lists at work. To do lists, 3 month plans…etc. After work I played my GameBoy for the first time in a while (Advance Wars 2), and drew in my sketchbook a bit. It made me want to have the energy to work on the flower/bug game artwork. I felt a little bit better after that. I took a picure of Alex earlier in the day, and I put him in a picture I took in a SF BART station. He pretty much flipped out when he saw himself in the US. I think we are going to put him in a few other pictures from the us, and we are going to print them out… most likely so that he can tell people that has been to the US. It cracks me up. Then I went to sleep… a turgid, strong dream filled sleep. Meflaquine again? Malaria? Over stimulation? Whatever the reason, it felt good.