First Month at Post

A month has almost gone by since I have come to this village and I am still in Cameroon so I guess life is going well. I try to wake up early to run in the cool air as the sun rises across the meadows. As many volunteers say, “the days are long, but the weeks go by fast”. I have to keep reminding myself that I have only been here a short time and I cannot expect myself to accomplish everything in only a few weeks. I find that I have way too much time to think here. (Another usual statement from volunteers) I still am not sure if I am smart enough to do this job, but I hope that in time I will find ways to make a difference here.

 

Hanging in my house (the kids come visit as soon as I open my door in the morning)

My house is finally the way I want it to be and now I am working on making the garden useable for when the rains come in March. There is not much food grown during this time. Maybe some tomatoes and bananas but that is it. It is a wonderful day when I see green beans and carrots sold in the market! With no rain to be speak of, it is difficult to expect people to carry water to water their fields. I will start growing some tree seedlings in polypots soon so that I can plant some live fencing around my garden once it starts raining. It is so different to see the random fires around town. Around this time of the year, people start cutting down the brush in their fields and burn the rest so that they can start churning the soil. At home in the U.S., it is so dangerous to start fires especially when it is so dry, but here it is normal. We burn our garbage too. I haven’t seen a fire get out of hand yet.

Cutting down all the brush in my garden

 

An intentional fire on the mountain, it is usual to see fires at night. People use burning to get their land ready for planting.

We finished up work with the soy project a couple weeks ago. The women picked the soy beans and cleaned them. They are a wonderful group of women and I am so excited to be working with them more as they try to form a cooperative so that they can keep growing soy and selling it together. The next step with the soy project is to take the new applications in January and decide who will be in the next group. We will choose the women and then we will start the process again of teaching them how to grow soy.

Cleaning the soy beans!

Many of the people that I work with in Ngaoundéré go on vacation in December so for most of this month I have been left to just meet people in my village and brainstorm ideas. I need to do a needs assessment for my village which combines using surveys, interviewing people, and meeting with groups to figure out what my village really needs. Yesterday Jasmine and I went from house to house with a Cameroonian friend asking questions about malaria and if people have mosquito nets over their beds. Most people know about malaria here and how they can get infected, but there are still many who do not take prevention techniques seriously. Part of my work here is to teach about how to prevent malaria. As much as I am focused on teaching about agribusiness, I find malaria prevention very close to my heart.

Painting the forage (wall surrounding water pump) outside the school for the Grassroots Soccer HIV/AIDS project with students

I think this picture speaks for itself. color doesn't matter, only hearts and the ability to paint your own life's picture

 

We painted our hands and put handprints on the wall!
 

I really appreciate all the support from home and I heard I might be receiving some Christmas packages which I am so excited about! We will be celebrating Christmas at the Peace Corps Case in Ngaoundéré with dinner and exchanging some presents. I already decorated the case with some Christmas decorations sent by a volunteer’s family. It is very strange to be seeing the holidays plastered on the facebook pages of my friends while I live under the hot sun in Cameroon, but I am content to have a cup of hot chocolate and watch “Elf” to soothe my homesickness.

Christmas at the Case!

Every day is a gift and I remind myself with my Father’s words of wisdom “You are a volunteer and are volunteering to be there, don’t get stressed out”. My first 3 months is supposed to be just getting to know my community and doing the needs assessment. And it has only been a month. But in that month, I have met so many kind people and Mamas that make sure I am not hungry. Also I have met a diverse group of people in Ngaoundéré, including a few German students, a particularly wonderful German doctor, a few other great people from different countries, and met a kindred spirit friend who is a Fulbright Scholar studying beekeeping.

View of Ngaoundere!

 

Ahmadou and I (He is an awesome kid from my village- the Peace Corps volunteers from my village have pretty much adopted him and he has been a true friend since volunteers started coming to Beka-Hossere)

 

Climbing Mt Ngaoundere with some awesome volunteers!

We climbed Mount Ngaoundéré the other day and seeing the villages surrounding the city puts a perspective in my mind that the world is a big place but if I can only put a smile on one person’s face, the task might not seem so daunting. As we climbed down the mountain, I saw some monkeys for the first time since being here. I am truly in Africa.

My reading spot in village

My view during my morning run (with Mt Ngaoundere in the distance)

May the holidays be wonderful for all my family and friends across the world. I feel we are all connected even across the ocean. As my candle flickers in the night (no electricity at that moment), "Silent Night" starts playing randomly on my computer and I feel closer to home than ever. Happy Holidays-love & peace

Officially a Peace Corps Volunteer

As I sit in my house, on my almost comfy couch, my neighbor reads, well tries to read one of my magazines in English. People here do not understand why anyone would want to be alone. The villagers, especially children just show up at my door, especially if it is open. They sit with me and the children color or the adults read magazines. Just to keep me company because my French isn’t good enough where I can have more than a 15 minute conversation. They all have been very helpful. The children help me get water from a well that is down the hill a little ways. Kind of reminds me of when I have to bring water to the barn during the winter because the water froze out there. It is about the same distance, just hotter weather to walk in. My landlord has fixed my electricity and a few of the lights in my house. Mostly everything works now. My neighbor just helped me tack up my maps on the wall and fixed one of the outlets. He gave me a big stick of sugarcane as a welcome present. Hurts your teeth but if you can break the bark, the sugar water inside is awesome.

My neighbor's children dancing in my living room

I haven’t really figured out how to eat here yet. There is a bean mamma down the road where Carl, Jasmine and I go a lot for meals. She gives me cold beans with bread and some very sweet hot tea. Cheap, good food. There are Boutiques everywhere and bars (well in the Christian side of the village) Muslims are not supposed to drink and if they do, it’s in secret.

My first view of the Adamaowa from the train

Overall, I love Beka-Hossere. It is a five minute drive on a moto taxi (motocycle) from the capital city of Ngaoundéré. Just have to be careful taking a moto at night. I always try to go home before dark and usually Carl or Jasmine is with me. Ngaoundéré is like any other city. Lots of thieves, busy roads, and many stores. Only a few “white man” stores that sell things from the U.S. but not much and it is usually expensive. Peace Corps has a case (office) there where volunteers can hang out, use the internet, and there are beds to sleep if you are traveling. I spent my first few days visiting there to talk to volunteers about their posts. Most are about an hour to 3 hours away so they only visit during holidays. There are about 6 of us in or near Ngaoundéré.

It is so nice to have a city next door and then go home to a beautiful village. It is dry season right now so it won’t rain until March. Pretty dry and hot but not humid. I’m trying to get used to it. There are times during the day where you just sit inside because no one wants to be out in the heat.

View coming into Ngaoundere

By the way, Carl and Jasmine are my post mates. They live in the same village just in different houses. Jasmine was in my stage except she is a health volunteer. Carl teaches English at the school next door. We are going to try to do some projects together, such as a school garden possibly. They are awesome people and we are already good friends.

As far as projects go, I took on Daniel’s (volunteer I replaced) soy project. He started it by partnering with some NGOs in Ngaoundéré. Local women apply to the program and if they are accepted, they learn how to grow and sell soy beans. Right now, the women are cultivating the soy from the sample garden and their home gardens. I am helping them and then we are trying to form their group into a Cooperative so they can keep growing and selling soy beans together. The next step in my project is to take the applications and teach the next group of women how to grow soy beans. I am also helping Carl with a project that uses soccer to teach children about HIV/AIDS. Been really busy just getting know my village and trying to make my house livable,

The house has had three volunteers living in it before me so it’s well used but it is quaint and lets the light in pretty well. I have a kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom, and a bathroom with a bucket flushing toilet. I take bucket baths and there is a hole in the floor where the water drains. It has taken a lot of cleaning but I think I will like living here to for two years.

My house

I am not sure how my life is going to be here but I just take it one day at a time. And if I get depressed, I just put on Indiana Jones music or watch Downtown Abbey on my computer. It’s the little things that help. Or I just leave my door open and I get free entertainment from the children. I have had dinner with a few neighbors and I really feel like I am in Africa when I have dinner with the Muslim families. The women eat separate from the men and we sit in a circle around a pan with cous cous on it and the legume sauce in the middle. We eat with right hands (can’t eat with your left because technically you wipe your butt with your left-it’s a Muslim rule). So you grab a piece of cous cous maize (kind of looks and feels like play do) and then dip it in the sauce and eat! Jasmine and I just talk when we understand some of the Fulfude they are speaking, otherwise we just listen.

I think training prepared me pretty well although I miss my other stagemates. (I’m the only agro volunteer that went to the Adamaowa.) The Swearing-in Ceremony was amazing! The Governor of Southern Cameroon and the US Ambassador to Cameroon were there. Yannick and I sang both the American and Cameroon National Anthem. My host mom was there and brought me flowers. Made me cry happy tears. We swore in as Peace Corps Volunteers using the same oath that the US President says. So cool and gave me chills. Saying good bye to my host family was so difficult. My host mom made me sugar peanuts and hardboiled eggs for the trip. I started crying, my host sister cried, my host brother was avoiding me trying to be tough but I found him and gave him a hug. Then my host mom cried and I realized how much I meant to them and they to me. I’m sure the moto man was very confused at why the American girl was crying as we drove away.

My host mom and I

Selfie with the U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon!

 
 

Swearing in Group Photo

The trip to Ngaoundéré was long but wonderful. The train ride from Yaoundé to Ngaoundéré is comfortable and since it is through the night, we just sleep in the bunk beds on the train. I can’t believe that every other mode of transportation in Cameroon (mototaxis, cars, buses) are all awful and crowded and uncomfortable. Yet the train is so nice. Crazy.

Train ride!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the case in Ngaoundéré and eat so much food! Carl and I baked two pies by putting rocks in a big pot to give it an oven effect for baking. It was a great day to spend with my new friends and I got to Skype with my parents. Some volunteers had received some cans of cranberry sauce and gravy packets from home. Even without the snow, it felt like Thanksgiving when we all sat down to eat. And we sure have a lot to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving with my new friends

Carl and I baked pies (without an oven!)

 

I’m sure there is more I could tell you but that is it for now. I love it here, but I miss home. It is not the difference in what we do every day, but the difference in how we think. The Cameroon culture is so old and many of the people are doing the same thing that their ancestors did. Not sure how much help I will be, but I will try my best. It is not a cup of tea here so to be honest, I really need the support from home to get through these two years. But when I look up at the sky at night and see Orion's Belt and the Little Dipper, I am sure that I am meant to be here and serve the world. Love and Peace.

I'm writing home to you all :)

Last Week of Training!

It is 6am on a Sunday morning and I am lying under my mosquito net in my host family’s home, listening to the pitter patter of birds on the tin roof. Outside I hear the soft peeps of chicks scuttling around with the mama hen as they search for food. The dogs are fighting as usual outside. I still have a difficult time getting used to hearing dogs tearing each other apart and not being able to do anything about it. Usually I would try to sleep in on a Sunday morning but with the electricity finally being on, there is music playing, drunken men singing next door at the bar, and crying children. It is amazing how light can wake up a village at all hours. My host mom is already awake and beckons my host sister and brother to wake up. I’m content to lie in bed since I’m still fighting off a persistent cough, sore throat, and the usual side effects of a cold. Just can’t seem to fight off sickness here!

Dancing to the traditional music of Cameroon during Diversity Fete!

 

Only a week left here in this village. I find myself torn between wanting to get to my post and getting to work & knowing that I will miss my host family and that I have grown to really love them. Also I will miss my stagemates (our training group is called a stage). I have heard a few people compare our experience to the military because I guess people in the military have the same feeling we have: we are experiencing something together that no one else will understand except us. From the shock of a new culture, living with host families, getting sick a lot, training classes, new language, traveling across Cameroon together, sharing in our successes, sharing in our grief from losing people at home, sharing in our happiness when we communicate with home, and sharing the experience of sitting on a rooftop of a host family’s home, having a beer, and watching the Cameroon sunset. Even after we go to our posts, I have a feeling that we will be stagemates forever and I have made some long lasting friendships.

I have some awesome news to share! After two months of training in French, I have reached the level that I have to have to go to my post; Intermediate High! Learning French was my most difficult obstacle in coming here to Cameroon since I came here knowing very little French and I don’t learn languages easily. I still have a lot more to learn, but now I know that I will be swearing in as a Peace Corps volunteer on November 19, 2014. Plus I get to learn some more Fulfude this week since it is the local language for my village. Jamna!

I also did my final French presentation on the Folklore of Cameroon and I found out some interesting stories! Pregnant women are not supposed to walk outside at night because they will give birth to a snake. Bats hang upside down in caves because the birds and bugs will not be their friend since bats look so odd compared to the other flying animals. If a small green frog comes into your house, someone is going to get pregnant. Luckily I had a green frog in our house the other night and he hung out on my shoulder as I eat my very spicy chicken and batone de manioc. According to my host mom, I will be having a child soon! I also had a run in with a mouse in my bed. He had lived in my room for a while, but one night I must have kicked my mosquito net so that there was a hole at the bottom of my bed. I wake up to a mouse screaming (yes they scream for sure) and turn on my flashlight to see a small mouse hanging from my mosquito net about three inches from my face. I roll over on my side as he falls on my sheets. I throw half of the bed sheet over him and try very unsuccessfully to get out of bed (mosquito nets keep bugs out but they keep people in) I eventually compose myself and try to catch him with a water bottle but he scurries off my bed and back into the hole he came from. My host mom said he is single and just wanted a wife. Oh jeez. We put some mouse poison out after that experience. Sorry Mr. Mouse.

Me & Prince Charming

 

My host mother taught me how to make poisson brassiere (grilled fish). As we gutted and cleaned the fish, all I could think of was the time my grandfather showed me how gut a fish when I was very young. What he would say now while I am cooking fish in Cameroon! I also had to kill a chicken, pluck the feathers, and cook it for dinner. I think we killed some chickens in New York when I was little, but it is not something I do all the time. Turned out to be a lot less messy than I imagined it would be in Cameroon. Have to make this adventure exciting! I made French toast for my family with real Maple Syrup I brought from home in New York. They loved it! Although it was difficult to explain in French how my Dad and I make maple syrup from trees. The look on my host mom’s face was priceless when she walked into the house and saw me cooking on the fire with Celine Dion blasting and a beer in my hand. It is just how I cook! She couldn’t stop laughing!

Preparing fish for dinner



Chicken for dinner

My host sister and I making French Toast

Sam and I making French Toast for the family!

 

We had our workshop where I met my counterpart, the Cameroonian that I will be working with at my post. He is wicked nice and very involved in helping small businesses in the Adamoawa. He is married and his wife is about to have a baby. Also he is Muslim so I am excited to learn about his religion and how it is practiced in my new community. Women play a very different role in my village compared to the United States. I will be myself, but tread a fine line for a while until I understand this new culture.

The rest of my training should go by quick and I am going to try to enjoy every minute that I have with my friends here. I’m so excited to get to my post in the Adamoawa! I am so ecstatic to start my work for Peace Corps and begin a new adventure in another region of Cameroon. I have learned that I can be the Indiana Jones that I need to be to do this job and that I am not alone. My family and friends from back home have been so supportive and are a reminder that I have a home to go back to. I received an awesome package from one of my best friends and I have gotten a few letters in the mail. It means so much to me especially when the package contains food and supplies that I can’t buy in Cameroon!

Package from Alexia!

 

Now onto my last week of training, doing an agribusiness workshop for local entrepreneurs, picking some lettuce from my garden for a nice salad, making some soy milk for our presentation, enjoying some Cameroon sunsets with my stagemates on rooftops, and making it to the swearing in ceremony where I will be singing the Cameroon National Anthem and American National Anthem with an awesome Cameroonian and hopefully officially become a Peace Corps volunteer. My next post will be from my little village in the Adamaowa! Let the countdown begin!

Sorting (Posting) Hat says- "Miss Renée St. Jacques, Adamawa!"

The last few weeks have contained so many great times, sad moments, depressing situations, and amazing experiences. I can’t imagine going through them again and yet I know that the next two years will contain many more of the same mixed emotions. My life here in Cameroon has been one of the most rewarding and toughest experiences and it has only been a little over a month. My days are long with training in agriculture, business, and language. Combine this training with trying to learn how to cook, wash my clothes, bargain at the market, and live the Cameroonian lifestyle without the amenities that I am used to in the U.S. It sure is an adventure.

Visiting a local farmer and just had to climb a tree!

 
But moments of bringing out my laptop in the complete darkness of my host family’s home and watching Frozen in French is one of the coolest but weirdest scenes ever. A good way to practice French though! I think watching the movie brightened my family’s night and my night as well.

Watching Frozen with the family and some neighbors

When it doesn't rain, there is no water by our house so we have to carry it from another well down the road (I can wear shorts when I am at home, but I wear pants or skirts everywhere else)

I accidently dropped my flashlight down the latrine a couple weeks ago. I automatically started laughing when it happened since it was still on and you could see everything (and I mean everything) that was down there. Pretty gross. I walked back into my host family’s house and told my host mom, thinking they would probably find it funny. Everyone started laughing and I said “Wouldn’t it be cool if we tried to get it out?!” (just kidding of course) but my cousin decided that that was a great idea. So there I was in the latrine as my cousin took three long sticks and a folded coat hanger & duct taped them into this long pole (the latrine is over 10 feet deep) so he could fish my flashlight out of the latrine. I was so surprised that he would even try and not sure I really wanted the flashlight back, but I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at the scene. About an hour later, we all held our breath (literally because of the smell) as he very carefully lifted the flashlight out of the hole. The flashlight has been sanitized thoroughly and still sits on my desk in my room. Can’t believe it!

The grand rescue of the flashlight lost down the latrine

We also went on our post visits last week and Sam & I got to visit Jacob in the Northwest region of Cameroon. It was great to see how another volunteer lives and the projects he has been working on. We visited a bunch of farms and saw how/what they grow. There is an abundance of food grown here in Cameroon, even if it is not always grown to the best of its ability. Corn, cassava, green beans, plantains, bananas, rice, beans, legumes, potatoes, oranges, cocoa, coffee, and peanuts are to name just a few at least in this region. And some beautiful jungle out there! It is normal to meet farmers throughout the day in a kind-of bar and it is custom to drink palm wine pretty much all the time with them. Thank goodness it doesn’t have a ton of alcohol in it. Also palm wine comes straight from the tree without anything added or done to it, so really natural! I just had to get used to the rotten egg smell of it. All in all, it was a great trip and Sam, Jacob, and I met up with some other volunteers in Bemenda on our last day to enjoy the city life (which is quite different from living in a village!)

So awesome news! We all found out where our post will be for two years! Everyone was so nervous about finding out that we tried to make it a bit more fun. We made a sorting hat (like Harry Potter) out of paper and each person sat on a chair while the sorting hat was placed on their head and their name & post was called out for everyone to hear. My post was a big surprise not only to me, but to everyone else in the room as well. Out of everyone in my agribusiness trainee group, only one of us was going to the Adamoawa region of Cameroon. Some people wanted Adamoawa or the East region because I guess those places are more undeveloped and farther away than the other regions. Yet out of everybody, I got Adamoawa! Guess I have more people that believe in me, more than I always believe in myself.

Sorting (Posting) Hat!

 

My village is called Beka Hossere and is about 1500 people. 70% Muslim and the rest of Christian. It is usual for girls to marry there at 10-15 years old. Yet I heard that the community is very welcoming and the land is beautiful! Kind of looks like Texas with more grass. It is about a 5 minute moto drive from the city of Ngaoundere, which will be great for making connections with NGOs in the city for projects. I will be replacing another agriculture volunteer who is the 3^rd ag-volunteer to be at that post (meaning there has been an ag-volunteer in this village for 6 years). There is another health volunteer joining me there and an education volunteer that has been there for a few months. We all have different houses but live in the same village. The guy I am replacing is very well-known for his successful projects in Cameroon, so I have big shoes to fill. I will have electricity and hopefully an indoor bucket-flush toilet (possibly outside latrine). There is a spicket outside where we get water. As long as I reach my French level by the end of training in November, I will go to my post and start my two years as a volunteer!

Working by lamplight

As much as I am tired and mentally stressed, everything is coming together and I am hopeful that my time here in Cameroon will be full of purpose. Half of my heart is back at home with my family and friends, but the other half is quickly becoming a part of Cameroon every time my 3 year old host cousin smiles. Even when I crave apple pie and the feeling of autumn air, I remind myself that two years of my life given in serving another country is only a small portion of my life and I have the rest of it to enjoy homemade apple pies. For now, I will have to look at plantain pile and think “apple pie, it’s an apple pie”…. And then see my host cousin’s smile as she climbs into my lap and I try to tell her a story in French about a hero who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

The Daily Life of a Peace Corps trainee in Cameroon

Two weeks have gone by and I am starting to learn how to live life here in Cameroon. The sun rises every morning around 5:30am. I am awake and take a nice, cold bucket bath in the latrine (trust me, you would be thankful too for cold water when there is a hot, humid day ahead of you).  I still believe that the latrine is one thing I will not miss in Cameroon. Doing your business in a hole in the ground and throwing buckets of water over your head beside it is not my favorite sport. But it is a way of life here.

About 6:30am, my host momma gives me some hot coffee and bread before I skip off to meet Sam, another Peace Corps trainee, so we can walk to school. I actually like mornings, it is the least stressful part of the day.

It is about a 40 minute walk to school (Sam and I have got it down pretty good now). Probably by the end of 8 weeks we will be walking pros.

Sam and I on our way home from training

At 8am classes start with maybe language training, agriculture or business training, and random safety & health classes. The language classes are really helpful and focused since there are only about 2-3 people in each class. What I don’t learn in class, my host mother teaches me at home. The agribusiness classes are really interesting. Cameroon has some similar vegetables to the U.S., but there are many others that I had never heard of. Casava is a main staple (the one that smells like string cheese). Really good once you get used to it. We started using machetes this week and learning some neat ways to grow food in Cameroon. It would be nice to have a tractor and some really good rakes, but we must learn how to prepare our garden with the same tools that are used in Cameroon.

Using a machete to cut down the grass for our garden

My classes are interesting, but are overwhelming sometimes. We are cramming a lot of information into 9 weeks of training. During my breaks I jumped onto the internet but since we all have the same idea, sometimes it is a bit slow. By 4:30pm, my classes are done and we start to get ready to walk home. Sometimes I stay at the training center for an hour but I can’t wait too long because it gets dark around 6:30pm and it is dangerous to walk on the road in the dark, especially being female. I am lucky that I have Sam to walk with.

By the time I get home, it is time to prepare dinner and work on homework. It is a wonderful feeling to be in complete silence as my host sister and I do homework together while my host mom looks at my homework now and again to check that it is correct. We live such different lives and yet there are always similarities. I wish I could give my host family a real bathroom and a stove to cook on. I wish that I could give them electricity all the time. I wish I could give my host sister the opportunity to go to college someday. I wish, I wish. But all I can give them is my time. They are giving me their time, teaching me their life, and opening their doors to their home.

An example of my host mom's cooking: Fish, beef or chicken not sure cassava, and just for me: French fries. (or apple of the earth when translated in French)

I hope that by learning how they farm here, I can find ways to help them live a better life through agriculture. My host mother is a farmer and there are nights where she is putting cassava to dry in banana leaves, but even with a good job, she is living a difficult life that could be better. But they are happy. They don’t know what they don’t have. Except electricity of course.

I am waiting for the electricity to come back on. It has been out for days; ever since the thunderstorm that took out two electricity poles down the road from us. I’m assuming that someone comes to fix it, but by what I have heard, that someone could take weeks to get here. Using a lamp or flashlight after 7pm gets old quick. We are usually in bed by 9pm. I try to do homework but the darkness swallows me up in dreams.

I washed my clothes for the first time last Sunday. I have to say for being washed in a bucket, those clothes turned out pretty clean. I also went to a Catholic Church. I guess my host family is Catholic but they do not go too often. I asked to go just for the experience. It was really just like every other Catholic Church service I have been to except that it was in French and there were large wasp nests hanging from the lights up above. Not sure if I will go back to that church. There is also a Presbyterian and Baptist Church down the street where I heard there is dancing during the service.

Washing my clothes in a bucket

Last weekend I also went to the main city of Ebolawa with my host sister. We took a moto (motocycle taxi) which was really awesome. I was surprised that I felt safe riding a moto. Most of the guys are pretty good drivers. Sometimes there are up to 5 people on one moto and I have seen a guy carrying a very large pig while riding one. In the city, there were vendors everywhere. We bought a few essentials for me and I treated my host sister to some things she wanted. We went home with gifts for the entire family.

Life is here has one big difference from home: necessity. Some Cameroonians who have gone to college or traveled in Europe know what they don’t have. Others people can only imagine what they don’t have or just don’t think about it. Sometimes I forget what we don’t have when we are sitting in a circle around a lamp, playing cards, and listening to the rain clash against the tin roof. I fall asleep in my bed easily after a long day of hard work. I wake up from a usual dream (I probably was fighting off dragons or something crazy) and realize that I am still in Africa. I go to training and find out that one of the Peace Corps volunteer’s host sister just died from typhoid fever. The host sister was healthy when we arrived here in Cameroon.

I remind myself that I need to be thankful for what I have in the U.S. I may only notice the mice under my bed here, washing my clothes by hand, and the very large ants that like to sting me when I am working in the garden. But the real gift at home is life. Life is cut short here and malnutrition is a norm. There are many people trying to improve Cameroonian life. And I am very thankful to be one of them.

First Night Poem

First Night

Rain, rain in Africa

falling softly, splish, splash on Africa.

The tin roof makes music,

tick, tock music in Africa.

I am alone in a small home during the rain in Africa.

My first time hearing the rain in Africa.

Wash away the dust and grime,

wash away the poor and depressed,

wash away my heartache in Africa.

May the food grow and love blossom in Africa.

Someday I will understand the rain in Africa.

Someday I will understand what it grows in Africa.

First Days in Cameroon-The story really begins

Sorry it has been a while since I posted. After safely arriving in Cameroon and taking a bus to a hotel in Yaoundé, we started orientation the next morning. Some people were lucky enough to wake up with running water, my roommate and I did the first day, but for others it was a bucket bath. The hotel electricity worked fine and the wifi was okay as long as a lot of people were not using it. But the water was a different story. I got a hot shower the first day, but the next morning we only had hot water and no cold so it was either burn or bucket bath. Later there was no water at all. We had to pour water down the toilet when the water ran out. I could only imagine what these difficulties were preparing us for. Even with the hassle, the hotel was a good place to start leaning the culture.

We all met in one room (all 50 of us) with a small air conditioner (thank goodness) and some awesome smiles everywhere in the room. We learned about our upcoming training, what to expect, and yes, more paperwork. Two volunteers that had been in Cameroon for a year were there to help us and give advice. The only part I didn’t like was getting more shots where I proceeded to cry silently as usual. Guess we have more shots coming…yea

Our meals at the hotel introduced us to Cameroonian food. Casava tastes for string cheese with a sour aftertaste. It is wrapped in banana leaf and tied with some kind of string. I didn’t like it at first, but I am getting used to it. Our last good meal for a while was with at our Country Director’s house where we met the U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon and his wife, Debbie. What amazing people!

That night we all chatted about what the next day would be like meeting our host families for the first time. I slept well but nothing could prepare me for the next day.

It was a 2-3 hour drive to Ebolowa where the agricultural training site would be. Health group would be going to another town. Already miss those guys L We all jammed into one big van and it was an uncomfortable but fun ride as we passed through the city and beautiful countryside.  It was raining a bit when we got there. The families were there waiting for us. We were all in one room as they called the family and the volunteer. Everyone applauded which made it less awkward. Some families were so excited they gave big hugs to their volunteer, others were a bit more relaxed. Three kisses or cheek passes as I call them were given. I finally met my host mother and sister. Both were very nice and helped me with my baggage. I could speak a few sentences in French, but they found out quickly that I was not fluent by any means.

They drove us to their home, about a 30 minute or more walk from the training center. I am the farthest one away. But another volunteer, my friend Sam is in the home next to me so at least I have someone to go to if I need some help.

I walked in to host family’s home and it was pitch dark. They tried turning on the lights but they would not work. I guess the electricity does go out often. So I’m looking in my bag for my flashlight and they try to light candles. I am already overwhelmed because of the language barrier. I get everything in my room and start going through stuff. Of course I have an audience the entire time and soon my cowboy hats are on their heads. My host mother has a daughter, son, and a friend’s daughter.

They cook some omelet and then I am off to bed just holding back the tears. My host mother says I need to be brave.

I find the mosquito net is already hung around my bed and the sheets are green. Mmm..maybe I am meant to be here. I try to write and read while my battery powered fan gives me some cool air. It is not too hot at night but my room window is boarded up and my door is closed so it gets stuffy. The letters from my friends and family give me courage. (I have already finished most of the list of things to do on my best friend, Georgianna’s list!) I am trying to keep it together. I am not too worried yet about the living conditions but I think I would be this frightened living with any people I didn’t know. Plus it is dark (the lights came on as I was going to bed) and tomorrow I have no idea what I will be doing. We do not have class until Monday. Also I have seen a bit of how people live here. I have seen the pictures on TV and been sad, but my heart is overwhelmed by the condition of life here. People are happy but I just feel that their life could be so much better/easier.

I go to sleep to the sounds of people singing and partying next door and thinking that I will be brave and just keep trying. 9 weeks here will go by fast.

In the morning I am starving and tired. The panic attacks start and I can somewhat hold it together. I take a bucket bath for the first time and use the latrine (a hole in the ground-their bathroom). I bet you can imagine me standing there staring the hole, bucket of water, wondering how the heck do I do this. It is similar to camping but camping for a long time and with people you just met. I ask my host sister many questions.

My stomach is churning and I am nervous so I cannot eat the omelet that my host mother has cooked. I stick with du pan (gosh am I thinking French already!) bread and coffee. Thankfully my host mother understands. For the first time I see that she really cares and wants to see me succeed. She brings out the French/English dictionary and starts to teach me French. My morning got much better.

By the afternoon I had met up with Sam next door, played some Frisbee with the kids, took a walk to visit Leanne (my roommate from orientation) and learned a lot a lot of French. I tell my host family about my family, show them tons of pictures, and try to explain the Washington County Fair and show them a video of Finn doing agility. Big difference between dogs here and dogs in the U.S.

Life has gotten better. I still start to cry when I speak about my family, friends, and home. Or even think about it. But then I remind myself. This is my job. I am here for a reason. And that reason is not me. It is my friends in Cameroon. I need to get through training and learn from my host family.

We start training tomorrow and I am hoping I can get on the internet and post this to my blog. I only have internet at the training site and hopefully I will be able to mail letters in the main part of the village. Not sure when I will be able to get to the mail service but hopefully soon.

As I sit here in bed, I think about the nice night I had with my host family and the love I have for them already. My host sister made me a picture frame out of cardboard & braided me hair, my host mother cooked me fish and cassava, and my host brother & sister give me hugs, try to braid my hair, and follow me everywhere holding my hand. Actually I can’t walk around the village without at least 8 children following me and holding my hand or touching my hair.

The village has many houses, mostly all like my host family’s. Concrete kind of floors, not sure what the walls are made of (cement?), some dirt floor, one level, hard to close doors, some comfy living room furniture, buckets of water for cooking and bathing, a TV that kind of works, very very old sewing machine (like antique), and a propane cooker that they light with matches. Everything, garbage & food is thrown outside for the dogs and the random chickens (Georgi!), pigs, goats, and whatever other kind of animal that happens to pass by. (Sorry Gaby no elephants yet lol)

It is an interesting place. Sorry for writing so much I am not sure when I will have time to write again and use the internet. I am happy I came to Africa. I am not sure what will happen or if I am strong enough to be here, but as I listen to Whitney Housten’s “I Will Always Love You” (my host sister is still playing with my old cellphone’s music), I think that even if I don’t finish this journey, I am certainly appreciating the experience.

I have internet only at training so I should be able to skype during the week. I have a cellphone which is free to receive calls if anyone wants to use skype call/text which is cheaper from the U.S. Also letters are wonderful. I have not been able to get to the village yet to mail letters but maybe sometime this week. We started classes today so I will be really busy and communication might be random.  I tried to upload pictures but the internet is slow. I will try again later. Love and miss everyone.

Staging in PA, Flight to Brussels, & on to Cameroon!

We made it through Peace Corps staging! A few teambuilding exercises, discussions about safety & professionalism, and the sharing of our thoughts, concerns, and excitement as Peace Corps volunteers has brought us together as we travel to our destination: Cameroon!

Mom, Dad & I before they drove me to Peace Corps Staging

 

I have made some wonderful friends in just a few days; people who share my love for the world, its cultures, and have a passion for making a difference.  We all come from different places and I have only met one volunteer from New York State. It is about half and half as far as guys and gals are concerned. Plus it appears that about half of us are health volunteers and the other half are agriculture volunteers like me. Some have traveled to many places, others have only dreamed of traveling, yet all of us are going to a place we have never been before. Ages are about 20-29 with a couple volunteers a bit older. The background and experiences vary, but I am waiting to meet someone else that has grown up on a farm. It is brilliant that we can be so different and yet we are already helping each other during traveling and making sure everyone is together. These people are truly kindred spirits!

Peace Corps Cameroon Volunteers!

 

 Staging in Philadelphia, PA just incorporated some paperwork, going over the Peace Corps Core Expectations, and really getting to know the people that I will be seeing every day in training for the next two months.

Teamwork and a little bit of scene play :)

 

That night we all found a place to eat in Philly and even though our group is about 50 people, it seemed like everyone wanted to stick together instead of breaking off into separate groups. Guess we all were feeling like more smiles were really what we needed to block our mind from the images of saying “see you later” to our families. (That was at least one of my reasons)

Liberty Bell

 

I was so happy by the end of the night that this Peace Corps idea was connecting me to all these awesome people, I started singing “I feel pretty” down the street in Philly and a few people joined in. At least I know we got some singers in the group, just have to find the guitar players J

The next morning we were taking buses to the JFK airport and catching our flight to Belgium. I was so impressed at how we kept 50 people together and made sure everyone made it on the flight. I was one of the team leaders, which by the end of the day I was not sure if that was the best decision I made, but in the end we made it to Belgium.

 

I met a nice Italian family on the plane, along with a couple from Congo, and had some awesome conversation with a guy from Israel.  I am currently sitting in the Brussels Airport, a little cold, and hungry, but none the less still excited. We still have a few hours left to wait for our next flight to Cameroon and a few people are catching some sleep. My friends from home can be happy that my first use of the blanket they made me is for sleeping on the floor in the airport. Thanks best friends J

 

The long travel to Cameroon is tiring but I am enjoying meeting new people and sharing pictures and tales about the green meadows, Adirondack Mountains, farms, county fairs, making maple syrup, showing Australian Shepherds, and all the adventures with friends in New York. It is a beautiful thing to share my life and in exchange learn about another’s. And not only do the other volunteers have some amazing stories, but also the people I am meeting during my travels!

I miss my family and friends so much already, but I try to just keep my mind on the task of getting to Cameroon and replay the Indiana Jones theme song in my head. Next post will be in Cameroon!

Roommates!