The Three Month Mark

It is 8:30am in Beka-Hosséré as I sit and write to you while sipping some coffee (using my beautiful new mug that was given to me by one of my best friends I have met here). The electricity has been working a lot better here with only a few blackouts a week. I feel very lucky. But then I wonder what my life would be like if I didn’t have electricity like most of the other volunteers in Cameroon. I wouldn’t be able to watch a movie and curl up with hot tea while I’m sick. I would probably go to bed or try to read a book. I would have to say though that Peace Corps volunteers in Cameroon probably read more books than students in college. In the United States, I would read every night before going to bed, but like everyone else in the US, I would complain about being too busy to read; when really I was just always distracted. Here in Cameroon, there are not many distractions and a good book can save your life. I have done more reading here than I did in college, and I was an English major. Anyway, this life takes some getting used to. I am reaching my three month mark and I’m not sure if I feel any more at home than when I first got here. The call to prayer still surprises me in the morning and the kids yelling to each other in Fulfulde still confuses me until I remember where I am. Until I step outside to feed my chickens, this life doesn’t seem real.  My new kitten does bring some normality to the picture. She acts like any other kitten especially when she is tearing up my couch. This house is probably the best place to raise a kitten because I don’t care what she tears up since everything in this place has been passed down from volunteer to volunteer and is so old it doesn’t matter what is shredded.

The way I received this kitten is totally a page out of the Cameroonian book. My birthday was full of surprises including one of the bean mammas bringing her daughter over to my house to bake me a cake. She had told me the week before that her daughter was going to bake me a cake (which I was thrilled about) but I did not understand that in the Cameroonian way of thinking that she actually meant: she and her daughter will come to my house in the morning of my birthday and use the ingredients that I bought to bake the cake in my kitchen. Thank goodness I had most of the ingredients anyway and gave her some money to go buy the rest in village. She ended up making two brilliant cakes and they stayed to party with us which was amazing.

One of our Bean Mamas and her daughter baking my cakes

Some of my friends made an apple pie, lemon squares, and carrot cake! One thing I am learning here is that volunteers find ways to make food that I would have thought impossible here. And when a volunteer finds a U.S. baking ingredient in the “secret store” in Ngaoundéré, it is a reason for celebration and the news is spread from volunteer to volunteer as if someone had invented a new way to go to space. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday in my little village. All my friends, including volunteers and Cameroonians, came to my house to celebrate. One of my Cameroonian friends from my village entered my house with a grain sack and handed it to me saying Happy Birthday. I open it and there is a little kitten at the bottom. As soon as I pull her out, she is a spitting image of one of the cats going crazy from the cartoon, “Aristocats”. I quickly shoved her back in the bag and walked away with only a few scratches. It took her two days to come out of the sack and about a week and a half before she would stand to let me touch her. She still hisses and spits if I sneak up on her, but at night she now sleeps on my stomach. Most cats and dogs are not treated like pets here in Cameroon because they are only allowed to live with a family if they serve a purpose. Cuddling was not in my cat’s vocabulary when she arrived at my home. But thankfully with my postmate, Carl’s encouragement, I stayed patient and now my kitten is a great companion. Her name is Annie, short for Anniversaire (birthday in French).

Birthday Party!

 

Me & Annie

I had met another Cameroonian in Ngaoundéré who had worked with volunteers in the past and he heard about my birthday celebration and decided he was going to stop by. Of course he came very late when most of my other Cameroonian friends had left and it was just me and the other volunteers eating cake and watching a movie. We ended up taking a walk outside to wake up and he asked me “is this a part of the American tradition for celebrating birthdays?” I told him that really the only tradition is sometimes a cake and singing Happy Birthday. That really we just do what we want or feel like doing on our birthday. Right now I just feel like taking a walk outside and having an adventure with my friends. He was so surprised and later wrote me a text message that said thank you for including him in my party and that he loved seeing us Americans having so much fun together. Sometimes it blows my mind to think about how I perceive Cameroonian celebrations with their strict cultural traditions and then compare it to how Cameroonians might see Americans celebrate. Just the regular food for thought that goes on in my mind while living here.

Getting Henna Tattoos for the Wedding

 

Don't worry, its temporary, Mom

Another event in village was a Muslim wedding. This was a first for me and my postmates. Jasmine and I had both gotten henna tattoos and I had gotten a new dress made for this occasion. We had no idea what to expect, but it was apparent that all of the villagers were so happy that we had at least gotten the tattoos. We were told to meet at a friend’s house to go to the wedding together. Of course no one could give us a real time for this wedding to start because time isn’t really essential here. We were told to follow them with no real explanation. I find that this happens a lot here. I usually have no idea what is going on until after we get there. We are led to an area where there is music playing (a man on drums and another playing an instrument that sounds like bagpipes) and then we are told to go in this house. Of course I regretted wearing my nice shoes that take some effort to take off since we always have to take off shoes every time we enter a house. We sit down on the floor in the house. I try to sit in a sort of Indian style and immediately the Cameroonian woman with us moves my legs so they are lying straight out in front of me. She then sits Indian style next to me. Some things I just don’t understand. Minutes later we are told to walk in a small parade and I find out we are leading the groom to the Chief’s house. We all enter the Chief’s house (take off our shoes again) and sit for about a 3 minute prayer. Then we go outside to another house and pray again. Mind you, we haven’t seen the bride yet. After this we are told that the men are going to the Mosque to pray and that we can come back a little later for the dancing. Carl and I decide it is a good time to go eat and have a beer. We get back around 10pm and we can hear the party still going on outside the Chief’s house. There is music on the loud speakers with the typical high pitched whining sound every few seconds that you sometimes get if the microphone is too close to the speakers. As soon as we join the party, there is a couch moved to one side of the area for us to sit down. It can be an honor to feel like a King and Queen at a party but it is awkward when you have done nothing to deserve it except being born in America. The dancing kind of reminded me of my high school dances except nobody is touching each other and you all dance in a circle. Sometimes people would throw money inside the circle for the groom. I never really saw the bride and not sure why. Carl and I danced a few songs with everyone and they were all ecstatic when we joined in the fun. I really enjoyed it but we were tired by midnight. Sometimes the work here is just always being aware of what you look like and how you act because everyone is always watching. When we left at midnight, the party was still going and half the children were curled up asleep next to the couch. Needless to say, the village was very quiet the next day.

Wedding Parade to the Chief's House

 

Wedding Parade

 

Wedding Prayer (That is why I'm holding my hands in front of me)

 

The Dance Party

 

Most of these kids were sleeping by midnight

 

Me & Carl sitting on the couch they set up for us to watch the dancing

 

Beka-Hossere volunteers ready for our first Muslim wedding

I also got to experience Youth Day in Cameroon.  We started our morning by going to Gogo Inna’s house (she is pretty much the leader of all the women in the village). Of course as soon as we sat down they gave us food (rice with a beef sauce) and I was very glad I had only eaten a small breakfast. Then we watched as they filled little plastic bags with popcorn, candy, and little chips. These were to be given to all the children who were currently outside all dressed in their best. One of the women wanted us to meet a baby that was just born. I wasn’t really sure why but we didn’t argue and went to another house where there was very loud music playing. Gogo Inna came out with a very very tiny baby and told me to take some pictures. Thank goodness she told someone to turn down the music because the baby could possibly be only a few days old. I took a few pictures and then Gogo Inna gave the baby back to the mom. We left and I really had no idea what that was really about. Maybe a Muslim baptizing ceremony where people see the baby and it is given a name? Usually the naming ceremony happens a week after the baby is born which would explain why it was so young.

Gogo Inna and the newborn baby

 

The children dressed in their best

After seeing the baby, Carl and I went to Ngaoundéré to watch the Youth Day parade. Roads were blocked off as hundreds of people filled the streets leading up to the Place de Fete which is a large stadium-like area with a grand stand on one side for the important people to sit. Walking in it felt like I was back home attending a Countryfest concert. There was a long line of food venders (including one of our bean mamas) and hundreds of people standing facing the grand stand so they could watch the parade. Each school has a different colored uniform and the students would sing and march (picture the marching to be similar to the military in other countries with legs and arms swinging out in front of them as they walked) as they passed in front of the grand stand. The line of school, church, and sporting groups was so long that we had a difficult time finding the school group from our village. The parade was supposed to start at 8am, we got there at 10am and by the time we left there was still many groups in the line waiting to march. Plus who knows if they started on time. As much as I dislike waiting in line to march in the parades in my small town in upstate NY, I will always appreciate them from now on when I think of all the children standing in the hot sun for hours upon hours in Ngaoundéré.  The Youth Day parade was still a brilliant sight to see with all its colors and people coming together to celebrate children.

Youth Day Parade in Ngaoundere

Other than the many fetes (celebrations, holidays) going here, I have done some work with the soy project and prepared my needs assessment for the upcoming conference in Bemenda. I have had a very difficult time getting people to attend the soy project meetings but we finally chose out new participants and had our first meeting with them. The leaders of the soy project want to keep the project going, but the fact is they are not paid to do this work. While volunteering might be a norm in the US, here it is not a known word. It is very discouraging when I call people to schedule a meeting and then they either show up two hours late or not at all. I know that what I am doing is not normal for a new volunteer. Usually because of language barriers and being new to the culture, new volunteers do not start projects until after a few months. I took over this project from a previous volunteer but many of the participants are expecting me to know what to do like he did. It has taken a few meetings and some brilliant help from another Peace Corps volunteer who has been here for years, to finally get everyone on the same page. When I get back from my conference we will have a training session for the participants on growing soy and hopefully participation will get better.

 

We saw a Chameleon!

I will leave this week for the Peace Corps IST Conference in Bemenda which volunteers always have after 3 months of service where we will learn about applying for grants, submitting reports to Peace Corps, and other topics that will help us with our projects. Our counterparts also attend the conference for a few days so they can have a better understanding of how they can help us. I can’t believe that even after three months, this place still feels as strange to me as when I first got here. But I find that my French has gotten so much better and now I take things for granted that was difficult for me a few months ago, like catching a mototaxi or ordering food. I need to be grateful that I have a safe home, amazing friends here, work to do including a soy project that most new volunteers don’t have, and some trips to look forward to including a trip home in May and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. And now I have three chickens and a cat. I may have times (usually around 2pm) when it is too hot to walk outside and I feel the need to hop on a magic carpet and go home, but I remember that the rain will come next month and maybe it will wash away the dust and show me a new side of Cameroon where the fields will grow again and the river will be more than just small puddles for people to wash their clothes in. Maybe, just maybe I will start to understand this place.

The Rollercoaster Lifestyle

The best way to describe my life here is to compare it to riding a rollercoaster, like maybe the Comet at the Great Escape. I haven’t made it to the top of the ride yet or experienced the thrill of descent, but I have made some wonderful friends and they have helped me through the ups and downs of everyday life here. It was tough to be away from home for the holidays, but my fellow volunteers and I did our best to celebrate Christmas with food, stockings, and Christmas movies. We even sang some karaoke! The majority of the people I know in my village are Muslim and so they do not celebrate Christmas. I’m sure the Christians in my village go to church, but my friend and I decided to go a Lutheran church in Ngaoundéré for Christmas Eve. I did not completely understand the sermon in French but it is was nice to feel a little bit of home in the church with Christmas trees, Christmas paper chains, and singing. We plan on going to another church possibly for Easter.

Christmas in Ngaoundere

 

New Year’s Eve was just one big party in Ngaoundéré. Cameroonians celebrate just as much as Americans when it comes to New Years. I made it past midnight dancing at one of the clubs, but when I woke up to the call to prayer at 5am, I could still here the music from across the street at the bar. It was a fun night celebrating the start of 2015 with both my American, German, and Cameroonian friends.

New Years with view of Ngaoundere behind us

During the holidays, I visited a small village about an hour from Ngaoundéré called Mbang Mboum. My friend, Aliz, is the Peace Corps volunteer there. It was wonderful to see where another volunteer lived and experience the differences/similarities between her village and mine. Aliz has been there for over a year so she has so much knowledge to share about her work and her life here in Cameroon. Unfortunately, her village is being relocated after she finishes her service because a Chinese company is building a dam nearby. I was so shocked to hear that an entire village that has been there for so many generations will be moved without them putting up any of a fight. The people will receive compensation for starting a new life somewhere else, but I can’t imagine a change like this ever going smoothly in the U.S. As much as we as volunteers would probably want to stop this from happening, we are not supposed to get involved in politics or anything that would jeopardize our stay here. Mbang Mboum is a wonderful little village and Aliz took Gretchen and me to see the beautiful nearby waterfalls. Gretchen, Aliz and I are like the three Musketeers! We are planning on climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in July. We started a GoFundMe account to raise money and we are thinking of giving some of the money we raise to a Cameroon Education or Agricultural Project. We will let you know what we come up with!

Waterfalls in Mbang Mboum

We also took another trip to the Ranch de Ngaoundaba which is a camp near a lake that felt more like a vacation. The rooms are nice and there are hot showers! The main building had a dining room where all the guests ate meals together and a game room with a pool table. The animal heads on the walls made me think of this place as a scene from Ernest Hemmingway’s “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" where the character goes on an African Safari. I found out that the camp used to be used by people from other countries who came there to hunt and experience the “African Safari”. It is owned by a Frenchman who is very welcoming and even has a few walls by the kitchen that had been painted by a fellow Peace Corps volunteer. In the nearby village, this same volunteer helped the local women start a Soy Restaurant. I left the Ranch with a sun burn and some great memories with my new friends.

My first time enjoying a lake and the jungle!

I also got to see Lac Tison with my friends, Gretchen and Fidel. There was a hilarious moment when I decided to jump into the lake from the huge rocks we were picnicking on. Most Cameroonians do not swim and will only wade in the water by the shore. I didn’t want to risk getting a disease that is carried by the snails that live on the shore so I thought it would be much safer to jump into the deep end of the lake. My Cameroonian friend, Fidel, started to freak out and kept asking me to please, please do not go in the water because if I drowned, he would not be able to save me. After about an hour of him pleading, me laughing, and then me finally giving up, he finally said I could jump in but at my own risk. I finally jumped into the cool water and swam toward the nearest rock. About a minute later, I look up to see a crowd of Cameroonians around my friends. They had been across the lake and saw me jump in so of course they had to get a closer look at this crazy white lady. Fidel was so relieved I was okay and commented on my amazing swimming skills. Gretchen held back a laugh as she said “She was just doggy paddling”. I couldn’t stop laughing about the whole situation for weeks.

Lak Tison

I’m sure there are many things that I do here that my Cameroonian friends think are crazy. I made some bird feeders to attract some of the birds closer to my house. It was always nice to watch them at my home in the U.S. Of course I am having a difficult time getting them to use the bird feeders, but they probably have never been fed chicken feed in plastic jars hanging from trees in Cameroon. I also bought three chickens from a friend in my village. One rooster and two hens. I have no idea what kind they are or how old, but hopefully in a few months they will start laying eggs. I paid the kids to build a chicken coop for them, but I still have to bring them into my kitchen at night. In the U.S. my Mom and I had to worry about the fox eating our chickens, but here, I have to worry about people stealing them. Chickens are food here in Cameroon and they can feed a family.

Birdfeeders in my front yard

 

My chickens!

I have been trying to figure out what I can do to help my village and what projects are needed but it takes time to learn the hidden cultural rules and find the people who are the “diamonds in the ruff” that have the courage/ambition to help their community. I have had moments where I am happy or at least feeling useful: Hanging out in the bean mamma’s little “sit down” area under a straw thatched canopy and finding people generally interested in drawing a map of their community. Sitting in my hammock outside my house, writing in my journal as the kids color beside me. Helping my neighbors clean the corn so they can make cous cous. Meeting a volunteer from Slovenia who is teaching English in Bemenda but wanted to visit Ngaoundéré and see more of Cameroon. And one day I went shopping for material to make a dress for a village wedding with my neighbor’s wife. About halfway through what felt like an awkward date, I realized she just wanted to hang out. I really dislike shopping in the U.S. but I put on my best face and picked out material, met with a seamstress and looked at shoes with her. When we got back, we talked about getting henna done on our feet and hands for the wedding. I was starting to feel like I was at home and just shopping and planning for a big party. Then her husband came in and proceeded to tell me that next time he will permit her to go with me. I think she might not have asked for permission to go shopping. Most of the Muslim men in my village have multiple wives and they each have their own house or hut. The wife I went shopping with cannot have children so she lives alone in her house. She was close friends with the last female volunteer in my village and I hope I can be her friend as well as a model for how women should live, with rights and dreams.

Having Cous Cous Maize with my neighbors (the women and men eat separate & we eat with our hands)

 

Carl and I hanging out with the kids before dinner. This little guy loves Carl!

 

The students at the nearby school planting trees

 

Charles Angels in Beka-Hossere

 

Hanging out at my house

 

Helping clean the corn with my neighbors

 

A village dog that hangs out with me sometimes (he runs away if I mention a bath-haha)

 

Cows in my backyard

I have been trying to look into agricultural projects, especially at the school and my garden is mostly ready for planting. My three month conference in Bemenda is coming up soon and I have to hand in a report about my community’s needs. I was so happy to receive some brilliant packages from friends and family! Everyone at home has been so amazingly supportive. Your cards and presents are what get me through the ups and downs of this roller coaster. It is amazing how I wake up every day not always having a schedule and by the end of the day, I cannot sleep because so much happened that I have to think about. Next weekend is my 27^th birthday. We are celebrating at my house in my village. Maybe at age 27 I will feel a bit smarter or at least figure out how to get those birds to eat from my bird feeders.

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!