Taxi!

here i am in yaounde, a week into the independent project process. many things to write about my experiences, but at the front of my mind i am now constantly focused on research: meetings, interviews, finding libraries and professors, creating schedules and lists etc. that makes it sounds like im incredibly busy, but in fact this past week has been a nice change to the usual chaotic quality of traveling. now im settled here, and its nice to find a routine so i can find time to do the things i want to do. i can exercise, i can hang out with my family, i can explore the town and see friends, and i can do these things while a huge project is going on. its pretty cool.

im slowly starting to find out more of yaounde this time around, geographically, historically, and socially too. its hard to get around here unless you take a taxi, and it's easy to get swindled price-wise when you dont know which destinations are two blocks away and which will take a half hour. not to mention everyone in a hurry around you. unlike a big city in the states, though, people will stop whatever they are doing to help you if you're lost or need an answer. this has been my experience without fail. all you have to say is "bonjour," and immediately a whole bustling metropolis is your friend. i cant say how many times a stranger has helped me out in the past 2.5 months, not to mention the generosity of those who have taken me, a complete stranger, into their homes to live as a part of their family. the kindness i have experienced here is unfathomable.

i have had some interesting experiences in taxis, though, to the credit of my own cluelessness. heres the system for taking taxis in yaounde:
1) stand on the side of the road with your arm down and one finger raised. watch out! there are motos speeding by close enough to sideswipe you, and if you hold your hand in any other way (a fist, for instance) this can indicate a price. finger counting is different here: if a taximan sees you making a fist or all five fingers touching, that means "five hundred" ($1); making the OK sign without fingers splayed means "three hundred", and grabbing your index finger with your other hand means "six hundred". ive had some price mix-ups because of this.
2) pay attention to your accent and pronunciation. i once asked for "alike sono," a neighborhood near my house, and was taken somewhere on the other side of town.
3) there are two universities and two supermarche mahimas and two congolese embassies (drc and brazzaville), and if you dont specify which you will probably end up paying for your mistake. sometimes you might think one thing is near another if they have similar names...not always the case...
4) when yelling at a taxi to take you, one of two things works: yell the price before the destination, or yell the destination before the price. if the former, be prepared to watch your self esteem drop lower and lower every time you get passed up until you'll pay any price to go anywhere. if the latter, be prepared to barter while you're being driven to your destination, at which point you no longer have much leverage as far as price is concerned.


all for now, internet minutes up. chao!