Cockroaches and other new challenges

Last night, after coming home from a wonderful taco night at Lena's, our kitchen was full of cockroaches. Yes, we are though and brave, and not afraid of them, and yes - there was some screaming and desperation as well... Within a short hour we had killed over 30, and I am not exaggerating!

Last night's catch

Neither Idunn nor I want the cockroaches to be in our house, and at times like last night, it is quite easy to get a bit homesick and long for the comfort of a house with nothing more than a little spider on the wall now and then.

But who am I to complain? Here in Cameroon I live in luxury compared with the majority of the population. We have electricity, clean water in our house, our own maid who cooks dinner six days a week, washes our clothes and cleans our apartment, we have guards on both sides of our house and all the material goods we could possibly need, or at least the money to buy it if not. Yes, an apartment full of cockroaches may feel quite overwhelming and hard to manage when you are tired and not at all used to it. Still the greatest personal challenge I face here almost everyday, are the children begging at our door while we enjoy our dinner. We have heard so many times that money in their own pocket not always is the best solution for these kids, that we should get to know them instead, so that we can help them in a way that gives hope for a good future where they manage their everyday life without begging. Even though I know this, and really want to help the children in the best way possible, it hits me that "no" is one of the hardest words in the world.