Hey everyone, I realized that I haven't blogged once since my site visit posting and decided that I should attempt to send another post out there. Granted, one of the reasons I haven't been blogging is that, for me, everything has slowly slipped into the "same old." Guess that means I'm transitioning well enough though. These past 2 weeks have been filled with Training. Some of the trainees had their presentations this Saturday (a 20 minute presentation in French, always a good time), and we also had our language assessments. I'm not up to the level I need to be at, so I need 20 more hours of French before I can take another test. Lots of French. However, my class is just me and one other person, Hunter, and we have decided to take French lessons into our own hands. So now our classes have been entirely about our interests. We also took it upon ourselves to explain to our French teacher that Parental Control (the MTV show that they apparently watch here) is not real America, that the parents do not typically line up suitors for their child to choose from.She also asked us about Room Raiders and the Jersey Shore, so we spent around 45 minutes explaining what a Guido was. Needless to say, it was actually a pretty hilarious conversation. Thank you Mtv.
So yea, not too much going on, so I'll just throw in a story from a few weeks ago. When I was still in Nyamsung, the village next to Bafia, after Training my fellow Trainees and I went straight to the bar afterwards, our normal routine. Eventually, I trudge back home, dreading having to use whatever little energy I had left to try and speak French for 3 more hours and cook Cous-Cous. Once I arrived, I went straight to my room to drop off my bag and was hit by a horrendous smell. The kind of smell that literally makes you stop and say outloud to no one in particular, "Holy shit." At first, I thought that the garbage in my room had finally started to smell. Considering the heat this seemed reasonable, so I immediately grabbed my makeshift garbage bag and sprinted out the door. There is no place to put garbage in Cameroon, no garbage trucks come by to pick up the trash, so people tend to just throw it in every direction. I feel bad about doing that, ruining the environment and all, so I ran around in circles holding this bag until my host mom finally took it from me. Relieved, I went back into my room and opened my windows for the first time since living there. The smell made it necessary. After an hour or so I went back into my room and the smell was still there, in fact, it had gotten significantly worse. I could basically taste it.
I decided to look around, because this was getting ridiculous. Of course I find what everyone wants to see in their room... a mouse. However, this mouse had suffered considerably more than any other mouse that I've ever heard of. This mouse had exploded. Yup, I know how to make a mouse explode. Though, I'd say it was more natural selection running its course. This intelligent creature had eaten my laundry detergent. Now it left me 3/4 of its body intact, its ass separated from the rest of it and in pieces, the back feet several inches away from the ass, and the tail in two pieces even farther away.
Slowly, I backed away and ran out of the room to go get some assistance. I found my host mom and attempted to explain that a mouse exploded in my room. This consisted of me hysterically laughing, saying the word mouse in French and boom, with hand signals to show an explosion. She looked at me like I had officially snapped from the "culture shock" that she was warned about. Eventually, I convinced her to come to my to my room and see for herself. Yup, no denying it, she agreed while looking at the body parts, BOOM.
We had the lovely job of cleaning this up, which was a great bonding experience. Then it was dinner time. We both stared at our food and decided that maybe dinner wouldn't be our thing tonight. Such a shame, missing cous-cous, fortunately we can count on having it basically every night after that. Afterwards I decided it was bedtime, so I went to try and close my windows. Wouldn't close. Ugh. Went back out to get my host mom to explain the new situation. After around 45 minutes and enlisting my host dad for help, the windows finally closed. As my host mom and I turned towards my bedroom door to leave, the lightbulb falls from the ceiling and shatters on my floor. My one lightbulb- and we actually had electricity that night. I burst out laughing. This whole night had just been ridiculous. My host mom obviously agreed because she turned to me and said go to sleep and pray. This made me laugh even harder as I nodded in agreement.
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. So that was just one of the many weird experiences I've had in Africa. Its definitely saying something that when my friends ask "How are things?" I respond with "same old."
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Site Visit
I am now back in Bafia after a week of traveling up north to the Adamaoua region. After 2 days of seminars with my community Host, Bayiha, all of the trainees going to the Grand North got into 2 buses with their community hosts. I was lucky and somehow managed to get the front seat with the driver and one of our trainers. Everyone else was crammed in the back, basically sitting on each other’s laps. After a 2 hour bus ride we arrived at the train station in Yaounde. Tickets were handed out and we paraded towards the first class section of the train station, getting plenty of stares along the way. The train station was air conditioned!! It was amazing. Ironically, inside of the train station was one of the nicest rooms that I've seen since being in Cameroon.
The train itself was a lot of fun. The peace corps managed to get all of us beds for the ride up. I was roommates with one of the community hosts, who was very nice, but an insomniac. It seemed like her mission was to buy a batton de meignoc whenever the train stopped, which was often. So eventually we had a mountain of batton de meignoc in the room. I personally found this pretty amusing since I had just complained to a friend how I won't be seeing batton de meignoc for a while, since they aren't at my post. Apparently that wasn't in store for me. I spent most of my time room hopping and visiting my friends. It ended up being a 22 hour train ride due to the train splitting in half, leaving my section behind. My friend Trevor and I were chilling when all of a sudden we hear a loud noise and the train stops abruptly. We looked at each other smiling and thinking the same thing... C'est L'Afrique haha. It's interesting watching the Cameroonians react to something like the train slitting in half.... because there really isn't a reaction at all. They just shrug and think ok, well now I have more time to nap. And they need this nap because they stay up all night buying batton de meignoc haha.
Eventually we arrived in Ngaoundere where the trainees who were posted in the Adamawa stayed the night. We all splurged and bought hamburgers and basically lived the luxurious city life. After a fun night, I then had a 4 hour bus ride to Meignanga and than another 4.5 hour bus ride to Djohong. It ended up being a but longer because the bus got stuck in a giant puddle. Everyone took turns climbing out the bus window, and the women relaxed in the field while the men pulled the bus out of the mud. A monkey was staring at this scene from a tree with an expression like "What the hell are these stupid humans doing?"
I eventually arrived at my post and it is GORGEOUS. Rolling hills of savannah grasslands with scattered trees, and a bit farther out there is a valley where the national park is. The climate is amazing after being in humid Bafia, and I enjoyed walking around and meeting everyone. I even stayed in a mud hut! A round mud hut with a straw roof....very cool. It is actually pretty roomy.
I met the NGO that I'll be working with as well as the staff at the hospital and they seem great. Very motivated and excited to have me there, which is comforting. They also want me to help them start a health club in the high school. All in all I'm really excited to work with everyone there and am just eager to get started. I will need to learn Fulfulde and possibly Baya as well because only the kids and officials speak French. Definitely going to be one of the many challenges haha. I will be living on a family compound with no running water or electricity. However, the NGO does have internet so I plan on becoing best friends with them.
After two nights there, we spent one night with a volunteer in Meiganga, one night in Ngaoundere and then one final night in Yaounde. Each place of course had plenty of adventures haha. This blog is already very long though so if you're still reading thanks and I hope it was relatively interesting! haha. I miss everyone and will try and get online as much as I can these next 3 weeks of training.
Hope everything is going well!
The train itself was a lot of fun. The peace corps managed to get all of us beds for the ride up. I was roommates with one of the community hosts, who was very nice, but an insomniac. It seemed like her mission was to buy a batton de meignoc whenever the train stopped, which was often. So eventually we had a mountain of batton de meignoc in the room. I personally found this pretty amusing since I had just complained to a friend how I won't be seeing batton de meignoc for a while, since they aren't at my post. Apparently that wasn't in store for me. I spent most of my time room hopping and visiting my friends. It ended up being a 22 hour train ride due to the train splitting in half, leaving my section behind. My friend Trevor and I were chilling when all of a sudden we hear a loud noise and the train stops abruptly. We looked at each other smiling and thinking the same thing... C'est L'Afrique haha. It's interesting watching the Cameroonians react to something like the train slitting in half.... because there really isn't a reaction at all. They just shrug and think ok, well now I have more time to nap. And they need this nap because they stay up all night buying batton de meignoc haha.
Eventually we arrived in Ngaoundere where the trainees who were posted in the Adamawa stayed the night. We all splurged and bought hamburgers and basically lived the luxurious city life. After a fun night, I then had a 4 hour bus ride to Meignanga and than another 4.5 hour bus ride to Djohong. It ended up being a but longer because the bus got stuck in a giant puddle. Everyone took turns climbing out the bus window, and the women relaxed in the field while the men pulled the bus out of the mud. A monkey was staring at this scene from a tree with an expression like "What the hell are these stupid humans doing?"
I eventually arrived at my post and it is GORGEOUS. Rolling hills of savannah grasslands with scattered trees, and a bit farther out there is a valley where the national park is. The climate is amazing after being in humid Bafia, and I enjoyed walking around and meeting everyone. I even stayed in a mud hut! A round mud hut with a straw roof....very cool. It is actually pretty roomy.
I met the NGO that I'll be working with as well as the staff at the hospital and they seem great. Very motivated and excited to have me there, which is comforting. They also want me to help them start a health club in the high school. All in all I'm really excited to work with everyone there and am just eager to get started. I will need to learn Fulfulde and possibly Baya as well because only the kids and officials speak French. Definitely going to be one of the many challenges haha. I will be living on a family compound with no running water or electricity. However, the NGO does have internet so I plan on becoing best friends with them.
After two nights there, we spent one night with a volunteer in Meiganga, one night in Ngaoundere and then one final night in Yaounde. Each place of course had plenty of adventures haha. This blog is already very long though so if you're still reading thanks and I hope it was relatively interesting! haha. I miss everyone and will try and get online as much as I can these next 3 weeks of training.
Hope everything is going well!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Little Things
Hey Everyone! I have officially been living in Cameroon, Africa for a little over a month now, and despite a few bumps in the road, it has been awesome so far. I realized that I had actually begun to adjust when I A) was so unbelievably surprised and happy to wash my hands with running water and soap for the firs time in a month, B) Extremely pleased to hear an overplayed Eminem song playing in a bar here as I held a COLD drink (so rare) and C) I ate a batton de maignoc (a starch like plant wrapped in leaves) with a fish which I peeled off the bones with my hands. Yup, I'm definitely adapting.
My host mother also braided my hair last week. It looked pretty cool, and was definitely easier to deal with, but I eventually had to persuade her to help me take them out. She was a but hurt, but I insisted that with my kind of hair it really needed to be washed with shampoo. Eventually she understood well enough to offer to braid it again after 3 days of washing my hair. I declined the offer haha since my hair still feels pretty gross to me.
Each Sunday I have been going into the city with my host mother and visiting her family, going to the open market, and wandering around the city getting a few drinks. The open market is always an interesting experience. I basically follow my host mom around like a 5 year old as we wander through narrow walkways between each stand selling fruits, spices, clothes, meat, smoked monkey or eel, etc. It is pretty intense, so I'm always grateful that she is with my during these experiences. Though, each time I go I am learning more and more, for instance bargaining can take 5-15 min depending on how long you really want to stand in the heat among thousands of flies. My host mom likes to take the 15 min route while I like to take the 5 min route. I have also bought a dress with my host mother's guidance. This was interesting because it also resulted in my 9th marriage proposal. This man was pretty insistant, in fact it was my host mom that eventually said that he was too late, that the man down the street already proposed (which was true but obviously I said no to him also). He was only slightly detered as he gave me his business card just in case. My host mom and I have a running joke now about the beaucoup "I love yous".
Finally, I found out my post!!! I am going to be living in the Adamawa region in a city fairly close to the border of Central African Republic. It is basically a savannah, with monkeys and hippos and all of that African wildlife, however it can get down to 50 degrees! I will be working in the district hospital and the chief doctor there is also partnered with an NGO. This NGO works with the refugees in my city, teaching them nutrition, AIDS education, preventative measures against domestic violence, etc. So It definitely looks like I'll have a lot to do. We'll see when I go on my site visit what its really like. I'm also lucky because due to its slight isolation, I have a postmate. He is one of my friends in my training group so I'm excited.
Anyway, I hope everything is going well for everyone. Thank you for the letters, emails, and packages. I truly appreciate it, they tend to make my day. I have written back but it seems that the letters take a while to get to you, but they are coming. Miss you all!
My host mother also braided my hair last week. It looked pretty cool, and was definitely easier to deal with, but I eventually had to persuade her to help me take them out. She was a but hurt, but I insisted that with my kind of hair it really needed to be washed with shampoo. Eventually she understood well enough to offer to braid it again after 3 days of washing my hair. I declined the offer haha since my hair still feels pretty gross to me.
Each Sunday I have been going into the city with my host mother and visiting her family, going to the open market, and wandering around the city getting a few drinks. The open market is always an interesting experience. I basically follow my host mom around like a 5 year old as we wander through narrow walkways between each stand selling fruits, spices, clothes, meat, smoked monkey or eel, etc. It is pretty intense, so I'm always grateful that she is with my during these experiences. Though, each time I go I am learning more and more, for instance bargaining can take 5-15 min depending on how long you really want to stand in the heat among thousands of flies. My host mom likes to take the 15 min route while I like to take the 5 min route. I have also bought a dress with my host mother's guidance. This was interesting because it also resulted in my 9th marriage proposal. This man was pretty insistant, in fact it was my host mom that eventually said that he was too late, that the man down the street already proposed (which was true but obviously I said no to him also). He was only slightly detered as he gave me his business card just in case. My host mom and I have a running joke now about the beaucoup "I love yous".
Finally, I found out my post!!! I am going to be living in the Adamawa region in a city fairly close to the border of Central African Republic. It is basically a savannah, with monkeys and hippos and all of that African wildlife, however it can get down to 50 degrees! I will be working in the district hospital and the chief doctor there is also partnered with an NGO. This NGO works with the refugees in my city, teaching them nutrition, AIDS education, preventative measures against domestic violence, etc. So It definitely looks like I'll have a lot to do. We'll see when I go on my site visit what its really like. I'm also lucky because due to its slight isolation, I have a postmate. He is one of my friends in my training group so I'm excited.
Anyway, I hope everything is going well for everyone. Thank you for the letters, emails, and packages. I truly appreciate it, they tend to make my day. I have written back but it seems that the letters take a while to get to you, but they are coming. Miss you all!
Monday, October 11, 2010
mice, bugs, and craziness
Hey! So, once again, sorry about the lack of blogs. I don't have too much time, so lets see what I can get out. Recently, the Chief of Lable invited the trainees in Nyamsung and Lable to a dinner at his place. The dinner was a great excuse for all of the people in the village to let loose and have a good time. A few beers, a cocoa bean, some great food and good company led to a legit party. I unintentionally also ended up in a dance off with a Cameroonian haha. He had come over to a friend and I, started dancing then walked away. My friend and I decided that we wanted to learn these new and bizarre dance moves, so I called him over. Before I knew it I was in the middle of a circle looking like I was in a cock fight. With my head bobbing and doing the erratic dance moves he was dancing, I think I actually won. Personally, I'd say it was a tie.
Another night was interesting as well but on a whole other level. I have a creature that was in my room and ate my ramen noodles. To save my mac n cheese from this demon creature I decided to stay up all night in the comfort of my mosquito net, and shine my flashlight at any noise. This worked well, my mac n cheese is safe. however the demon mouse who scales walls is still proving to be a worthy opponent. Ok.... its 7:30am and I'm late for french class. Until later.... Miss everyone!! I'll try to blog soon!
Another night was interesting as well but on a whole other level. I have a creature that was in my room and ate my ramen noodles. To save my mac n cheese from this demon creature I decided to stay up all night in the comfort of my mosquito net, and shine my flashlight at any noise. This worked well, my mac n cheese is safe. however the demon mouse who scales walls is still proving to be a worthy opponent. Ok.... its 7:30am and I'm late for french class. Until later.... Miss everyone!! I'll try to blog soon!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Still Alive! In Nyamsung
Hey! I'm sorry that I haven't blogged since I arrived in Cameroon, there has been a severe lack of internet haha. I spent a night in Brussels, after we missed our connecting flight, then one night in Douala, a city in Cameroon, one night in Yaounde where we met the Country Director. From there we then went to Bafia to meet our host families. Mine are in a little rural village called Nyamsung. The family consists of my mom, dad, grandma, 3 little sisters and 3 little brothers. So it is a bit hectic but always interesting. There is no running water and every once in a while we have electricity. However, the only things they own that require electricity are 3 light bulbs, so theres little difference when we don't have it haha. I wake up at 5:50 am to roosters and bird wars outside my window, take a bucket bath, have breakfast (powdered milk and bread is typical), then have the 15 min walk on a bright red, dirt road to training. I then leave training and head home to do chores, speak more french, and eat and do hw. Haha I'm usually in bed by 9pm, so my schedule is a bit different here then my college sleep schedule.
Food: I help my mom make the food in the kitchen, which is separate from the house. Fou-fou, aka cous-cous, is very common. Its not the cous cous that is known in the states. Its a prett laborious task, an the result is a thick starchy paste that you then eat with fish (typically) or beans. I've tried fish heads and termites! Termites are actually not too bad haha. I'd take that over the fish head.
I met the chief of my village. For some reason he visited me, the only trainee who was visited, and gave me a whole speech in French. SO of course I understood very little of it. But, after a little while I understood the honor, and understood that he asked me to say a prayer before dinner. So, I said this prayer in French. haha I haven't prayed in a long time, let alone in French, so it probably wasn't what they were expecting, but the Chief and my dad took it in stride. I was then presented with the fish head and some fou fou. It was a struggle getting that down, but I managed. It was all in all an interesting experience. i oly wish my french was better.
I've also tried african dance. THAT was a lot of fun. Haha watching a bunch of trainees dancing with those in the village....we all had no clue what we were doing, but it was all a lot of fun.
Cameroonians also like to drink.... haha.
my number is 011-237-75904785
skype me! I have service sometimes and I'd love to hear from everyone : ). Miss you guys and I hope all is well. Email me updates on your lives!
Food: I help my mom make the food in the kitchen, which is separate from the house. Fou-fou, aka cous-cous, is very common. Its not the cous cous that is known in the states. Its a prett laborious task, an the result is a thick starchy paste that you then eat with fish (typically) or beans. I've tried fish heads and termites! Termites are actually not too bad haha. I'd take that over the fish head.
I met the chief of my village. For some reason he visited me, the only trainee who was visited, and gave me a whole speech in French. SO of course I understood very little of it. But, after a little while I understood the honor, and understood that he asked me to say a prayer before dinner. So, I said this prayer in French. haha I haven't prayed in a long time, let alone in French, so it probably wasn't what they were expecting, but the Chief and my dad took it in stride. I was then presented with the fish head and some fou fou. It was a struggle getting that down, but I managed. It was all in all an interesting experience. i oly wish my french was better.
I've also tried african dance. THAT was a lot of fun. Haha watching a bunch of trainees dancing with those in the village....we all had no clue what we were doing, but it was all a lot of fun.
Cameroonians also like to drink.... haha.
my number is 011-237-75904785
skype me! I have service sometimes and I'd love to hear from everyone : ). Miss you guys and I hope all is well. Email me updates on your lives!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Staging
I'm currently sitting in the Holiday Inn, after a fairly long day emotionally and physically and have officially met my fellow trainees, who all seem like amazing people. I'm still a bit anxious about the flight tomorrow but knowing that these great people are in the same boat as me, and are going to be at my side, is very comforting. I know this blog is short but I'll try to post another as soon as I can when I land in Cameroon!! TOMORROW!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Here we go...
Hey everyone! I've never been a huge fan of blogs, but I figure this is as good a time as any to start. Tomorrow morning I will be heading to Philly for Staging, which is basically an orientation. Here I will be with my fellow trainees and Peace Corps personnel, learning about what's to be expected. We will be spending the night there and on Thursday head to JFK for our flight to Yaounde, Cameroon.
Am I excited? absolutely. Am I terrified? definitely. I have been battling a constant state of anxiety since most of the goodbyes began. However, this adventure (which is one of the best ways I can describe it) will no doubt be unbelievable. I will just try to see, learn, help, and have as much fun as possible along the way. A lot of people have asked me why I chose to do this, and the best answer I can give is that it is just too good to pass up. I would regret not going, not seeing and learning a new culture, having new adventures, seeing new faces, and maybe even helping as I go. The question, really, is why wouldn't I want to go.
This does not mean that I don't currently feel that nausea and back of the throat feeling after my goodbyes. I truly love my family and friends soo much and thank them all for supporting me. I will miss you all very much but will stay in touch the best I can, and please, you do the same! Thanks for everything!
Am I excited? absolutely. Am I terrified? definitely. I have been battling a constant state of anxiety since most of the goodbyes began. However, this adventure (which is one of the best ways I can describe it) will no doubt be unbelievable. I will just try to see, learn, help, and have as much fun as possible along the way. A lot of people have asked me why I chose to do this, and the best answer I can give is that it is just too good to pass up. I would regret not going, not seeing and learning a new culture, having new adventures, seeing new faces, and maybe even helping as I go. The question, really, is why wouldn't I want to go.
This does not mean that I don't currently feel that nausea and back of the throat feeling after my goodbyes. I truly love my family and friends soo much and thank them all for supporting me. I will miss you all very much but will stay in touch the best I can, and please, you do the same! Thanks for everything!
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