i have a real live chauffeur!!!

I have now completed two days at the UNDP office! Things are going well. I am going to be doing a lot of observation of various departments, but I'm also going to be updating the UNDP Cameroon English website by writing about the current activities and goals of each department. The office is modest but good. The room that I mostly stay in has air conditioning, which is great. I've been practicing reading UN documents in French, which is not so hard for the most part, since there is a lot of overlap with English and Spanish. I have to look up about 10% to 20% of the words. Today I went to lunch with a Canadian intern and a worker from Colombia and we had cheeseburgers. I'm definitely the youngest person in the international community here, except for the children. Later on I shook hands with the deputy European Union ambassador to Cameroon!
Life at the house is cool. They have a ton of movies, since media is one of the only things that they can have shipped from the states. Plus they really like movies. And when I say ton, I mean at least 200 dvds and a few VHS. Crazy. They also have a full house staff, which includes a gardener, gate guard, driver, and a housekeeper that does the laundry (I just found a pile of clean, folded clothes on my bed!), ironing, cooking, and cleaning. She's a rockstar at it, too. She's so fast, thorough, and hardworking. I don't know why she's a housekeeper. She has great hair too. Tonight it was in beehive, covered with a sheer scarf, and tied with a ribbon.

in cameroun

so i made it! everything went pretty well as far as the flight. i was,
however, stopped by the Paris security and told that i had knife in my bag. this was news to me, and after unpacking the whole thing and taking up half an hour, they discovered that it was just a tin can full of rubber bands. i was kind of hoping that there was a knife, because someone had to have planted it there and maybe i was going to be a part of some sinister scheme. but no. the Cameroon airport was a madhouse, but i found mr. nakashima fine and i went home to meet the family. they are all charming. the two kids, cedric 9 and camille 11, are very bright and speak french alot of the time. today we all went to a sports club that is exclusive for employees of an aid bank (i think) but the family had passes and it was fun. i was sleepy so i just layed out and read. the kids brought their friends, who were kids of other international workers. its not as hot as i thought it would be. its warm and humid, but its definitely bearable. i start work tomorrow, so thats when the real fun begins.

paris, france

I've always thought that the Eiffle Tower was like, THE traveller's icon, so seeing it tonight for the first time was quite something. It really is beautiful. It now has a sort of twinkle feature, which comes on from time to time and reminds me of the flashbulbs in a stadium, but in the shape of the Eiffle Tower. I saw all the basics: Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame, the Louvre (just the outside, like the pyramid). The streets are my favorite part about site seeing, though. Each building in Paris is beautiful, and you never know what youre going to find. I walked so much tonight! I finally got home around 2 am or something. People, especially tourists, stay out pretty late in Paris. Around 11 pm, all I saw were Asians. Oh, and also futbol fans yelling down the Champes Elysees and in the trains. I figured some World Cup thing had happened, and yes, France beat Togo. (Togo? Really? Did Togo last longer than the US?). So, Paris is great, but I recommend going with someone; I think it would be more fun. And preferably with a significant other, because people are really affectionate here. I think I witnessed at least 549 kisses today, and I was only there for about 6 hours. It's not awkward though, because it's France!

here i go!

I am writing this from thousands of feet above Las Vegas. I am on my way to France! And then of course to Cameroon, but I can’t think that far ahead. Several hours ago I said goodbye to mon cher amour Danilo at LAX and had to wait three hours by myself since my flight was delayed. The plane is great, though. It’s a double-decker. I am on the lower deck, so I am toast if we crash. I have an aisle seat with two women who speak French, and across the aisle are people who speak French. I got up for a drink of water and they called me Mademoiselle and spoke to me in French. I have been studying it a little, but I am not prepared to respond to actual French people! Where are my two friends from the Pimsleur tapes? They always repeat themselves and only use words that I know! For fun I am translating a French newspaper. It is slow going. So far I have understood that France does not like the United States, but wants to appear like they have a strong relationship. There are not really any good movies playing so I will probably try to sleep after dinner. Now I am over Kaibab Indian Reservation, and that is where I’ll leave you.

introduction

this is me.
i am going to cameroon, africa this summer for an internship at the United Nations Development Program. crazy huh? i will be staying at the house of the the Resident Coordinator (=head honcho in UNese) who i know through some contacts of my dad. this blog is intended to keep my friends and family up to date so i dont have to write a million emails. im not that entertaining, and when i try to be, its pretty rediculous, so i'll just keep it simple. enjoy.