A day in the life

Up at 6:15 - is there water? Yes, fill the bottles and buckets quick before it goes off. Fill the big pan and put it to boil, so we can top up the water filter later. Make myself a cup of tea from the filtered water, and squash a few ants with the hot teabag - death from the skies! Banana and yogurt for breakfast, with malaria tablets, garlic pearls and vitamin B.


When Gwenno is out of the bathroom, nip in and wash in a bowl of cold water, head to toe. If I'm washing my hair, I use some of the heated water just to get some lather from the shampoo. Pour bottles into the cistern to flush the loo (yes, the water is off by now!)

If our cleaner comes she usually arrives about 7. To be honest, she's not that good at cleaning. We have to do the bathroom and kitchen, but she does wipe the floor once a week, washes clothes in cold water and irons some of them. She's a lovely lady and we've gained a lot from the insight into local life she brings, and knowing we are supporting her family for a short time.

I get dressed and clean my shoes (though I'm not sure why I bother!) I set off first, so Gwenno padlocks the gate behind me. Then catch a taxi to Finance junction, wait 15 minutes or so, then another taxi up to Santa. Buy a bottle of water and trudge up the hill in the heat, to a meeting which is unlikely to get going for an hour or so.

Work usually consists of meetings, talk, planning workshops. After the meeting I hang around; I don't have an office so I go to Kareen's house where she makes me a cup of good Cameroonian coffee. Kareen (long-term volunteer) hasn't had water for a week but she lets me use her loo!

At 2pm I go to the council office, where Godwill, Stanley and Bismark are finishing up their day's work. These are young general clerks, and I'm helping them improve their spreadsheet skills so they can teach other council staff. They are enthusiastic, a great bunch to teach - when I show them a new thing in Excel, they say "Wow!"

By 4 we are all flagging, so I give them homework and set off down the hill. Catch a taxi and we are packed like sardines. A rather large lady is sitting on my left thigh, and by the time we get to Bamenda I can't feel my left foot. I get out and almost fall over, but a man grabs my elbow and supports me. "Tap your foot", he tells me, "it's just cramp". He holds me up till I can feel again, then walks me down to Mobil, where he grabs a taxi for me.

Off at Foncha junction, and into the internet cafe. It's hot, connections are slow and it takes me half an hour trying to download emails. My foot is OK now and I walk home, where Gweneira is on her computer. Water is still off, but electricity is on. We chat about our day then decide what to cook.

Washing tomatoes means using filtered water, carefully washing knife and chopping board too. Spring onions are harder, washing the dirt off first, peeling then washing thoroughly in filtered water. Gwenno swats a cockroach with her flipflop. I light a candle in case the electricity goes off while we are eating, which it does!

Luckily the light comes on again, and I manage to do a bit more work on my laptop, clean off the virus it picked up in Santa today and prepare for the day ahead. The water comes back on late, and i wash a few things - the dust means I can only wear something once, and it's impossible to scrub enough to get a white blouse clean. Gwenno irons her clothes inside out, to kill off any insect eggs in the seams.

By 9:30 the electricity has gone off, the radio stops so we know it's throughout the city. I put my head torch on and go to bed. Once tucked up in the mosquito net I read a little and listen to the rain, now pounding on the tin roof. I fall asleep when it eases off, to wake now and again during the night - woken by odd noises, rain, heat or just the discomfort of my very hard bed!