Morning Sounds

I am not a morning person.  My preference is to stay up late, and sleep in.  After the kids go to bed is when Joy and I get some relaxed time together, or I can get some work done preparing for my teaching.  Usually, I have a gift for sleeping.  I can sleep anytime, anywhere.  I can sleep through almost anything.  But here in Cameroon, sleeping in is a challenge!  Perhaps because so many here do not have electricity, people get up with the sun (even long before!).  I get awakened, drift back to sleep, then jolted awake again. the noises are more noticeable since we got our new room as there are now two windows so we get it from both sides of the house. Here is the typical morning routine:

4:45 am        Muslim call to prayer by the loudspeakers at the local mosque

5:00 am        53 dongs from the Cathedral bell tower (we’ve counted each dong!)

5:15 am        First round of “cock-a-doodle-doos” from the roosters outside our window (I keep 

                    thinking it’s time to have that fowl for dinner!)

5:30 am        Singing and drums from morning prayer at the sisters’ convent next door

5:45 am        Another Muslim chant (loud up-and-down sound which I don’t consider melodious!)

6:00 am        Another round of 53 dongs from the bell tower signaling morning Mass

6:15 am        More “cock-a-doodle-doos” from Freddy and Mister-Mister (named by the kids)

6:30 am        The kids are getting up and getting ready for school

6:45 am        Time to roll out of bed for morning Mass in the bishops’ private chapel

Oh well.  At least there is the local practice of a long lunch hour, for that sometimes much-needed siesta during the day!  And it beats the sounds of urban traffic.

So there you have one dimension of what life is like for us here in Africa!

-Pete