Born on the fourth of July

The Americans, who are based in Mamfe, came back to Buea on Tuesday. They stayed for a night then left for Yaounde to go to the American embassy for a fourth of July shindig. They've probably been living it up poolside eating beautiful food and rubbing shoulders with all kinds of bigwigs singing 'God bless America' and slapping each other on the back in a patriotic frenzy.

They come back tomorrow so they will be able to attend the first of my leaving do's with my friends at Abidjan (Where else could i have it but there?) That should be fun and wicked to boot. Then on Sunday it is my second leaving do at the Orock house. Such is the tradition when volunteers leave, there will be food and lots of speeches (What can i say?). Tonight we are going out for a boogie to some live Makossa music. Splendid.

This last week i have been realising all the things that i'm going to do for the last time. The last time i'll buy a six pack of tangui mineral water, the last time i travel up the mountain to go to the bank and most pleasing of all, the last time i scrub my laundry by hand before i return to the land of washing machines. With all these parties coming up, i have no idea when my last Cameroonian beer will be though ha ha.

In other news...I was walking home the other day when i witnessed a taxi crash into a parked car. I looked over and i seen the driver moving but i thought he was just pulling the steering wheel round to reverse out of the smash. Then everybody started panicking as he was actually convulsing. I ran over and dragged him from the car and he was vomiting and this dude in an act of desperation starts giving him chest compressions. I was shouting at him to stop as the guy was still breathing and clearly had a pulse, but the guy wouldn't stop pumping on his chest!! I eventually had to drag him off and shout at the top of my voice "HE'S STILL ALIVE MAN!!!!" It was the closest i'll ever get to being a doctor. I thought he might be having an epileptic fit or he was in aniphilactic shock or something but a friend of his said he doesn't have epilepsy neither is he allergic to anything. Having made my diagnosis, we got the guy in a taxi to the hospital and i told the driver to tell my doctor colleagues that he has been poisoned. I've heard from another taxi driver that he is ok, so all's well that ends well.

Bit of excitement that i had to indulge there.