THE YOUNG ADVENTURER

CHAPTER TWO

NOW THE JOURNEY BEGINS

.At each occasion or where the bus stops for one reason or the other, he acted as if he knew the place and refused to make inquiries about anything, known or unknown. On arrival in Yaounde, seeing that the day was still too young, he immediately proceeded to the park to get another bus to Maroua, a northern city in his country. The journey to Maroua (a regional capital of one of the northern states) was too long that passengers have to be handed over to another bus of the transport company. All the passengers were asked enter another bus that was waiting and ready to move immediately. In the course of moving into the next bus in Garoua ( another regional headquarter) he forgot his travelling bag in which his little belongings were packed. He could only remember when the bus had moved in half of the journey but it was too late. While he worried about his bag, he whispered to some passengers by his side that he forgot his bag but they told not to worry, that he will get it when the next bus arrives. While in the bus he calculated his next move ahead of time.

At Maroua, the day was was expiring , that is getting dark and businesses were shutting . Princewill tried to enquire where he could get a lodging facility at the cheapest rate and he was shown one where, he passed the night. The next day was a Sunday, and since he was a religious and churchy person, he had to look for a place of worship close by.

He packed his bag from the hotel, knowing fully well that he won't return, to avoid payment for another day. After the church service he met the pastor and told him of accommodation for just a day. The pastor whose name was Paul, considering many things in mind, then talked to a brother, who was a military officer by name Captain Musa and he accepted to take me home. According to captain Musa ". My family have travelled for vacation and I am alone in the house so you can stay with me.". While Princewill saw this opportunity as a sheer of luck but to Pastor Paul and Captain Musa, it was seen as a trap for him, since he was not known and so couldn't be trusted by anyone. "If he puts up any abnormal behaviour, the military officer will know hoe to handle him,". Pastor Paul thought within him. Captain Musa then took him home, provided him something to him and went out, with the intention that Princewill will misbehave since he was not really a trusted fellow.. Princewill, from a primitive and humble background admired the beauty of the house, not taking cognizance of the presence of CCTV cameras. He moved from one corner of the house to another, admiring, the bedrooms, toilets, kitchen and the entire compound. He never stole anything. He proved to them that he was not what they took him for. Like the.biblical Joseph, he was.not focused on the beauty.of the house but he was rather concerned with his entire journey..

However, after spending the night, he got up early in the morning to.move to Kousseri, a border town in the nothern.part of Cameroon and with the help of the officer he got a vehicle. On arrival at the pack, without any waste of time and with the eagerness to continue his journey, he paid the fare. He was so excited while waiting for other passengers to join him even though he did not even know how the next phase of his journey was going to look like. For about an hour he waited for other passengers to fill the bus so that they can take off. Hours later the car was full and the journey began. Though he had settled the necessary requirements, yet the immigration officers took advantage of him and requested the what was not necessary because they wanted money. He managed to settle the officers and within thirty minutes he was in another country - Chad.

The car finally stopped at the park which is the bus stop for everyone. Here was Princewill, not knowing which direction to go and who to follow home. He had to.look for a resting place there while thinking.of his next movement. "What do I do? Where do I go from here? He questioned himself within. Then, he thought again "I have to look for a church as I did in Maroua. So he proceeded as he was led to the Full Gospel church, the one that could easily be found, and requested to see the pastor. He then introduced himself as a brother of the Full Gospel Church in Cameroon. He was warmly welcome. His mindwas somehow settled that at least he has a place to sleep and eat for the time being. While he stayed with Gabriel's family, he was fizzling out how to go about his in this new land. He new it was not going to be easy since he was not in his homeland. He then decided to visit the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). He located the office and was given an appointed day for the interview. He prayed that such a day should come fast. On the day of the interview, a three man panel was set up. First panelist - " D'ou viens tu? Jeune homme - Where are you from? Young man"

Princewill "Je viens du Cameroun. Monsieur - I am from Cameroon sir."

Another panelist "Est-ce-qu'il y a la guerre au Cameroun? - Is there war in Cameroon?"

Princewill "Non Monsieur, IL n'y a pas la guerre au Cameroun, Mais Je suis un.opposant et on me cherche au pays. -No sir, there is no war in Cameroon, but I am an opposition and they are looking for me in the country.".

Princewill then opened the file he was holding and brought out his idenfication papers and a party card to show them. Another panelist asked "Tu as fait comment pour etre Ici? - How did you to get here?". He.managed to give the asylum officers a satisfactory that.qualified him as an asylum seeker.