By the Way, An' Thaaat

The day starts with the usual mini-cab ride down town. Travelling down, I see a taxi on the opposite side of the dual carriageway, merrily driving into the oncoming traffic. Even by road safety standards here, this is pretty unusual, and I figure he must be practicing for his test. It's nearly always a "he" when I mention driving in Cameroon. I could count the number of women drivers on one foot.

The sun beats down as I exit the taxi and head for lessons- a rare blast of sunshine in an otherwise dull looking week. There's a tap in a small village along the way, which is always running and has been very handy during my little hikes. It must be an important watering point, as there is often a 4x4 or three, waiting to fill up as many containers as can be fitted in.

For some strange reason, a large group of smaller kids seen intent on flash-mobbing today, intent on hanging on to me and pulling me to my doom. In the end, I convince them that there is a new volunteer, waiting to meet them at the school gates, and hand them copious amounts of sweeties. This is obviously the point I leg it in the other direction. It's terrible to lie to small kids and I don't feel big or clever, but needs must.

Actually, there is a new volunteer at the school. His name is Shun and he has arrived from Japan. Shun comes across as a very gregarious, and friendly character, who will prove very popular. I wonder if the kids will call him "white man".

Back at the house, well fed and watered as usual, the radio gradually sends me into a slumber tonight. The BBC World Service has been an awesome find. The corporation is highly regarded all over the world and it is easy to see why, listening to their productions here. It all reminds me just how good they can be, and I can't help having a wee feeling of pride (like I am partly responsible), whenever I switch it on. The whole channel is naturally slanted towards relevant African news and features, but there is an incredible mix of stories from around the world too.

As a whole, it beats the tripe of "dumbed down" news we have at home. Who really gives a pooh if Cheryl Cole has been denied planning permission for an underground swimming pool? (unless she was going to drown her husband in it). Even the additional "extra" stories are great, much better than the "And finally..." clips from home, where a windsurfing dog is supposed to make us forget about the other 27 minutes of news, and world poverty.

Such features include: The tale of three Soviet all women air force regiments from WW2, so good the Nazis feared them as the "Night Witches"; a tale about how people in Agra are becoming marginalised from the most beautiful building in the world: The Taj Mahal; and (my favourite): how Glaswegian is being translated into all major European languages (including English), due to the communication problem it creates in the business world. Just wait for the Rosetta Stone copy to make an appearance.