Appreciating The Differences & Excited to Go Home

After almost 2 years in Cameroon, I now know when I will be leaving and when I will be home. We had our “Close of Service” conference in Kribi (southern Cameroon). It was wonderful to see the people that I arrived to Cameroon with only 2 years ago. We walked along the beach, ate amazing shrimp, and recollected our many amazing adventures in this country. Peace Corps administration gave us some advice on job searching and reintegration in the US. As soon as we found out our dates of departure, we were booking flights and making plans. My plan is to fly out middle of November and then go to France/Switzerland for a visit before arriving back on NY soil end of November. For more specific dates, message me or go to my FB page.

Visiting soy fields

The soy project is still going and we have finally visited the last participant’s field of soy. As the rainy season reaches its peak, I am glad that I do not have to take any more motorcycle rides out onto the muddy paths to the farms or go 3 hours to another village in the pouring rain. Although I do not like the travel, the participants make it worthwhile with their hard work and smiles when we see their healthy soy. Our latest adventures were so crazy that after driving out to the farmer’s field, I decided to walk back because it seemed safer than riding on the motorcycle. Gosh did I have blisters. Nothing that a cup of hot tea and a warm blanket can fix when I got home. Some participants even gave us cous cous when we visited although I was a bit afraid that my stomach was not going to hold the food in during our 3 hour ride home. But alas, we have seen all the fields and now we are just waiting for the harvest. I am hopeful that the participants will harvest before I leave so we can have a small party and give them their certificates.

Trying to load a tractor tire onto a truck after visiting a soy field

I recently started putting together the videos I have taken in Cameroon so that when I return home, you can all watch a “movie” to show you what life looks like here. The videos can show you the landscape, the homes, the food, and the people but it does not always show you the culture. Below I will write a list of what you might call strange, what makes my life sometimes difficult here, and those cultural differences that you cannot see on video. The Wild Life.

Most people have latrines (holes in the ground) here, whether in or outside their homes, at the bars, or in a wooden shed. If it is outside their home, there is usually a short wall of tied together straw to shield you from any onlookers but it’s usually not thick. I have gotten very used to not caring who sees me go to the bathroom. It is normal for women and men to just be going to the bathroom on the side of the road when a bus stops. People use water in plastic tea kettles to wash themselves after going to the bathroom. (That is why you do not shake, eat, or give money with your right hand). Yesterday I used a latrine that had a lot of honeybees flying around it. Imagine pulling down your skirt and hoping the bees do not go close to your butt or fly into your underwear when you pull it up. Always carry around tissues just in case you eat something you shouldn’t eat and the water in the kettle will not be enough. It’s like camping really.

Aiya cooking cous cous over the fire in the hut outside their home

Mostly everyone eats with their hands since cous cous can be easily picked up, molded, and squished in the usual sauce before trying to put it in your mouth without it drippling down your chin. We always wash our hands in water before and after eating. A family will sit around a dish of cous cous and eat out of the same plate (girls eat separately from the guys). And if you buy grilled fish at the bar, it is normal to eat that with your hands too (very easy to pick out the bones, unless you want to eat those too). I use a camping stove hooked to a gas tank to cook my food but everyone else cooks over fires. Bundles of sticks and fire wood are sold on the side of the road.

Family eating cous cous

Ever wonder where all the unwanted stuff goes? The sewing machines here are the same ones that my Grandmother exhibits and explains at our county fair museum. You will find all kinds of things here from earlier years in America, especially cars (all standard, no automatics).

Sewing machines used in Cameroon

As much as running water, internet, and other technology has not reached many of the villages of Cameroon, cellphones are a norm. But mostly there are tracfones or small smart phones. There are kiosks in the city that sell calling/texting credit for phones. But once someone has my phone number, they will call a couple times a week just to say hi and ask about my family. It takes a while for Americans to get used to someone calling just to check in and not for a specific reason. Although if I do not answer my phone, a Cameroonian will call over 10 times, not leaving a message, just calling over and over again to see if I will pick up. If you do want to talk to someone, just tell them you do have calling credit, works every time. The richer people in the city will have over 2 or 3 phones because there are many networks here (Orange, MTN, Camtel). They will sit down to a meeting and place their 3 phones next to each other on the table.

Kiosk where you can buy Orange phone credit

As I have said before, transportation is not fun here. But for motorcycles, women are supposed to always sit in front of the man. Also women are not supposed to sit in the front seat of a taxi. And buses do not leave at a specific time; they leave when the bus is full or over filled with people. Also anything, anything can be transported on a motorcycle or taxi.

Path we used to motorcycle to a farmer's field

Loading a bus (very close to power lines)

FCFA or francs are used in Cameroon and usually the bank only gives 5000 or 10000 bills. That is a problem because no one wants to give away their small money. People are always guarding their 500 pieces (close to $1) and give you a sour look if you ask them to change even a 2000 bill. Unlike banks in the US, banks here will not give businesses small change every day (like what I used to do when I worked at a bank). Also if a bill is torn, people will not take it and I am not sure if the bank will exchange it. Peace Corps volunteers will hoard small bills and coins so much that when they return to the US, they wonder why they have so much US change all the time. Watch out, I might do that when I return.

Bargaining prices is a normal way of buying goods here. And they always try to raise the price for a white person. Not fair. But I have gotten very good at walking away when they don’t lower the price. Sometimes they will come running after me to sell at the more appropriate price. You have to be ready to leave the market without the item if it is not the right price.

Typical view of an Adamawa village during rainy season

The treatment of animals really bothers me here. There is no respect for them at all. My cat Annie was the only animal here that I saw was loved by my neighbors but she really had to work at it. A Cameroonian told me once that he had read in the news that someone in France had been arrested for killing all his cats. He was so confused at why that happened- “he can do whatever he wants to his animals, right?” I always tell Cameroonians that I cannot wait to go home and hug my animals. They give me a strange look and I say “well I will give my parents a hug too”.

In some regions in Cameroon, women can wear anything especially places with Christian religion but in the Adamawa where there are mostly Muslims and conservative tribes, women must cover up. No showing too much of the arms, cover most of the shoulders, and wear skirts past the knees. I will feel so naked when I go back to the US.

Sometimes this place reminds me of old small town America or Desperate Housewives community where everyone knows when a newcomer arrives in town, they know all the village news and I am the last to find out, the women are nice to each other even when they don’t like each other, most wives do not leave the home, the girls are the only ones that work at home while the boys play, and best of all if I need to tell someone something I just send a child to find them in the village; everyone knows each other.

Guiya and Dada playing soccer in front of my house. These are the moments I will miss the most.

These are all cultural differences but we have them in the US too. As a foreigner, as much as I try to fit in here and eat cous cous, and wear the clothes, I will always stick out. The most difficult part of this culture is that no one is used to foreigners. I will always be stared at, stared down for being a woman, and selected to sit in the front because of the white man perceived power. This cultural difference is the one that I wish to change. A Cameroonian friend took me to the market and I told him I was sorry if he was given higher prices or stared at because I was walking him. He said “Don’t people stare at black people in the US?” I said if people do, it is not normal and for the most part the only time people stare is when someone is really beautiful, like when I go out dancing and I want the guys to stare at me. He laughed but I think he understood. But even though I want to change some things about Cameroon, there is something I heard tonight that I really appreciate. As I heard the call to prayer at the Mosque, I also could hear the music from a Christian church service being held outside by the primary school, only a short distance from the mosque. Even if Cameroon will always see the differences of color, it is amazing that differences of religion are seen as normal here.

The next two months are my preparation to leave. There is now another education volunteer in Beka-Hosséré. She has just started her service so she still has another two years left in Cameroon but I am very positive that she will do an amazing job even after I leave. Although I am excited to go home, I am nervous about going to back to what should be familiar ground. For me, Cameroon is now the norm. I have gotten used to the bartering for goods/transportation and being around the same people every day. But I am going to try to do my best to appreciate my time left in Cameroon by hanging with my neighbors, celebrating with the community during the upcoming Fete du Mouton, and not taking for granted the cultural norms that I have learned here. My neighbors keep feeding me cous cous, maybe hoping I will stay. By the time I am home, I will have gained a few pounds of cous cous belly haha I am not sure yet what I will do when I get home but if anyone has any job ideas (fairs, agriculture, management), let me know! Cameroon has been a great adventure, sometimes reminding me too much of the Indiana Jones movies, but now I am preparing for a new journey; I am excited to keep dreaming my wishes and living my dreams.

Growth and Change in Cameroon

It has been a crazy busy couple of months as the countdown continues for when I will return to the US in November. Last week I had to say “À la prochaine” (French) or “sey yeeso” (Fulfuldé) or just see you later to some Peace Corps volunteers that have made a great impact on my life in Cameroon. During our Peace Corps service we make many friends where we live and try to integrate into our community but when the going gets tough and we are literary crying ourselves to sleep, it is the other Peace Corps volunteers that become our best friends and support us; because they are going through the same thing.

Not only did I learn so much from the other volunteers and created so many memories, but I certainly found out what it is like to have a brother. Carl was my postmate for over 1 ½ years. He didn’t have to be my friend, I mean we are pretty different, but we appreciated our differences and became life-long friends. He supported me throughout my service and was always there for me when I needed a hug or a very honest response. I can’t wait to see him back in the United States where we will probably be a little bit cleaner, eating better and able to talk about our crazy time in Cameroon.

Carl, me, Alex and Joyce enjoying Hilton happy hour in Yaounde before they all left me! missing you guys already!!

We recently celebrated the end of Ramadan and the end of a month of fasting for Muslims. Fasting for Ramadan means that people can only eat when the sun is down. That means that from 2am-4am the call to prayer wakes up the women (and me-ugh) so they can start cooking and then the families eat before the sun rises. Children and pregnant women technically do not have to fast all day but some pregnant Muslim women will still fast. One of our friends recently had a baby and named him after Carl (Carl’s village name is Thomas). We joked that the baby probably was not happy about his mother fasting so he decided to be born.

Fantasia at the Lamido Palace for Ramadan

My neighbors kept asking me if I was going to fast for at least a day but I had to tell them that honestly, I would not get any work done if I was "hangry" and I could easily picture how difficult it is to fast or even go hungry…I do not need to actually do it. After about a month of our favorite restaurant being closed every day and people being a little bit more relaxed (if you didn’t eat until 6:30pm then maybe you wouldn’t want to do much either) and "hangry", everything finally went back to normal; after a few days of celebrating of course. The day after Ramadan ended, we ate meals at three different houses (kind of like Thanksgiving). I could not complain about being hungry that day. The next day was the fantasia at the Lamido Palace. The celebration is pretty much the same as the Fete du Mouton which occurs about 60 days after the end of Ramadan (I explained the Fete du Mouton in another post last year). The Fantasia was wonderful to watch with the horses all decorated and racing towards the Lamido to recreate the battles of the tribes when Islam was brought to Cameroon. Also it was great to see many people from my village celebrating and dancing around our Chief on his horse.

Me and my village Chief at Fantasia

Cameroon has many emotional impacts on Peace Corps volunteers. You can see this effect when volunteers are finishing their service and preparing to leave. They are tired: tired of trying to engage their communities in positive change or even just creative/critical thinking while battling the white/nassara stereotypes that we all are rich and have easy lives back in the US. Then there are the views on women and how we are supposed to be married/have children. Some Peace Corps volunteers will give all they can to get to know their village but then so many volunteers’ homes are broken into or they are robbed on the street of a nearby city. Even our Peace Corps administration can give us headaches. How to volunteers deal with all of this negativity? How do I deal with it? I am still trying to figure that out. When Cameroon slaps me in the face, sometimes I think it is my fault, just like many other volunteers. But then I try to think about the few Cameroonians whom I have met that are kind, hardworking, and open-minded. I didn’t come here to be wanted or to be needed, I came here to share and learn. And I am reminded of Anne of Green Gables: “tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it. Well, there are no mistakes in it yet”. So even when I go to sleep thinking about the women on the train who did not believe me when I told them that I was not rich and came to Cameroon to work for practically no money, or the possibility that I lost some money to a person who does not care that I am trying to help my community, or the termites in my ceiling….then I try to turn off my thoughts because tomorrow is a new day and it could be a better day if I get some sleep.

And there is always the guys transporting sheep by moto-taxi to give me a good laugh

And tomorrow was better! Visiting the ASEED house for orphaned and abandoned children, I was reminded that there are good people in Cameroon. Sister Carine now has 7 babies to look after, all left abandoned in Ngaoundéré. One baby was found in a bag stashed away under a tree at 8pm while the rain poured down. People believe that she had been there for over 2 days. Now she is happy, still shivering slightly, but thankfully in the care of Sister Carine. There are many wonderful people in this beautiful country and all around world. Even with what has been happening recently, we can’t forget that there are good people and good intentions. We may be in different countries, but the view from space shows a brilliant planet with only the stars as borders.

My work partner and I visiting a project participant's field of soy

And guess what?! The soy is growing and thankfully most of the farmers in the soy project have successful fields of soy!! The best part about being here is seeing crops grow across the horizon, knowing that the farmers we work with are growing in mind & spirit, and feeling myself grow in knowledge & understanding.

Tofu, Farming & Always Surprises

The past month has been filled with great work, the ending of the school year, and the lines of corn growing in the fields. Some farmers have already planted some crops (corn and groundnut mostly), but now the farmers are preparing the fields for soy. Soy needs to dry before it can be harvested; therefore, it is important to plant in June so that the mature soy can dry when the rains stop around September/October.  We had the Overview of Soy class for the Soy Project participants; which was well attended. There were even a few people there who were not project participants. One man is interested in planting soy and also learning about beekeeping. I gave him information on starting a colony and where to find an already built top-bar hive. Another person to add to my list of “hopefuls” who have the potential to succeed but I have to wait to see if they really have the motivation to work.

Overview of Soy Class

Last week we had the Soy Transformation class for the Soy Project. Not everyone could attend but the group had a great time learning how to make soy milk, tofu, and bouillie (sort of like porridge with many nutritional ingredients including soy).  Now that the Soy Project is in its 3^rd year, we try to learn from our previous mistakes when it comes to planning the classes. We decided to give the participants their soy seeds at this class instead of having them return again in June for the seeds. This plan worked well although there are two people who have not paid the fee; therefore, they will not receive seeds. We cannot force people to pay but we have to have a fee otherwise if something is free, people do not appreciate it. Of course with Cameroon there are always problems no matter how much you plan. (This is true in the US as well but I promise, not to the extent as in Cameroon) We planned our class for Thursday at 9am. By 9:30, a couple people had showed up and after cleaning the soybeans, they needed to be taken to the market to get crushed. Well, all of us forgot that every Thursday morning, the market is closed so the streets can be cleaned (well no one cleans the streets but the idea is there). While Rachel waited for the market to open at 10am to crush the seeds in the grinder, we found out that one of our big tubs of water was leaking. A participant went out to buy super glue to fix it and then we waited…and waited. Finally by 11am, the rest of the participants arrived, Rachel came back with the crushed soybeans and we started. Nothing is ever on time in Cameroon but you can surely count on Cameroonians to work hard. The rest of the day, the participants asked good questions and worked together to transform soy while the project leaders sat in the back and watched. Funny how men in leadership positions just don’t want to get their hands dirty.

Men & Women working together to transform soy (improving gender equality in Cameroon little by little)

  

I'm always amazed how well Christians & Muslims get along here despite their religious differences

Want to learn how to transform soy? Here are the instructions!

Soy Milk

Ingredients

- 3 cups of soybeans (1 kilo)

- 3 liters of water (1 liter for each cup of soybeans)

- Sugar

Preparation 

1. Wash the soybeans and soak the seeds in water for 10 to 12 hours (maximum)

2. Remove the seeds and mash in grinder

3. Add 3 liters of water and mix well in a bucket

4. Place the mixture in a tissue and press well to remove all the water and collect the liquid in a large pot

5. Cook liquid until boiling and continue cooking for 10 minutes minimum

6. Add sugar and let it dissolve well. Put a pinch of salt if you want.

7. Optional: add vanilla, cocoa, coffee or other flavors at your taste

Tofu

Ingredients

- 3 cups of soybeans (1 kilo)

- 3 liters of water (1 liter for each cup of soybeans)

- Distilled vinegar (4-8% acidity)

Preparation

1. Do the same 1-5 steps as for soy milk

2. Remove the pot from the fire and quickly add vinegar while slowly and gently rotating to mix well

3. Cover for 15 minutes. (After 5 minutes, we can look to see if we have to add a little more vinegar if the milk is not coagulated well.)

4. Place the tofu on a fine sieve to withdraw water

5. Put the remaining tofu in a bowl and mix with the crushed spices such as pepper, onion, garlic, salt

6. Place the mixed tofu on the tissue and pour the remaining liquid, squeezing all liquid from tofu

7. Put a heavy object on the fabric with the tofu for 15-20 minutes.

8. When tofu is firm, unwrap from fabric and cut into small pieces. Cook the tofu in oil until brown.

 

Bouillie (porridge)-mix and crush together soybeans, corn, groundnuts, sesame, and freshwater fish to make soy flour which is then boiled for a long time in water with lemon and milk

Making tofu

Now that the participants know how to transform soy and start a business, it is time for them to practice growing soy. They will plant in the beginning of June and then we will begin visiting their fields. We just found out that a few participants from last year’s project are planting soy again and even have some to sell. Also we took some German friends to see a farmer’s field that he was preparing for soy. The Germans were here to perform surgeries for people with cleft palates and goiters. One of the Germans even helped me with volleyball club and then we visited the center for orphaned/abandoned children. The center is doing well and just installed screens on all the windows to keep out mosquitos carrying malaria. The German friend is going to help us set up a website for the center so it is easier to inform the public and raise funds.
Also I found out that after having surgery, a woman returned to her village to find that her children did not recognize her. They were so used to her face being deformed and they had loved her no matter how she looked. It is unique for a person like this to get married, but sometimes Cameroon surprises me with its heart.

Famers preparing their fields (the holes are where they will plant), example of no-till farming which is becoming popular since renting a tractor is expensive

 

Farmers use live fencing to keep cattle out of fields (these are fig trees & a mango tree to the right of them)

May 20^th was National Day for Cameroon. After years of being ruled by other countries, this day was chosen by the government in 1972 to celebrate the abolishment of the federal system of government in favor of a unitary country. The day is celebrated with parades and marches especially the march of the military (which can be cool to watch but the school children also march with the high steps and swinging arms, too much of this reminds me of some dictatorship militaries). Technically no one is allowed to take pictures of the military without permission from the government. Things were going well and surprisingly it started on time! We had talked our way into being able to stand under a tent with all the “grands”. Then it started to rain. We looked behind us to see a crowd of people cutting through the rope (which blocked the general public from the tents of important people) and rushing towards our tent. We had a moment of fear that we might get trampled. They all crammed under the tent causing the tent to start rocking from people pulling on it. I was sure either we would get pushed down or the tent would fall upon us. After I finally got to see the fire truck (yea!) go by in the parade, we got out of there. Oh Cameroon, you always have to keep it interesting.

Fire truck!!!

I was recently interviewed for a podcast called “Abroad Life”. It is an hour long but if you have a chance to listen to it, it isn’t too bad for my first podcast. The interviewer is an American living in Brazil so there is some good conversation in comparing Cameroon to Brazil. The podcast is also free on ITunes if you want to download it.

http://abroadlife.us/episode-list/2016/5/9/episode-063

One of my friends just gave me two ducklings about 2 weeks old. We named them Donald and Daisy. The children are fascinated by the ducklings. It reminded me of how people are excited to pet animals at the fair. The children in Cameroon see animals every day but they never get to touch them and really appreciate them. They crowded around me, trying to pet the ducklings…gently…as I told them over and over again. Then the children just sat watching the ducklings eat and play in the water. Funny how life here is really not so different from home sometimes.

The children watching Daisy duckling :)

For a last thought and slight giggle, check out these pictures:

Best way to transport wood...moto. Also check out the sheep on the truck.

We found out quickly that those gutters don't work during rainstorms. My postmate had been sitting in the chair when the waterfall occurred. :) oh Cameroon

The Countdown Begins! 7 Months to Go!

The weeks go by fast while the days can drag on forever; that is what they said. Two years will pass in the blink of an eye; that is what they said. I have 7 months left in Cameroon and I am not sure what to think or how to feel. My postmate will leave in July then I will find out my date of departure in August. Everyone is talking about what to do after Peace Corps. I have started to look for jobs (If anyone hears of a job at a non-profit agricultural based organization or a fair, let me know!). It all seems surreal. 7 months feels like a long time to wait to see my family and friends. But it also feels like a short amount of time to really enjoy being with my friends in Cameroon. As you can see, I am not sure how I feel right now so to avoid a depressing and scattered brain post, I will give you an update on the always occurring adventures in Cameroon.

The 2016 Ngaoundéré Soy Project has started and we have 11 new participants! It is always a stressful time when advertising for the soy project, setting a deadline for applications, and trying to get enough participants but not too many so as to not overwhelm the project leaders. As usual, we had a few applications by the deadline but then a week later, 15 people signed up. Deadlines are usually seen as “reminders” in Cameroon instead of end dates. We were happy when 11 (6 male, 5 female) showed up to the first class on business and paid their participation fees. We even had to translate the soy informational packet into English because there are some English speaking people from the Northwest Cameroon area. Well when I say translate, I mean change to Cameroon English. For example when describing how to make soy milk it is appropriate to say “it doesn’t drunken”. It was interesting to explain to my work partner that in the United States that we do not call everything that is spicy: “pepper” (pronounced as pep-pay in Cameroon). He said that we do not speak good English in the U.S. and I had to bite my tongue. The best thing about English is that it can be spoken in so many different ways. I have friends in Oklahoma that I cannot understand.

Soy Project business class

 

 I have begun to pass over more of the tasks to the project leaders. They are ready to really take over the management this year so that when I leave, they will be the sole organizers for the soy project. I will probably not be replaced by another volunteer but other agricultural volunteers will be posted in nearby villages so they can be contacted if the project leaders need help. My Peace Corps supervisor came to visit and observe the class. This visit made my work partners happy and gave them motivation to keep helping their community.

With my work going well along with the volleyball club at the primary school, I am finding time to enjoy my last months in Cameroon. I went on a short trip to visit the Northwest and West Cameroon. If you look up Bemenda and Bafoussam on the map it will give you a good idea of where I traveled. As you go south of the Adamawa region, the humidity rises but then go west and you will see the mountains along with chilly nights. North of Bemenda there is a place called Mbingo where it looks like you stepped into Switzerland. As we drove along, these specks started to hit the windshield. At first I thought it was snow but then realized it was thousands of termites flying through the air. Crazy! The Northwest has some similarities to the Adamawa: the same packed buses with luggage piled on top (one bus had two coffins attached to the roof although who knows if they were full or empty) and roads with so many pot holes that you cannot go more than 30 miles per hour. The differences are the tall mountains, lush green forests, and people speak Cameroon English in the Northwest (French is still spoken in the West). We went hiking one day to see one of the many waterfalls but it rains every day so we got caught in a thunderstorm. We spent the next couple hours walking through streams up to our knees and traversing down muddy avalanches. Least to say we were soaked when we got back but still with smiles on our faces. Plus one of the friend’s I hiked with had a house nearby that had a shower with hot water and a washing machine for our clothes.

Getting caught in a thunderstorm and trying to hike down past rivers of muddy water

In Mbingo, there is a hospital organized by Baptist missionaries. I stayed with a Peace Corps volunteer who lived nearby but got to visit this hospital which is well-known for being tucked away in the hillside with mowed lawns and a great view of the mountains. Because the hospital is private and organized by Americans, the medical care is the best in Cameroon, but it is expensive and many people have to pay a lot to travel across the country to receive help. A friend gave a tour of the hospital and it still has the reminders that it is Cameroon: flies in the surgery room, people sleeping on mats along the walkways, Cameroonian and ex-pat doctors disagreeing on what to prescribe, asking a question to a Cameroonian nurse who won’t look you in the eye as she tries to not answer your question because she knows you will not like the answer. But even with these reminders, it is still the best place for medical care in this country. I passed through the ICU and saw a woman lying on a cot staring at me with a look I wasn’t sure I understood. She looked to be in pain but knew I could not do anything to help. The American nurse I was with was explaining how the ICU was organized and as she went by the woman, she put her hand on her arm and wished her well in French. I saw a faint glimmer of a smile on the woman’s face and I knew that this hospital was still the best place for her to receive care.

Mbingo Hospital (with waterfalls behind it)

I am an agricultural volunteer but I was reminded that day in the hospital that medical care is still so important for Cameroon. Cameroonians go to city colleges to learn how to be doctors but they still do not receive enough education to be good doctors. Ex-pats, especially missionaries are sent to Cameroon to give medical aid but some of these doctors are only here for a few short months. I learned recently that doctors can remove goiters but what if that large lump is cancer or some other disease? The only way to know is to take a tissue sample and have a pathologist look at it under a microscope. There are not many pathologists or good microscopes in Cameroon. Doctors can only help so much but if a procedure is complicated in the U.S., it is really complicated in Cameroon. I was really impressed by the work being done at the hospital in Mbingo, but it reminded me that there is only so much we can do to help. The rest has to be done by the Cameroonians. The colleges need to be better in Cameroon and if a Cameroonian goes to another country for education, they need to come back to their villages and help their community. The big question is: If Americans and Europeans didn’t go to countries in Africa, building hospitals, schools, and water wells….would countries like Cameroon eventually help it self and invent ways to improve livelihood? Because that is what other countries like the U.S. did. I guess we will never know. At least by living here, myself and other volunteers are asking the same question: how does development work and how can we really help?

Northwest Cameroon landscape

Other than those tough, complicated questions; the simpler question is what do you do when it is raining and your roof leaks in the bedroom? Seeing as my landlord said he fixed the roof and my mattress is still soaked, how about putting the mattress on the floor in the living room (the bedframe is too big to move), attaching the mosquito net to the ceiling and spending the next 7 months sleeping in there.  As long as I tuck my mosquito net in better so the ants don’t find my bed again. The best part about sleeping in the living room is that that room has a wooden ceiling. Unlike my bedroom which just has the tin roof so when it rains really hard I can’t hear myself think and I dream about being on a boat caught in a storm at sea. Oh the wild life.

 

Sleeping space for the next 7 months

Fun fact about Cameroon: if you go on a trip (even a day trip), everyone expects you to bring a present back for them. And they will ask! At first I tried to integrate into my community by bringing small gifts for people. After over a year here I have decided that they need to learn about the American way of not bringing gifts unless it’s a long, far away trip. People were not happy about my answer of “no” to their demands but after I explained the reason, they nodded their heads although I’m sure they like their way better. After this most recent trip, I decided I was gone long enough to bring back a small present. Even though Cameroonians expect gifts, they do not expect big ones. Just a small sack of passion fruits from the Northwest was enough to make my neighbors happy (we do not have passion fruit in the Adamawa). And for all those wonderful friends in the U.S. that have been sending me letters and packages, expect some small gifts when I get back!

Eating the Northwest Cameroon traditional dish of Njamma-jamma, made out of leaves. Same as the Adamawa's couscous, you eat it with your hands. This dish doesn't have a lot of nutrients but it can easily feed a whole family and fills you up quick. It also adds some extra weight around the hips for many Peace Corps volunteers since it is cheap food that conquers hunger.

As of now, no need to send any more packages unless they are gifts for my Cameroonian friends. It takes about a month (or more!) for packages to arrive and I don’t want any arriving after I leave in November! So don’t worry about me. Although my IPod just stopped working on this trip I am still hopeful that the holes in my clothes/sneakers/socks do not get bigger (2 years washing by hand and Cameroon dirt destroys clothes), my computer doesn’t get any more cracks in it, my couscous fat around my hips goes away, I keep on being healthy (no malaria- knock on wood), and I enjoy every minute on this soil.

I can hear the children practicing chanting verses from the Quran. They wave at me as I record them and I wonder if they know that I will watch these videos when I am missing them in the U.S.

Monkey Island

A little early for a blog post, but I just had to share my adventure to Monkey Island! It was amazing! Thanks to my two friends who are married and Peace Corps volunteers, I got to tag along with them and a visiting relative to a place in the southwest of Cameroon where rescued chimpanzees are kept safe. Hunting and eating monkeys is a big problem in Cameroon. My postmate has even witnessed children hunting monkeys near our village.

It took a few hours traveling on a dusty dirt road to arrive at this sanctuary. Our driver goes there a lot, taking people such as Peace Corps volunteers to this remote place by the water. Monkey Island is just a name we gave this place but it is not known throughout Cameroon. The only way people visit is by finding out through word of mouth. The people who run it like it better that way. The money we pay to see the chimpanzees enables them to provide for these animals and the low-advertising allows them to take care of the monkeys the way they want to, which I think is very well.

View of the camp

 

The younger ones (up to 3 years old) are kept at the camp and sleep in an old cabin. We played with these ones first. Banana was the most entertaining and loved to cause trouble. He reminded me of a young child, always full of energy and never tiring even though he certainly wore us out. He would even bite a little, like a puppy, although never breaking skin. He reminded me why chimpanzees are dangerous and how I would not want to encounter a bigger and older one. But we had fun with the little ones. One of them loved untying and tying our shoes. She even figured out how to unzip the zipper on my boot. And lastly, my favorite, the youngest: Chance. Less than a year old, his mother had been killed by pygmies (Cameroonians that are hunter/gathers in the jungle) and they had kept Chance so that they could eat him when he got older. Someone found out about Chance and called our driver. He immediately went to pick him up and probably had to pay a lot of money to buy Chance from the pygmies. Chance has become very attached to the main guy at the camp. He played with us but only would let our driver and this other guy hold him. At the end I was finally able to share an apple with him by biting a piece off, feeding it to him and then taking a bite for myself. Five minutes of heaven right there.

Me and Banana

 

 

Sharing an apple with Chance

 

The older monkeys are kept on two islands next to the camp. We took a boat out to see them, anchoring a short distance away. We threw fruit to them as they clambered out to see us. I could tell that they enjoyed their life: they were safe, untouched, and free to enjoy their piece of land with no fences. But I could also tell they were dangerous. I doubt anyone goes on those islands. There were up to 8 on each island, the teenagers were a bit rambunctious but the oldest were quite calm. One of them even had a baby on her back. It was brilliant to see them up close and I knew the money we paid was being put to good use. Mostly all these monkeys (most are chimpanzees but not sure on the rest) are rescued orphans and this island is probably the safest place for them in Cameroon.

 

So I guess this is one wild adventure where I actually got to see and touch the wildlife!

 

P.S. Our train got derailed on our way to Yaoundé. Thank goodness it was just the two luggage cars that went off the track but that meant a few hours wait for the train to get going again. Naturally when it derailed, most people got off and stood staring at the problem with their hands on their hips. Oh Cameroon. But we were lucky, some intelligent person decided to detach the engine car from the luggage cars, move it and move the rest of the train and then reattach them. Of course as we pulled away, we left all the luggage cars. Not sure how people would get their luggage back but it is normal to lose luggage in Cameroon and for trains to derail. Thankfully we had our luggage in our car! This is the wild life.

The Wildlife

This month brought two similar events; my birthday and the birth of a new baby. As far as turning 28, I can now say that I am not in my post-college years, I am not in my 30s, but somewhere in the middle. “Somewhere” being that ability to have some experience, some education, and still creating adventure. In the US, we might have legal ages such as 18 and 21 but it is becoming normal to be married at 40 or 20 and have that awesome job by 25 or you can find it at 60. Everyone has their own path. In Cameroon, people do not know my age. If they did, they would wonder why I am not married and why I don’t have any children. Sometimes I just say my husband is back in the U.S. so I can avoid the conversation. Most of the children guessed my age to be 30-40 on my birthday. Mmm…do I look that old? At least by seeming older, I receive a little more respect here.

Birthday fun

My neighbors just welcomed a tiny little girl into the world the day before my birthday. It is custom that Muslims wait a week before giving the baby a name. Of course when I asked last Saturday for her name, I got a mix of Oumaheidi, Oumahaley, so it’s something like that. This baby is the mother’s 8^th child and 6^th girl. Also she has given birth to all of her children in her house even though there is a health center in my village. Most women here choose to give birth at home instead of choosing the safer route of going to a hospital. Well it’s supposed to be safer at the hospital. I have heard stories of doctors using forceps to get the baby out and sitting on the mother’s stomach while she is pushing. According to most men here, the stronger the wife, the less noise she makes while giving birth and they always tell me that it could not be that painful. And how would they know!? Her oldest daughter is 15 (and should be married soon) so I’m guessing the mother has a baby every chance she gets. Birth control is hardly used here. But good news is that the mother and baby are safe and healthy. Another child to add to what I like to call my “Cameroon family”. As much as I disagree with some of their decisions, they are the friends I go to for help, company, and whom I have grown to love in this small, dusty community.

Mamma with her new baby and daughter, Guyia

Recently another volunteer and I have taken up traditional archery here. We visited a small archery practice the other day where a group of men (mostly older) get together a few times a week to shoot their arrows at targets a good 80 meters away. They use the traditional bows and arrows made out of wood with no feathers on the bows. People use to and still today hunt animals with bows. It is a bit different from what we are used to in the U.S. No high tech bow that is easy to pull back and they don’t take their time aiming. Just a small pause to get sight of the target, then they pull and release the arrow in one stroke, even flinging themselves a little forward to give the arrow momentum. We bought arrows and a couple bows from them. I even got a small quiver made of cow hide for my arrows. I felt like a regular Robin Hood. Yet my technique was lacking. It took me a while to learn how to shoot the arrow with this tight-stringed bow. But the men are very welcoming and love to teach us. It reminds me of the groups in the U.S. that reenact battles and the picture of a uniformed soldier showing his teenage son how to load a Civil War rifle.

Archery practice

 

Kind of like Robin Hood?

My father gave me this idea of writing down some “Wildlife” descriptions. Since most of the actual wildlife in Cameroon is in the North, where we are currently not permitted to go with the Boko Haram activity, I actually don’t get to see a lot of the animals that you might connect with Africa. Mostly it’s been a few monkeys and then the domestic sheep, horses, goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, birds, and cats. So I will give you some of the “Wildlife” situations and experiences that always make me feel like: yes I am totally in Africa.

First example is transportation (it is difficult to take pictures here without people staring so I borrowed some of these pictures, but all the pictures are examples of what I have seen here):

While there is one train that goes from the capital of Yaoundé to the Adamawa city of Ngaoundéré, mostly everywhere else people use buses, taxis, and motorcycle taxis to travel. The train can be alright if you pay more and sleep in the small bed for the entire night ride which goes from 7pm to technically 9am. Although most of the time the train breaks down in the middle of the night and you can arrive sometimes as late as 2pm; always over 12 hours on a train. If you take the cheaper choice of 1^st or 2^nd class, you will have to sit in a less-comfortable airplane like seat and where they do not turn off the lights or music. To add more distress, there are always guys selling anything from tissues and candy to bibles and books, walking up and down the aisle shouting throughout the night. Compared to buses and cars, the train is still the most comfortable means of travel here. And thankfully I live in the Adamawa so I take the train more often than buses.

Train in Ngaoundere

Motorcycle taxis are everywhere here. I pay 200 CFA (less than 50 cents) to get from my village to the city. During dry season, the roads are dusty but not too bad to drive on. Rainy season however can create rivers in the middle of the dirt roads and many times have we tumbled because the motorcycle wheels slip on the mud. But the most interesting fact about these moto-taxis is that you can fit everything on them. This includes mattresses (that is how I transported my mattress to my house in the darkness of night; tightly holding the folded bed between me and the driver, my abs having a great workout as I tried not to fall off the back), large piles of sticks, a goat or two, large pieces of plywood or metal balanced precariously but stretching a few feet into the air, chairs (my postmate sat on his chairs which were on the moto-taxi to transport them to his house), and of course there can be up to 5 people crammed on the motorcycle, maybe more sometimes. It is always funny to see a little kid sitting in front of the driver, his hands resting on the handles. Reminds me of riding in front of my dad on a draft horse, but I think I was the safer kid.

Motorcycle in Cameroon

The same “we can fit that” attitude is with the taxis and buses. It is not unusual to see beds and luggage sticking out of a car trunk with the door strapped a quarter of the way down by large pieces of black rubber. I saw a guy sitting on a bunch of mattresses that were strapped to the top of a car as it went down the road; part of me wanted to try it. And if they can fit luggage, they can fit people. The record for me is when my postmate and I got into a two-door taxi with 4 of us in the front and 5 people in the back with two children. It was a long, cramped ride. Buses are the same. You are lucky if you can take a Touristique bus which resembles the large tourist buses but a lot older and beat up. In those, you have your own seat, even if you are a little squished. Otherwise you might be stuffed into a large van like vehicle that reminds me of how my basketball team and I traveled to games except we didn’t have to fit 5 people in a seat for 4. And if its dry season, no one wants to open windows because of all the dust. Sometimes we see these buses go by and swear we see them tip to one side as they turn a corner because there is so much stuff packed on top. You can even see a few goats tied to the top of a bus usually. And why does Cameroon have this outrageously dangerous and uncomfortable way of travel? Because the only way to keep prices cheap and still make money is to have as many paying passengers as possible. For me, I will stick with the train and moto-taxis as much as possible.

Typical "van" bus

 

Packed taxi (roads are not always this nice in Cameroon)

So while the wild animals are not seen as much in my area, there is still the ability to live the wild life through Cameroon transportation…if you can handle it.

                Read about some other wildlife experiences in my next blog post.

I’m sure some of you have read on my Facebook page that my cat, Annie died a few weeks ago. Instead of writing the sad story here, I have made a special page for her on this blog. So if you feel like shedding some tears and feeling your heart melt a little, just read “Annie” page.

On a happier note, we gave the money that you all kindly donated to Sister Carine for the orphans. They were all so happy and excited to receive the funds and we will keep you updated on how it goes getting them better mattresses and such.

Sister Carine and Doctor Max with the orphans

Life and work in Cameroon have been passing by with every bit of dust that gets into my eye when I forget to put down my helmet visor on the moto-taxi. We are looking for participants for the 2016 Soy Project and handing out flyers everywhere in the area. Those participants will be chosen hopefully by the end of February. Thanks to everyone at home for words of comfort and support after Annie passed away. I even got some birthday packages to brighten my day. I watched the movie Gremlins the other night and around midnight I woke up depressed and with a migraine. After trying to get back to sleep, I heard a rustle and thump in my living room. All I could think was that there were gremlins in my house. Then my neighbor’s cat, Crosby jumped into my bed, scaring the crap out of me. I hadn’t closed the cat door in my window. But somehow Crosby has figured out when I most lonely and in need of a friend. It is amazing that even in a country where people treat animals with such disdain, a cat can be there when she is most needed. And the next morning, I let the children come color in my house because the next best therapy for sadness other than cat snuggles, is hearing children laugh.