Locked Up

Last Saturday I went to prison. Buea's prison is the central prison for the Southwest region. The prison's capacity is only 300, but the population is 850 (851 counting me I guess). From what most of the other inmates have told me, 90% of them are serving time for petty crimes (theft mostly). Of course there are murderers, rapists, and other really bad people, but most of the inmates aren't hardened criminals. I mean, I wouldn't let them babysit my hypothetical children, but I wouldn't let most people do that anyway. And of course, even outside of the prison, people are always trying to con me and get money from me, because I'm "so rich". A lot of the people have served 10 or 15 year sentences just for petty theft. In the French system, you're guilty until proven innocent, or until you post bail. Bail isn't the right word, because you pay it and then you're free to go, you don't have to return to stand trial. More of a fine I guess. Most of the guys don't have that kind of money, so some have been locked up for 2 years and haven't even had a trial yet. Sure would free up a lot of room if they sentenced based on severity of the crime. In prison, money talks. One guy bribed the guards and got a cell phone into the prison, where he kept in touch with his outside friends and family. Later he was advised to surrender it, and when he refused, he was locked in solitary. He can bribe guards to let him out though, which I think is pretty funny. The Catholic mission prepares food inside the facility, but it isn't great. Most of the inmates have family members who bring food some of the time at least. The prison also lets in vendors that sell bananas, ground nuts, etc. Actually there's even a restaurant run by a prisoner, and the food is supplied by outsiders (there's also a barbershop, and some textile industries like making reusable shopping bags) so prisoners can earn some money. You have to pay a "cell tax" to sleep on a mattress in cell blocks that hold 150+ prisoners at night. The more you pay, the better your sleeping conditions, but nothing's super great. Bedbugs and lice are very common. There's a women's ward with 25 inmates, as well as a juvenile hall that's dark and dingy compared to the men's block. Actually the first thing I saw upon entering was a big courtyard where about 20 guys were playing a pick-up game of soccer.

The good news is: I'm not actually serving a sentence, although I was serving in one regard. Ever since she arrived, Nadia, the Australian volunteer here, has been doing prison ministry on behalf of the SDA church. She asked me to come play guitar for one of the services and I agreed. I thought it was fascinating, as you might have gathered from my description. I had so many questions, most of which were answered either by inmates after the service, or Nadia on the way back. I never ever pictured myself playing guitar in a prison when I first learned I was going to Cameroon, but God has used me in mysterious ways here. I'd say this is pretty high up there on the scale of mysteriousness. The guitar was really popular. Cameroonians are all pretty musically inclined; they have a good sense of rhythm at least (the stuff they play on the radio here is garbage, but that's true for the States too). As far as melody, well let's just say I've accompanied some singers who end in a different key than they start. Anyhow, as we were waiting to be let in to the prison to start the church service, one of the guards (who was probably my age or younger) asked in a heavy French accent if he could "test the guitar". He played for 15 or 20 minutes, and the smile on his face was worth it all. I got his picture, but when we were getting ready to go in, they took our phones and my camera as well. On the inside, after church, the guitar was passed around between a handful of inmates, who were really excited to play the few chords they knew. It always surprises me how many people here know enough to play one song at least. It's also really cool to see how music, in its most reduced form, transcends all cultures and languages. Everybody appreciates it, and it was a cool way to form a connection with people with whom I would otherwise have very little in common. I really wish I could have taken pictures of what we did inside, but I guess that's not in the cards! At any rate, I'm planning on making it a semi-regular thing to go play there for Sabbath, just to kind of keep things interesting.

Over the past few weeks my Monday's have kind of sucked. I think it has something to do with having good weekends, and then going back to my lame job on Mondays. Candidly, it's boring and unfulfilling. I mean, guitar in a prison and climbing a mountain vs. paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. It's always a reality check that my job here isn't what I had hoped. It's hard for me, because I feel like most of my life I've chased the feeling that I'm making a difference. I've done all kinds of stuff, even worked at summer camp, longing for this feeling that I'm changing lives or helping people. Nothing. I chased the feeling halfway across the world, hoping to feel SOMETHING, but I still haven't. I sit for hours and fill records. I'm not saying all this to get pity, just demonstrating that there's an element of suck to being an SM and not everything is terrific and all the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm having fun here outside of work, and I'm learning a lot about a new culture, learning some of a new language, traveling around, working out at the gym, but my job here has not been very inspiring lately. The worst part is that I don't feel like my experience in the hospital has affected anyone here but me. I guess that's why I'm hoping to get more involved in the prison ministry. Still chasing that elusive feeling. Eventually I'll either find it or give up I guess. Usually as the week gets more busy, my mood improves as life gets more interesting. At any rate, last Monday all of this was swirling around and I needed something to do to clear my head so I went and explored a part of Buea that I'd never seen before. I found an almost completely empty, brand new shopping mall that was strange and interesting. Later on in the week, I went to hang out with my American missionary friends and played ping pong, ate pineapple fried rice, and had some stimulating discussion on our different beliefs. I got some great, late Christmas gift care packages that really brightened my week. And the small supermarket in Buea got a huge new shipment of food so I went and stocked up on enough peanut butter to frost the moon about a centimeter deep. Also grabbed more pancake syrup and found brown rice which I just had to have! If the stock holds out, there was more great stuff there that I couldn't afford this week. Like I said, the week kind of builds up as it progresses.

Outside the abandoned shopping mall. I actually didn't think it was open until I saw someone else go in

All I could think about was playing airsoft here with a bunch of people. It would be off the chain!

Believe it or not, this is directly across the street from the giant, new mall. An extremely busy, and not so clean market. Markets are a really interesting experience, a brazen assault on all the senses. 

Dr. Bellosillo and his wife left for Yaounde again on Tuesday so I've been in charge of the newly implemented time in/out book. I don't so much mind people knocking on my door to sign in and out every time there's a shift change, but I have to watch carefully to make sure they don't fudge on the times (which they always try).  The crowning moment of excitement this week occurred when Dr. James had to go to Douala on Thursday to take an English proficiency test. Since he and Dr. Bellosillo would be gone that day, I knew that zero was gonna happen at the hospital, so I opted to go to Douala with him. We left early in the morning, and got to the place for him to take his test an hour and a half early. I didn't want to wait for him there, so I left and did my shopping, and explored a new area some. I went and looked at menus at 2 different restaurants, intending to return and eat at one of them for lunch, but Dr. James called to meet me, and when we met he had a bee in his bonnet to get back to Buea. We were back by lunchtime, which was a little disappointing, but it saved me money for sure! Next time I won't go with him and hopefully I'll get the chance to try one of these restaurants. And have some time to stop and take a few more photos!

"Roundpoint" in Douala. A very congested interchange, exacerbated by private cars parked in the road soliciting rides back to Buea or Limbe. Don't know the story on the giant metal guy in the middle

Shopping in a supermarket is something I'll never take for granted again. Not to say it still won't drive me nuts. I was talking to myself unashamedly as I agonized over everything I put in my basket and tallied the cost. Definitely got some looks.

Bottling plant just down the street from Super U

TL;DR I got put in jail Saturday morning. Actually I went to play for a church service as part of the SDA prison ministry here. This week started out pretty rough, and then as things got more interesting, it got better. Packages came, I went to Douala (although not for as long as I would have liked), and I hung out with some Americans and played ping pong. It was actually a pretty good week overall.

This delivery...    trucktorcycle(?) comes to the clinic every day to distribute pre-cooked meals. Whoever came up with the idea is making a killing I'm sure. Sadly they're never vegetarian, so I stick to PB&J.

Desperate temperatures call for desperate measures. I sleep in sweats regardless of the heat to protect my ankles from bug bites in the night (some bugs fit through the mosquito net holes!) 

This is what brand new socks look like after 2 days of being worn. At least there aren't holes yet!