I woke up in a confused
state, I was panicking, but my panic lasted for probably two minutes. I had no
recollection of where I was, so I lay still, trying to remember. This is the
fourth bed I have slept in in seven days…
I have been working in Eastern Cameroon since the end of June. There are
a few border towns that have seen an influx of people from Central
African Republic due to the conflicts that have been ongoing. Not to
mention the other parts of the country that share borders with other
countries dealing with various conflicts! There is a full blown
humanitarian crisis and there are needs at different levels that have to
be met.
During my last field trip, we drove into a place and I
was unsure of what it was. It looked like a residence, but I figured that the
owner might have built more rooms, then opened it to the public. The rooms were
so small, then I opened the door that led to the bathroom. The bathroom was
narrow, I would probably not be able to stretch my hands out if I stood in
there. We asked for the toilets and were led outside, the lady pointed at two
structures, shared toilets. I walked back to the car and waited for my
colleagues to finish deliberating then I asked if there was another place.
We
got to the only other place in the village but the set up was not so different.
Only this time, there was a toilet in the middle of the bathroom! My colleague
must have felt sorry for me because he kept asking if I was okay. I assured him
that I was, it was absolutely no fault of his that these places were the way
they were. If I had ever called any hotel where we stayed before basic, this, I
had no idea what classification to give.
