Aug 8, 2006: Johnson's Time Warp

The News on Getting Started at RFIS

We got off to a rocky start on Tuesday the 1st. We got out of town much later than anticipated and after stopping at Wal-Mart in Mankato, we got a flat tire in the pouring rain at 1:30 am. We managed to limp into a motel with a canopy and get it changed. We got to my sister’s in Eden Prairie at about 3:00 am. Up at 7:00 and off to the airport by 9:00. The flights were pretty uneventful all the way to Brussels.

We got in there about 8:00 am local time. We had about 27 hours on the ground so we decided to get a hotel room but we couldn’t check in until noon so we sat in a coffee shop in the airport before heading to the hotel. After a quick nap, we headed into the city for a look around. The people were all very friendly and the architecture was amazing. After another sleepless night, we were on our way Friday morning.

We met some other teachers and a handful of students on our flight going to RFIS at the airport so that was nice. There is only 1 flight per week from Brussels to Yaounde. We met our contact at the bag claim and after waiting quite a while everybody had their bags. It seems that when you want to get through the customs check, your level of hassle and headache is directly proportional to the amount you pay to the “porters” to handle your luggage. There were at least 15 or so of us to get through, so we feared the worst but it was less than 10,000 CFA ($20) for all 6 porter guys total.

We had a couple quick stops to drop people off and then a hot meal that was very welcome. The teachers and staff were having a kick-off party that night and we managed to keep our eyes open through it. We got dropped off at our house about 10 pm and were greeted by an overflowing catbox and an all-night party down the “street”. Our sleep total in 4 days was about 12 hours.

We will get out another newsletter in a couple of weeks once we get into a rhythm. Betsy arranged to get rid of the cats and that should happen soon. Brian has been named head boys basketball coach and starts practice next week. More to follow. Bon jour!

Brian & Betsy