Chicago Papakoi ja purjetamine Valgerannas

Olen viimase nädala jooksul sattunud Northwestern University kodulinnas Evanstonis (Chicago eeslinn) mitmelgi korral peale erinevatele eestikeelsetele märkidele. Nädal tagasi leidsin ühe mõnusalt haisva raamatuantikvariaadi, kus kõiki külalisi tervitas roheline papagoi. Kauni rohesule kõrval olevale tulbale olid inimesed erinevates keeltes kirjutanud, mis linnuga on tegemist ja nii ka üks tubli kaasmaalane.

Nädalavahetusel paadikuuris järvele minekuks valmistudes peatus mu silm aga meie oma paadikuuri teadetetahvlil – seal oli eestikeelne kutse tulla purjetama Valgeranda. Peaks kutse vanaemale edastama, kuna siin see vist suurt kedagi peale minu ei liigutanud.

Spring in Mickeymouseland

Zebra had too much cheesecake.

rururban Cameroon

It might have been my naiviness to have bought into the Western imagery of rural Africa or simple ignorance, but I was shocked by how urban the two biggest cities of Cameroon – Douala and Yaoundé – were. Yaoundé lies on seven hills and has lush greenery and scenic views from the hills and thanks to the altitude also milder climate. The business capital Douala has painstaking heat and a stressful atmosphere. Fog, cars, taxis, men in ties, pollution, stress. Above is depicted a traffic scene when leaving Douala for Yaoundé. Recent urbanisation in both cities has not yet been met with adequate infrastructure and hence the entries and exits of cities are often bottle necks. Yet urbanism à la camerounaise is always also balanced with elements of what a westerner associates with more rural modes of life. The blue sign below in the middle of this rather rural-looking scene points to where a hospital is located close to the city centre of Yaoundé.

Cameroon

As said – ça se passe ici. Photos from Cameroon start coming.