Happy New Year everyone! After spending a fun Christmas with volunteers, I decided to spend New Years in Djohong. I remembered my last New Years there fondly and figured that this time would only be better since a) I now know people who will be at the party and b) I know the structure of these parties so it's unlikely that there will be any surprises. In preparation I had a new pagne (African fabric) outfit made and asked a friend to braid my hair. I happily received the invitation that I had given 3,000 cfa for and read the time it would start. 10:00. Ouch. Way past my bedtime, but then I remembered that it was New Years and if there was ever a day to get over my newfound lameness it was tonight since it was actually a kind of obligation to stay up till midnight. Fair enough, I figured that I could manage that, but just in case I got ahold of several large coca-colas for the necessary caffeine.
I arrived at the building a little late, knowing that there was no way it would start on time. There was a good number of people already there but everyone was standing outside. Nobody wanted to be the first person to walk in the door, which was kind of amusing. I joined a few friends and stood there with them for a bit, but eventually got fed up. I was cold and very hungry so I decided to take the leap and enter the building. The second I walked in I was ushered to a seat that was suppose to be mine for the remainder of the night. So, if you arrive with anybody its not guaranteed that you would sit with them. In fact its actually unlikely. I'm not sure how the assigned seating works, it might be random, but I was seated next to a large speaker and a nice man that I didn't know very well. Fortunately a good friend of mine, a teacher at the school, was seated on the other side of the monstrous speaker. We attempted to make conversation while pointedly ignoring the blaring Cameroonian/ Nigerian music coming from between us. Eventually, by 11:15 the food was set up. You get food according to where you sit, and I was seated in the area that got there food last. So I sat there staring anxiously at the table holding the food, making sure that there would be enough for a American-size portion plate. My friend kept glancing at me and laughing, repeating patience over and over. I smiled thinking about what it would be like for them to be thrown into New York City where "patience" quickly becomes "hurry up" potentially with a slight shove for emphasis.
Once I ate a plate that put many of my neighbor's plates to shame, I felt much better and was ready for the night. Speeches were made by the authorities in the village and the Mayor walked onto the dance floor with a champagne bottle. Surrounded by everyone either shouting "No! 3 minutes!" or "Now! Now!" he took the situation into his own hands and deicded to just pop it open. Everyone leaped up, grabbing their tiny plastic cups (like for rinsing out toothpaste) that was given when you walked in the door, and headed for the bottle, hugging ppl along the way. Once everyone drank their gulp of champagne, more sincere hugs were given to all and everyone sat down in their seats again.
This part of the night is always funny to me. The dread in the air is almost tangible as the man holding the piece of paper walks out onto the floor. That piece of paper had names written on it that would be the ones to initiate the dance floor. I kind of hunched over, subconsciously trying to hide myself. The names were read and thankfully I was not one of the poor individuals heading out onto the floor. They call random people, 3 guys and 3 girls, pair them up and they have to dance in front of everyone for 30 seconds before anyone else can join. It is truly a miserable tradition that nobody enjoys, I really don't know why it still exists.
Anyway, once that passed, the night began. I was dragged onto the floor for almost every song. After a song ended, I'd plop down and take a gulp from my drink, breathing a little heavy. Dancing here is a bit bizarre, I still don't know what I'm doing. The man does moves that look like the most basic salsa steps, and moves his arms a bit sometimes. The girl is suppose to stay in this tiny area, barely moving her feet, bouncing her shoulders a bit and moving her arms as if she's running in slow motion. That's at least how I interpret the dancing in the Adamawa, it is different in every region. However, dancing like this is exahusting and I really have trouble staying in my little assigned space. It seems that my dancing partners were ok with that though, so all is good.
At one point in the night, I plop down and instantly my ears perk up. I knew this song.... oh yea, I definitely knew this song. Barbie Girl. Barbie Girl was playing at the party in the African bush. Very bizarre. As I was trying to process this, a man grabs my arm and pulls me onto the floor. I quickly recognized two things, that one- we were the only ones on the floor and it didn't seem as if anyone planned on joining, and two- that I was the only white girl, a blond haired blue eyed girl, dancing to Barbie Girl. Not ok. I wanted to say that one this was discrimination and two that nobody actually dances to Barbie Girl. At least not since the 90s or something. But I just went with it, made some dance moves up and tried to make the situation less awkward. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one that recognized how weird this was. Two of my guy friends grabbed a girl and joined me after around a minute of my solo dancing. You know you have good friends when they voluntarily join you to dance to Barbie Girl.
I succeeded in staying up late, well past midnight in fact. It ended up being a great party and a lot of fun. A perfect way to welcome in the new year, with new friends, drinks, food, and lots of dancing. Ideal. I hope that everyone's New Years was awesome as well, send me some stories! Miss everyone!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Two thanksgivings- I'm a lucky girl
Another holiday has come and gone! Pretty crazy. I truly love Thanksgiving. There's nothing better than good food, good company, and everybody just celebrating what they have and what they have to be grateful for. Corny, I know, but you also know that it's true.
These past couple of weeks have been really busy, and overall, awesome. Djohong had a visitor in town for a week. An American woman from IMC Washington DC, who was in town to do Gender-Based Violence Training. Not only was it refreshing to just see and talk to a new face, but Caleb and I also got the experience to translate for her during the training. It was interesting. I definitely have a lot of respect for translators now- their job isn't easy. But I learned a lot and I'm pretty suremy French got better as a result, so there we go.
After she left, I had to get back to work for World AIDS days (which is really for a week in Cameroon). After teaching my English class (yup, still doing that and actually still enjoying it haha), I met with 6 students, 2 professors, and Caleb to form a peer educators group towards combating AIDS and HIV. For around 2 hours we talked about what AIDS and HIV is, what it does in the body, prevention, and treatment. It was kid of a crash course since these kids were going to help me the following day at IMC's (International Medical Corps) HIV/AIDS thing at the Health center. They were a little nervous but I kept repeating that they would just be there to help and volunteer, they didn't have to do anything that they were uncomfortable with, and I'd be there if they had any questions, etc. I then headed to IMC where I met with the HIV/AIDS department to discuss the logistics for the next day. Everyone was in a bit of a frenzy because nobody would do the female condom demonstrations do to comfort level and culture. So, I very quickly became the person who would give female condom demonstrations with a plastic vagina, in front of a conservative crowd, and lead sensibilisation discussions on AIDS. Another let's throw her in the deep end and see if she swims moment, I guess.
The next day, Thanksgiving, was the big HIV/AIDS event at the Health Center. From 8am until 4:30, people came and went for free testing, information, counseling, etc. I was a little nervous as I watched the crowd form, waiting for the day to begin at around 8:30. Caleb was there to help as well, and when he heard that I would be the one to give female condom demonstrations he just laughed, shook his head, and said good luck. Yea, it was going to be interesting. However, my students showed up, all 6 of them ready to go. They agreed to talk about HIV/AIDS prevention and even give the male condom demonstration. I would still give the female demonstration since that was still a no-go with everyone else. We did it in front of the officials first ( head of the health center, mayor, head of gendarmes, etc) as well as the first big crowd. It ended up going very well, and the kids continued to work all day teaching their peers and parents about AIDS, while I walked around with the box of condoms and plastic vagina giving demonstrations, explaining the benefits, and distributing condoms. Overall, it was a great day that went extremely smooth considering.
While I was doing the AIDS stuff, Caleb had given Bah-Iya's family some money to buy some chickens. We were going to have a Thanksgiving feast. By the time I walked home, exhausted and happy with the day, dinner was almost ready. The family were really excited to celebrate the holiday with us, though the only knew of it vaguely. Other friends joined as well, and we all sat down eating a delicious African feast. We even had some key lime pie that Caleb had made. While we sat eating, Caleb and I listened to a friend of ours explain to the others what Thanksgiving was all about. Besides a few random details, I doubt that I could've explained it better myself. I told them how, some families go around the table and say what they're thankful for, etc. After dinner, a friend asked me if this is what I do at home, eat and then just lay around during a holiday. I laughed and said for Thanksgiving, the only way you know you did it right is if you can't move. If you are ready to dance, you need more pumpkin pie.
Not only did I get that awesome Thanksgiving, but then I got to celebrate it AGAIN. Caleb and I traveled the following day to Ngaoundere for another Thanksgiving feast, this time with volunteers. After delicious chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and carrots, even pies for dessert (pumpkin included!), we were all sufficiently full. Not full enough though, since yes, we did dance, but it was an excellent night. I'm lucky enough to have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving with two of my new families- Cameroonian and American.
I hope that everyone else's thanksgivings were great too! Send me some holiday stories, please! I miss all of you very much and hope your holiday season is a good one.
*quick sidenote- just to throw this in there really quickly- if you'd like to donate to the Books for Cameroon library project, we'd really appreciate it! It's to help bring 25,000 books to Cameroon.
PC donation link http://1.usa.gov/BFCPhase2
A little holiday spirit.... think about it. Visit Books for Cameroon on youtube, facebook or goole if you'd like more information. Thank you!!*
Miss you!
These past couple of weeks have been really busy, and overall, awesome. Djohong had a visitor in town for a week. An American woman from IMC Washington DC, who was in town to do Gender-Based Violence Training. Not only was it refreshing to just see and talk to a new face, but Caleb and I also got the experience to translate for her during the training. It was interesting. I definitely have a lot of respect for translators now- their job isn't easy. But I learned a lot and I'm pretty suremy French got better as a result, so there we go.
After she left, I had to get back to work for World AIDS days (which is really for a week in Cameroon). After teaching my English class (yup, still doing that and actually still enjoying it haha), I met with 6 students, 2 professors, and Caleb to form a peer educators group towards combating AIDS and HIV. For around 2 hours we talked about what AIDS and HIV is, what it does in the body, prevention, and treatment. It was kid of a crash course since these kids were going to help me the following day at IMC's (International Medical Corps) HIV/AIDS thing at the Health center. They were a little nervous but I kept repeating that they would just be there to help and volunteer, they didn't have to do anything that they were uncomfortable with, and I'd be there if they had any questions, etc. I then headed to IMC where I met with the HIV/AIDS department to discuss the logistics for the next day. Everyone was in a bit of a frenzy because nobody would do the female condom demonstrations do to comfort level and culture. So, I very quickly became the person who would give female condom demonstrations with a plastic vagina, in front of a conservative crowd, and lead sensibilisation discussions on AIDS. Another let's throw her in the deep end and see if she swims moment, I guess.
The next day, Thanksgiving, was the big HIV/AIDS event at the Health Center. From 8am until 4:30, people came and went for free testing, information, counseling, etc. I was a little nervous as I watched the crowd form, waiting for the day to begin at around 8:30. Caleb was there to help as well, and when he heard that I would be the one to give female condom demonstrations he just laughed, shook his head, and said good luck. Yea, it was going to be interesting. However, my students showed up, all 6 of them ready to go. They agreed to talk about HIV/AIDS prevention and even give the male condom demonstration. I would still give the female demonstration since that was still a no-go with everyone else. We did it in front of the officials first ( head of the health center, mayor, head of gendarmes, etc) as well as the first big crowd. It ended up going very well, and the kids continued to work all day teaching their peers and parents about AIDS, while I walked around with the box of condoms and plastic vagina giving demonstrations, explaining the benefits, and distributing condoms. Overall, it was a great day that went extremely smooth considering.
While I was doing the AIDS stuff, Caleb had given Bah-Iya's family some money to buy some chickens. We were going to have a Thanksgiving feast. By the time I walked home, exhausted and happy with the day, dinner was almost ready. The family were really excited to celebrate the holiday with us, though the only knew of it vaguely. Other friends joined as well, and we all sat down eating a delicious African feast. We even had some key lime pie that Caleb had made. While we sat eating, Caleb and I listened to a friend of ours explain to the others what Thanksgiving was all about. Besides a few random details, I doubt that I could've explained it better myself. I told them how, some families go around the table and say what they're thankful for, etc. After dinner, a friend asked me if this is what I do at home, eat and then just lay around during a holiday. I laughed and said for Thanksgiving, the only way you know you did it right is if you can't move. If you are ready to dance, you need more pumpkin pie.
Not only did I get that awesome Thanksgiving, but then I got to celebrate it AGAIN. Caleb and I traveled the following day to Ngaoundere for another Thanksgiving feast, this time with volunteers. After delicious chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans and carrots, even pies for dessert (pumpkin included!), we were all sufficiently full. Not full enough though, since yes, we did dance, but it was an excellent night. I'm lucky enough to have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving with two of my new families- Cameroonian and American.
I hope that everyone else's thanksgivings were great too! Send me some holiday stories, please! I miss all of you very much and hope your holiday season is a good one.
*quick sidenote- just to throw this in there really quickly- if you'd like to donate to the Books for Cameroon library project, we'd really appreciate it! It's to help bring 25,000 books to Cameroon.
PC donation link http://1.usa.gov/BFCPhase2
A little holiday spirit.... think about it. Visit Books for Cameroon on youtube, facebook or goole if you'd like more information. Thank you!!*
Miss you!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sorry, a new blog after 2 months
Hello everyone, I'm sorry, I know that it has been a while. I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, I promise. However, I have been busy and there has been a serious lack of internet. I hope that everything is going well at home, with the bizarre October snowstorms and all that.
The month of September passed by very quickly as I jumped back into the life here. My work load has increased, so that everyday I'm power walking all over my village getting from place to place. Friends of mine have been scolding me saying that I've disappeared, when in reality, I've just been working. A very bizarre thing for many people in my village. To be busy with work? really? One thing is for sure though, I've gotten past the adjustment phase and am fully involved in the life of my village. Though, I still have the random times when I think, wow, my life is weird.
Mondays, I still try to head to the Health Center to assist with the culinary demonstrations and talking to the mothers about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. Mondays were once my hard days; the longest days of the week by far. However, now its practically my day off. I now teach English at the High School. Yup, I caved. The English professor assigned to the high school in Djohong never came back. It is always interesting to me the effect that Djohong has on people who aren't from here. Yet for Caleb and I, the people who are really not from here, we complain the least. Its kind of ironic. They complain about the lack of cell phone service, communication in general, the difficulties of travel, scarcity of water and food, etc. I listen to these complaints, and then just smile. Sometimes, depending on my mood that day, I say that it isn't that bad and if they stopped complaining they'd probably adjust to the village life faster. In other words, suck it up. I don't think they appreciate that response, but oh well.
So anyway, I do teach an hour a day, 4 days a week. I also have a reproductive health group with teenage girls, the health club at the high school, and the womens and mens groups. The library project is still going on as well. In fact, it has become regional. We are now trying to find books for around 6 other villages. It is surprising how difficult it is to find books written in French haha.
October went by quickly as well. Though I wasn't able to get as much work done due to being a little sick. In general, October was a little different. For one, I was heading back to Djohong quickly before the elections (We were required to be in our village for a certain number of days before and after the elections for safety reasons), and was sitting in the back of the bus. I was fairly comfortable, but then the bus stopped and took on a new passenger. A nice, fat goat was now my neighbor, or more precisely, the goat was put underneath my seat. This hindered my comfort a bit since I didn't really like using it as a foot rest. Then the bus broke down and the driver moved me to the front near him, which normally I'd decline, but this time I happily accepted. Then the bus broke down again, so I wandered around the bus making friends. It is very easy talking to people when everybody has the same thing to complain about- how terrible the bus ride is, how terrible the roads are, weather, etc. Then the bus was up and running again, and we were so close to Djohong, 7 kilometers outside, when our bus got into a minor accident. The axle broke as a result, which meant that we were stuck where we were. After sitting around for 45 minutes, a moto driver passed by. One man pounced on this opportunity and left. I was hesitant because I had another bag on top of the car which i couldnt retrieve due to the broken axle and general instability of the car. However, after waiting some more and another moto driver arriving, the driver of my car assured me that he would get to Djohong by the end of today and that I should get on the moto with another woman. So I took the moto to Djohong, and upon arrival told my friends that my bag was still with my car. When I entered Bah-Iya's house, I saw the man who took the first moto. We acknowledged each other with huge smiles and nods. Bah-Iya assured me that we'rd get my bag back. After 3 days, due to elections, I did get my bag back with everything in it, which was very lucky and nice of the driver.
By the way, elections passed smoothly. The man who has been president for over 30 years was elected again with very little reaction from the people. All of the businesses were closed that day, soldiers lounged around, and overall, it was probably the most quiet day I've seen. Granted, I'm in a tiny village in the bush so there may have been activity elsewhere, but from what I saw it was very calm.
The following week, I got sick. I didn't think I was that sick, or at least I was telling myself that I wasn't, so I continued walking to the high school and teaching. After teaching, I'd usually go back to my house and sleep for the rest of the day. After a few days of this and lack of eating, I decided to get the malaria test taken at the hospital. And voila, malaria again. But it does show you that it can't be THAT bad if I was still able to walk 20 minutes there and back to the high school, including teaching 45 students for an hour. Though, after it was confirmed that I did have malaria, I took it easy and hibernated in my house for 2 days or so. After the medicine and hermit-like life for a few days, I was as good as new.
The following week I was able to work again, even made a health jeopardy review game for my womens and mens groups that went over well.
Anyway, I miss everyone and I hope that everyone celebrated Halloween in style. Due to my unusual October, I missed Halloween celebrations, so I will live vicariously when I hear your stories. Things are good here, and I hope things are well at home!
The month of September passed by very quickly as I jumped back into the life here. My work load has increased, so that everyday I'm power walking all over my village getting from place to place. Friends of mine have been scolding me saying that I've disappeared, when in reality, I've just been working. A very bizarre thing for many people in my village. To be busy with work? really? One thing is for sure though, I've gotten past the adjustment phase and am fully involved in the life of my village. Though, I still have the random times when I think, wow, my life is weird.
Mondays, I still try to head to the Health Center to assist with the culinary demonstrations and talking to the mothers about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. Mondays were once my hard days; the longest days of the week by far. However, now its practically my day off. I now teach English at the High School. Yup, I caved. The English professor assigned to the high school in Djohong never came back. It is always interesting to me the effect that Djohong has on people who aren't from here. Yet for Caleb and I, the people who are really not from here, we complain the least. Its kind of ironic. They complain about the lack of cell phone service, communication in general, the difficulties of travel, scarcity of water and food, etc. I listen to these complaints, and then just smile. Sometimes, depending on my mood that day, I say that it isn't that bad and if they stopped complaining they'd probably adjust to the village life faster. In other words, suck it up. I don't think they appreciate that response, but oh well.
So anyway, I do teach an hour a day, 4 days a week. I also have a reproductive health group with teenage girls, the health club at the high school, and the womens and mens groups. The library project is still going on as well. In fact, it has become regional. We are now trying to find books for around 6 other villages. It is surprising how difficult it is to find books written in French haha.
October went by quickly as well. Though I wasn't able to get as much work done due to being a little sick. In general, October was a little different. For one, I was heading back to Djohong quickly before the elections (We were required to be in our village for a certain number of days before and after the elections for safety reasons), and was sitting in the back of the bus. I was fairly comfortable, but then the bus stopped and took on a new passenger. A nice, fat goat was now my neighbor, or more precisely, the goat was put underneath my seat. This hindered my comfort a bit since I didn't really like using it as a foot rest. Then the bus broke down and the driver moved me to the front near him, which normally I'd decline, but this time I happily accepted. Then the bus broke down again, so I wandered around the bus making friends. It is very easy talking to people when everybody has the same thing to complain about- how terrible the bus ride is, how terrible the roads are, weather, etc. Then the bus was up and running again, and we were so close to Djohong, 7 kilometers outside, when our bus got into a minor accident. The axle broke as a result, which meant that we were stuck where we were. After sitting around for 45 minutes, a moto driver passed by. One man pounced on this opportunity and left. I was hesitant because I had another bag on top of the car which i couldnt retrieve due to the broken axle and general instability of the car. However, after waiting some more and another moto driver arriving, the driver of my car assured me that he would get to Djohong by the end of today and that I should get on the moto with another woman. So I took the moto to Djohong, and upon arrival told my friends that my bag was still with my car. When I entered Bah-Iya's house, I saw the man who took the first moto. We acknowledged each other with huge smiles and nods. Bah-Iya assured me that we'rd get my bag back. After 3 days, due to elections, I did get my bag back with everything in it, which was very lucky and nice of the driver.
By the way, elections passed smoothly. The man who has been president for over 30 years was elected again with very little reaction from the people. All of the businesses were closed that day, soldiers lounged around, and overall, it was probably the most quiet day I've seen. Granted, I'm in a tiny village in the bush so there may have been activity elsewhere, but from what I saw it was very calm.
The following week, I got sick. I didn't think I was that sick, or at least I was telling myself that I wasn't, so I continued walking to the high school and teaching. After teaching, I'd usually go back to my house and sleep for the rest of the day. After a few days of this and lack of eating, I decided to get the malaria test taken at the hospital. And voila, malaria again. But it does show you that it can't be THAT bad if I was still able to walk 20 minutes there and back to the high school, including teaching 45 students for an hour. Though, after it was confirmed that I did have malaria, I took it easy and hibernated in my house for 2 days or so. After the medicine and hermit-like life for a few days, I was as good as new.
The following week I was able to work again, even made a health jeopardy review game for my womens and mens groups that went over well.
Anyway, I miss everyone and I hope that everyone celebrated Halloween in style. Due to my unusual October, I missed Halloween celebrations, so I will live vicariously when I hear your stories. Things are good here, and I hope things are well at home!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Vacation
Oh hey guys, I'm back. I'm sorry that it's been so long. It is truly crazy how fast time is flying by. I remember so clearly sitting on the plane heading to Brussels, focusing extremely hard on my breathing to make sure I was still performing that simple action despite my intense excitement/anxiety. And then, voila, I was back on the plane heading in the other direction, looking out the window as we approached the skyscrapers. Patting my filthy backpack, my mind wandered in several directions, one of them being the people I was leaving behind for the month and work. Then it would take a sharp turn with a flash of a friend's face, or a family member's, what it will be like to be in a developed country after 10 months.
Fortunately, I was so tired that my brain slowly quieted down and I moved through the next couple of hours in a dreamlike state. I had a wonderful reunion with my family, and as I soaked in their hugs and simply looking at the familiar faces that I'd missed so much, my eyes also adjusted to other things. For instance, the cleanliness was insane. Talk about a sharp contrast. Everything was so clean it reflected the light, including the nicely paved roads. And, it was very easy to find a garbage can, in fact, you're more likely to find up to 3 cans side by side for recycling purposes. In the Brussels Airport, this suprised me enough that I stood their with the garbage in my hand trying to figure out which garbage can was the correct one for my piece of paper. I'd also like to add, defensively, that these cans weren't labeled which didn't exactly help.
Anyways, I continued to soak in everything for the rest of my 3 weeks. The food- the fantastic, wonderful food. Truly delicious. Seriously, no wonder our country has an obesity problem. Our food is great, so ridiculously unhealthy (for the most part), and there is just so much of it. I also enjoyed wearing shorts agin, and showing my shoulders. This is a simply pleasure that I didn't realize I missed while in village, one of many. And of course, spending as much time with family and friends as possible was perfect. One thing that was a personal worry of mine, a worry that I was relieved to hear other Peace Corps volunteers express as well, was that after months of this experience things would change. That I would be different, my friends and family would be different in the sense that life has moved on. Things do change, afterall. We all know this when we sign up, but it is also something that contributes to loneliness felt here, that things are lonely here, but when we go back we'll go back to things that are unrecognizable. But, I am very happy to say that I have learned that isn't the case for me. I went home, and yea things do change and people experience new things at home as well, but all of my relationships are the same as when I left. I am not this weird alien person who can't interact with people like I use to, I'm still pretty much the same. This realization helped me get back on the plane, because I know that what I value back in the States will be there when I get back. I'm pretty lucky.
Also, everyone kind of had the same questions. Things that I can now answer in more detail here. One question- "How is Africa?" I think this one is pretty funny because it is just so ridiculously broad. Don't get me wrong, I ask how is the States all the time, it's just something that isn't that easy to answer. Africa is Africa. It has some of the most fascinating things that I have ever seen, and some of the most beautiful, as well as some of the most bizarre. For example, I will never completely understand how a country filled with people who are making their own toys as children out of water bottles and sardine cans, fixing ancient cars with string, and are able to overcome so much also have the same water system as the United States did during the American Revolution. But, all in all, in terms of how Africa is treating me, it's amazing. Nothing has ever tested me, taught me, and shown me as much as this experience has thus far. You never know though, still got a year and a half to go haha.
Another question- "What do you do?" Another solid question, this one a bit easier to answer though. When it comes to work, I am basically working with a few different groups and teaching, showing, or teaching others how to teach the village how to prevent and/or treat very common nd preventable diseases and illnesses such as Malaria or cholera. I choose what I want to do, though. And when it comes to projects, I am trying to start a library in my village. Other projects are also slowly forming and becoming actual things as well.
And a 3rd common question was "Isn't it really hard living without electricity and stuff?" I like this one because, for me, it is super easy to answer. Honestly, it really isn't hard. I actually at times find myself prefering the simple life like that. Being able to talk to people right in front of you without cell phones going off, walking around in a tranquil place without the beep of cell phones because of facebook statuses or twitter. Brushing my teeth outside under a brilliantly speckled sky is something that I have truly come to enjoy. Now, of course, do I miss actual showers? Yes, but bucket baths really aren't that bad either. Do I miss toilets? Yea I do, but latrines are easy to adapt to also. I guess, simply put, the answer is no it isn't hard to live without it. It is much harder to have it, then go without, to have it again, and then have it taken away. It's easier to have it once then get use to an entirely different way of life. I just never have these things, so there is no tease.
Alright this is a really long post, so I am going to go. I am so grateful that I got to see as many faces as I did these past 3 weeks. I miss you more than I can say, but again, time is flying and I'll be back soon. COngratulations to Joe and Dori!!! The wedding was beautiful and so much fun. Miss you!
Fortunately, I was so tired that my brain slowly quieted down and I moved through the next couple of hours in a dreamlike state. I had a wonderful reunion with my family, and as I soaked in their hugs and simply looking at the familiar faces that I'd missed so much, my eyes also adjusted to other things. For instance, the cleanliness was insane. Talk about a sharp contrast. Everything was so clean it reflected the light, including the nicely paved roads. And, it was very easy to find a garbage can, in fact, you're more likely to find up to 3 cans side by side for recycling purposes. In the Brussels Airport, this suprised me enough that I stood their with the garbage in my hand trying to figure out which garbage can was the correct one for my piece of paper. I'd also like to add, defensively, that these cans weren't labeled which didn't exactly help.
Anyways, I continued to soak in everything for the rest of my 3 weeks. The food- the fantastic, wonderful food. Truly delicious. Seriously, no wonder our country has an obesity problem. Our food is great, so ridiculously unhealthy (for the most part), and there is just so much of it. I also enjoyed wearing shorts agin, and showing my shoulders. This is a simply pleasure that I didn't realize I missed while in village, one of many. And of course, spending as much time with family and friends as possible was perfect. One thing that was a personal worry of mine, a worry that I was relieved to hear other Peace Corps volunteers express as well, was that after months of this experience things would change. That I would be different, my friends and family would be different in the sense that life has moved on. Things do change, afterall. We all know this when we sign up, but it is also something that contributes to loneliness felt here, that things are lonely here, but when we go back we'll go back to things that are unrecognizable. But, I am very happy to say that I have learned that isn't the case for me. I went home, and yea things do change and people experience new things at home as well, but all of my relationships are the same as when I left. I am not this weird alien person who can't interact with people like I use to, I'm still pretty much the same. This realization helped me get back on the plane, because I know that what I value back in the States will be there when I get back. I'm pretty lucky.
Also, everyone kind of had the same questions. Things that I can now answer in more detail here. One question- "How is Africa?" I think this one is pretty funny because it is just so ridiculously broad. Don't get me wrong, I ask how is the States all the time, it's just something that isn't that easy to answer. Africa is Africa. It has some of the most fascinating things that I have ever seen, and some of the most beautiful, as well as some of the most bizarre. For example, I will never completely understand how a country filled with people who are making their own toys as children out of water bottles and sardine cans, fixing ancient cars with string, and are able to overcome so much also have the same water system as the United States did during the American Revolution. But, all in all, in terms of how Africa is treating me, it's amazing. Nothing has ever tested me, taught me, and shown me as much as this experience has thus far. You never know though, still got a year and a half to go haha.
Another question- "What do you do?" Another solid question, this one a bit easier to answer though. When it comes to work, I am basically working with a few different groups and teaching, showing, or teaching others how to teach the village how to prevent and/or treat very common nd preventable diseases and illnesses such as Malaria or cholera. I choose what I want to do, though. And when it comes to projects, I am trying to start a library in my village. Other projects are also slowly forming and becoming actual things as well.
And a 3rd common question was "Isn't it really hard living without electricity and stuff?" I like this one because, for me, it is super easy to answer. Honestly, it really isn't hard. I actually at times find myself prefering the simple life like that. Being able to talk to people right in front of you without cell phones going off, walking around in a tranquil place without the beep of cell phones because of facebook statuses or twitter. Brushing my teeth outside under a brilliantly speckled sky is something that I have truly come to enjoy. Now, of course, do I miss actual showers? Yes, but bucket baths really aren't that bad either. Do I miss toilets? Yea I do, but latrines are easy to adapt to also. I guess, simply put, the answer is no it isn't hard to live without it. It is much harder to have it, then go without, to have it again, and then have it taken away. It's easier to have it once then get use to an entirely different way of life. I just never have these things, so there is no tease.
Alright this is a really long post, so I am going to go. I am so grateful that I got to see as many faces as I did these past 3 weeks. I miss you more than I can say, but again, time is flying and I'll be back soon. COngratulations to Joe and Dori!!! The wedding was beautiful and so much fun. Miss you!
Friday, June 17, 2011
My second home
I have now been in Cameroon for a little over 9 months, and every once in a while, it occurs to me that I have truly adapted more and more to this life. For one, when it finally starts to rain and you are really happy because you now have water to use for your flush latrine, you realize that thought is pretty new. Afterall, I certainly never thought that when it rained in New York. Or when you begin to wear pagne (an African fabric) as tie skirts with your head covered.... definitely a new style, and you start using fulfulde words in every day conversation, including English speaking volunteers.
In terms of traveling, things are a little different then in the States. I realized fairly recently that it has become a bit more normal for me to see, for instance, a chicken in the drivers seat. Also, when I was on a bus and we reached a line of 8 other buses all waiting to cross a river that formed over night, this was far from a surprise. I just gathered my things, found a nice rock to sit on outside (it says a lot about your seat when you prefer a rock), and got my book out. Personally, always traveling with a book is the trick to staying sane. Then our bus that isn't in the best of shape to begin with, manages to cross this river that actually has little rapids. Impressive. Although, sometimes things continue to surprise me during my travels. Another bus bumped our bus on the road while I was distracted looking out the window searching for monkeys (which I found by the way, success). During this search, the window that got bumped exploded, scattering glass everywhere. If I was sitting by that window I would have probably at least screamed a little, however the guy who was sitting in that spot simply shrugged as a response to my horrified "are you alright"s and said not a problem, I am use to this. The bus barely stopped and nobody mentioned it. I found the whole experience really bizarre.
On another note, I had another "I'm truly adapting" thought when I arrived at my house after getting a few drinks with my postmate, to find an awesome gift waiting for me. A black plastic bag filled with raw meat. My coworker had recently slaughtered an animal and was kind enough to give me some for free. I was a little buzzed and had never prepared freshly slaughtered meat before by myself, but I knew that if I didn't do something about it that night the precious gift would go bad. So, I sat on my floor next to my petrol lamp and got to work preparing the meat. After an hour of trying to cut off the fat and bad parts, it was already fairly late and I was no longer as excited about this gift. Peeling the grass off the meat I had finished, I decided to just fry it all and then deal with it in the morning. But I did have the passing thought that you know you're adapting to African life when you come back from getting beers with a friend and find raw cow hide on your porch, and you spend an hour while buzzed preparing it by lantern light. Gotta love it.
You can never predict what a day will be life here. You can try to make a schedule, but odds are it won't happen exactly like you wanted. I woke up one Saturday morning, and immediatly tried to figure out how the hell I'd fill my day. Fortunately for me, one of the kids in my concession knocked on my door by 9 am and tells me that my postmate is back from the States, that he is with his sister and heading to see the waterfalls with the delegate of tourism, so if I want to join I have to hurry because they're leaving now. So I quickly change out of my tie skirt and into caprees and join my postmate and another volunteer (his "sister", every white person is related apparently). We hop on this van filled to the brim with fairly important men all ready to see the waterfalls. Once we arrived we hiked for around a half hour to arrive at this huge, majestic, gorgeous waterfall. It was truly breathtaking. After bouncing around the rocks and taking in the sights, we had to make the hike back, which wasn't as easy sincei t was uphill and in the heat of midday. However, it was nice to see that I wasn't alone in my exhaustion haha. Most of the men were men who worked in the offices, who hired others to do their work for them, expecially an manual labor. Afterwards, they gave us delicious food, and of course tea even though it was boiling outside. Piling back into the car, my postmate described it the best saying that it resembled a basketball team heading home after playing a game. Everyone was loud, talkative and happy for the first half, and dead tired the second. This was cured by more beers upon our arrival back in Djohong, food, and a soccer match. A pretty solid day considering I woke up not knowing what the day would bring.
Its not always occurances like these, the ones that would never happen in the States, that remind me of how different my life has become but that I've adapted despite it. The realization also happens after I leave my village and come back to find that I'm coming back to a family. Upon my most recent arrival to my village, I had my kitten sprinting to me and several of the children racing over to give me hugs. Many people with huge smiles saying welcome in fulfulde (Jabbama), and my good friends saying that the 6 days I was gone was too long. Though my village can drive me a little crazy, it is also my second home.
Sorry, I know that I kind of rambled, but I wanted to write a quick blog since it has been a while. Hope everyone is doing well, see you soon- August!
In terms of traveling, things are a little different then in the States. I realized fairly recently that it has become a bit more normal for me to see, for instance, a chicken in the drivers seat. Also, when I was on a bus and we reached a line of 8 other buses all waiting to cross a river that formed over night, this was far from a surprise. I just gathered my things, found a nice rock to sit on outside (it says a lot about your seat when you prefer a rock), and got my book out. Personally, always traveling with a book is the trick to staying sane. Then our bus that isn't in the best of shape to begin with, manages to cross this river that actually has little rapids. Impressive. Although, sometimes things continue to surprise me during my travels. Another bus bumped our bus on the road while I was distracted looking out the window searching for monkeys (which I found by the way, success). During this search, the window that got bumped exploded, scattering glass everywhere. If I was sitting by that window I would have probably at least screamed a little, however the guy who was sitting in that spot simply shrugged as a response to my horrified "are you alright"s and said not a problem, I am use to this. The bus barely stopped and nobody mentioned it. I found the whole experience really bizarre.
On another note, I had another "I'm truly adapting" thought when I arrived at my house after getting a few drinks with my postmate, to find an awesome gift waiting for me. A black plastic bag filled with raw meat. My coworker had recently slaughtered an animal and was kind enough to give me some for free. I was a little buzzed and had never prepared freshly slaughtered meat before by myself, but I knew that if I didn't do something about it that night the precious gift would go bad. So, I sat on my floor next to my petrol lamp and got to work preparing the meat. After an hour of trying to cut off the fat and bad parts, it was already fairly late and I was no longer as excited about this gift. Peeling the grass off the meat I had finished, I decided to just fry it all and then deal with it in the morning. But I did have the passing thought that you know you're adapting to African life when you come back from getting beers with a friend and find raw cow hide on your porch, and you spend an hour while buzzed preparing it by lantern light. Gotta love it.
You can never predict what a day will be life here. You can try to make a schedule, but odds are it won't happen exactly like you wanted. I woke up one Saturday morning, and immediatly tried to figure out how the hell I'd fill my day. Fortunately for me, one of the kids in my concession knocked on my door by 9 am and tells me that my postmate is back from the States, that he is with his sister and heading to see the waterfalls with the delegate of tourism, so if I want to join I have to hurry because they're leaving now. So I quickly change out of my tie skirt and into caprees and join my postmate and another volunteer (his "sister", every white person is related apparently). We hop on this van filled to the brim with fairly important men all ready to see the waterfalls. Once we arrived we hiked for around a half hour to arrive at this huge, majestic, gorgeous waterfall. It was truly breathtaking. After bouncing around the rocks and taking in the sights, we had to make the hike back, which wasn't as easy sincei t was uphill and in the heat of midday. However, it was nice to see that I wasn't alone in my exhaustion haha. Most of the men were men who worked in the offices, who hired others to do their work for them, expecially an manual labor. Afterwards, they gave us delicious food, and of course tea even though it was boiling outside. Piling back into the car, my postmate described it the best saying that it resembled a basketball team heading home after playing a game. Everyone was loud, talkative and happy for the first half, and dead tired the second. This was cured by more beers upon our arrival back in Djohong, food, and a soccer match. A pretty solid day considering I woke up not knowing what the day would bring.
Its not always occurances like these, the ones that would never happen in the States, that remind me of how different my life has become but that I've adapted despite it. The realization also happens after I leave my village and come back to find that I'm coming back to a family. Upon my most recent arrival to my village, I had my kitten sprinting to me and several of the children racing over to give me hugs. Many people with huge smiles saying welcome in fulfulde (Jabbama), and my good friends saying that the 6 days I was gone was too long. Though my village can drive me a little crazy, it is also my second home.
Sorry, I know that I kind of rambled, but I wanted to write a quick blog since it has been a while. Hope everyone is doing well, see you soon- August!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Cultural Exchange
Since it has been a while, I thought that I’d try to think of something to post. There are a lot of posts about traveling, the scenery, and my work. However, I realized I spoke very little about the culture. So, I thought that maybe I’d try to describe it a bit to give everyone an idea of the people and atmosphere of Cameroon, and specifically, Djohong.
I’ve had some very interesting conversations with Cameroonians, as well as some hilarious conversations with volunteers about their own experiences. One aspect of Cameroon that should definitely be brought up is sorcery. Everything is because of sorcery. When I went to the spot where there is cell phone service, and my phone didn’t get service, but the man next to me had 5 bars he looked at me and shrugged. “Sorry,” he mumbled barely glancing my way, “sorcery.” When my friend was walking and one flip flop broke, and then another step later her other one broke, it wasn’t because the quality of shoes here is terrible, rather it was sorcery. When rainy season started a bit late, it was because a sorcerer put a plug up in the sky. The appearance of a scorpion in my house- sorcery. And, apparently, sorcery is used to explain other things as well. My friend was telling me about her first couple of weeks in her village. During those first few weeks she encountered an “epidemic.” This “epidemic” was supposedly caused by Nigerians. When a Nigerian sorcerer shakes your hand, he potentially steals your penis. Apparently, this horror was spreading throughout her village. It was also in the capital city, Yaounde. Apparently, a man started screaming that this other guy in the market stole his penis. Some looked upon the scene with terror, some with amusement, and some with a mixture of both. They sent for his wife to check to see if his penis was stolen. She arrives, pulls him aside, checks to see if it was still there. She exclaimed with wide eyes that it was still there but that it wasn’t that small before. Certainly a bizarre epidemic to say the least.
I also had an interesting conversation with this man in village. He is educated and works for an American NGO. He asked me if I were to get married, if I would ever be someone’s 2nd wife in the States. I said, first of all, no. I will never be anyone’s second wife. And secondly, polygamy is illegal in the States. He looked at me with sheer shock and disbelief. He then asked me how the man deals with just one woman. I started laughing at his expression and then paused as I tried to think of how to answer this question. He didn’t give me a chance to respond, just started to shake his head in disbelief. He then asked, but how does that women give birth to many children, doesn’t she get tired of giving birth, raising, and nursing over ten children? I smiled and said that families are generally smaller in the States, with maybe 1 to 3 children on average. He was like so… the man really has to choose this woman carefully, since she’s the only one. I said yes, usually the man and women date for a while and make sure that marriage is right for them and that its what they really want. Dating- a whole other concept that required further explanation. I eventually left this man with him staring at me incredulously. I have many of these types of conversations on a weekly basis.
The families in Africa are generally very large. Potentially at least 2 wives, one man, and maybe around 10 children (some families are much bigger than this). The women tend to stay in the compound, doing the housework and caring for the kids. This job is, as always, a lot harder than it sounds. Close your eyes and imagine handwashing clothes for at least 4 of those children (they are probably babies), nursing, caring for children, disciplining (this happens pretty often), caring for your husband (doing his laundry and whatever else), dishes (of course, also done by hand), cleaning the house, and of course making the meals, usually cous-cous which is an incredibly laborious task taking several hours. This is also why, however, families have a lot of kids. Any adult can call a child over and send him/her on an errand. Sending them to the market, cleaning things, getting water, etc. When you have a lot of children, you have a lot of workers. While you are preparing food for the market or working in the fields, your slightly older children can do some of the housework. Because, yes I forgot that little aspect, the women also do most of the work in the fields. What do the men do, you might be thinking. Obviously, this depends, some do work in the fields, some work in boutiques, and some may work at the hospital or school. However, in general, many of the men do nothing. They sit in the center of town all day and chat. Chat about what? Who knows, I would think they would get bored but they seem quite comfortable with the way things are. No surprise there.
Most girls get to start this life pretty quickly. A young girl in my compound, around 14 years old, was just sent to Ngaoundal to be married. Fortunately, she will be the first wife, but nevertheless, she was understandably terrified to leave everything she knows for someone she has never met. More and more girls do get to go to school, and more do get to even finish school and possibly go the university.However, school costs money for each child to attend, and generally, it is the boys who get to finish school if at all. The girl in my compound made her choice when she asked her father if she could stop going to school. He definitely didn’t try to convince her to continue, if she doesn’t want to go to school then it was time for marriage.
When walking through village, with some of the kids at school or working, men lounging and women in the compounds or working, the village has a very relaxed feel to it. Everyone smiles at each other, says hello and usually it is only polite to sit down and have a 5 minute conversation with the person. Afterall, there is no rush. Time doesn’t exist here like it does in the States. Coming back from Fada with my friend Ibrahim, we stopped at each village to say hi to his friends. At one village we stopped and went to say hello to a friend, which resulted in us staying for an hour and a half, having buis ( a thick drink-like meal) and chatting for a while. This man didn’t have any furniture, only mats in a tiny mud hut. His clothes were worn and tattered, but well-cleaned. Because cleanliness is very important here, particularly shoes. He had very little for himself, for his own survival. And yet, at the end of our meeting, my new friend Limon offered me a bag full of bananas. The generosity, hospitality, and overall kindness here is sometimes difficult for me to wrap my mind around. Coming from a place where, generally, people crack open their doors to strangers, hear what they have to say and then quickly shut it to keep out whatever danger that person might bring, it still amazes me how many people open their doors to strangers here, or rides if the person has a far walk. Do they expect something in return? Probably, but probably just the same kindness in return if they needed it.
Anyways, I have rambled quite a bit. That’s a little taste of the people in my village. Extremely different, almost in every way, which means that sometimes its refreshing, sometimes its frustrating, sometimes its amusing, and sometimes its just freaking bizarre. However, it keeps things interesting.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
A little work and some furry visitors
Hey everyone! After a blog with only 2 pictures and very little written, I figured that another post was needed. The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. End of March to the beginning of April I was in Ngaoundere for a week for IST. In-Service training was a reminder of what training was like, long days of sessions and good company. It was great seeing everyone again, hearing everyone’s adventures and just spending time with old friends. It was very similar to going away to college freshman year, and coming back Thanksgiving break and seeing all of those familiar faces. The faces are so familiar and reassuring, and yet there’s something different, not necessarily a bad thing, but its in the air. The first three days were also with our counterparts, so Bah-Iya accompanied me and we got to sit through the long sessions together, exchanging looks when either of us got too bored. In general, IST was great. It got me motivated for future projects and rejuvenated me by seeing my friends again. You need that every once in a while.
When I was in Ngaoundere, Bah-Iya had an old friend in the city. Doctor Daniel, who is an American Neurologist, once volunteered in Djohong for 10 days and was back on Cameroon for a little over a week. Bah-Iya asked me to help him out, because though it was great to see his friend, Bah-Iya doesn’t speak English and the doctor can speak only a little French. I was happy to help, so bah-Iya gave me Daniel’s phone number and I arranged for Myself, Caleb, Bah-Iya and the doctor to meet up. Daniel was very friendly and it was nice seeing Bah-Iya’s reaction when he saw his old friend. Daniel said that he would like to visit Djohong for a few days, so I offered to travel with him and his family. I remember how difficult and overwhelming traveling was (still is), and with very little French, it could pretty much be a disaster. So after IST, I traveled back with Daniel and his family. It was refreshing seeing new American faces and seeing them experience Cameroon. I served as their translator during their stay, including the doctor’s consultations. At first when he asked me to help him I was a bit cautious. My french isn’t that great, let alone my neurology vocabulary, but to my surprise, between the doctor and I it went very well. I found it really interesting and truly enjoyed it.
Once the doctor and his family left, I started my own work again. International Medical Corps has asked me to help them out. Each monday I have to head to the health center during the malnutrition screenings, and while the women are grouped together, discuss the importance of breastfeeding. Last monday i just introduced myself, told them why i was there and all that jazz. Their response was fairly welcoming. They would be happy to learn things, particularly embroidery apparently. I tried to explain that I am here to teach about health, not embroidery, though if I knew how to I’d consider it. They let the talk of embroidery go for a bit, but every once in a while they’d sneak their need to learn embroidery into a discussion. Go figure, they would choose something that has nothing to do with health and that I have never even had the desire to attempt. However, we did make soy milk together, and that was an amazing success. It’s fairly laborious, but the taste and nutrients makes it very worth it.
The next day I then traveled to the village called Fada with Bah-Iya. This pretty much entailed me sitting in a little mud hut and listening to men speak in Fulfulde for 2 hours, once again. During Bah-Iya’s discussion I apparently came up fairly often, because when we arrived in Djohong, he told me that I would be presenting a cholera animation on saturday. How I would get there, what building it would be in, and who would translate my French into Fulfulde were questions I would have to find the answers to. I can’t say I was too surprised, haha.
Thursday I gave a Cholera animation to a group of over 50 women. It went extremely well, all of the women know me by now as the girl with the bread recipe, so I wasn’t nervous presenting. With my translator’s help, the women were very receptive and had several questions that I actually had the answers to. The following day I gave the same animation to a group of around 35 men. This was a bit more intimidating, but I figured that they judge me already so who cares. My colleague with the red streaked hair has become a comforting presence since she understands my French with my American accent. Every once in a while she helps explain things that I just don’t have the vocabulary for yet. However, for this animation I was on my own. My French was a bit spotty but I was able to pull it off and answer questions. All in all, the men were just as receptive as the group of women, and I ended up feeling really good after both presentations.
Saturday came around and I managed to find a ride to Fada. My friend Ibrahim gave me a lift and he also served as my translator. This also ended up being a success. Many women showed up and were very attentive, receptive, and eager for me to come back with more health subjects. So overall, as of right now, work is going fairly well.
On another note, I got a kitten! It is great having another living thing in the house, even if that little creature is absolutely insane. She has so much energy, sprinting all over the house, climbing on walls, jumping and snatching at air, its truly fascinating. Quite the spectacle. A little ball of black fur, she is apparently the mom’s favorite also. One night, Youssoufa was walking me back to my house and Kulu, (his cat and also my cat’s mom) walked back with us. It was a little unusual but we didn’t think that much of it. However, once I shut my door and got ready for bed, I walked into the room to get my kitten and I see a large white thing squeezing through my window. After around an hour of trying to get Kulu out of my house, I woke up to find her in my latrine. Since that day, she has now come back constantly, and I now have the privilege of seeing Kulu walk out of my latrine each morning, And this is with me shutting all of my windows. A mystery. As of today, I now have the other kitten in my house, the one Kulu kept abandoning at Youssoufa’s, as well as Kulu’s boyfriend paying me a visit. After waking up and finding the other little kitten on my doorstep I gave in. Now the whole family is residing in my tiny house, but it’s a party.
I hope everything is going well at home. I miss all of you. Please keep my updated on your lives also!
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