Bye bye Berit

Cameroonians like a shindig, their celebrations are not done by halves. Funerals can last up to a week and if you get married forget about a honeymoon, you've got a million hands to shake.

Yesterday, Berit's leaving do at the Orock house was not the first party we had to attend. Sam, a nice boy in the neighborhood with a promising artistic talent, invited us to his house for his Aunts graduation from teachers training college.

We said our hellos and shook hands with everybody and i impressed them with my Pidgin English. The lady of the hour showed us her prizes she took including 'Best all round student'. I believe i said congratulations about 97 times. They sat us down and gave us popcorn and beer and we watched as the old granny of the house danced about singing a song of praise with the rather humorous line 'Finally, finally, finally the Lord has done it'. Yes well done to Jesus and to the future teacher for all her hard work and study.

We said our goodbyes and congratulations a further 64 times and headed into the night towards the Orock house. The tradition for a volunteers send-off is a good bit of grub and beer then we all give speeches, but this time there was even entertainment in the form of the wee girls putting on a dance and song about that lovely man Jesus, it was all very sweet. Berit was presented with a lovely African dress and it was a nice end to the evening.

We were all partied out and when i was sitting on the porch i thought about all the volunteers who have come and gone and all their leaving parties that i have been to, Well now i was the next volunteer leaving and the next party would be mine, and that prospect scares me a little.