Coffee and Canada

I have never regularly drunk coffee before; partly because I never liked the taste (not even in ice cream or anything! Amazing, right?), and also the caffeine doesn't seem to affect me in the least. Then last year, during our 2 1/2 week long trip to Cameroon, I found that drinking coffee was a daily morning ritual observed by all in the Jackson Village, and so I took part, and enjoyed it quite a lot. But back in the States I fell back into my normal coffeeless routine.

Well, I now drink coffee every morning. As long as there's plenty of sugar, powdered milk (there's no real milk here), and Matinal, a chocolate mix, I absolutely love it. Maybe because the coffee is just better here, or perhaps because it seems so natural to get out of bed, get a lovely steaming cup of deliciousness, and sit on the porch listening to the birds (if you get up early enough). Either way, in the past few weeks, I have drunk more coffee than in my entire life. True story.

For the past few days Chris has been in Yaounde helping a summer team arrive and get together all their luggage. The 9 of them are going to Bambalang (about an hour or more from Bamenda) to help out the Groves, a missionary family who lives in the village, and stopped by today for lunch and a break from the long drive. Talking with them over jalaf rice (or however it's actually spelled - either way, it's quite tasty) and watermelon, I found out they were all from New Brunswick, Canada! Which was quite interesting; I'm finding that I unconsciously assume all white people we meet to be from the States, when in reality, there are a lot more places in the world than just America with white people. Surprise, surprise! In a way, it was weird being the ones welcoming newcomers; instead of my previous role of visitor, I am now one of the residents. I live in Africa! Wow.

The rest of the day saw us staying inside by the fire (I know! A fire! In summer...) as the rain poured down. Yesterday was humid and hot, so we should have expected a deluge. It stayed cold all evening, and so another cup of milked/sugared/chocolated-down coffee just seemed right. That and being able to talk to my family made the day quite complete. So until tomorrow, my friends.