1st Moto venture

Algol
Hamish Tait, Robin Hastie & Jim Hepburn
Wed 12 Sep 2007 19:53
Finally plucked up the courage to take a ride on a moto (see attached photo - Anne having her first shot).  This is the only means of public transport in Maroua.  All you do is hail a guy (they're always men/boys) preferably wearing a yellow tabard with a clear number.  The same number should be on the front & rear mudguards of the bike.  You tell him where you want to go & it's always 100 francs (about 10p).  We had been warned always to get on & off from the left; the exhaust pipe is on the right and it's very hot!  In fact, it was not nearly as frightening as we expected, largely thanks to having had a practice riding pillion back home (thanks to Andy Rae)  and we've come to the conclusion it's safer on the back of a moto than trying to cross the road as they whiz past!  We have come across one petrol station comme chez nous, but for the most part, they top up from road side traders selling petrol in one litre plastic bottles!  The same kind of container is used by the honey sellers, so we've been warned to be sure what we're buying.  Mind you, we do feel a bit conspicuous; we stand out like sore thumbs as foreigners (they shout nassara at us, which means white) and nobody but us and the Peace Corps people wear crash helmets.  We're also targets for beggars: one even had the cheek to pinch food from Anne's plate when were eating in a local cafe two nights ago.  The waitress said he was mad - I would agree knowing how Anne feels about her food!  Although a bit of a shock at the time, it hasn't put us off, just made us aware of being careful where we sit.  The standard of living seems pretty poor and poverty rife, as expected.  Suddenly the idea that we could possibly make any kind of meaningful contribution in the face of such huge problems seems frankly arrogant.
We have now had two lessons in Fulfulde, the most commonly used local language, so djabamma to you all (greetings).  It looks realy complicated and the counting system is amazing - where we have numbers from zero to ten, they only do zero to five.  As if that isn't bad enough, the money counting is even more confusing!  Anne is insisting that I learn the word for sorry as I'll have to use it so often, so here it is - yaaffa.
Most of the training is done in French with an unusual accent, which is a real challenge for us both.  This morning, we had a talk on the regional HIV/AIDS programme from one of its doctors.  He seemed quite formidable and his french is VERY fast.  Not sure how I'll cope when I have to participate in AIDS treatment plan meetings!
We feel really comfortable here in the Baptist Mission.  It is a really haven of peace & tranquillity, the people are really friendly & welcoming, it's clean and feels safe.  I suspect we'll make frequent use of it when we visit Maroua.  The attached photo is a view of part of the compound with the church in the background.
Djam waala
(Goodnight)

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