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!

 

Pre-Departure

Good morning, it is time for my parents and I to drive to Philadelphia, PA for my Peace Corps orientation which starts at noon tomorrow (Tuesday). I was all prepared and then my computer decided to not start properly which began the stressful morning of backing up files so that they could be transferred onto another computer. Thank Dad :)
No matter how much I plan, pack, and plan again..something goes amiss.
I have said my "see you laters" to all my friends and family which was difficult, but touching since sometimes we forget how much we are loved until we say goodbye. The gifts I received are remarkable and truly mean so much to me. 
I board the plane for Cameroon on Wednesday and then the adventure really starts!
Here are some pictures from this past week. I must now go say good bye to my 19 year old cat, Flower, along with my mom's dogs, Finn & Bravo. Then we will be on our way.

The beautiful quilt and awesome photo book from all my friends. Each quilt square represents a friend so that I can bring them with me to Cameroon.

Last hike up to the meadow with Finn

My 19 year old cat Flower

Finn finds packing boring

Bye Bye Car!

My packing helpers- Finn & Bravo

The Why and What Questions

Many people have asked me "why join the Peace Corps"- my answer isn't simple and I don't always understand it myself. Why leave my family, friends, and my safe home for a place that is not always safe and where I do not know anyone. Why leave when I can help so many people here at home.

John F. Kennedy said "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"- Those words are what I live by every day except that not only do I want to help my country, but I want to help/serve my world.

I have learned so much from my community at home and now I have the chance to gain new experiences in another country. Maybe I might come back a bit wiser after two years in Cameroon. By living and trying to solve the problems in another culture, perhaps I will be able to make a difference there and back home. Every person and culture is different across the continents, but if we can experience these differences, we will see the many similarities and we might find it easier to solve the world's problems.

I guess that is my reason. My goal in life is to take every opportunity for new experiences and learn so that I can better serve the world.

My first love and one of my heroes was Hunter Atkinson, who died from cancer at age 13. He told me to "not be afraid" so this new adventure is me not being afraid and living the life that I am sure he would have lived.

I am so grateful for my life and the awesome people I get to share it with. From showing Australian Shepherds with my Mom and helping at the Washington County Fair with my Dad to raising all kinds of farm animals and having fun with my awesome friends in 4-H. Agriculture has always been in my life and I am so excited for that to be my main focus in Cameroon!

I will be an Agribusiness Advisor which I have been told is working with farmers and finding ways for them to make a living by farming. I am hoping that with my background in agriculture and my education in leadership/management, that I will be able to bring a business perspective to Cameroon. Of course I have no idea what I will learn or how much I will be able to help once I get there so we will just have to wait and see what happens!