(written November 22, 2011)
Dry season has begun. A cloud of dust has settled in the air, making the mountains difficult to see in the distance and blocking the stars from clearly shining in the night sky. With dry season comes the burning of fields and tall grasses. Fires aren’t as closely supervised here in Cameroon as they are in the States. Basically, someone starts a brush fire, and then everyone fends for his own home. According to the experienced missionaries, the fires can be a little nerve-wracking. Actually, as I write this, there is a small fire burning just down the hill from our house. I can hear it crackling and popping as it feeds on dry grass. If I stand on a stool, I can just barely see the fire from my bedroom window.
With dry season also comes the heat, a decreased supply of water, and an increased amount of power outages. I figure if the heat gets to be too much, we can go and visit the missionaries in Bandjoun, a city just over an hour from here. Bandjoun is higher up in the mountains, so it is significantly cooler there. This week, more often than not the power has been out when I wake up in the morning. Of course, it is much nicer to be without power during the day as opposed to not having it at night. The only downfall to a lack of power during the day is when it affects us at school. My girls do three out of four subjects on the computer, so a lack of power significantly affects us. However, in the three months I have been here, we have always been able to do some semblance of school. And we’ve not yet been without power the entire day.
Although dry season may sound depressing, I’m actually excited that dry season has begun. This is a side to Africa that I’ve not yet experienced. I’m so thankful that God has led me here to Cameroon for this year!
