The Last of Douala

Forgive my late blog entry, but I have been resting over the past few days. Jet lag just kicked my butt this week!

The Night Club

It was decided that we would all go to a discotheque (aka night club) to celebrate my last weekend in Douala, and we went to George’s V. There were 9 of us, and each of us had to pay 9,000 francs (9000 x 9 = $140) to just “reserve a seat” and for “drinks.” We were seated on the second floor right next to a dance floor. I didn’t understand about the paying for drinks thing until we were actually seated. We had two tables, so both tables received one glass bottle of Coke, one glass bottle of tonic water and one bottle of Glenn Ellis Scottish Whisky-that’s it. Our “drinks” were chosen for us, which was unfortunate since I despise whisky. The music was great because there was a great mix of both African and American music. Guess what was especially nice about the club for me? I wasn’t hit on and called “La Blanche” at all! The club didn’t start getting crowded until 1:30 am, and we left at 4 am. We had a great time and were exhausted by the time we left the club.

The Last Day

I stopped by Deanne’s salon to say goodbye. I had a 50 franc coin in my pocket on the way over to the salon and decided to give it to Enzo. When I got there, I gave the coin to Enzo who then pointed to himself and mouthed, “For me?” Deanne asked for my e-mail address and yahoo instant message name and then proceeded to hunt around the salon. It drove her crazy that I never wore earrings while I lived there, so she gave me 3 pairs of earrings, a matching necklace and ring that went with one pair of earrings, and her leopard print headband. I was surprised she gave me her leopard print headband because she wore it often. I told her that she had given me way too much, but she insisted that it wasn’t enough. She told me that she was going to miss me because she loved that every time I was around her that I made her laugh. I hope that we will stay in touch.

After I went to Deanne’s, I went to see Patrice to say goodbye. Now I have to add that a few days prior to my departure, Patrice had sent me a very sweet e-mail. He wrote that he was proud to be my friend and that I had a big heart that warms the world. He thanked me for being me and told me not to change or forget him. I saved his e-mail because it meant a lot to me. Anyway, Patrice asked if he could go to the airport with me, and I told him it was fine but that I was leaving for the airport at 1:15 am. He had to be up early the next morning, so he came back to the apartment to hang out for a bit since he couldn’t go the airport. He is definitely a friend that I will never forget.

Akobe rode with me to the airport and before we left, she took a few pictures of me prior to my getting in the taxi. When the taxi pulled away from the apartment, we all happened to notice a man passed out in the middle of the road. That was definitely a surprise and a first-lol. We didn’t stop since I needed to get checked in at the airport, so I have no idea what was up with the guy in the road. I guess it’s a good thing that there are speed bumps on the road to slow people down, but I was hoping he wouldn’t become a speed bump either…

At the airport, I had a long wait ahead of me since I was there at 1:45 am and my flight took off at 3:45 am. After checking in, I had to pay a $20 airport tax (ridiculous). I said to the lady, “Why is this really necessary? You and I both know that your corrupt President is only going to pocket this and the other taxes collected.” She looked at me and chuckled, probably thinking that I was rather brave to make such a comment, but she didn’t comment back at all.

Forgotten Mentionable

I realized that I never discussed my first money exchange experience when I arrived in Douala. Put it this way, it happened so quickly that it felt as if I had experienced a drug/money exchange! After Akobe picked me up at the airport, I told her that I needed to exchange money. She called her husband and told him how much I wanted to exchange, and he directed her to meet him downtown at a small bar in Akwa. It was so crowded downtown that I was quickly introduced to Jeromie, Akobe’s husband, through the taxi window and was instructed to follow him. I hurried out of the car, following Jeromie into the corner of a small bar where a man was sitting at a table alone. I was told to sit down, and there were no introductions. Jeromie asked me how much I wanted to exchange, so I told him and pulled out the amount. The man counted out the equivalent of Cameroonian CFAs, and we both slid our money to one another. I didn’t have time to ask questions; not even how much I received or what the exchange rate was or anything. I was just hurried out of the bar as soon as the exchange took place.

The second time I had to exchange money, I was with Model (THEX rep). We were again in downtown Akwa near the same little bar where I exchanged money the first time. It wasn’t until a guy approached us that I knew what was about to happen-another public money exchange. I pulled Model aside and told him that I didn’t feel comfortable doing it in broad daylight with about 20 men sitting close or milling around who most likely knew that money was about to be exchanged; especially since we had just passed a guy with a wad of Cameroonian CFA notes who asked us if we needed to exchange money. I also didn’t feel comfortable carrying so much money on me either after my laptop being stolen underneath my nose without my knowing it. He told me it was the best way and talked with the guy we were going to exchange the money with. This guy happened to have his calculator on him, so I was able to ask questions and find out the exchange rate, etc. It was a more than fair exchange versus if I had exchanged my money at a bank or elsewhere.

With my being unfamiliar with the street money exchange, it was explained to me that I had exchanged money on the black market. If I would have gone to a bank or money exchange business, I would have lost a chunk of my money due to the exchange rates and service fees. By exchanging money on the black market, one doesn’t stand to lose such a large percentage of their money.