Chicken Whisperer

Well it's now starting the 4th week that I've been here, and so far I've learned quite a few things, some of which I'm going to try and list below. From learning medical techniques to exploring the town, I've been subjected to at least a few moments already that have gotten me out of my element a little. Here's a quick look at the week's lessons and discoveries:
Being a white guy in a very racially homogenous region, I've found a few things out: My pasty white skin makes me above average at flagging down taxis in the dark. That being said, however, if Boko Haram were to come in the night I'm likely the first one they'll see ("Hey guys, welcome to Buea, I'll be your tour guide..."). I might be liable to forget my whiteness, were it not for all the stares and people calling out "white man" at me as I walk by. Also, I think I'm probably the only vegetarian in Cameroon. People literally feel bad for me when they find out I'm vegetarian (As the saying goes: "'Vegetarian' is an old African tribal word for 'bad hunter'"). The chickens have also realized that I'm vegetarian (and a bad cook most of the time) because they've started showing up at my door around mealtime to pick off scraps of vegetables and/or food that I deemed uneatable and toss out the front door. A chicken was actually poking its head in my open door and looked like it was weighing coming in or not.
Chores here are a little harder. Last laundry day I scalded my hand in boiling water, and it took my bath towel 2 days to dry out. I had to keep moving it in and out of the sun/rain. Dish washing is pretty much never finished, and only God knows whether or not my dishes are actually getting clean.
I'm slowly learning a little bit of pidgin, but I've determined that nobody here knows the difference between "the door is closed/locked" and "the door is open/unlocked" For example:
"Make sure and lock the door to the bathroom"
"I did lock the door, I don't want anybody walking in on me!"
"No, see? The door isn't locked"
"Ohhhh you mean closed. Ok I'll close the door when I'm done in the bathroom"
Also:
"You left your door open when you went out"
"Oh shoot seriously?! Were there any chickens inside?"
"No, but we were going to let the plumber in but didn't want to without your permission"
"Ohhhh you mean the door was unlocked. Yeah, that's kinda different than opened..."
The lightning storms here are spectacular, like watching a movie. At night I feel like I'm in a discotech. The clouds will come and go at a moment's notice, as well as rain showers, so it pays to be prepared.
I spend quite a bit of time alone, and I've found that my thoughts have become louder and more creative. It's kind of a cool effect actually to be more in touch with what I'm thinking due to living simply and having less distractions. Not that I'm not busy, just less preoccupied. My overall stress level is the lowest it's been since I can remember, which I've found also helps get the creative juices flowing.
In my explorations I've found a tennis court with some pretty good tennis players, a sprawling view of the ocean (when it's not cloudy), an ice cream shop (went and tried some after having a rough Monday. It wasn't Haagen Dazs, but it'll get me by! Plus, including the taxi ride I spent probably $1.50 in total on that outing. I'll definitely be going back), and a store that carries Snickers bars. If carrying Snickers bars isn't a sign of being civilized, I don't know what is (maybe indoor plumbing is a good indicator too, kind of a tossup if you ask me)
Nobody here seems to know what dental floss is. Also, spaghetti sauce is an elusive commodity.
I spent  3 hours trying to coax my very sick computer into downloading and updating Windows 10, hoping it would fix a bunch of the bugs. It didn't. Long story short, Windows 10 is the antichrist I'm pretty sure.
I got to give an injection this week! That was a pretty awesome experience. I also got snookered into helping clean and dress a wound. It was the biggest, nastiest, infected-est sore that I have ever seen bar none. This guy will be lucky to keep his leg, no joke. A wound like that and a small, stuffy exam room are not a good combo. I was fortunate that the thing didn't smell bad or I probably would have passed out. Afterwards the nurses were razzing me about it quite a bit and we all had a good laugh.
Morning rounds with the Doctor are a highlight of the day. He's got some good conventional wisdom on practicing medicine. Some of my favorites from this past week are the "lipstick sign" (when a female patient starts putting on makeup, she'll be going home soon), "not using lab tests to form a diagnosis, but to confirm it", and his joke about bull testicles over Sabbath lunch (may or may not relate that one in a later post depending on popular demand). He's also really interested in politics and history. I think if he hadn't become a doctor he might have enjoyed being a history or political science teacher. He's always bringing up wars in relationship to the Philippines. The junior doctor is a little bit more of a tough nut, and I can't quite figure him out. Maybe he just doesn't get enough sleep, but he swings back and forth between joking with me, and getting on my case for not filling out the record book correctly (even if it's something I didn't know before it's a "big deal")
Finally, the highlight of my week was receiving my first care package from home! It came about a week and a half faster than expected, so that was a big surprise! My family loves me so much that they pretty much packed all of Costco in a box and sent it across the pond. My stoke factor for this package was extremely high, and words can't do justice to how great it is to have support back home like I do. Calls, Skype, and now this - I am definitely feeling loved!
I love hearing from everyone, continue keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

TL;DR Assorted highlights (and lowlights) of the week, along with some things I've noticed about Africa: White men can be seen coming from a mile away in the dark, and 3 miles away during the day. There are pros and cons to this. I've bought the allegiance of every chicken in the neighborhood, pretty sure they'd defend me to the death. Hot laundry water will burn you, aspirin will make it better. Disgruntled to find that "Door open" and "door unlocked" are used interchangeably here, which is extra confusing. Lightning storms here: 10/10. Stargazing: 0/10. Being alone and not stressed has been a catalyst for creativity and imagination. There's one place with ice cream here (now I'm really living), but floss is about as common as unicorns here. Windows 10 can kiss my "solid state processor". Gave an injection, saw a horrifyingly infected sore that will quite possibly result in an amputation, and have had some interesting conversations with the doctor. Got a package from home containing enough Cheez-Its to build a 1:1 to scale model of Mt. Cameroon.

Exploration photo. Ocean visible in the distance, most of Buea below me

Federer vs. Djokovic

See the rainbow?

One of the nicer houses I've seen with the mountain in the backdrop. I've noticed there's a little something odd about all the houses here, even the nice ones. I attribute this to no building codes!

Toyota Hilux I found wandering around town. Retro paint job + big knobby tires + headache rack = Walker Texas Ranger's truck?

Outside Lina's. I truly did enjoy my stay

With the first care package!