Work, Weddings and Juggling Mangos!

It is happening. Tomorrow we leave for our adventure to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania! It has been a good past couple weeks preparing and training for the hike. Today was an interesting day for the soy project and soy cooperative. As usual the majority of the members showed up late to the meeting today or didn’t show at all and we had to call everyone to remind them that there is a meeting right now. We were surprised they were late because the soy projects members were receiving their 10 Kg each of soy seeds so they can start planting in their fields while I am gone. My work partner who was going to give a short demonstration on planting soy got called out to work in the bush so another man from the organization helping us had to step in. The demonstration went well even though he wouldn’t let me pick up the hoe (white women can’t dirty their hands although I work in my own garden at my house). I kept back my anger because he was helping us. After the demonstration, we gave them their seeds. Some of the members in the soy project group are members of another cooperative and since their president couldn’t attend, they did not attend. We had to convince one of them to meet us to receive the seeds for the rest of the group. Stressful! At least now all the members of the soy project have their seeds and then my counterpart and I will visit their fields when I get back. The soy cooperative is another problem. They had decided to look for their own seeds instead of utilizing our help in ordering seeds with the soy project group. Unfortunately, the cooperative president did not do her part in ordering the seeds and when the members showed up today to receive their seeds, she started making excuses as to why she couldn’t order them and looking to us to help. It is becoming apparent that it is going to be very difficult to teach the cooperative to work on their own and that we will offer help but we cannot force them to work together (and if they do not accept our help, they cannot come back to us later when their plan does not work). No one said that this work would be easy. Especially in a culture where rich men are the leaders and there is a “fend for yourself” mentality. There are a few great, motivated workers in these groups so maybe my focus will be working with them next year.

Planting demonstration for the soy project participants

 

On a more positive note, I love taking walks out past the fields behind my village and see the greenness of the land with Mount Ngaoundéré in the background. Corn, tomatoes, okra, and other vegetables cover what used to be red dirt and now mango trees dot the horizon. Sometimes I catch my breath when I hear “Bonjour Renée” from the top of the tree next to me. I always forget that the kids are climbing the trees to get mangos. I have noticed that there are not as many animals (sheep, goats & cows) running amuck near my house. I hope that is a sign that people are not letting their animals go into people’s gardens and fields. Some farmers build fences with large tree branches stuck in the ground and barbed wire wrapped around the limbs to fend off the grazing animals.

Beka-Hossere during the rainy season with Mt Ngaoundere in the background

Fencing around fields to keep animals out

Tomato and okra plants

 

We went to buy the soy seeds from one of my work partners and he showed us where he lived and I saw his pet monkey was hanging out in his front yard. I fed the monkey and his dog bread (they are best friends). I forgot how much I love animals and really monkeys are just so cool. Afterwards all of us chilled at a bar and I commented on this girl’s awesome toe socks and flip flop combo. I had done that in junior high at one point and thought it was nice to see that my fashion wasn’t that odd in Cameroon. My work partner decided that I must have toe socks so the next day he showed up at my house with three very colorful pairs of toe socks. I don’t know what they must think of me since I had juggled some mangos for them at the bar as well but buying me socks was a nice gesture.

Feeding my work partner's dog and pet monkey

Juggling mangos

 

I am so happy to finally see the green land of the Adamawa, but with the rains comes the dangers of traveling. Last week, I got in a little mototaxi accident/tumble on my way back to my village. Firstly, I am fine. We were not going that fast and he hit some muddy rocks which made the motorcycle slide. He tried to stop but we both went over and I did a “tuck and roll” so the motorcycle wouldn’t fall on me. Unfortunately, my laptop was in my backpack and the fall was hard enough to damage it. The LCD screen is cracked and there is a blotch of black in the bottom with a streak of black across the screen. The computer works fine and I can see most of the screen so I am not going to fix it anytime soon. I figure I am lucky to have not broken it until now. Most volunteers go through a couple computers in their two years. But I am being more careful about traveling with it. I was more scared about telling my Dad about the computer, but like usual my Dad is a pro at being cool with a problem especially since I beat myself up enough about it. It took me a few days to get back on a mototaxi but it is the only way to travel out of my village so I really have no choice.

The water pump where my neighbors and I get our water (she is pumping the water with her foot)

Grilling corn, a good snack for 100 CFA (the Cameroon fast food)

 

Another adventure, Gretchen and I went to a Christian/Catholic wedding in Ngaoundéré. The bride is one of our tailors and invited us. We have known her for a while and she has made many different types of clothes for us including my bridesmaid dress for one of the weddings in the U.S. Being my first Christian wedding, I was not sure what to expect. There are mostly Muslim weddings in my village where everyone is invited and the bride isn’t even present during the celebration. This wedding was held at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ngaoundéré. Typical with Catholic weddings, the ceremony was long but typical to Cameroon, it was even longer. We sat in those church pews for two and half hours. The bride was beautiful with a long white strapless dress and veil across her face. The ceremony was typical Catholic except with even more singing (the songs were sung in Cameroonian style with a drum as the beat) from the choir and long sermons projected from the speakers that tended to have a loud buzz every few minutes. I have noticed that the sound systems here are not great and give you earaches. I’m glad we went to the ceremony but I was a little sorry we came when the guy on the microphone switched to English and thanked the Americans for attending the wedding. We can’t go anywhere without sticking out and being bothered or in this case, being treated like Queens at someone else’s wedding. One cool thing about Christian weddings is that women wear clothing that is a bit more revealing and modern. We even saw some shorts made out of the wedding pagne (fabric) and a very cool looking romper. Some of the older women looked amazing in large hats that reminded me of the Saratoga Horse Races. After the ceremony, we waited a couple hours before going to the reception which was supposed to start at 6pm. Thinking that we understood Cameroon by now, we showed up at 7:30pm. We waited another hour outside the reception area with the rest of the crowd and finally were seated in a very nice set up that looked similar to weddings I have attended in the U.S. Another positive attribute to Christian weddings, there is alcohol although we had to stare at it for another hour until the wedding party came. They only allowed people in who had invitations which didn’t stop the local kids from sticking their heads through the bars of the windows and calling “Nassara” (white man). They even threw a rock at a Cameroonian kid sitting next to us so at least we were not the only ones being bothered. We sat another hour until finally the bride and groom entered. It wasn’t until 10pm that the food was served. By that time we had to leave so we missed the rest of the reception but I had a feeling that the dancing later would not make up for sitting hungry for over 2 hours. Those pop tarts my Dad sent me was my dinner that night. I will never complain about a U.S. wedding ever again.

The kids helping me plants seeds in my garden

The wedding ceremony

 

Annie the cat is doing well and being so close to the city, I have found a veterinarian that keeps her healthy and kitten free. She has a boyfriend that visits her a lot and she brings dead animals in the house all the time (I finally got to see some of the Cameroon birds up close although they are dead). I have given up on raising chickens. I gave my last two chicks to my neighbors (the other two were stolen). I explained to them that I really just love chickens for their eggs and watching them peck around the yard. Their faces were priceless when I kissed the chicks goodbye.  My garden is all planted and hopefully there will be a variety of vegetables and flowers sprouting when I get back. Ramadan has started so many of the people in my village are fasting between sunrise and sunset. My neighbor’s kids, Dada and Guiya only have to fast for the morning since they are so young. This fasting also means my favorite bean mama and other food resources are closed so I am actually grateful that I will be gone the next few weeks. We will get back around the time that they will be celebrating the end of Ramadan with lots of fetes (parties) with food. I am so excited for this trip to Tanzania! We are supposed to start climbing on July 2^nd and arrive back down the mountain on July 8^th. Thoughts of the hike are making me nervous but it is the climb in life that is more important than making it to the top. But it would be nice to see that summit sunrise.

Visiting Home & the Perspective

It has been a whirlwind journey from visiting home in New York to coming back to Cameroon. I was so nervous to be visiting home so early in my Peace Corps service but it proved to be a good decision. I was able to see two of my best friends get married and even caught the bouquet at the second wedding! I remember crying every so often on the plane ride home and wishing that I could just apparate (Harry Potter term) and be in JFK airport. When I finally saw my father as I got through security, all my emotions exploded in my face and I can’t remember ever feeling more relieved. My poor Dad had to listen to my non-stop story telling all the home until he got me some Starbucks coffee and I shut up a bit. I was able to wake my Mom up at 11:30pm and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. It was good to be home.

Great to see my family!

 

Party with Friends :)

 

For the first few days I felt as though I was in a dream and at some point I would wake up in my bed in Cameroon. I would walk around in the fields by the barn and just enjoy the spring breeze and the ability to just be me without all the stares I was used to. I could hug and play with the dogs without people asking me why and I could sing out in the barn where no one could hear except for the goats and chickens. I didn’t have much time to relax like this for too long. My Mom and I went shopping for gear to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and I used my Dad’s car to drive around and visit friends. The weddings were amazing and beautiful. I got a cold on my second day home and my stomach didn’t ever settle from the new food but that didn’t stop me from enjoying every second home. I got to meet the students in a French class who had written me letters. They were all so wonderful and asked brilliant questions. I don’t think they realized how helpful it was for me to talk about Cameroon. It helped me digest all the thoughts in my head now that I was at home. And to top it off, my parents invited people over for a party and I was able to see many of my friends all at once.

When my last night at home came, I felt kind of hollow. Steak cooked on the grill, strawberries for dessert, and watching the Amazing Race with my parents made my visit complete. I was ready to go back. My airlines however had other ideas. My flight to Istanbul, Turkey was so late that most of the passengers, including me, missed our connecting flight. Turkish Airlines then sent me to Nairobi, Kenya to catch my next flight to Douala, Cameroon. Once we arrived in Douala, I realized only one of my bags had arrived but of course it being Cameroon, they said that I had to wait until I got to Yaoundé to make a missing baggage request. Our flight to Douala had arrived so late that the flight staff were afraid that they would not make it back to Nairobi before the airport closed so they said they could not take us to Yaoundé. We had to stay in a hotel and catch the flight the next day. Well most of us didn’t want to do that. Plus Douala is a little dangerous for an American so I was not ready to spend the night. We asked the airlines to book a bus to Yaoundé so we left at 6pm on the bus and arrived in Yaoundé at midnight. A couple passengers were really nice and found me a reasonably priced taxi ride to the Peace Corps office. I spent 5 days in Yaoundé waiting for the airlines to find my bag. I ended up going to the Yaoundé airport to see a friend off to the U.S. and looked in the lost baggage area just in case my bag was there. And it was! The tag on it had the incorrect number so who knows when the airlines would have found it. (They can’t just look at the name on the bag and contact me of course!) But being typical Cameroon, the official saw that my ticket number didn’t match the number on the bag and I had no paperwork but it must be my bag so he just gave it to me. Bribery and laziness are a big part of Cameroon business.

Annie & the chicks

I found out that my three chickens had been stolen while I was gone, but there were 4 chicks left. I must say I had a point where I wondered if Cameroon really wanted me there. But I threw my courage into my heart and made my way back to Beka-Hosséré. My neighbors were ecstatic to see me and I was collided with hugs. They were very sorry about my chickens and had adopted the chicks into their care. Everything was so different now that it had been raining more. It was green everywhere! My garden was overgrown with weeds but it was nice to be surrounded by green and have it be a bit cooler weather. I gave my neighbors their presents which included Washington County Fair t-shirts, t-shirts from my Mom’s work (Sutherlands) and a Washington County Fair stuffed animal. I gave my other Cameroonian friends little bottles of my Dad’s homemade maple syrup (it was interesting trying to explain maple syrup) and more t-shirts. Everyone is so happy with their gifts. Amadou was practically jumping with joy when he received his soccer ball. My trip finally seemed to conclude in my mind. Now back to work and prepare for Kilimanjaro.

Dada with her Fair cow

 

My neighbors in their new shirts!

 

Amadou with his new shirt & soccer ball

We had a meeting with the Soy Cooperative when I got back. Well we tried to. Most of the women showed up for this meeting, but the leaders of the group had forgotten that there was a meeting in the office that day with some of the “grands”. The Délégué (boss of my work partners) pretty much kicked us all out of the office because he didn’t want it to be swarming with people when the big guys came. It was embarrassing for us and for the cooperative members. I had never met the Délégué before but I could tell by how he rang a bell for people to come into his office (he can’t walk two feet to talk to someone) and how he talked to us like he was God, that he is another reason I do not like to work with the “grands” here. They are the people with the power and they see the rest of the population as the “petites” or their servants. The cooperative members were angry, we were angry but we rescheduled the meeting and hoped that people would come back. They did thank goodness and we had a successful meeting on Friday. Successful meaning mostly everyone showed up, most of the problems were discussed and plans were made for buying the soy seeds for planting. There were three women (mostly the executive board) that still do not want the one man to be in the group so that was a conversation with raised voices and pointed figures. The problem with most groups in Cameroon is that when money is involved, everyone wants their fair share. And yes, men are threatening to women in this country in that they have more power most of the time. But this man in the group is willing to work with the women and has proven to be more reliable than most of them. There are many other problems this group needs to deal with but they always focus on the one thing they understand: one male member. At least most of them left happy and we made plans to meet in a couple weeks to distribute the soy seeds. The participants in the new Soy Project will be there as well so that we can give out all the seeds at one time.

Finally good news, my grant for the Soy Project got approved! I am not sure when the funds will arrive but at least the project will keep going!

I went for a run the other morning and found the fields behind my house full of people working in the cool weather. I felt a little bad about running when they were working so hard but I was glad to see the growing tomatoes and corn lining the road. The rainy season is very late but people already have growth in their fields. The soy project participants are being told to not plant until July 1^st so that we can make sure it is raining every day. The soy needs water and cannot dry out otherwise it won’t progress enough to be cultivated in September.

Tomatoes & corn growing in the fields by my house

I am so happy I was able to visit home. It gave me the chance to think about my experience in Cameroon. I find now that I feel more comfortable living in the U.S. Before Peace Corps, I felt like I didn’t deserve to live in such a comfortable life. I didn’t understand the parts of the world where cultures were so different. There is only so much you can learn from books and T.V. But now I at least have an understanding of why cultures are different, why we have what we have in the U.S., why most of the time we deserve that comfort, why we must cherish it, and most of all I found out how thankful I am that I know people in the U.S. that work hard to try to make their community a better place. Sure not every American is like that and not everyone wants to visit places overseas, but there are some that care enough to make America a great place. Cameroon has changed so much over the years and it is getting better, but it needs more motivated people to be educated and then go back and help their communities. I am so thankful I am an American and I am so thankful for all of you.

A Plethora of Experiences

It has been a good month or so in Cameroon with fetes, going away parties, visitors from the U.S., great participation in the Soy Project, and new adventures! I spent Easter morning attending two Lutheran Church services, one at the Norwegian Hospital and the other at a beautiful church next door. It was interesting to see the differences between each service even though they were the same religion. The service at the hospital pictured some benches set up in the shade so that I couldn’t really see the people talking. There was some French and also surprisingly, Fulfulde spoken. The other church is much bigger, bigger than most of the churches back in my hometown in the U.S., with stained glass windows and balcony seats. Both services had many baptisms and confirmations. Guess they figured since they have all these people together, might as well make the service longer. We arrived a little late to each service and left early, meaning that the services were probably each 4 hours long. The churches are mostly connected to what we call the “Norwegian Quartier”, a compound with a large wall all around all the houses and church office. I have met a few of the people that live there and have made some good friends. Many people are missionaries and work/live in different parts of Cameroon. Some are only there to learn French before moving to another country as missionaries. Others are not connected to the church at all like my German friend who is a doctor here. One of my favorite parts about traveling is meeting new people from different places. Gretchen and I had dinner the other night with a couple from Norway, another couple (husband from Cameroon & wife from Switzerland), my German friend, and the couples’ wonderful children. I found out that another friend used his dog as bait to kill a very large baboon that had been leading all the other baboons to kill off herds of animals and certainly making a negative dent in the circle of life. I was furious that he would put his sweet dog in harm, but thank goodness the dog is fine and the baboon has been turned into dog food. Oh the adventures in Cameroon.

Easter egg coloring!

To add to my Easter experience, I asked my neighbor’s children to color some hard boiled eggs and I explained that it was tradition to hide the eggs and they would have to find them. I love how Cameroonians do not question tradition. They might have thought it was weird, but hey, I participated in their traditions so it goes both ways. Plus I think they had fun. It took only 15 minutes to find the eggs and then we watched “Little Mermaid” in French. I explained that there is not just one Easter tradition for Americans. It depends on your religious beliefs just like in Cameroon. Many of the Christians in my village attended church on Easter and the churches I visited were packed with people from all over Ngaoundéré. Each country has its diversity.

After the beekeeping conference, Issa and I built our beehive, added honey wax to attract the bees, and placed it on his property a distance from the village. We need to go back and cut a few tree limbs so it sits better but then we just wait for the bees!

One of my fellow volunteers “COSed” (Close of Service) after living here for over 2 ½ years. She lived in a small village in the Adamawa for her first two years and then extended her service to Ngaoundéré. She became one of my best friends and mentors when I arrived here in Cameroon. We had a going away party for her and I couldn’t help but cry happy tears when I saw how many Peace Corps volunteers and Cameroonians came to support her. She made so many friends here and helped so many people. I only hope I can leave this place someday with such a grand show of love. It shows that Peace Corps volunteers may only be here for a short amount of time and may feel like we hardly make an impact, but in the end we help by just being here and make amazing friends.

Dada and her sister had plastic bags wrapped around their feet and hands one day. I found out that they were dying their fingertips red and bottoms of their feet black. It is a tradition for the Fulbe.

My neighbors gave me cous cous and legume the other night. So nice of them because they hardly ever have enough food for their family. I had to add a lot of salt and pepper to it and then drank my cheap box wine to try to satisfy my taste buds but I finished my plate (still tasted like tasteless mush and grass). I don't know how they eat this every day, but it is the cheapest food they know how to make.

 

The task of washing clothes in Cameroon (two buckets and hope for no rain for a few hours)

 

 

A friend of Gretchen’s was visiting from the U.S. so we did a lot of visiting “the sites”. We had an adventure to see the Shutte de Tello, beautiful waterfalls a couple hours’ drive from Ngaoundéré. It was an extremely bumpy and dusty road where we past the plateau of Adamawa and rolling hills that cradled a couple villages with only a few huts in them. It was interesting to hear about the history of one mountain where a couple tribes had fought for the land. There are many tribes throughout Cameroon including Fulbe, Mboom, Di, Mbaya, and Hausa in the Adamawa. Some villages have multiple tribes. Cameroon is actually a very diverse country with many religions (Muslim, Christian, Presbyterian, Lutheran), both English and French speaking regions (both religion and languages mostly from being colonized and then being visited by Missionaries) but then they have their many native languages and many different tribes that bring traditions that have blended with what colonization brought to Cameroon. It is no wonder that Cameroon has the problems that it does. So many ways of thinking and other countries’ traditions pushed onto Cameroon. Without the freedom to always choose what you do with your life, especially women, society just blends the laws of colonization and old traditions. I am finding that I need to learn more about the history (the history as it is told here) so that I can wrap my mind around how this place works and how I can work with it.

Shutte de Tello waterfalls

 

As for the changes in Beka-Hosséré, five new baby chicks have been born! Now there are two hens, a rooster and five chicks hanging out in my front yard. When days get stressful, all I have to do is watch the chickens and I am reminded of home.

The hen and her chicks in front of the chicken hut

I will end with some exciting news about my work here. After having some difficulty getting enough participants for the Soy Project, we met with the leader of a very large (and active!) cooperative on the other side of Ngaoundéré. They sent 8 members to participant in the project. That makes 13 participants for the soy project! They were caught up on the introductory session on soy and we just had the business/entrepreneurial session. Recently we submitted the grant proposal to fund the project.

I’m not sure if I have really explained how the soy project works but I had to write up a summary recently, so here it is:

“The Ngaoundéré Soy Project was started January 2014 by PCV, Daniel Giddings. After doing a needs assessment, it was found that the area around Ngaoundéré had poor soil fertility because of the large amount of corn produced (corn depletes nitrogen in soil). Also poor diet diversification is a problem in the Ngaoundéré area. It was concluded that increasing soy production (soy is nitrogen producing) and transformation (making soy milk, tofu) would help with these problems. During the first year of the project there were 12 women farmers that learned how to produce and transform soy. The project was then passed on to PCVs, Renée St. Jacques and Rachel Jennet in November 2014. The project involves the government organizations, IRAD (a Cameroonian agricultural research agency), MINMEESA (Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises), and the Ministry of Agriculture. They help by leading the training sessions and giving in-kind contributions, including the meeting space and the demonstration plot. In January, farmers apply to be in the project, once selected they pay a participation fee which helps cover the cost of the training. The farmers meet each month to learn about soy production and soy transformation. There is a demonstration plot used to teach how to grow soy and make compost. The farmers are given soy seeds to plant at their farms and agents from the Ministry of Agriculture visit the farms to observe the plots and help with problems. By November, the farmers will have learned about soy production and transformation by attending sessions, practicing at the demonstration plot, and cultivating their own soy at their farms. After they finish the program, they give soy seeds from their farm to the seed bank for next year’s group. One of the great outcomes from this project is that the 12 women from the first year enjoyed growing soy so much and made such wonderful friendships by working together, that they started a women’s soy cooperative and are receiving guidance from MINMEESA on how to plan their activities and learn more about soy production.”

Making soy milk, tofu, and bouille

We just had the Soy Transformation session today where the participants learned how to make soy milk, tofu, and bouille (tastes like porridge). Rachel and I had the help of a couple Cameroonian women to teach the session. We found that everybody here has a slightly different way of making tofu and bouille. Also it is important that Cameroonians like the soy products. If it were up to me, I would put not a lot of sugar in the soy milk and not fry the tofu, but I am not the one that will be buying soy products from these participants. Soy is still not a usual food in people’s diets here so we need to make it as sweet and maybe a bit spicy as possible. I was surprised to see the male participants get involved and “get their hands dirty”, but less surprised that there were still some of the men that refused to help make anything and instead sat back and watched. And of course the women served the tofu to the men first. Yet even with the culture showing itself throughout the day, the session was very successful. It took us all day to make the three soy products but I think the participants walked away happy with new knowledge and that is all that matters.

The Soy Project participants after the soy transformation session

 I leave this weekend for a visit to my hometown in the U.S. to be in two weddings and visit family/friends. I am so excited to be going home but also very nervous about seeing home so early in my service. As much as I like Cameroon and the friends I have made here, home is always on my mind. But I still have a lot of work to do. We start preparing the soy demonstration plot and visiting participants’ fields when I get back. And then my friends and I are off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Is this really my life?

Work and the Casual Random Adventures

Breaking news in the Adamawa! The rain has finally arrived!!! There was nothing better than standing outside as the cool drops of water fell on my face washing away the dust and dry season. The rain doesn’t come every day but when it does, it’s a beautiful thunderstorm. Only a few more months and the rain will water the land every day.



Entertainment while washing laundry and writing letters

Even though I feel like I just wrote a blog post, I wanted to share a few stories of my adventures this week. It started out with getting invited to dance in a music video at Lake Tison. A few volunteers have become friends with a famous Cameroonian singer and she wanted her American friends to participate in her music video. Gretchen and I were planning on hiking to Lake Tison anyway to train for Mount Kilimanjaro so why not be in a music video? Of course Cameroonian time played its role and the music video crew were a few hours late but we still had fun hanging out with a bunch of musicians. (Hint: they are just like any musicians in the states: party, drink, and can pick up a guitar and just make up a song). When the cameraman arrived, they dressed us up in costumes (my guy friend had to wear a wrap cloth around his waist and they drew white marking all over him). Thank goodness, my costume was just a green pagne pants and top. We then found out that some Italian friends were going to be at the Ranch (lodge by a lake owned by a Frenchman where people used to hunt) in Dibi (half hour away) so we left afterwards to go spend the night hanging out with some Italians and have a fabulous dinner of Italian food with some fried frog legs on the side. It is weekends like this one that baffle me. They are unexpected and spontaneous but always fun and show me that I may have days where I work and get stressed with not understanding how I can help make things better here, but then Cameroon surprises me with amazing people and crazy experiences.

Relaxing at the Ranch in Dibi

I also was able to attend a “baby shower”. I was told to stop by at Assiatou’s home to see a new baby and I walked into blaring music and a crowded room full of women and babies. The newborn baby was about a week old and sound asleep even though I could hardly hear myself talk. Women were coming in with gifts including pagne, washing tubs, a suitcase, and buckets. They made me sit on the couch and I don’t there was a moment when there wasn’t someone’s baby in my arms. For hours, people just came in, sat and chatted for a while and then left. I tried to make simple conversation in Fulfulde, but it is difficult to understand especially with the loud music. When I finally left, I passed women sitting on mats outside the door and all lined up beside the walls of houses. What a scene to see and an event to experience.

Baby Shower in Beka-Hossere

Those were the events of the week and then there was the work. We had a beekeeping conference in Ngaoundéré for three days. Each volunteer brought a Cameroonian counterpart. I invited my friend and Carl’s landlord, Issa. Issa actually makes beautiful silver jewelry in our village and is quite famous for it throughout Peace Corps Cameroon. We sat in sessions to learn about hive making, cultivating honey, and transforming it into wax candles and soap. We also visited an actual beekeeper in Ngaoundéré which was fun until the bees got a little mad and I found it safer at a distance. I now remember why I never was interested in having bees in the U.S. I start shaking from head to toe when I am around them. Issa on the other hand was so happy to learn and helped the beekeeper. So I figure, I can just help teach villagers about beekeeping and Issa can actually show them. We are going to build our hive on his property this week and hopefully if we build it, bees will come!

Beekeeping Seminar

 
 

Visit to a Beekeeper

Also this week we had our Soy Project Formation for the new participants. This session is when they learn about growing soy and transforming it. The session is taught by a colleague from the local Ministry of Agriculture.  We had it all planned and ready to go when Rachel and I stopped by the place where it was supposed to be held and found out that a Delegate was planning on using the room the next day just like us (even though we booked it before him). Talk about rude along with corrupted government officials. Anyway, we had to call all the participants that night and tell them about the new location. Unfortunately only 4 of the participants showed up at the session although we also had a meeting in the room next to it with the old participants from last year who just formed a cooperative. The meeting with cooperative went really well and we hashed out some problems. My supervisor for Peace Corps was visiting me that day and attended the meeting. I thought he would be disappointed that there were such a small number of new participants, but he was ecstatic to see the new cooperative and told me this kind of project is much bigger than normal for a new volunteer and I shouldn’t stress about it. And of course Cameroon had to surprise me again when the women in the cooperative decided they wanted to visit the President of the Co-Op because she had been sick for a long time. My supervisor and the rest of my counterparts agreed so we ended the day in a small home in a village near by, meeting with the President. Although we are having budgeting problems with having to support two groups (Soy Project and the Cooperative), I feel that this stressful day was worth it just see everyone discussing the problems together. We are working on applying for another grant for the project and hopefully figuring out a way to make it sustainable.

Soy Project Seminar

To top off the week, I met with a farmer in Ngaoundéré and visited his nearby vegetable farm. He has been working with Peace Corps volunteers for years and gosh, his farm shows it! I have never seen so many different kinds of vegetables here before. He has even bought strawberry seeds from France and now has fields full of strawberries! Of course I forgot my camera but he sent me home with a bag full of fruits and vegetables! Including eggplant, parsley, basil, lettuce, celery, beets, leeks, and strawberries! Most farmers here only grow bananas, mangos, potatoes, cassava, and onions. Most days that is what I live on. But tonight it is going to be an awesome dinner! I hope to help the farmer by teaching about soy and business practices. He is interested in transforming soy into soy milk and tofu. Also he really needs to learn about running a business since he sells his product in the Ngaoundéré and Garowa markets. It is so refreshing to meet someone who is motivated to learn and is already successful at what he is doing. His son is helping him sell in the market while attending the nearby University where he studies political science. I asked him what he would like to do after he finishes college and he said he wants to teach. He said many of his friends who get the opportunity to learn like the Americans, go to America or Europe. But he wants to stay in Cameroon and help his community. He actually quoted John F. Kennedy in broken English “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. And he wasn’t just saying this to impress me, he meant it.

Gifts from a local farmer! Strawberries!!

Recently I watched “Blood Diamond” and afterwards walked outside my house a little shaky. It the first movie I had watched in Cameroon where the scenes including the homes and markets look just like where I live. It bothers me more that some of the scenes in that movie are what I expect are happening up north where Boko-Haram is killing innocent people in villages just like mine. I am safe in Ngaoundéré, but let’s not forget about the atrocities happening up north.

On a happier side note, I remember two moments where I laughed a little bit to myself. When we were in a beekeeping session and the lecturer asked if someone had a toothpick (he needed to release honey from the honeycomb). If someone asked that in the U.S., I doubt anyone would have a toothpick, but here, where they are used after every meal, someone had a bunch in her purse. Another difference is with tissues. Tissues are not used here for the nose, but to wipe the sweat off your brow or the schwarma guy wraps it around the meat sandwiches to use as napkins. If you have a stuffy or runny nose here, just snot rocket it into the bushes. I have never tried and to be honest, I don’t think I ever will.

Collaboration, Sharing, Friends, Burgers, and the Beach

After three weeks away from my village, I am finally back in Beka-Hosséré! It was a fun trip visiting Bemenda, Limbé, and Yaoundé. We had our IST Conference (it is always after we have lived 3 months at our post) at a nice hotel in Bemenda with hot showers and cooler temperatures. It was awesome to see my stagemates and share/hear stories about our adventures. Our counterparts from our villages also came to the conference for a few days so we could learn and collaborate together. Everyone shared projects that they had started or were going to start which made us realize that many of us are hitting the same barriers and the best we can do for each other is to share our ideas. Everybody’s post is different. For example those volunteers in Bemenda, they speak English and Pidgin which is difficult but they are not confronting the same problems as some of us who work in French speaking regions. Some people work in cities where they have so much area to cover and others work in small villages where there isn’t even cellphone reception. We all have issues but thank goodness it sounds like a majority of us like our villages and plan to stay the two years.

Stagemates!!

 

Stagemates reunited!

The conference was interesting especially working with my counterpart and discussing our soy project. I had a moment of frustration since I have found that I am torn between working in my village and focusing on projects that are in a variety of villages. I have a unique situation since I am so close to Ngaoundéré so I have more opportunities to work in the city and help the neighboring villages, including mine. I found out that I will be the last agricultural volunteer in my village so I need to use these two years to finish up projects and not start anything too big that won’t be able to sustain itself after I leave. I realized during IST how much my work means to me and my work is the reason I am here. Sure I have met amazing people and seen wonderful new places but my main reason for being here is my work. I think that is the same for many volunteers. We can party and go on adventures, but when we are alone in our villages, it is the work that gets us through the day.

IST Sessions

During IST, we visited a working fish farm and a mushroom training center. It is inspirational to see successful businesses and organizations that improve their community. We also learned about behavioral change and how to help our communities accept new ideas. Even though I was feeling a bit lost about what work I can actually do here, I am grateful for the information given to us during IST.

Fish Farms

 

Mushroom Training Center

 

Packing bags for growing mushrooms

Other than attending sessions, my friends and I danced our way around Bemenda and made up for the time we had been away from each other. I don’t think I could ever forget my stagemates; they are the people I spent my first few months in Cameroon with and the people who I confided in when I was missing home.

Agribusiness & Health Stage at IST

We went to Limbé Beach after the conference and it was my first time experiencing a warm water ocean! Thankfully the hotel rooms had air conditioning and the ocean was close because it was humid! The place very beautiful with the picturesque jungle next to the black sand of the ocean beach. I haven’t felt that clean in 6 months. When we were not in the water, we visited the city of Limbé with eating amazing fish by the water (oil rigs in the distance) and also visiting the local animal conservatory which also has a restaurant with hamburgers. Oh my gosh, how I miss good hamburgers. The animal conservatory saves primates when their parents are killed by hunters. There were gorillas, chimpanzees, drills, and many primates I had never seen before. Some of them were even out past the fences and stealing cracker wrappers off the ground. Hamburgers, beer, gorillas, friends, air conditioning, and the beach equal good vacation.

Fish! (and oil station in background)

 

Limbe Beach

 

Hamburgers!

 

Limbe Creww

 

too cute

 

Animal Conservatory

After leaving Limbé, we made our way back to Yaoundé to catch the train to Ngaoundéré. I spend a few days in the capital city and enjoyed some pizza with friends including going to the local Hilton Hotel for happy hour and some awesome drinks. Looking out onto the city lights from the top floor of the hotel, it felt more like I was in a city in America than in Cameroon. As much as this trip was amazing and fun, I was ready to go back to village when I got on the train. Of course the train broke down early in the morning and we had to sit for a few hours until another engine could be brought to us but hey, it’s Cameroon.

On the top floor of Hilton Hotel with Yaoundé city behind us

 

My view from the train as we came into the Adamawa region

As soon as I got back, we had our St. Addy’s Day party (St. Patrick’s Day party in the Adamawa). Each region is famous for a holiday party and ours just happens to be my favorite (Green!). It was great to meet some new people from other regions and celebrate, but I was definitely partied out after weeks of socializing.

Playing pool just before St Addys day. The Cameroonians were impressed that I beat the Americans :)

Now back to work with the soy project. I am finding out how difficult it is to understand the culture here especially when I don’t realize the differences until after the fact. We have our orientation for the new soy project participants next week and I am realizing how much paperwork I am expected to prepare. Money is always a problem so we are writing another grant proposal for the project. The problem is that the people in charge of this project already have jobs and a lot of work to do. There are a few that are motivated but they need their travel expenses paid and this project takes a lot of time outside of their regular jobs. I just keep thinking about the 32 Board of Directors at my hometown fair in New York that do not get paid to organize the fair. Gosh, after working Cameroon, working in the U.S. will be a breeze.

A few guys came up to me in my village and asked about business classes and agricultural sessions. One of my friends that sells food in the market asked me for money so she could buy tomatoes and then sell them in Beka-Hosséré. Definitely need to teach some business classes. The students are also talking about where they want their garden at the school to be so that is still a possible project. Every day is an adventure and I never know what to expect.

Yesterday, my postmate’s dog went running with me and we passed two dogs fighting over a very large, very dead snake. Today I woke up to my neighbors yelling “goat” in Fulfulde and banging on my door. A goat had gotten into my chicken house, the door had shut behind him and he was proceeding to break the roof while trying to get out. By the way, my chickens are now laying eggs and my cat, Annie, is not scared of me anymore but has learned how to beg for food. Plus I received two amazing packages, one with homemade honey from my friend, Russ and the other with seeds and homemade jam from my friend Serena!

Life isn’t a breeze here, but these are the moments that make me laugh. And then there are moments that make me cry, like when I got a ride back to my village by the Director of Peace Corps Cameroon and as I got out of the car, my neighbor’s kids knocked me over with hugs and kisses, so excited to have me home. Normalcy is now watching movies with them; Hercules in French this week. I had some sadness when I found out my 19 year old cat in the U.S. had died, but I have these other moments of love & acceptance to keep me sane. One day at a time and in the words of my postmate as we rode a mototaxi down a very bumpy, unsafe road: “I think I can, I think I can”.