Did you buy a snack today I guess if you did it might have been a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar or seeing as its Easter even a crème egg .We just ate a Cadburys Egg and Spoon rather melted but still tasty .May be you are on a diet or just being healthy or avoiding chocolate for Lent. If so then Chad could be the place for you snacks in Chad are definitely not chocolaty and not crisps either Pringles cost more than anyone can afford. A few weeks ago it was International Women's Day and we were marching again in front of the presidents palace , as it was school holidays Ruth and Rebecca joined us too .This time we had been well organised so we thought, with groups meeting to plan the food and the buying of material only to then be rather upset by the fact that after the nurses spent 2 days waiting none of the especially printed material was left.
A quick trip to town revealed that some had been sold on to the market and for a mere 2 and a half times the price it was available .The preferred option was to all buy the same material with another design and wear that instead and we were not alone when we arrived at the march in having to do that .Did they not make enough? Did it get bought by wholesalers? We will never know. Our house help who also sews as well cheerfully stayed up half the night to sew the material as we only got it at the last minute and all was finally well.
Any way back to snacks what was available to sustain us as we cooked in the sun and drank gallons of water, here are a few pictures bananas from Cameroon relatively expensive, bread and cakes Locally made hibiscus juice to drink and carrots which are in season and eaten raw (four for the price of a banana), at other times of year it is bitter yellow aubergines in wheelbarrow loads!
Then it was on to the march and back to Alice's (one of our nurses houses) for chicken and bread deliciously cooked and enjoyed by all including the babies. Washed down of course with the obligatory coca cola.We were down near the bridge to eat so made a quick successful trip to look for hippos here they are trying to keep cool lucky them.
Then back to the hospital where we found more snacks for sale in the shop, crunchy crickets apparently they may be in fashion soon as they are full of protein so watch out in your local corner shop.
