no visa for bicycles!

After waiting for an hour to see the visa guy. That is what I was told. Can't do it. Sorry. (Actually, there was no sorry - just can't do it). Plane ticket only. Hmmmm...

So lets just get this straight. I just traveled over 1500km to get to your embassy which is the only one in the entire region and NOW you're gonna refuse to issue a visa. Forget it. I didn't move until he offered a solution. Eventually he said that I could give him an official flight reservation. Within 20 minutes I was back and had it sorted.

When it was time to pay the visa fee and had the nerve to ask for his "champagne" - indicating that I should give him a tip/bribe (depending on how you look at it) for being so helpful. HA!!!!

Makes me so angry/sad. On the way down here, our bus was pulled over numerous times for passenger bribes (this was on the government side, not the rebel-side). It works like this: The policeman asks to see everyone's papers. If he decides he doesn't like your papers, he doesn't give them back and walks away. Everyone who's passports and identity cards, etc have just left, must get out and follow the policeman around the corner. There he decides how much you have to pay to get your paper's back. They really don't care much about the southern Ivorians as long as they have some form of paperwork, but northerners or people from other countries usually have to get out at every stop (every 50km or so).

Most of the time they leave me alone, but just outside of Yamasoukro, a young soldier told me to get out. I asked if there was a problem and he replied very tersely - "I told you to get out". I did, along with the 6 or 7 others who had been paying regularly to get through. He flipped through the passport, looked at last year's visa and decided that it was OK - he didn't even notice that it expired 9 months ago and that I have a new visa on a later page. He gave me my passport back and then started talking to the others. I just stayed with the group but after a minute, he saw that I was still there and got mad. "Do I have your passport, what are you doing here?" I replied with an edge of cynicism, "You told me to get out".

"Do I have your passport?" "You told me to get out." This went on for a while, all while we were walking towards the police booth where the bribing actually takes place. I said with increasing volume and annoyance: What is the problem? What don't you want me to see? I don't like things that are hidden. It's not good.

He told me I'd better go get in the car or else. At that point I stopped walking, but switched to Anyi and started insulting him in Anyi. By this point I was so mad, I was yelling. He didn't understand but I know some of his colleagues could. They were laughing. Anyways I went and got back in the car. They still had to pay to get their passports, but at least the Burkinabe girl who had been in the bus with me since Ouagadougou, who had a real passport with a paid visa and an entry stamp was able to escape from this one. I doubt it was due to my insults, but sometimes I just loose at these guys who are ruining their own country for their own profit.

Sorry for the tangent. Back to today, the Cameroonian embassy man hinted (not very subtly, I must say) that he could probably get my visa pushed through today (what I was really hoping for) if I could find an appropriately sized gift. Subsequently, I am going back tomorrow to get my visa. :(

When I got back from downtown, I went directly into a meeting of the Mbato language group who had gathered together to discuss how to develop their own language which they recognize, is in the process of disappearing. They were already talking about the details of what letters need to be included in the alphabet and were doing well. It just so happens that a French linguist who had worked on a neighboring language was in town and he had come to help too. This was great since he had lots of good examples and was able to help them find patterns very quickly. I was able to compliment this with the non-linguistic reasons for choosing different symbols for their alphabet and encourage them to find ways to involve lots of other people before making too many choices. I gave them the background essential information of what they need to know before starting a literacy in their language as well as give them some ideas of how to get started. The meeting was very encouraging. They are very motivated and will be holding a planning session next Wednesday to decide how to move forwards. It is always exciting to be involved in the very beginnings of a movement. The potential is just beginning to build and it is great to see.

Had fried plantain banana for dinner. Mmmmmm.... Can't get it like this anywhere else in the world! Awesome.