I've been in Douala, Cameroon for almost 3 weeks, and it is starting to feel "normal".

So this is what "normal" looks like in Cameroon: The weather is hot and will get hotter as we move more into the dry season (the average high is 31 going to 33 in Jan, low is 21 going to 23 in Jan). Most days are cloudy, sometimes completely overcast and sometimes sunny but always with some cloud in the sky. I go most days without seeing another white person. To get my attention they call out "la blanche" which means "the white".

Power, water or internet outages are frequent, and even when up the internet isn't that fast. Everyone has a cell phone, and many people seem to have two, I think on different networks.

It is noisy and chaotic with huge potholes. There are beat-up taxis and motorbikes honking and driving on the wrong side of the road or on the median or the sidewalk. Traffic jams are common, it can take more than an hour to go 5 Km. Taxis are shared, the city is broken into areas and a trip within a single area costs 200 CFAs (about $.44) so as a taxi drives by you yell your destination and if it matches where the taxi is going they stop and you get in, and people get in and out as their individual destination is reached. If your destination is outside the area, you get out, walk across the intersection and find a new taxi for another 200 CFAs. Taxis are usually Toyota Corollas, so fairly small sedans, and carry 5 passengers - so you try not to be the 4th person in since that usually puts you in the middle front sitting on a small pillow and the gear shift. Most of the motorcycles on the road are also taxis, they carry up to 1 to 3 passengers (I've seen up to 3 adults on the back), and because they can swerve through traffic will usually get you there sooner but charge by the distance so my trip to work now costs all of 400 CFAs (so an exorbitant $.88). The passenger might be carrying cargo, even something like a 20 foot metal pipe which must make the weaving in and out that much more difficult. Crossing the street is definitely "at your own risk" - it is worse than in places like Thailand where you cross a lane at a time because the vehicles don't stick to lanes and drive on the other lane so will come at you from the other direction.

Women dress very stylishly and many men wear suits. Women might wear fitted dresses or large loose dresses that go to mid-calf, either can be made from pagne which is the bright African coloured fabric (http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/pagne). For a wedding or church group everyone will get outfits made out of the same material but in whatever style they prefer, so you can see 20 people all wearing similar clothes. It is quite a sight to see someone in killer heels and a short, tight skirt casually sitting on the back of motorbike taxi bouncing over the potholes, maybe checking their cell phone.

Fish is very common, and is often being cooked on barbeques along the sidewalk. You pick your fish from piles of raw fish of various types and sizes (with different costs) and a side of cassava (to me, sort of like eating glue but many Cameroonians like it), yams (like a boiled potato) or fried plantains (very good). They season and cook the fish, then bring it to your table which might be in their area or the bar next door. You eat it with your fingers, but they bring a small bowl of water to wash your hands before and after. Beer is also very common and usually comes in large 1 liter bottles, both local and imported, and Guinness is common. Right next to the office is a small 7-11 type store (but only 2 meters wide and 4 meters deep) where I pick up my breakfast of half a baguette with mayo and two hard boiled eggs chopped up then topped with hot sauce (for about $.70), made to order as I stand there.

All along the sidewalk and in various market areas there are stands selling fruit, nuts, and almost anything you want, plus there are larger markets with many stalls in each area of the city. Sometimes with sidewalk stalls are different during the evening than they were during the day. People, both men and women, carry huge loads on their heads without holding it - could be a shoe, a tray piled high with peanuts, stacks of material, or a container full of eggs. Babies are tied to the mother's back using a swatch of material. Hardly anyone smokes, so you are never bothered with second-hand smoke. There are bugs including cockroaches (so you get used to spraying your room with bug spray every day), but hardly any mosquitoes.

And most important, everyone is friendly and helpful, though they do try to charge more because I am white - but people at the office and the house where I am staying help by negotiating on my behalf. They say hello and good evening to me, yet I'm hardly bothered by sales pitches, the most is calling to get my attention then asking if I want to take their moto or buy a pineapple or something. A guy who works at the downtown taxi stand area now recognizes me and holds his umbrella to keep the sun off me and makes sure the next empty taxi goes to my destination.