Things start to happen...

Lots and lots to tell...

Firstly, I survived the dreaded amoebas and feel ready(ish) to face whatever Africa has to throw at me next...

Secondly... I have a house! True, it's smaller than my hotel room in Yaounde, but it has three whole actual rooms with which I can do as I please. For those taking bets on how long it takes me to burn the place down, I'll put £50 on the first week of October.

Saying that, at present I'm actually ridiculously house-proud. I can't stop buying domestic-type things - so far I've bought pots, sheets, a broom, a wash tub, a fan and a 47 piece tea set. All of which, incidentally, can fit on the back of a moto-taxi. At once. I am especially proud of the tea set, even though the cups are too small to hold any useful amount of liquid. I keep inviting bemused volunteers around to my house for tea and biscuits - they probably think I just really miss England.

I've finally braved the moto-taxis as they're the only practical means of getting round the city. VSO have generously provided me with a helmet which is next to useless as I refuse to fasten the chin strap. This is due to a rather traumatic early moto-taxi experience: the driver (who sits in front) farted, and the smell rose up into my helmet and gassed me. When I arrived at my destination I hurried to remove the helmet only to find that the strap was stuck and I couldn't get it off. The horror is still fresh in my mind.

I have also started Work. I'm still not quite sure what Work entails, although I received a vaguely clearer picture yesterday when Yacoubou, my supervisor at MDDHL, sat at my desk (I have a desk) and told me everything that was wrong with the organisation. He finished this twenty-minute diatribe with the ominous words "...and so that's why you're here." Dad, if you're reading this, I think being the patron saint of lost causes might be hereditary.

Other than surviving amoebas, my greatest achievement to date is killing the monster cockroach that I found in my bathroom with only minimum shrieking and squealing, even though the bastard thing started chasing me when I tried to attack it with bug spray. Honestly, why run towards the person armed with the can of poison? I am now on full Cockroach Alert and sleep with the spray under my pillow, which is probably none too healthy.

Description of Maroua coming soon I promise!! As I write there is a giant orange lizard sitting next to me on my table, he looked quite cute at first but now I worry that he's planning to eat me so perhaps I'd better sign off here and leg it before his plans become any more concrete...