oh, technology

Okay, as you may notice, I'm new to the blogophere and often experience issues. The last post, for some reason, published in 1 point font. Uploading photos here can be really difficult. On my camera, and on another computer, this one of me with my host family looked great, but is coming up really dark on the screen here in this cafe. What does it look like on your screen??

While I'm waiting for this to load, I have a confession to make. While staying with my host family, I've become addicted to Venezualan

Soap Operas. The family favorite, Saborati, is translated in French as Destins Croisés, or Crossed Destinies. Attempted murders, love triangles, adoption disputes: this show has got it all. Nearly every Cameroonian woman I meet seems to be really into it as well.

On a more serious note, I continue to be shocked by the amount of corruption in this country. Students regularly pay their teachers off for grades; in fact, sometimes the only students who pass are the ones who pay. When my host mother went to the hospital to give birth to her son, the nurse told her she needed to pay extra under the table to get the proper service. I've heard that 40% of Cameroon's wealth goes into paying people off in corrupt interactions. Several Cameroonians I've talked to don't think that the country can go on like this; many seem to think that some sort of monumental change is on the horizon. I hope to gain some sort of understanding about what this change could be by the time I leave.