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!
