New Years’ Eve
Well today is New Years’ Eve. A few years ago I made a wish that I get to bring in the millennium on the continent of Africa. And since this is the eve of the true millennium, my wish has come true. I also find it interesting that the eve of the millennium is on a Sunday. A day of worship. Ironic.
Thus far, today has been relaxing. This morning I’ve pretty much spent the time typing and reflecting. We decide to go into town and pick up a few things; not anything in particular, just something. Akilah’s also looking for a Shelly Nyolo tape so we’ll look for that.
We head to Commercial Av. and get out where we notice there’s a restaurant Akilah wanted to try out; Fremal. It’s actually a pretty good one too. Nice. Quiet. Clean. Cool. All the essentials a person needs. We go in to take a look at the menu, and decide to look for the tapes first and return afterwards.
Considering this is New Years’ eve, there’s no wonder about ninety percent of the stores are not open. That was cool, and the walk was nice anyway.
So on the way back to the restaurant, we notice a cabine across the street from Fremal, and I decide maybe I should go ahead and call Eric (my roommate) to check on a few things; I did have something else I needed him to do.
This was not a pleasant call. Eric tells me that the apartment was broken into and we both lost our VCRs. I was a little distraught, and the connection was not too good. So I hang up, and go to Fremal to eat. I had a plate of chips, and Akilah had some chopped greens and plantain. But my mind was still on the break-in, so a very understanding woman (namely Akilah) went back with me to the cabine to call again. This time I call him and give the number for him to call me back. I’d much rather pay for the call when I get home than now.
So I ask all the questions, like “so they didn’t take my computer right?” I know I’ve got a laptop with me, at my house I’ve got a Mac clone (I don’t know too many graphic designers that use anything differently) to do work. I ask about my cell phone (the Sprint phone I left home – the Nextel is with me so I’ll have something upon my arrival back into the states), and some money I left in my room.
The one thing they did get was this container of change I keep in my closet. You see, I’m one of those people who, at the end of the day, leave all of the change in one container. A few weeks before leaving for Cameroon, I estimate that I’ve at least four to five hundred tucked in there. The phreaks got my container. Not much I can do from here. So I ask Eric to call the property manager and let her know I’m out of the country, the apartment was robbed and I’m pretty irate.
Mostly due to the fact that I was robbed two years ago the same way (they kicked the door in), and the maintenance was to repair the door so that it would be less likely to happen the same way. Wait ’til I get home.
Before we left, we placed a note for Becky, Anita and Anicet to let them know that we’d gone into town for a minute and would be right back; as well as directed them to Pa Paul’s house to pick up the key. Oh, Pa Paul is the guardian hired to care for the Slum. By the time we returned they’d arrived and we all kind of recapped our events for the past few days; and decide what we’ll do for the night.