I forgot to mention in my last post, the names of two huge donors for the Books for Cameroon project. I went straight from the print-out and didn't even think past that. Heartfelt thanks to Bad Axe Junior High and High Schools to all those at Zion Luthern Church in Harbor Beach. You have all played a part in establishing 37 libraries in Cameroon! The BFCTeam could not have done it without your help.

Now that we're talking BFC, I'd like to mention that we had another meeting today. Wendy, Theo, and I met at RIDEV to go over follow-up stuff. We'll be very busy over the next few months organizing library evaluations, volunteers who will execute them, leftover finances, etc, etc. Meeting are going really well. Concerned mostly with getting remaining and soon-to-be arriving volunteers to take over the project. Crossing my fingers it will be easy. Also, today I got to watch a 45-min video of the ceremony!! The tech guy is going to cut out all the speeches and condense it to around 5-min for shorter viewing. Can't wait to share it with you all when I get back!

Off to Bamenda tomorrow morning to teach a training class. Have a good week everyone!

In an effort to catch you up on what’s been going on with me in Cameroon since the Women’s Day festivities I’m going to rely mostly on the blogging efforts of a PCV friend of mine who’s done an excellent job covering them. Special thanks to Wendy for her excellent documentation of the day-to-day book project mishaps that took place during the month of March (they were many), her launching of the project in general, the COS duck feet spectacular, and to her commendable work ethic on putting together the ever necessary COS playlist. ;) Links to each of her posts are included below in text from yours truly. Albums from the past week can be found under BFC , Mt. Cameroon, and COS. Enjoy!

March 9th-17th

OMG BOOKS. Felt like a tornado. Unpredictable, uncontrollable, fly-by events were happening every day. Truthfully the whole period was a big fat question mark. We waited what seemed like forever to finally have a date on when the books could be shipped to Bafoussam. This meant we were on standby every day, and left in charge of notifying all other unloading/sorting team members of the recent developments. Let’s just say $80 in phone credit in one week’s time was easily used up. Thanks to a generous donation from the NGO Books for Africa, from whom we received the books in the first place, we were able to cover additional (and hefty) customs fees incurred for reasons which I’d rather not get into on my blog. Additional thanks to the MTN foundation, MTN is one of the two largest cell phone providers in Cameroon. With their generous donation we obtained the necessary funding to hold the ceremony. Essentially the ceremony was the BFCTeam consisted of inviting over 100 people for food, drink, and merriment; people mind you who really hadn’t done a thing to help with the project up until that point. As silly as that may sound to all of you, I assure you it really was important. Had we not held the ceremony, bridges may have been burned between communities and organizations, grands would have been extremely upset when they saw the books arrive in their village without any fete, and the general public would have had no idea what we’d been up to and where they could locate these libraries. Had we needed to, sure, we could have cut it out; better that we didn’t have to.

THE ULTIMATE OBSTACLE COURSE While for the past year and half I’ve known that when the 26,000 textbooks arrived we’d be in charge of sorting and distributing them, I could never really grasp what that would mean exactly. Well, from March 13th-17th I finally found out. It was A Lot of work. The boxes seemed never ending, the hours dragged before lunch break, my lower back hadn’t been so sore in years, and I’ve never been more tired (or bitter) about looking at books. Still, once it was all over it was an amazing sense of accomplishment. Wendy, Laura, and I represented the BFCTeam. Our Cameroonian hero/go-to guy Herve, his team of unloaders/sorters, and the many Peace Corps Volunteers in the West helped the three of us get it all done in time. Without them it surely would not have been possible. MANY MANY THANKS!

Per the key issue….yeah. Wendy will mention in a subsequent post about me helping her keep “cool” during all the times when she wanted to explode. Well, here’s the day I lost it. The poor nephew of the Chef du Cabinet had to deal with a very frustrated la blanche that day. It was no fault of his own which I made sure to tell him over and over again, still, I let him know (and told him to relay to his uncle) what a fabulous job I thought he did in his post and what a fabulous job I thought he was doing helping us out…which was his JOB. Sometimes even the more passive of people reach their breaking point. That was mine.

March 19th

A CELEBRATION. Which is just as much ours as it is yours. We can never give enough gratitude to all those who helped make this project a reality. To everyone who made a donation towards our Peace Corps Partnership (identifiable individuals from my list: Ann Booms, Bethany Booms, Fadi Maalouf, Gail Pancratz, Jane Loyd, Kari Stroschein, Rich Cook, Tami Schelke), to the MTN foundation and Books for Africa for additional funding, all the kind words/ encouragement, etc. etc etc. You all ROCK! Understanding just how many people are implicated in this project has given me with much need post-COS conference enthusiasm and energy for the lib training classes as well as the drive to putting together the best follow-up program possible. THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU to all!

March 20th-26th

The first few days were spent recovering from the book project, the next few scaling 14,000 feet. That’s right. The tallest mountain in West Africa was conquered par moi! While yes, I was the one who signed up to do it, I couldn’t help but say to the others several times over the course of the three day hike “and we paid to do this!?!” Myself and four other PCV’s were led by a team of porters and one guide. Although steep at times, overall the journey was pretty flat. I think the most difficult part was trying not to fall because of all the rocks created by recent volcanic eruptions.

During the three days we passed through dense forest, open prairies, volcanic craters, long stretches of volcanic rocks, grassland, open savannahs, and at the very bottom, some farmland. We woke up by 5am each day, hiked from 7am-4pm, made dinner by a campfire, gathered river water to be treated, then pitched tents for sleeping. By the end of the third day when our guide was pointing out every vegetable growing on each piece of farmland, my friend just had to stop him, place one hand on his shoulder, and say “we get it already, Cameroon grows a lot of food”. Just a bit tired we were!

March 26th

I made it to a quarter of a century! The morning was marked by COMPLETing the hike, the afternoon was spent on the beaches of Limbe, and dinner included fish, lobster, crab, calamari, and cold Castel at Down Beach. Not bad for 25.

March 28th-April 1

BEGINNING OF AN END. COS is meant to signify our “close-of-service in country and continuation of service in our home country” and honestly, it really felt like that. Conference days were spent going over things like what must be done before we leave, what benefits and job opportunities are available to us in the States, what to expect when we arrive back home, fulfilling goal 3, etc. etc. Free time was spent catching up with fellow stagemates poolside, over dinner, over drinks, at the club….and not necessarily in that order. While most of the sessions don’t apply to future law students, it certainly was an amazing week sharing stories from the past two years, talking about our futures, and most of all relishing in the fact that we were ALL still here! A few girls from our stage put together a slideshows from the past two years which I’d love to share with you when I get back.

April 1st-April 5th

UNDERSTANDING BIG CHAIRS Beach time! As we spent the majority of our time during COS week waking up early and participating in sessions a group of us decided to head to Kribi one last time for some full on R&R. Waking up on Easter day to sunny, 90 degree weather, a gorgeous beach, with absolutely nothing to do left me thinking maybe extending for a third year wouldn’t be so bad. HOWever fast forward one day to sweating it out at the crowed/smelly bus station while waiting 3.5 hours for our bus to leave (we’re talking going through packages of tissue here) left me thinking….maybe not so much. Really excited for those of my friends who will be extending a third year, yet ready to move on to the next chapter myself.

April 6th-Present

Returning back to post has been a rude awakening. No more beach, no more prepared meals, no more PC friends = I’m a bit lost. Not that I’ve been at all unhappy, rather three weeks of vacation was almost two weeks too long. It’s hard getting back into a routine! Starting library management classes has definitely helped. Got through one school’s last week and will finish with three others by the end of the week. Yesterday I was reminded of just how my relationship with others can sometimes affect them. I accompanied some neighbor friends to the market so we could do our shopping. After about 30 minutes some of them next to gave up. All they wanted to do was make their food purchases for the week but simply being seen with me meant sellers expected them to pay a higher price. This ‘special price’ is something I’ve grown accustomed to dealing with over these past two years. However, my neighbor Kat, unaccustomed to the ‘special price’ became so frustrated by it that she went up and gave one of the merchants a good throat lashing. The merchant actually admitted that’s exactly what he was doing and eventually agreed on the right price (all the while looking at me with a big smirk on his face). So while we lost most of battles for the day, I guess we can feel good about having won one. For dinner I used my market purchases to make two large chef salads w/ real Ranch dressing . Even though they usually hate my American cooking, last night’s was a hit.

Almost noon = off to workout, then teach. Stay tuned…..in my next post I should be able to tell you when I’m coming HOME !

Did the day pass by without you knowing it? Quite possible if you're living in the US. While I knew March was recognized as women's month I had no idea until coming to Cameroon that the 8th is in fact our day. Meant as "a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future" , for the most part in tiny villages across Cameroon, the women have turned it into one big party.

Last year the whole celebration was new to me so I celebrated just like every other woman. A new dress, food, and drink. This year I wasn't so game. I really wanted to hold a small event here (nutrition, HIV, etc) to show women that the day should be so more than just a party but the scheduling uncertainty surrounding the book project made putting anything else on the calendar a bit impossible. While I had numerous conversations throughout the week with women who are just as frustrated by the lack of activities that take place, the minute I'd start telling them that THEY should do something (get a group small together, spend time with young girls, etc) the conversation soon drifted off somewhere else. So in the end I didn't beat myself up over not doing something at post (where's the sustainablity in that, right?. In a not-so-bold statement I did (as you can see from the photos) boycott the pagne from this year And before I leave I'll be distributing my various training material amongst PCV's and friends/collegues at post. I'm thinking some stuff will receive post-it notes with a smiley face and the words March 8th.

The march pass

Lunch with my counterpart, neighbors, and friends

I was doing laundry on my porch this afternoon, and look what passed by. I opted not to hold him because (as you can somewhat tell from the photo) he was pretty sick looking. I asked the boy where he got him. He apparently found him in the field over the weekend and just decided to keep him. Hope that works out for both of them.

I’ve made a point since coming to Cameroon to visit each of my good PC friends’ posts. I think it’s really important because while I hear plenty of stories and see lots of pictures, neither do it justice. I like visiting and knowing “so this is how such and such has lived for two years” and the realization that come along with it of how different my experience would have been had it been me. So, when my good friend Connie invited some of us to her post for their cultural festival I figured now was my chance.

My travels took me to a small village the Southwest region called Lewoh. The festival was meant to mark ‘25 years of progress and development in Lewoh. Where are this progress and development was, none of us were quite sure, still the elites of Lewoh were pouring lots of money into the festival to celebrate it. While one or two artists had set up booths to display their work in town, women and children sold food, and one or two dances were performed, it was very clear from the beginning where the focus of this cultural festival lie – in the presence of the Minister of Cultural to Cameroon. No surprise there. And while I’ve been to several cultural festivals in Cameroon, this one was special. I guess the best way to describe it to you: so awesomely bad. I’ve explained of bit of what happened during the ceremony below. I think it’s worth mentioning as well, that during the hour we spent waiting in our chairs leading up to the ceremony, my friend and I were in constant observation/conversation about why the event organizers were running around like crazy and continually yelling at each other. What we concluded: there was a lot of disagreement on the seating chart AND that 90% of what was being done now could have, and more importantly should have, been taken care of days ago. Never a dull moment. Je te dis.

The official ceremony took place in the courtyard of the Fon’s palace. The various pavilions and tents scattered throughout separated the crowds. While it wasn’t just anyone who could enter the palace, all six of us PCV’s showed up just after 12pm and were promptly seated in the front row under one of the tents. The Minister was scheduled to arrive at 11am therefore our arrival just after 12pm meant we only had to wait an hour. Just after the grand entrance of the Minister and her entourage, was when all the disorder started.

A choir from the local high school had ‘one or two minutes’ to perform a welcome song to the minister (quoted parts coming from the head announcer). While they were to ‘make haste’, the kids were haphazardly walking up to the main grandstand, while at the same time still trying to arrange the Cameroonian flag sashes on their uniforms. Once they organized themselves somewhat well enough, they started on their opening song during which the mic was constantly going in and out, and the man holding had no idea exactly where to hold it. After the first song they were told to ‘hurry up and finish’ and at times ‘finish now’ but yet they continued. This exchange continued through their third song, until finally the announcer sent people over to get the choir on their way. The follow-up, baton twirlers, didn’t fare much better - it took a good five minutes to get the right music playing.

After the opening numbers, speeches were given by the Fon and one of his advisors. Cell phones ringing during both caused a lot of problems with the speaker system. While the announcer kept yelling to ‘turn them off!’, he clearly couldn’t get the point across to everyone. Following the speeches and while waiting for the first dance to start, so much more random chaos was created the announcer points a scolding finger at the crowd saying ‘I don’t appreciate all this snickering’ ‘please everyone. Stop this noise’. Really, he was what made my day.

In today’s news I have plenty to share with you. None of which I wish to revisit, but I will for the sake of blogging because I think you might find it interesting. Just after my morning run I rode my bike out to SABSCO. Two minutes into the ride I regretted my decision - I was not in the mood for non-stop deranging. I put up with it and said nothing as I always do, but once I reached the hill just before SABSCO things turned a little different. The hill is a bit tough in the late morning heat, so I usually opt to walk it. However today, just as I hopped off my bike, the group of high school boys walking towards me (who’d already been screaming “la blanche, tu es belle” “mon bébé” “je veut te marier” etc.) decided it might be funny to grab my butt. Yea.…. Three of them at the same time. I was livid! I had no idea if these kids were francophone or Anglophone, so I instantly went off in both languages. Once I figured out they were francophone, the shouting just continued in the one. While this type of behavior is something that certainly warrants a good beating, of course there had to be no other teachers or parents around to do anything about it. A group of my former female students were walking down the hill just behind them and were quick to offer their condolences. “Madame, that’s so villegois” they kept saying. They also attempted to ask one or two boys behind them for the culprits’ identity. Still, I knew and they knew, these other kids weren’t going to tell them in front of the other boys even if they did know. So, much to my dismay the little shitters got away with it.

My meeting with the principal of SABSCO didn’t help my frustration level any. While I taught at their school for a year and have worked with the kids and teachers on various projects since, that does not give them special privileges concerning the book project (as they think it does). Not completing their library room on time, not handing in their money on time, not sending enough representatives to the first meeting, and not really expressing appreciation for the work that is being done = Not OK. Really, the majority of all my frustration lies with the principal. As I explained to him today, (in a semi-awkward exchange between a 50 year old and a 24 year old) if I don’t see a change in his ‘leadership’ soon, SABSCO will not be receiving any books. A back and forth exchange went on for quite a while; his only real argument being “but you’re our Kate”. True I said, but absolutely 100% irrelevant to this project. We left it with him handing over the 30.000fcfa to me, a promise that the library room will be finished by next Friday, and that he would call a staff meeting to sensitize all staff about the books.

On a not so angry note, I managed to make contact today with our point person from the American Embassy in Douala. The books are here!!! He had yet to review the necessary documents, but we’ll hopefully have them on their way to Bafoussam by the end of the week. Tomorrow it’s off to Bafoussam. Theo, Wendy, and I will be meeting with the new governor of the West Region to sort out some logistics. We’ll hopefully have a better idea as to what’s going to happen with the ceremony. Will also being doing some shopping around to figure out what we’ll be doing with the shelf list cards for all libraries. Can you believe that a pack of 100 index cards costs over 10.00 here!? Crazy, I know. Considering that we’ll need about 20.000 cards, I need to price out Plan B stat.

Some pics from the fete....

Successful work day today, which has left me feeling rejuvenated with the Book for Cameroon project. For awhile now it has been slow moving, but in the next few weeks its going to pick up really fast.

The morning started off with a meeting a RIDEV (website here) between Theo, Wendy, Herve and I. Herve agreed to help move some of the 500+ boxes that will arrive last week, and in addition, he’ll take care of finding a group of his friends to help. Theo, Wendy, and I tried our best to get a handle on when exactly the books would arrive in Douala, what transport company was going to be responsible for the transport of the books from Douala to Bafoussam, how the dispatch procedure would be executed, and (if financially possible) were we going to carry hold a large ceremony in Bafoussam. Our current answer to each of the following questions: ?, ?, ?

Given that the 26.000 books should be arriving at the port in Douala tomorrow, you may be thinking to yourself are these people a.) crazy b.) at all worried or c.) flat out disorganized In fact however, we’re d.) right on schedule for Cameroon. While it certainly would be nice to have a more definitive answer for one or two things on our list, I’m positive everything will work itself out. As Cameroonians love to say (and Wendy I hope you’re reading this!) “Ca va aller”. Non-direct translation, “It’s going to work”.

In the afternoon I held the second of my Pre-Training meetings. I did the first on Tuesday with my schools in Foumbot. Senioritis has been hitting me recently, and while I didn’t prepare that much, everything went well. I made a self-evaluation of that meeting, and changed a few things around for today. This meeting went a lot better. It helped that Theo was there to add additional commentary on the goals and community involvement in the project. It was also great to have the proprietor of the schools present. As the former Minister of Education for all of Cameroon, it was really a treat to have him even present. His energy for the project is amazing and he made several mentions of gratitude to our team and the people outside of Cameroon who have helped in bringing the project to where it is today. While I by no means expect thanks to be showered upon us, it’s nice to hear them say that they are. To me, it shows they understand that this project is about more than free books arriving at their doorstep. The books are coming with reason and expectation. Don’t worry, we’ll be watching to see how our libraries do!

On another note, I forgot to showcase my winners from a writing competition I held a few months back. While the GYD/HIV committee that I’m on had intended on continuing to publish our bi-annual newsletter, we decided after the last meeting that it was more effort than probably worth. We went ahead and scrapped it, however it was too late for me to take back my promise to my former students at SABSCO. I told the kids that anyone who wrote a poem, short story, etc. might have the opportunity to see it published in the “Kids Korner” of our journal. In addition, they would receive a copy of the newsletter themselves and an American bon bon (loud cheers here, because they did). Unfortunately, all grocery stores in Bafoussam stopped carrying Snickers, Twix, and M&M’s the week that I needed them. Still, my three winners were quite pleased with their prizes. While I filmed them receipting their poems in front of the class, you’ll have to settle for the following photo of two out of my three winners.

Since returning home from Cameroon, my Dad has kept fairly busy sharing photos and stories about his time in Cameroon. I in the meantime, have been sharing with you a series of emails that my dad wrote to family and friends during his visit. Based on a Skype chat last night with the fam, it appears that Rich Cook has stepped up his game a bit.

We come from a very small town in Michigan, where, for a lot of people, my dad may be one of the first amongst their friends or family who has actually visited ‘Africa’. While I’m sure he anticipated some interest from close family and friends, several people have expressed a strong interest. They’ve been asking what he saw, what he experienced, what he thought, ate, etc. In sharing his stories and pictures with friends, he’s also managed to generate some interest from local schools and clubs. He’s actually been asked to come in and give a small speech about his trip. It seems everyone wants to know more!

I of course couldn’t be more thrilled about what he’s doing. While I get to take part in Goal 1 of the Peace Corps (the technical part), he’s self-handily been working out Goals 2 & 3 (promoting a better understanding of Americans by other peoples, promoting a better understanding of other people’s by Americans). I think it’s amazing that he could come over and experience Cameroon for himself, and even better that he’s been asked, and willing, to share with others his opinions. Africa is not just what you see on TV folks! While his experiences were limited to a whirlwind two-week stay in the Roon’, it’s important to note that from Day 1 he was thrown right in with your average day citizens. Outside of an occasional extra car seat purchase and our stay at the Hilton in the final days (where even he remarked “sitting here poolside, you would never know what awaits you outside”), he received no special treatment. The people he met and all that he experienced were very real.

Below you’ll find the last of the five part series. I figured the timing couldn’t be more appropriate- he kicks off his ‘tour’ with a talk tonight at the local Lions Club. Monsieur Cook if you’re reading this - consider it a refresher course for tonight. Bonne chance, du courage, & DON’T forget to wear your shirt!

It is sat at 11am. We have just finished cleaning the house, after Kate’s big Xmas Eve party the floor was a complete disaster. When I say we, I mean 5 or 6 neighborhood kids came btw the age of 3 and 6, and I have never seen more hard working children in my life—no supervision, no pay and yet at that age the work they will perform is astounding.

I should comment on the behavior of the children here which is quite remarkable-they are so well behaved and well mannered its unreal to watch. Adults eat first always and no matter how long dinner takes not on complaint, not one bit of fussiness, just total respect and never a complaint, from toddlers to teenagers.

Some of those kids behaving oh so well

Not to say that the streets here are not complete without assholes. Many tiny bars and much drinking all day long and especially at night. Considering the extreme poverty, and a bottle of beer costing $1.oo, I am not sure where the $$ come from, but last night we were escorted to moto stand by Kate’s friend and nighttime by bars is wild.

We visited three homes of Kate’s friends in the afternoon. Took my first moto ride. These people live in slums that would make 6 mile and van dyke look like Beverly Hills, and yet the hospitality and food they prepared for us was most impressive. At one home they had place mats, silverware and even a small bottle of Champagne (cannot image what that cost in Cameroon), meal complete with fish, chicken and rabbit, salad, rice and other Cameroonian dishes. Guests are expected to eat at each place,, which yours truly of course did.

They were so appreciative of me being there, that is almost embarrassing, the thanks they shower on me, these are just a few of the people in this area that speak English, and I had long conversation with a high school econ. Teacher.

Dinner #3 at the Petchup's house

I have learned real quick that OBAMA is very popular and even this conservative republican has at least temporarily, become a staunch democrat!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We leave shortly for a lake that Kate says is beautiful, will visit her tailor to get fitted for a new African shirt and will be joining her next door neighbor this eve. Dinner.

Hope all enjoyed Christmas

Rich

A bit of commentary by Kate:

Floor washing: It’s like my cooking habits as of late – Out-of-control. While I often take charge of my own housework, whenever I have asked the kids to be of help, they do so and without any complaint. Lately however, it seems I can’t get them to stop asking to wash the floor or get me water (even when it’s running!). They literally fight each other for my floor scrubbers and scrap towels, all the while jumping up and down in front of my face yelling and pleading their case as to why they can wash my floor the best. I think a lot of this newfound enthusiasm stems from the fact that the other week they were the recipients of one my cakes. Too add to it, the fact that I took it fresh from the ‘oven’, without even cutting a piece, and divided it up between them….I’m pretty sure these kids have never been the recipient of such a thing. While they’ll have to wait awhile for round II on the cake escapade, I’m really enjoying their volunteering for a volunteer.

Bars: Yes, it is surprising, and stupid really, that with such a high level of poverty here they manage to spend so much on alcohol. On average, a Cameroonian drinks two beers a day. I use the beer example, whenever I talk about saving and budgeting in my business class. During both cycles that I did, people’s reaction was the same. When you do the math on the board on how much money one could save in a years time by not buying those two beers a day, they’re eyes go wide. When you tell them that’s the same price of brand new moto, they start shaking their heads and laughing, as if to tell themselves their silly. Should I make it back to Cameroon in the near future, seeing bars open by 9am with a steady base of cliental is something I hope to not see.

Honor: Having me here is a thing of novelty to them, having my Dad here was a novelty and an honor. In general Cameroonians are unbelievably welcoming people, and my friends pulled out all the stops for my Dad. Champagne and nice bottles of wine, those things do not come cheap here. Even while eating our first (of four) meals on Christmas day, my friend called for the third time already that day wanting to get an exact time on when we thought we could make it. It seems they were holding the champagne toast (and the start of the meal) in my Dad’s honor. I can only hope that someday I’ll be able to return the favor to one or two of them in the States.

Champage toast at with Justins' family

OBAMA: I’ve talked about this a few times. He’s verrrry popular here. Not necessarily because people understand his policies or his background, but simply because he’s “their brother”. One of my personal favorites is all the Obama paraphernalia I see around. Yesterday, a woman came to the clinic across the street wearing an excellent t-shirt. Obama’s trademark watermelon smile was magnified x20 and on the top read Barack Obama: President of USA. I already have one or two people in mind, who will be gifted one when I get back.

First off: Happy belated Valentine’s Day everyone! Hope your day was great! My original Vday plan au Cameroon to bake a red velvet cake and fry onion rings was postponed when Wendy and mine’s friend called to say she’d be in Foumbot sometime after 12pm, rather than before 10am. It worked out for the better actually – she was late because she spent all morning making us a heart shaped cake! The three of us ladies + one Mr. Petchup spent the afternoon sharing food, drinks, and laughs. In the later part of the afternoon/evening Wendy and I switched holidays (funny how that was possible this year). Our Chinese friends invited us for dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Unfortunately our older Chinese friend was working out of town and couldn’t be there; still, younger Chinese guy, after three glasses of Chinese liquor that resembled water, was hilarious enough for the both of them. It’s amazing when people’s English vocabulary comes only from what they see in films. More than likely whatever their saying never applies to the conversation, but its randomness only adds to it.

On Monday morning I was the proud recipient of six penis models and boxes of condoms (the ladies at the cyber café where I picked up the pkg got quit a kick out of it). The ‘prizes’ were given by the GYD/HIV committee to volunteers in the West region for having the most volunteer participation for World Aids Day. Here’s how we did it.

Thanks to a generous donation from Zion Lutheran Church, in Harbor Beach, MI I’ve had extra money on hand to finance small projects in my community. As a member of the GYD/HIV committee, I wanted to make sure volunteers in the West had a way to participate in WAD in the event they didn’t have time to plan anything themselves. I sent an email out to volunteers and notified students at my old school. In less than a weeks’ time I had eight volunteers and 108 kids signed up to participate!

While World Aids Day is officially December 1st, we opted to hold the event on Saturday the 5th to give us more time with the kids. In total 97 students showed up and the majority stayed the entire time! We divided the students into two groups based on age. During the morning sessions we talked about HIV/AIDS (biology of the virus, modes of transmission, prevention, and how to live healthfully with the virus). We spent a lot of time talking about abstinence, but just before lunch condom demonstrations were given. While the intention of breaking the groups up by age was to do condom demonstrations with only the older students and not the younger ones, we were told by the administration to go ahead with them anyways for both age groups. While I’m sure many parents in the US would have throw a fit knowing that their 10 year old learned how to use a condom at school, I actually felt quite comfortable showing them. In a country where children are married by the age of 13 or 14 (some of our students that day were already married) and where HIV/AIDS is still such a problem, I’m all for education, education, education.

In an effort not to lose them after lunch, afternoon sessions moved into a discussion on behavior change and how to deal with peer pressure. Both topics could be easily tied in with HIV/AIDS and the sessions ended up being particularly interesting for me - it was apparent for many children that this was the first time they had talked about these issues. They found each other’s responses on ‘how to combat this peer pressure scenario’ quite funny, + they appreciated the candy that came with volunteering. Thanks to the awesome people at Foster Swift we were able to raffle off a few prizes at the end to reward the kids for their outstanding behavior. Honestly, with inviting my PCV friends and all, I was very nervous about how the kids would behave (if you’ve ever seen a classroom in Cameroon you’d understand why) but they really did do great.

No surprise here, since the WAD event on the 5th the students and teachers at SABSCO have been begging us to come back. With each PCV busy working on projects in their own village, it might be hard to get such a large turnout again. Still, hopefully something will work out. To all PCV participants, many thanks! I couldn’t have done it without you. To all those in the US who gave, many thanks! This project wouldn’t have happened without you.

Kate Cook with her teaching cap on

Alec doing condom demos

Group shot

Check out what the chefs were up to yesterday. After spending the morning/afternoon working on cake and the main meal, we went on to make jus de folerae in the evening. They sell the homemade juice lots of places here – and my neighbor has recently started selling it. As expected, the Senegalese rice (Cameroonian style) was the similar but different than the rice Senegalese prepared by someone actually from Senegal. While it was good, the meal we had yesterday was very similar to the different dishes I’ve had here. What Joe’s Senegalese friend made for us was more authentic and delicious! It added to the authenticity that Joe’s friend had no furniture to speak of, so dinner was served on the floor with two shared plates, everyone with their own fork and spoon. Pics to compare the two.

The birthday boy and a friend

Topping for the rice (which was just plain with tomatoe sauce)

Making jus de folerae

Dinner in Kentzou

Yuummm

So, how did it go you ask? Sadly, I wouldn’t know, I missed the whole thing! My plan to leave the house just after 12pm so that I could sit through two hours of the march pass and not four completely backfired on me. I was operating on Cook time as usual so I didn’t leave the house until 1pm. While walking into town I passed a lot of kids already walking back to their houses and by the time I reached town I saw maybe two groups pass the tribune (where all the elites sit) and that was it! Apparently, it started on time this year?? Shocking.

I ended up spending a few hours with my tailor friend in town. People were coming in and out of her shop as they normally do. This time though, everyone was wishing everyone ‘bon fete’, and a lot of fCFA ($$$) was being thrown around buying drinks and grilled fish at the neighboring bar. The only pictures I can offer you are from the after-party with the teachers of SABSCO. You’ll notice the matching they’re all wearing. They have these specially made each year – almost every school does it. I spent a few hours with them as well during the later part of the afternoon. Always interesting to see how your colleagues behave outside of work. Yesterday, it was bit scary. Cheating on one’s spouse is not considered as big of deal as it is in the States. Yeahhh….

I cancelled all the work I had to do today this morning. Most of it had to do with local schools, and I figured (rightfully so) that no one would show up to class. After my neighbor had it out over the water bill the other day with our landlords nephew, I decided to get curious. I visited our water company this morning asking for the bills from all of 2009. As it turns out they weren’t overcharging us as much as we thought, but every month they’re definitely not paying their part. For myself and the other two ladies who live here, the difference is paying around $4.00 a month for running water as opposed to $3.00. Still, they’re as mad as can be about it and for me it’s the principal, so we’re not going to let it go. They’ll be paying their part next month and I’m reminded of yet another thing I won’t miss about Cameroon – everyone cheating everyone All-the-Time.

This afternoon I’ve been helping my neighbor make food for her “husbands” birthday. I showed her how to make a basic chocolate cake this morning; she’s spent the past two hours showing me how to make Senegalese rice (a mixture of rice, beef, fish, cabbage, carrots, green beans, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes). I’ve had it once before when it was prepared by someone actually from Senegal. While I expect it to be similar, I’m sure they’ll be a bit of Cameroonian twist on it. Maybe a ¼ cup more oil on my plate? Quite possible. Will be sure to fill ya in tmw.

SABSCO teachers

Mr. Petchup smiling big!

Come and see teachers enjoy life (CASTEL). You can see many sitting on the table. Remember them Dad?? :)

Hello all! I’m officially back the world of technology this week. A minor mishap with my computer during my Dad’s visit (picture: laptop flying off a motorcycle!) Thankfully, after some quick repairs aux Etats-Unis I’m back in business. While there still rests one post from my Dad’s travel adventures, I’m going to take the time now to fill you on the upcoming blog ‘program’ and the events here in Foumbot today.

First off, the blog program is: you can except a lot more updates in 2010! I realize I got pretty lazy about it for some time. I believe I have a good four months to fill you in on, and lucky for you I finished my trimester report last night so all is fresh in my mind. Future updates will be a mixture of the old and the new. While my photos are scattered everywhere (you don’t even want to know my electronic woes), I’m positive I can find at least a few pics from each of the events.

Today, is the Fete de la jeuensse (Youth Day) here in Cameroon. While last year I made it to town around 10:30am so I wouldn’t miss anything, marched in the parade for good cultural integration, and stayed out with the teachers for rounds of beers and grilled fish, this year…not so much. It’s currently noon and I’m still in my pajamas at my house. Yes, I will be leaving shortly mind you and while I won’t be marching I will get to see the last two hours of a 4 hour parade and I may join some of the SABSCO teachers for the after party. To get an idea of what the kids, teachers, and parade might look like I’ve included some pics from Youth Day 2009. Fill ya in with the details from 10’ when I get back…

Arrived at Kate’s house last night at 9pm, expected to get here a 7pm—imagine the travel difficulties

I mentioned that we were at this house for a celebration of Kate’s PC friend who was getting a high honor, well while there directly across the room from us was man who looked very familiar, and as we left I made a point meeting him--the next day we get in a car to take an hour drive to a town, and he was the next passenger to get in, spoke a lot on the way and he invited us to tree lighting ceremony to be held that eve, at home of john fru ndi. Did not remember but back in the mid 90s he ran for president of Cameroon and won, but current president had a recount, rigged the vote count and then he was declared winner, a couple of years of unrest and riots ensued. While we expected to sit outside and watch him plug in a Xmas tree, our friend picked us up in cab and when we arrived we were led through a large banquet hall filled with people, then past areas reserved for delegates and VIPs to a dining area with approximately 20 people, they brought in chairs for us and we ate with some very wealthy, very high public officials of the opposition party. Dinner was followed with much dancing and celebration. When time to leave were put in his private car {land rover = Limo over here} and taken home. I have told some of Kate’s friends about being there and they ask if I actually saw him, a lot of disbelief appears when I tell them we sat and dined with him.

Yesterday we traveled to a town for a funeral of Kate’s principle mother who was murdered, due to a land dispute. First we toured a local palace, sat at bar with several of Kate’s teaching friends will church service was going on. We then walked up hill to her home where they buried her about 5 feet from her home. Four young guys who throw about 6 inches of dirt in the grave and them 5 guys jump down in grave and stomp dirt to a drum beat to pack soil--they want all dirt to be replaced. This took about 2 hrs, all the while a group of ladies sang and chanted-one woman charged the grave sight screaming and wailing, was held back by young men, fell to ground, got very dirty in soil, but continued to wail for quite some time. Before we left they fed us with a traditional African meal--tried many diff foods.

The left for Kate’s home and ran into very bad traffic and it was a nightmare getting here-but sure slept good.

all for now

rich

Travel difficulties- Difficle indeed. In almost a year and a half in Cameroon I can remember being stuck in traffic on maybe two occasions. During my dad’s visit, I was stuck in a traffic at least four-five times. No doubt this was largely due to the fact that we were traveling during the holiday season. Still, it made a few travel days a lot more inconvenient than they needed to be. Had everything gone as it should have, we should have been able to leave the funeral around 2pm, leave Bamenda by 4pm, and then reach Foumbot by 7pm. Instead, we sat in traffic for at least two hours in downtown Bamenda, the gare that day was particularly stressful, and the driver of our car from Bafoussam to Foumbot, angry about having to pay another bribe, just drove off from the toll booth station. Too bad he did so before the worker pulled away the spike road blocker. 30 minutes later after a quick tire change, we were back on the road again.

Ni John Fru Ndi – Ummm yeah. Yet another example of why it’ great to be a foreigner in Africa. A brief, chance meeting and you receive a VIP invitation to a party with an already strict invite list. While I probably should have known better, I too thought the “tree lighting ceremony” would be just that. John Fru Ndi lighting a Christmas tree in the center of downtown Bamenda. I didn’t hesitate to make dinner plans with a group of PCV’s at one of our favorite restaurants, nor did I think to change out of my jeans or tell my dad to change his shorts. When Tampali picked us up from the restaurant in a three piece suit and taxi driver dropped us off in front of a gated mansion, I quickly realized my errors. Not that it really mattered, we were going to be thrown center stage regardless.

The party turned out to be a lot of fun. My dad (who hates dancing mind you) was dancing song after song with a middle-aged lady who was out of control on the dance floor. I couldn’t stop laughing and taking pictures. A few minutes after their dancing seized a friend of the woman came up to be and says “I’m so sorry Miss. I just had to pull my friend away from your father. She was going to kill him!” Really glad I got that on film. ☺ For more info on our host visit http://www.sdfparty.org/english/people/78.php

Funeral- Was in fact for my principals mother. She was the victim of a tragic incident. The principal of my school in Foumbot comes from a small village in the Northwest Region. As is common with elder sons who move away from village, they keep one or two homes there for their mother, father, wife, etc. to stay in. During the Fall my principal got into a dispute over title with a man from his village. The man claimed that my principal’s second house (in which he’d been living) was actually his. After being evicted from the home the man decided to take revenge on my principal. While it was my principal he was after that night, he entered the home and found his mother instead. The man brutally beat and shot her, then set the house on fire as he left. This sort of extreme crime is very rare here. His mother spent the next four months in a coma, but died during the second week of December. The man is still on the run but they are thankfully closing in on his whereabouts.

It is noon Christmas day here and we just returned from mass at a catholic church the size of Sacred Heart in BA. Service was very much like ours except more singing and hand clapping. All in French so the sermon seemed to take forever. Service lasted 2hrs, but I very much enjoyed it. Will never complain again about long mass.

20 minutes into service, ushers placed 5 chairs on alter—in walked very large African and what I think were 4 bodyguards and sat there-with15 minutes to go they got up and left and the priest thanked them for coming—stark reminder of various classes here and how privilege sets people apart.

Yesterday was spent shopping for food at outdoor market for x-mas eve dinner hosted by kate –went with neighbor blanche, market is sheer madhouse, but Kate knows some of the vendors and if we spent 3 hrs, every 10 minutes someone greeted her that she knew’

Purchased two large chickens-the size aunt Maryann raised for dinner. As promised Kate got the knife and with help of Cameroonian friends holding the birds Kate did the honors—not even spooked when blood starts flying. I was surprised that they do not sever the head completely, until I found out they eat it too, and the entire leg’---they were sure surprised that this old Huron county farm boy knew how to clean and cut up bird.

I spent a much time cleaning veggies and kate make various spinach and veg dips. About 25 adults arrived for dinner and were reluctant to try kates stuff-her neighbor a cooked birds rice and I cooked about 20 pds of French fries==after they finished ther traditional foods they finally dove into veg and dip---some liked others not so much.

The first 3-4 days were spent in east province, which speak English-here all French, nice to be at kates and meet friends but cannot communicate’

A friend gave kate a fridge yesterday which really helped in this heat-had my first cold beer-what a treat, I will try to bring 2 home to celebrate jonathans 21st. We ran into kates landlord 2 days ago, seeing me he was again assured Kate that he would be right over to hook up her stool and sink---to show you how much muslin- influence there is in theis region, it is Christmas day and they are finally here after a year of promised to put in drain field.

We are invited to at least 5 homes today for dinner and we are expected to eat at veryone-think I will start diet as soon as arrival in states.

I should note that today in church they HAD A HUGE children’s procession up to the nativity seen-as they enterd the church from the courtyard they would see me and the stares we very comical to watch—I would not be surprised if I am the first middle aged white man they have ever seen—they look at me like they have seen a ghost.

Soccer is king over here-I have not seen a baseball, basketball or football, but soccer{they call it football}wildly POPULAR

GOT TO GO MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL YOU GUYS

Christmas mass: 2 hour mass he says? That’s nothing. Actually it is somewhat unusual for Mission Catholic; they’re pretty good at keeping it to just over an hour. I go to the Presbyterian church in town from time to time. While mass starts at 9am, every time I go I know not to have anything planned before 12pm. I still know where I’ll be then. I’ve been kind of bold about it a time or two. Some friends wanted me there for their induction (which I swear they do them every other weekend anyways). I decided it was OK to show up at ten, take some pics, and skip out by 11am. They just tease me about it a bit - Father Jack would have thrown a fit!

The people who came and went were in fact the chief of my village and his four bodyguards. I was quite surprised to see them there actually – they’re all practicing Muslims. They arrived 1 hour after the service and left just before communion. When they got up to leave the pastor did in fact thank them for coming. Social classes are very much alive here!

Market: shopping on for x-mas eve dinner was kind of fun. No doubt that’s by far the most food I’ve bought in one trip. Usually they know exactly what I’m there for – eggs, eggs, and more eggs. I’ve been meaning to take pictures of my market since I arrived there. I never did because I didn’t want to seem intrusive. I took advantage of my dad being here as my excuse to do it. Turns out, I guess I didn’t have to be - ‘market mommies’’ were lining up to get there picture taken.

X-mas eve massacre: That’s right, I got them both. While the original plan was for me to do the first one and my dad the second, he got no such chance. The kids took care of the worst part really – entering the outdoor kitchen to catch them. I was standing outside the door listening to them squabble and run around while the nbr boy was trying to catch him. While it took him all of two minutes I’m pretty sure it would have been a vegetarian dinner had that part been left up to me. Slitting the throat was easy enough I guess. The blood all went in the opposite direction too so really it was a pretty clean deal.

Rich spent all afternoon doing what he does best – appetizers. While I’m sure there were some very sad people in Michigan, feeling lost w/o their ham rollup/bac-o-nut/stuffed mushroom trio, I can tell you my neighbor Catherine was very appreciative of the Ranch dressing and spinach dip. The others……not so much…and in typical Cameroonian fashion they first refused to try them and then proceeded to tell us how much they disliked them after they did. Right….because couscous is so awesome!

Correction: The first three days were actually spent in the NorthWest region (not the East as was mentioned). The Northwest is one of two Anglophone regions here so my dad was able to communicate on his own with everyone. I warned him about speaking normally and not being understood. By day two he was a special” English expert. The secret he said: do not use contractions. By the time we reached Foumbot I was in translator mode. I had somewhat of an idea of what to expect. I’m used to having discussions with Wendy about doing it – she always has to when were with the Chinese. Sure enough I did a lot of what she does: look at the French speaker and speak English, look at the English speaker and speak French. I would get caught up in conversation in French, catch a glimpse of my poor dad just sitting there, and realize I forgot what I was suppose to be doing.

Castel beer: My dad was So excited to drink his “coldest beer yet in country”. I took a sip and realized I forgot how cold beer actually came. I’m so used to drinking warm beer here that to be honest, I didn’t even like it. Joe Cook: what did you think about the bday present???

Xmas day was eating, and more eating, and more eating. I really thought I’d get away with saying no to a plate because I knew all of them so well. No such luck. I think maybe because my dad was there I had to eat at them all too. Was way too full, but it was lots of fun!

Soccer is their life over here. I was actually at the bar yesterday watching the Cameroon v Gabon match. It was the first time I saw Cameroon lose actually. After the game one of the guys I was with was being really funny about it. He just kept repeating: “So many people who aren’t going to get any sleep now tonight” and “so many more that are going to have nightmares”. J

As promised, more from my Dad about his travels. This time I've posted some of my own commentary on the bottom to give more background on the people we met or the places we visited. Where are all the pictures you might ask? Coming! I'm currently experiencing yet another tech problem in the cameroon. We took a ton - just have to be patient for a few weeks.

Email 2:

Back to Kate’s house after traveling to Bafoussam to meet a friend of hers – they met during her first 3 months here with and Kate recently attended her wedding (which lasted all Night). Adela and her husband jean were terrific people. We spent 3 hrs at a bar/ restaurant with them. PCV Wendy Lee joined us.

Bafoussam is huge! The traffic and vehicular is truly amazing-nothing short of organized chaos. In a town of over 1 million people there’s not one traffic light or stop sign. If think if I hear one more horn honk, I will commit hari-kari!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, I truly expected the population to be more diverse, but I would guess that I saw well over a hundred thousand people and Kate was the only white person I saw.

I have met many of Kate’s neighbors that live close and I can truly sense that they very smitten by her. The kids absolutely flock to her and the adults keep stopping by. We actually walked in opposite direction when we left her home today, as “to avoid lots of people you have not met yet”.

We will go to market tomorrow to buy groceries for Xmas eve dinner. Two live chickens still must be purchased for the main entrée. Kate still claims that with my help she will send them to the happy roosting area in the sky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will give photos of this sacrifice to the African gods.

We missed her friend “China man” while in Bafoussam, but plans have been made to spent Sunday eve with him for Chinese din din

Got to go Happy holidays to all

THE BIG KAHHUNA

First off, I have to relate to you a story about "Bafoussam". Dad, don't hate me.

To say the very least, pronunciation of the names of African villages was not my dad's forte. I had some pretty good laughs whenever I would overhear him telling my fellow PCV's where we had been and what we had done. Day 3 of his trip, I was mid-nap on the living room couch when I heard him get up from his, walk into the living room, and then start to talk with some of my friends. Reluctant to get up yet, I simply listened as he ran-through all of what we had seen and done so far between his arrival Yaounde to our time in the NorthWest. I simply listened and chuckled to myself as he murdered the name every village in his story. However, at the point where "Bafoussam" turned into "Botswana", I had to roll over and do something about it. My friends got a good laugh out of that one, my dad's face turned a little rouge. :) As it turned out, he was a fast learner. By day 8, he could tell me in what villages and regions we had already been.

The woman we met in Bafoussam, Adela, is the owner of the cyber cafe I was assigned to work with during my first three months of stage in Bangangte. While I was only in Bangangte for the first three months of my service, Adela and I have remained good friends ever since. I try to visit her about once every three months. During one of my visits she taught me how to make couscous, and then proceeded to make me eat more of it than I ever have in my life. For anyone who's ever tried African style couscous, it's not something you need seconds of. On top of it she made me put down legumes, 30 ounces of beer, and a class of wine. "Kate you never eat" she kept saying. To that: Ahh Adela, I most certainly do, I just try to not reach the point of my stomach wanting to explode. It was all good fun really - until the very greasy three egg omelet was brought out first thing in next the morning.

Traffic signals and stop signs are extremely rare even in Yaounde and Douala. Also, should you happen to see one take a second to watch the traffic - no one pays attention to it anyways.

White people there are not in Africa. Honestly, if it's me sitting around a table with other PCV's someone points them out and then we all just stare. If it's a member of the opposite sex, we stare a lot longer. If if with Cameroonian's, they will always point them out saying "see, your sister" Really, it's possible to see quite a few when visiting Yaounde or Douala, but by this I mean maybe 10-15 per day when you've already seen 600,000 Cameroonians. Check out an older post of mine if you'd like to hear more. http://www.kateincameroon.com/2009/03/bspears.html

The part about my neighbors -- ahhh, thanks dad! Still, it has a lot to do with me being a novelty.

Both chickens, done like dinner. Yeah baby!!!

Hello to all my faithful readers! I can say that, because if you're reading this now I know you keep coming back. Its been...ahh 3 months :( since I've last posted anything about my time here in Cameroon. For that, I am truly sorry. The ironic part of it all - 3 months ago I had internet installed at my house. Yikes! I guess I should own up to the honest truth: I check my gmail account every morning, think to myself "wow it was great to hear from that person", then proceed to close out of my inbox, and that person is lucky to get a reply within three weeks time.

SO what I'm vowing to do from now until the end of my service -- keep you in the KNOW.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to welcome a visitor to Cameroon! Rich Cook spent a total of two weeks travelling the country with me - and to think I wasn't even sure I'd get him past baggage check! Welcoming a visitor is something that every volunteer hopes for. We get to share Cameroon with someone close to us; more importantly, someone can relate to all our strange stories when we get home! If I can say one thing about my Dad's time here it would have to be that he was an excellent sport. While sometimes I would catch a nervous stare or that of disbelief, I never once heard a complaint. Even after a "ball busting" moto ride to Lac Mystic (more on that later). While visiting it seems he picked up the spirit of blogging. I've decided that to get this blog posting in 2010 started, I'd share with you all his mass emails to family and friends. I'll introduce them in series. You get one for today - another when I get back from Rumziki in a few days. Really quick before I leave for the bus station - I want let you know that I'm currently on a tour of the North and Extreme North regions. Talk about a different part of the country! I this before coming up - that the Grand North would feel totally different- but I guess you can't really understand it until you've been here. I feel as if I've been transported into a completely different african country (Botswana maybe dad????) and that I'm finally seeing it Africa as it was before people came pouring in. More on my travel opinions later - for now, here's Rich Cook....

Email 1:

Went to 50th anniversary party of a chief yesterday, saw lots of dancing plus the organizer of event took us under his wing and we had front row seating, he led us through throngs of Cameroonians to stand very close to the chief. He has had a total of 80 wives but down to 40 now - did not meet any of the lovelies though. after the event we had a couple of beers with friends-warm-no power on Sundays, and then went to the home of one of the people who was honored at the festival with a very high award--they were all dressed in traditional bright African dress and we walked in with t-shirts and cargo shorts. But the host greeted us and insisted that we eat first-felt awkward but they have traditions that guests get special treatment- and being they only white people there we were easy to spot.!!!!!!!!

I guess I was expecting to see a more mixed race here, but both Yaoundé and the city we are in now, Bamenda, have more than a million people and I have only seen about 3 other white folk.

The poverty is what strikes you the most – and still right now we are in the wealthy part of a town with a million plus and our accommodations are modest at best.

Well all for now will leave tomorrow to another town where we are to attend a funeral-which is quite festive in Africa.

Found a beer I like for $1.00, but always warm.

To my girls at UTA, if you need to talk to me today, email back shortly, and I will make contact--after I send this I will open my g-mail-if any one is available

Salut toute le monde!! Back from my Europe vaca (fabulous, details below..) and it's now the time to let you in on a project my friends and I have been working on steadily for the past year. As I've mentioned before when you're a new PCV, in particular living in the francophone regions, your first few months at post are spent...how do i best put this...like a small child? You're completely unsure of your new surrounding-a place you're now suppose to call home, you can't possibly go to the market alone-some older, more experienced PCV should certainly hold your hand, once you finally make it there to buy food for the day-day is considered complete, and like the praise we give for a child reciting their ABC's or counting to 10-we feel we deserve it for using phrases outside of "Tu pars ou?". And once again what all this means: When a principal asks if you'd like to teach English at their school, you say "Yes!".

By early November I'd heard from many SED volunteers who had already started volunteering at their local school and by the time we could finally see each other face-to-face again at IST, we were all saying the same thing: Yeah we really enjoy our students but it's so difficult when there are no books! In our post IST/"I'm still so stuffed from Christmas dinner i don't wanna move" trance, not leaving our houses and diving into Internet research was a welcomed option. Over the course of the next few weeks we received several reply's back from family and friends willing to pack up all their old children's books and send them over. To them we say "Thank You" but we seem to have found a better option financially speaking.

Inspired by former PCV's in South Africa who recently carried out the project we decided to launch our very own. Books for Africa, specifically Books for Cameroon. In a nutshell if we found the schools and raised the funds, BFA would send the books. 22,000 English textbooks, aka A Lot of books! Over the next few months myself and three other PCV's carefully selected five schools each that we found reliable and sufficiently equipped to receive 1000+ books. The schools were, to say the very least, elated. Many praises to Wendy who has taken on the bulk of the work thus far-researching, sending emails, and more emails, and more emails :) trying to get this project off the ground. One year later it's well under way. Where we're at now? The fundraising stage of course!

Here's where you come in and get to be a part of the project yourself. With only 10 months left in-country (still can't believe that's all!) we've got about a month to bug everyone that we know for $$, so BFA will send the books by November/December, so we have time to properly mobilize and train 30 teaching staffs on proper library management, so 22,000 books arrive in Daoula by February/March, so we have adequate time to sort/deliver them, so that by the Fall of 2010-even before that for the summer reading programs-thousands of Cameroonian children will have access to practically new textbooks. Two things I'm particularly excited about with this project: 1. For all those students who I knew could really excel if just give the opportunity for self-study and learning 2. The Quality of the textbooks is much, much better than what they're able to buy over here. Below is a list of websites that will be able to tell you more about our project. Teachers: there are several ways with which you can incorporate Books for Cameroon into your classroom learning. I would love to hear from you and can certainly provide additional help so please message me at katecook2@gmail.com. The Europe updates I guess will have to wait, time to eat crepes (it's like I'm still in France chez Wendy) and then it's off to Bafoussam to try and get my computer fixed. A broken computer = a volunteers worst nightmare. Wish me (it) luck that it's not the CPU! Waiting to hear from all of you.....

To learn more about the project: http://roundtwocameroon.blogspot.com/2009/05/books-for-cameroun-phase-i.html

To Make a Tax-Deductible Donation: http://www.booksforcameroon.org

Resources for Classroom For Cameroon: http://tiny.cc/cfc1

Books For Africa: http://www.booksforafrica.org

So I logged onto my blog today to make a post about Books for Cameroon but before I posted I noticed two comments from the last one. As I excited as I get about receiving those things I opened them first thing. Yet what I found struck my attention and not necessarily in a good way. The comment (posted below) immediately made me go back for a re-read of what I had said. What I discovered: a mess of thoughts and personal experiences assembled in a poorly constructed paragraph. My initial thought: what was I drunk? When writing a blog I typically do it over the course of a day or so. I come back and forth between writing and my other activities, sometimes not even picking up where I left off. I always give a quick proof-read before posting, but clearly, this one snuck under the radar. So before you get to hear all about one of our most recent projects here in Cameroon you get to read a clearer and I hope more reasonable explanation of what I mean. What I previously wrote can be found under the last post, 525,600 minutes, skip down to the header “American really like to travel”. The comment read as follows:

I love to read PCV blogs but sometimes I don't understand your reasoning. For somebody who lives in the country, you agree that finance is the primary problem for not traveling. They don't travel since they don't have the money to go in hotels and resorts. but at least they do send their kids in another city/village where the kids can see something else. And I sincerely think it is more important to teach them to save the money for important issues such kid's school fees, hospital bills etc... than to go visit some place. Even here in the US, people who travel are the one who can afford it or use their credits card for it. I think giving the opportunities/advantages we have, they would like traveling too.

First off what the header should have been: Americans really get to travel! Not that we like to travel (because who doesn’t) but rather that we simply can. A large percentage of us Westerns are able to do it because we have the financial means to pay for it. For the most part traveling is not cheap and even with a possible “free” trip that you’ve won someone’s ultimately paying for it. During my first few months at post I didn’t think twice about telling fellow villagers where I was going. To bafoussam for the day for work, batie, bangangte, babajou, bamenda, etc for the weekend, Yaounde for PC administrative stuff, Kribi for IST, Limbe or the East for some R&R; If someone asked me what I was doing during the week I told them. However after realizing that most people here never get the opportunity, that in my one year’s time here I’ve seen more of their country than they might ever get to, I stopped. It was no longer exciting to tell people I was visiting somewhere else in Cameroon, it just made me feel bad.

When I said “It’s engrained in our culture...experiencing life outside your own culture is information you can’t get in the classroom” I simply think that’s neat. When given such an opportunity to travel and expose oneself to other parts of the world I think it’s great that we encourage one another to do it. My Peace Corps service is a great example. Its American tax-payer dollars which keep Peace Corps running thus, by deciding to do so we must have some belief that what the program seeks to achieve is actually worthwhile. Goals 1, 2, and 3 which have never once changed in PC’s 40+ years speak not only of the technical work volunteers do but of the importance of sharing in and exchanging different cultures. We view Peace Corps as more than just another development agency. The value in sending volunteers lies not only in what we do for the countries we serve but for the stories and better understanding we bring back home. On a side note this truth does create some confusion for some HCN’s I’ve met. If they’re not greeting me as nassara (the white) strangers in village are calling me jharra (money). To them white man = money. If I didn’t have money how else could I have afforded to come to Africa? I’ve had countless conversations with people here on what the Peace Corps is and what exactly I’m doing here. I always make it a point to say it’s the US government who sent us here, which will continue to support us financially during our time here, and that our salaries and lifestyle are no where near that of expats. This moto helmet I’m carrying is not because I own one! I tell them that many of us were students before and possibly will be right after, that we’ve racked up hefty debts of our own, and that without our government paying for it, most of us would not have been able to come to Cameroon. I admit that while it’s true America is a very wealthy nation not everyone in America has money. We too have people that live on the street because they’re unable to pay for rent (look of surprise usually follows here). Malheureusement, sometimes even after all this, I still feel like they don’t believe me. For the people I’ve met who have a good understanding of Peace Corps, they welcome it with open arms and are thankful for the work we are doing. As one of my favorite neighbors likes to tell me “You Americans, you are just so nice!” I myself am extremely grateful a program like Peace Corps exists which will allow me to experience life in an African country for two whole years. If not, jharra wouldn’t have been able to do it.

“People here rarely travel….” True statement. When they do it’s again most often for the reasons that followed. This is to no fault of their own and I am not in any way looking down on it or wondering “why aren’t you people traveling!?” When money is limited it’s certainly more important to spend it on the necessities. Food, housing, school fees, illness, etc should always come first. Yesterday’s session of my business class was actually “Saving and financial services”. We talked a lot about the importance of saving, ways to cut down on unnecessary expenditures, and where to put all that money you’ve saved by doing so. On the list reasons to save: expense of everyday necessities, unexpected illness or accident, annual school fees, and for re-investing in other income generating projects. On the list of ways to cut back: buy food on market day, buy less beer, spend less on phone credit, and viola…spend less on transport. I have no doubt that people here wouldn’t jump at the chance of being able to take a vacation or that they wouldn’t enjoy it, but when it comes down financial responsibilities vacations are never on the top of the list. The remark about “saving petite a petite” comes from personal experiences I’ve had at post. Just like in the States when your friends complain about all the things you’re able to buy and then it’s these exact same friends you watch blow their money on tons of unnecessary (and often stupid) expenditures you want to throw that right back at them. People I know well tell me I get to travel too much and look at me like it’s never a possibility for them. To some of them I want to say “then don’t spend your money on the three beers I know you drank last night, don’t get your hair done almost every week, don’t take motos all around town when you could walk, and then call your relative up and tell them you’re coming to visit with the money you’ve saved.” It’s certainly not everyone I’m talking of here and I’m still not saying I agree a vacation is the first place their hard earned money should go, but if they want to and they’ve earned it, why not?

So I hope by now I’ve better explained where I was trying to go with that paragraph the first time. For my friends and family back home to whom this blog is intended I know you know I meant nothing demeaning by it, as the paragraph sounded to me my second time through, AND I don’t doubt that you can now picture me going back in forth between the computer, and this task, and another task, and yet another task (just as I did with this one) and wondering “What is kate cook doing?”

525,600 minutes

525,000 moments so dear

525,600 minutes – how do you measure, measure a year?

I’m sure you’ve all heard it before. The opening lines to a song made famous by Broadway’s cast of RENT. I myself have seen it played out in action at the Wharton, have sang along to it a thousand times, often reflect mid-song on how that year has been playing out for me, and this year I find it means something entirely different. I’ve told myself to start this post everyday during the past few weeks and each time I’ve put it off because I didn’t know where to start. For example, I just spent the past thirty minutes looking through old pictures from my stage’s time in training and thinking (well a. how clean we all were and b. how much our hair has changed!) but mostly how glad I am that this year simply happened. Right now as I’m writing this I’m spending yet another night in, without electricity since 7:00pm although luckily after just having prepared another dinner of a plate of rice and tomats, and dealing with a sore head because I finally took the plunge and put that Rasta in my hair that I’ve been talking about doing for a year. Another typical night in Cameroon and after doing it for a year, I'm really glad I understand what it’s like to live it. Two weeks ago I taught two days worth of HIV/GYD sessions to the new stagiers (aka me 13 months ago). It was crazy seeing how clean and refined they all looked, funny hearing them ask the exact same questions I too was wondering last year, having them so up-to-date on American pop culture (weird), and realizing they had no idea where they’d be living for the next two years, Hah! (although they have since found out by now). I tried to answer as many of their questions as I could but for the most part I kept thinking “you’ll figure it out soon enough for yourself”.

As I've mentioned several times before, each passing day here brings about at least one random event; which is always fun. In this past year I've certainly spent a lot more time doing everyday tasks around the house because they take so much longer to do. I’ve practically become immune to becoming frustrated or angry over some sort of system not working efficiently, sometimes I can’t really believe I spend my whole day communicating in French, and I often think of how peculiar it will be readjusting in America. The stories are endless and better told in person thus I’ll keep to writing in my journal so as not to forget them before I get back! Looking really forward to the year to come but that’s not to say I won’t feel that in a year it's time to go home. A few paragraphs below on random stuff that I thought worth mentioning. Off to Europe in three weeks time!!!! See ya soon Mom/Joe/Rach!!!

Something that came to mind when writing this post: all the posts I didn’t get around to posting. A few things I could have written entire blogs about but instead you’ll be getting the short and sweet version. Curious to know...have they ever happened to you???

Feeling really homesick. It hit me when I was about eight months in but it was a feeling I’d never really felt before. I was past the point where everything around me was new and exciting, I was used to the lack of technology and modern day conveniences, I finally started to feel somewhat at home at my post but the daily stuff we have to deal with (harassment because you look different, constantly being asked for either money, a relationship, or both, not being able to understand 100% of what was said in a conversation, nothing ever going as planned, the slow pace of life, etc.) was really getting to me. I really missed having more than two hours a week of internet, making an actual phone call rather just sending a text (even in country they’re expensive), cold drinks from a refrigerator, comfortable furniture, American food and how convenient it is to make (or better yet have it delivered), and of course machines that do everything for you. For the most part it all stemmed from not being able to see any family or friends back home for almost a year and thankfully now that I’m on the homestretch, the homesick feelings have subsided. Still, if I hadn’t gotten so good at “not giving a shit anymore” I’d be right back where I was. As one of my good friends here would say: Sometimes living here just sucks!

2. What I know now, that I didn’t know then. This one’s inspired by Oprah’s pocket book my mother gifted me before I left. ☺ In brief: I love democracies (real ones), customer service is Nice, no matter how bad our economy might get it can’t get this bad, education is key but equally if not more important, how it’s applied, I’m an American citizen = I have endless opportunity, I’m American = I’m exposed to a ridiculous amount of variety, we have it ridiculously easy when it comes to finding ways to entertain ourselves, and if you want development you’ve got to have infrastructure, and less corruption on every level, that helps too. ☺

3. Americans really like to travel! We’re accustomed to people telling us they’re going to one place or another. Whether for a vacation, work, study abroad, internship, etc. we Westerners have the financial means and the notion that seeing the world is a good thing. Experiencing life outside your culture is information you can’t get in the classroom. In Cameroon however, it’s quite the opposite. People here rarely travel. They might for a marriage or funeral, if someone’s sick, or possibly for work. The kids get their chance during the summer months when they’re shipped off au village to live with another family member. Just the other day I learned that the farthest my 14 year old neighbor-friend has been from Foumbot is 35km away! The principal cause is obvious: lack of capital. Still there isn’t the mentality that if you really want to visit someplace, if it’s important to you, that if you save your Cfa “petit a petit”, you might actually be able to get there. Yet another micro-finance conversation.

4. Watching my house gradually fall apart. That’s right. My house was finished only two days before I moved in and yet immediately, it started falling apart. The plaster from my kitchen ceiling was the first thing to go. Every morning for months while heating water for my morning coffee, I’d be wiping a large pile of it off my cutting board. A large wooden overhang for hanging curtains was next. That decided to completely fall off the wall during one of my French tutoring sessions. A cracked window pane in my kitchen that was caused by the large gusts of wind that come through when it storms. Holes in my cement floor- several . Cracks in the walls that go on for several inches – everywhere. The toilet/shower/sink combo, none of which has ever worked properly and at least one of which seems to present a new and different at least once a month – depuis Fevrier. One of my living room windows sliding completely off the hinges to then shattering on my floor when I was only trying to open it – last month. More plaster falling from the ceiling in kitchen and now the living room – present. Cameroonian construction is not a matter of science. My contribution to the whole mess? Nail holes in the wall. Pablo Costa, you’d be happy to know your care package photos are up partout ma maison!

5. Scaring children. Now this a fun one. My morning runs take me out to the more remote quartiers where people, in particular the children, don’t make it into town on a regular basis. Hence the probability that they’ve seen a white person before, highly diminished. On three separate occasions that I can remember I’ve had kids crying and running in the opposite direction. The second was definitely my favorite. As a rounded a corner I spotted a mother and her 4 year old daughter walking ahead me. The daughter turns around, takes one look at me, and starts screaming bloody murder. She clings frantically to her mother who then turns around to discover it’s only me. In the little girl’s mind I’m sure I was an alien with weird devices sticking out of her ears and unfortunately for her, I’m running in their direction. The screaming, crying, and grasping only intensify as I get closer. For the little girls sake I pretend not to even notice them at all and as I pass, I can hear the mother giggling to herself. Oh Cameroon!

Hahaha, check it. We had a good laugh over this one at the CASE. Thryn Albin never ceases to amaze me with her creativity. Thankfully I can only vouch for two!

Coming to the Peace Corps bureau in Yaoundé is really the perfect time to get work done. Volunteers have access to free 24-hour internet, a printer, a library full of great resources, quiet work stations, and PC staff at our disposal. Therefore, every time in the weeks leading up to my time spent here I put work off thinking “that’ll be much easier done in Yaoundé. Will take care of it then.” However, the harsh reality: Nothing ever gets done in Yaoundé! While Yaoundé offers everything listed above it also offers time spent with friends you haven’t seen in months, restaurants galore with pizza, chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, etc., Hilton happy hour, a freezer that’s always stocked with beer (and lately cheap champagne), constant playing of movies in the living room, air conditioned, quiet rooms that allow you to sleep until 10am, and hot running water which means 30 (not 3) minute showers. The two most recent distractions: wireless internet that does kick you off every 5 minutes but because it allows us to still sit in the common room with friends we’ll waste hours “online” getting nothing really done and Shooting Star Restaurant run by Thryn Albin and Siohban Perkins. For the second time in a month the chefs whipped up a weeks worth of meals: calzones, pad thai, breakfast burritos, cabbage pie, chili with cornbread, Indian, etc. With the help of many female assistants and your occasional male garlic peeler/tortilla roller, Shooting Star prepares a feast for roughly 20 PCV’s each night. The meals to say the very least are fantastic, the quantity plentiful, and as a side note so you know the hours that go into it: even in Yao food does not come pre-packaged & no we can’t just buy all the ingredients at the supermarket!

So as you may have already guessed my long list of work to get done was completely abandoned! On the plus side: Mid-service work (doctor visits, labs, paperwork, presentations, etc) - check, much needed fun time with fellow PCV’s - check, far too much money spent – check, 5 additional lbs - check, and (well something productive I guess) anti-virus for my computer – check. The timing on this post was meant to be reflection of “a year in the life” but obviously that will have to be in the weeks to come. All day Thursday and Friday myself and the PC health assistant will be teaching the newbies about Gender & Youth Development as well as HIV/AIDS in Cameroon. I anticipate my time spent with the new stagieres will be a good indicator of how far I’ve come this past year and how clean I was when I arrived! Will leave you will a quick re-cap on the Organizational diagnostic that Emilie and I did with BATOCCUL as well as a few picks. Talk soon all & Happy 4th of July!!!

Le diagnostique organisationnel Hmmm…what’s the first thing I’d like to say about the project? Well, it’s finished! After four months of work, 30 + interviews, lots and lots of time spent traveling away from post, and lots of last minute running around prep work for our seminar while at the same time sitting in on the Beep Your Horn seminar - it’ done (well sort of). Emilie and I were somewhat guinea pigs for the DO, a tool which will now be included in the SED manual. The process itself includes is a series of eight steps: presentation of the project to the president your bank 2. Presentation and approval by the board of directors 3. Assembly of the organizational diagnostic team 4. A series of meetings with the newly developed team to figure out a timeline, program interviews, finalize the questionnaire, etc. 4. The actual interview process of all staff, the board of directors, surveillance committee, and other monitoring committees 5. The assembly and organization of all gathered information from the interviews 6. Compiled information is presented and discussed amongst all interviewed parties and the resulting agreed upon objectives priorities are prioritized 7. Meeting between the PCV and board of directors to decide when each project will be carried out 8. Follow up and evaluation of the outcomes obtained (Side note: Wow that was really weird to explain/write in English!) The project itself can very easily be carried out and in my opinion it’s a great tool for PCV’s, in particular a new arrival, to gain some insight into the functioning of their host institution. It serves as a way for them to find projects they could and might want to work on, knowing that the request came from those implicated in the institution. Whereas most volunteers are placed in a small 3-4 employee single branch institution the “guinea pigs” work for a four-branch 25+ person institution. Thus, the project was a bit different for us. (Emilie’s smiling/laughing now if she’s reading this). Overall though: no complaints. The seminar went well, I now understand a lot more about my host institution (almost too much when you consider bank politics), I got to know everyone on a more personal level, saw how differently the four branches operate, and I have projects to look forward to in the future. They’ll be more updates I’m sure related to steps 7 and 8 but for now….j’ai faim! Have a friend from the East chez moi for the next couple of days. Heading it into town now to give her the Foumbot tour and possibly introduce her to njapcha (sp?), one of food perks of living in Bamoun country.

Translation into English, “Yes, we can!” That was the motto for our moto (motorcycle) project. Thanks to the many generous contributors who donated we were able to raise all the funds on time and carry out the seminar May 7th and 8th.

While we certainly weren’t expecting it twelve American PCV’s asked/stressed twenty-five Cameroonians to “Soyez a l’heure!” and show up on time they did! On day one more than half of the moto drivers were there at least a half-hour early (almost unheard of in Cameroon) and on both days we were able to start on time. The morning sessions consisted of a brief explanation of Peace Corps, a run through of our expectations with participants having to list theirs, facts and myths about HIV/AIDS, and a presentation on what is HIV/AIDS, how it’s contracted, etc by the hired health official. The morning sessions went really well- the health official I picked did an excellent job and after our director explained several times that drivers would not be receiving brand new motos after the project all remained very attentive and participative. The one hang up from the day came from the cater, the only one who didn’t seem to respect time. Coffee break was pushed back from 10am to 12pm and lunch (which was not how much we paid for) didn’t show up until 2:30. However, as PCV’s we’ve could write a book on being flexibility, thus after a quick re-shuffling of the schedule all was OK. The afternoon consisted of a session on stigma followed by a sad, yet uplifting testimonial, and finally the chance for all participants to take an AIDS test themselves. Everyone participant did (including yours truly). I believe it really made sense for them, that to become a peer educator and to teach everyone else to take the tests, that they themselves should as well. Day two was glitch-free. Results on their tests came in the morning (no one left), sessions on how to be a peer educator, followed by practical’s they can carry out during their demonstrations. A closing ceremony with certificates (very important in Cameroon), several photo ops, and appetizers for all closed the evening. Over the next few months each PCV will be carrying out the très important part in their village: demonstrations where their motos drivers take over as the educators. I have no doubt that mine will be fantastic. At the moto seminar he approached me about marching for the 20 Mai, a national holiday here celebrating unification. He wasn’t kidding: in the weeks following a plaque along with 15 more t-shirts (which soon turned into 45) were made. Three PCV’s along with 50 Cameroonians waving condoms marched to fight SIDA. We certainly got a lot of attention! 

I’m certainly not done working with my moto men and I look forward to updating everyone on upcoming HIV/AIDS related work. THANKS again to all who made it possible!!!

Wrote three posts the other day which will be put up in weekly installments. Next one a report/pics on the recent finished projects. Stay tuned...

It occurred to me the other day that after writing a post all about the sort of special attention that’s been bestowed upon me I forgot to explain how the attention was so easily received. You see it’s not that I’m throwing myself at others, stopping into business after business, waltzing into people’s homes, or behaving in a manner that warrants being noticed. No actually, just the opposite. All it takes to be noticed is to walk outside my front door. “Why?” because in Africa life happens on the outside.

Everyday I awake to the sound of neighbor women chatting, the roar of a moto’s engine bringing a patient to the hospital, and/or volcanic gravel (that I call soil) squishing under the weight of children’s feet as they run to fetch water. My immediate neighbors, Razack, Mabel, and Soule, are going back and forth from the house to the latrine for their morning washing. Neighborhood women are frying beignets (donuts) on their front lawns to sell; their children will then walk all over town selling them off of a platter carried on their head.

I’m on my living room couch reading by 6:30am where once again all the same sounds and smells can be heard and seen just this time through a different window. Around 7am Blanche opens her door, slides the large rock (aka our door stopper) under her door and says “Kaaaate?” Je dis “oui”. Elle dit “bien dormi” et je dis “oui, et toi”. En Afrique you always greet everyone, especially in the morning. Kids on their way to school and adults heading to the market pass in front of my house. With no school buses or cars to take them they’ll walk and converse along the way. When I step outside my door I’ll find Blanche on the porch washing clothes or dishes from the night before, patients from the clinic waiting in the open air waiting-room, and all the other women from nearby houses doing the same as Blanche. At the center of town I’ll find tiny magasin after magasin, all with stall doors wide open, half their products displayed outside, and the person managing sitting outside on a stool. If he’s male he’ll likely have one or two of his friends sitting around with him, if it’s a woman she’ll have the children too young to attend school. I’ve “checked out” a few times where a.) I was offered a beer or b.) it was a struggle for the cashier to reach the coin box because she was breastfeeding. The bars have a steady stream of customers starting around 10am all of whom sit on around an open porch. All day every day the market mommies will be selling their vegetables from roadside stands. All over town moto drivers are parked in groups idly chatting and cracking jokes with one another as they wait for their next customer. At the Total station employees stand around the pump waiting to serve you. There’s a refrigerator outside selling cold beverages but don’t bother going inside—all you’ll find is the manager’s desk with maybe a few odds and ends. The list goes on and on but what strikes me most related to this topic: that once back in America with all the windows, doors, and walls, how different life will sound.

Two new albums at right for those interested. Also, if you've made a donation to Beep Your Horn don't be shy--send me an email to let me know! You deserve special recognition.

On April 23rd-24th 11 PCV's along with two moto-taxi drivers of their choosing will be holding a two-day HIV/AIDS seminar in the West region of Cameroon. The focus of the two-day seminar is two fold: HIV/AIDS education and the training of trainers (our moto-taxi men) to do what we just did all by themselves. You can learn more about the project by clicking on the link below but first here's the deal: IT WON'T HAPPEN WITHOUT YOUR HELP! We're short (to say the very least) on fundraising time and we've still have roughly $3000usd to earn.

In light of the Pope's comment on his recent visit to Cameroon http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031903364.html we need your help now more than ever. As a Catholic Christian I understand and do not mean to discredit the viewpoint of the Pope or others, however the problem with his statement can easily be recognized from an educational standpoint. When you live in a village where people still believe you can contract AIDS from mosquito bites or by drinking from the same glass as an infected person, one must think that when they hear the Pope said "Condoms don't prevent AIDS" they won't question whether the Pope said anything after that and the statement will be taken at face value. So by making even the smallest donation please help 11 PCV's help 22 moto-taxi drivers become leaders and peer educators in their villages. Help us spread the word on how AIDS is really contracted and even better--how to Prevent It!

Donate Here (tax deductible) & THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=694-134.

Sometimes that’s what being “la blanche” en Afrique makes ya feel like. This sort of celebrity treatment can be traced back all the way to our days in Bangangte, but recently it’s really hit a new high. A few recent examples…

February 8th marks Le jour de bilinguisme, when Cameroon celebrates having two official languages. I was hit up to teach a song at the school in my neighborhood so that on bi-lingual day the francophone students could perform for the Anglophone students, and vice versa. So for the three weeks leading up to bi-lingual day (and try not to laugh too hard) I switched from different classrooms for an hour each week singing and demonstrating the motions to “If Your Happy and You Know It” along with “The Hokey Pokey”. While you can hardly count it as a project it did give me a reminder of the absolute chaos that is public schools in Cameroon and my popularity amongst the youth. I would enter the classroom to gasps, loud cheering, clapping, staring, and shy giggling. Outside I was surrounded by a mob of children all jumping up to touch my hair or fighting to carry my purse. After-school I had Tons of kids stopping by my house, which was quickly put to a stop. While I don’t believe their teachers ever even took them to perform their song, it is pretty cute to pass francophones on the street and hear “If you’re happy and you….”

At the Assembly General last month, Emile and I were called up to the front of the room by the president of our bank. Already embarrassed as they had to call our name several times just to get us up there (lil’ too much talking in the back row), we find ourselves standing center stage in front of 200 people and praying we don’t have to give a speech. Next thing you know everyone’s clapping, shouting their “Merci” “Merci pour le travail”, and whipping out their cameras to get pictures. Then on the walk back to our seats, several men trying to be discreet about using their camera phones – As if we don’t know what those are!?!

At my second marriage au Cameroon a fellow PCV and I are whisked into the house and immediately seated at the head table. While we’d had never even met the bride or groom before that night, it certainly didn’t matter. We were served well before the 100 or so guests that were there hours before us, people were taking our photos, the MC thanked us a few times over the mic for “coming from America”, and even before everyone else was sure to have their piece of dessert the groom packed up three dessert plates for us for the road. On a side note: the wedding was very different from the last one. The guests wore matching pagne which is customary for weddings/funerals, this was the groom’s third marriage (his first two wives served all the guests), from 9pm-10pm the women danced traditional dances and then nobody really moved from a sitting circle until dinner was served at midnight. While the power was in and out all night, thankfully it managed to stay on during the meal. The groom was a private chef by profession and thus did everything by himself. Several different types of salad, pasta that honestly tasted like beef stroganoff, meat, many traditional Cameroonians dishes, and when it came time for dessert….10 different cakes! I’d wait three hours for that meal any day.

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women. While IWD was first observed in the US on February 28th, 1909, in my lifetime I don’t recall ever celebrating it aux Etats-Unis like they do here; we place much more emphasis on Mother’s Day. For IWD in Cameroon, women have caba’s or dresses made from special Women’s Day pagne and the day carries out much like Youth Day: parades, dancing, singing, skits, and lots of eating and drinking. Once again I played photographer for most of the day and went to the teacher after-party. My B. Spears moment that day came during the parade when I could tell the delegates under the pavilion were staring and pointing. Immediately after the parade finished their representative came up and asked me for a name and phone number so I could attend the “le soiree” at the hotel in town. Regrettably, what could have been a great networking evening turned out to be anything but. After three late nights and a then the full day of IWD day festivities by Sunday night, I was exhausted. I let the Petchups pick me up anyways, hoping it would be just like one of those nights in college when your roommates forced you get dressed and once you were out the atmosphere just woke you up and you were glad you did. However this time, not so much. I show up, the head mistress starts screaming my name, grabs my arm, starts yelling at some random couple “here she is, here she is”, I’m seated at the head table where I’m graciously greeted, and instantly the room starts spinning. Two minutes later as I watched the waitress get ready to uncover the food I thought I might puke. I never did so I guess it was just my body’s way of saying absolutely not! I spent the next hour passed out in our school van until our driver took me home. Maybe next year…

If there’s one thing that must be said about all this new “celebrity status”; while it’s certainly fun at times and would make any PCV feel welcomed in village, I will be glad when it’s all over. To move about town without everyone asking where you’re going, what you’ll be doing, and what you will bring back for them, will be nice. To not be deranged, know that you’re being stared at, or be asked some of the most ridiculous questions, will be nice also. The everyday reality is exhausting and I miss just being a number. On the flip side, for as much as I wish the “insta-attention” away I know once I get back I won’t be able to get it back. So for now I take it for what it’s worth: curiosity, generosity, overt friendliness, etc. and have learned to simply enjoy the ride because in roughly a year it’ll all be over.

Busy and unconnected, that's how I can best describe this past month. Since I crossed that hump of settling in and acclimated to post the real work has been finally been able to begin. Since starting SED work I’ve concluded one thing: I really miss the Internet! With only about 1-2 hours a week and most of that time now being spent on project research or sending other volunteers mail, personal net time has certainly taken a backseat. In the long long the outlooks not all that bad. The West province has a pretty good connection so if/when I'm willing to spend 20,000cfa a month (kind of a lot for a PCV) I could have it installed chez moi. However, at the moment I've got “my eggs in quite a few baskets” as they say (in particular with French), so night time free-time can certainly be spent in more productive ways. So for now I'll just remain a little AWOL and a little jealous of all those other volunteers who have it. For easier reading the past month has been broken down into bullet points and I've posted links to some of my friends blogs (with added commentary of course). Happy Reading!

 Went to my first marriage and with most celebrations in Africa, this one dragggged on. Three days in fact. A little different but quite common here: the bride and the groom (both in their late 30’s) had been living together for years and already had three children between them. The reason for these delayed marriages: the couple finally has the money to finance a three day affair being sure to include all family, friends, neighbors, and the occasional passerby. The bride wore pink, the food was plenty, I was a first-timer at the whisky + mayonnaise (?!? yet surprisingly good), and everyone got a kick out of “la blanche” trying to bust Cameroonian dance moves (the trick: stay stiff, move rather boxy)

 Youth Day: February 8th marked the National Fête de la jeunesses. The town shuts down, special delegation come from all over, schools outfit themselves in matching pagne, and the children march to songs they’ve been practicing all week. The line-up of students seemed to stretch on forever. There are some 50+ schools from my town alone, with teachers and various groups thrown into the mix. It was a long parade to say the least. After a little marching, playing photographer for most of the day in 90˚ heat, and taking on a 22oz beer with some poisson brassaie at the teacher after party, I was passed out by 5:30pm. And to think next year my principal says I'm marching the whole day.

 H20: After six months of being told water was coming “la semaine prochaine” during the last week of January it finally came! Ironically enough, it won’t stop running. For two the first two hours everything worked perfectly, but the honeymoon period soon ended. That same evening everything stopped running all together, then the shower head held a steady drip for days, a few days later it was the sink, then the drain became clogged….you get the point. Over the past month I’ve managed to get pretty creative when using my bathroom. In an effort to conserve I try to use water only when I shower. Here's what ensues: 1. Turn the nozzle by the floor ON 2. Immediately plug sink to collect the water that comes shooting out. 3. Place two buckets on floor next to me to collect bucket flushing water 4. Keep pitcher handy to fill a third bucket with the water that's quickly filing the sink (dishwashing/water filter purposes) 5. Finish showering and gather several more pitcher’s full of water off the floor since the drain takes forever to drain (more water for bucket flushing) 6. Turn floor nozzle OFF until next shower

Side Note: In case you’re confused by all this “bucket flushing” talk, it's because a running toilet was not part of the package. You see my landlord must raise the money to buy the field across from us and then install a septic system all the way to the road. At the moment all the water from our house runs off directly onto the road that pedestrians, motos, and taxis use everyday. Sanitary I know. I’m instantly on the kids when I see them near it. My landlord says by the end of March but I think I'd have to stick around for Peace Corps 2016 to see it happen. No finished construction job is ever really finished in Afrique.

 Work: Finally starting to realize what all those other PCV’s were talking about in stage: sometimes when you hold or try to attend a meeting, nobody shows up. Four times this month alone I've tried, but to no avail. It's frustrating, raises interesting points about development, but thankfully I'm not burned out by it yet. Teaching is about the only thing I find a bit tiring. Working within their system is frustrating and I wonder if after a year the kids have really learned anything at all. At the very least they were introduced to a new teaching style. The sooner the ED program is changed from the teaching of students to the teaching of teachers the better. Some funny stories from yesterday: We were going over parts of the body in my 4eme class so I covered all the different parts I felt appropriate for three 12 yr old boys. However just as I'm gathering up my things to walk out, Cyril, my very inquisitive one, looks at me, points, and goes “Madame Cook, what are those?” Dying with laughter on the inside Madame Cook was forced à écrire sous le tablea....“boobs” or “breasts”. It was a legitimate question after all and he even said it with his very best English! During next period teaching kickball to my Form 2’s turned out to be a disaster! The concept of rounding bases, forming a straight line, and knowing when you were out was all too much for them. Today we'll be going over the rules after class and hopefully this week everyone gets at least 5/15 on their spelling test so they can play! Thanks again FS, the kids had a “ball”!

http://jimeroon.blogspot.com/2009/01/national-lampoons-southwestern-cameroon.html

I too was present on this weekend trip and share Jim's opinion on all of it. The SW is breathtaking and we certainly appreciate our friends who have no choice but to travel to/from it. Also, the comment about Brad's “two-hour” hike. Right... My only saving grace was that same Monday I hiked the big mountain at my post. My legs got to be unbelievably sore Tuesday-Friday, Saturday was just a drop in the bucket.

http://www.peacecorps.zzilch.com/?p=107

Yeahhh...So I don’t cook like that here, but it certainly is good to be on the receiving end of it. Albins if you’re reading this, let’s definitely do that Italian night soon!

http://cameroonsiobhan.blogspot.com/2009/01/you-might-be-cameroonian-peace-corps.html

So my friend Siobhan wrote a hilarious post (as she often does). She encouraged others to fill in the blanks, so here are my additions.

You might be a Cameroonian Peace Corps Volunteer if......

You set up equations in your head to figure how you can stretch the water you currently have for the longest period of time. Recycling is encouraged.

Your only concept of a roommate is a dog, cat, mouse, lizard, or cockroach.

Your lose power almost daily

Doing laundry correctly = bleeding knuckles. Why we’re all so partial to semi-clean clothes.

When you're a girl you don’t go anywhere without toilet paper in your purse

When you're a newbie, add anti-bacterial to the list

You have to completely re-adjust your sheets at least once throughout the night. Who has fitted sheets, right?

Red Bull = Kola Nuts

You're proposed to in the first five minutes of meeting someone

A moto doubles as your transport and your blow-dryer

Don't forget garbage pick-up day is....oh wait there never is one

And in response to the PCV from South Africa's post: When all “take-out” comes wrapped in a black plastic baggy and delivery is never an option.

While it may not sound like much to you, it was rather exciting for me. Dressed and ready to go into the bank this morning I was momentarily delayed….because it started to rain! After months without, all I could do was sit on my front porch and watch as it poured down. In other words, I pulled a Rich Cook. :)

I’ve had a few emailed questions roll in. Answers below:

1. What is a King Rat?

A large rat approximately the size beaver or raccoon commonly found in the bush around Cameroon.

2. What was it doing in the glove box?

Hah! C’est très normale! Animals are everywhere here, and I mean everywhere. Pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens wander all over neighborhoods, get strapped to the top of bush taxis, take the place of a passenger on the back of a moto, show up at the bar dead, or alive, have been known to show at your bank in the same fashion, women carry them on market day like you would your favorite tote, and on special occasions…they’re on your dinner table.

3. What are two or three elements of daily life in Cameroon most like daily life in the US?

While this certainly depends on the volunteer and their respective post, for me I would have to say

1. My schedule. It’s like being in college all over again, minus the late nights of course. From the moment I get up, the program for the day is whatever I decide to make it. Sure I have responsibilities but will I really be held accountable for not doing them. Probably not. I’m a volunteer after all. That being said, like making the grades in school, you’ll only get something out of these two years if you actually put something in.

2. Technology. Given that the nearest reliable Internet is 30km away by no means would I consider myself “connected”. Printing is time consuming and expensive and the last time I check my cell phone plan even in country was anything put cheap. Still, just having my computer equals major efficiency. When researching for projects, writing exams, or preparing emails/blogs, I don’t have to pay at a Cyber. My external hardrive allows me to share movies with other volunteers (Blockbuster after all isn’t an option), which is major for all the time spent chez moi past 7pm. Most importantly, it makes me feel at home.

3. Business hours. While this one is kind of a stretch (even Cameroonians will tell you they never respect time) it is somewhat similar. I hear moto traffic starting around 6am, market “mommies” and commerçants between 6am-7am, and the kids on their way to school between 7am-8am. Several of my neighbors start preparing beignets (friend donuts) around 5am so for me it’s like living next to Krispy cream. While all shops remain open, there’s usually a lull from 12pm-2pm from the intense heat. At 3:30pm the last of the kids are on their way home from school. Around 6:30-7:00pm the mommies are packing up their unsold produce and most stores are closing their doors. While by 8pm most villages would be dead outside of the local bar, my post is New York City. Honestly, this town never sleeps! If I head in to town past 7pm I can find a number of “pot ladies” selling anything from chicken, to brochettes, omelettes with French fries, poisson braissie, etc., etc. Every night there are between 30-40 bars open for service and one “club”.

4. What is the scenery like?

The West is very diverse. If you’re standing in one spot depending on the direction you’re looking you could see mountains, rolling hills, flat lands, cultivated farmland, or scorched earth. The main road is nicely paved and runs directly through town, past the center market and many magasins. Outlying all this are hundreds of unorganized “quartiers”, neighborhoods. All roads are unpaved and because there is no system of garbage collection trash is everywhere. In fact as environmentally unfriendly as this is, mine is thrown in a small dugout hole in front of my house. The kids have usually picked through it within an hour. Many volunteers choose to have a “compost pile”. My method is chucking everything out my kitchen window. Le Meme chose when I know the goats are just going to eat it anyways.

5. Do I find the landscape pretty?

Absolutely. Everything is so natural. On days when I take the back route to my house I find myself smirking every time. Off in the distance on the right is a massive home even by US standards. White pillars and everything the house no joke belongs in Beverly Hills. To my left are my neighbor’s houses and countless of others. Small, dilapidated, lacking any formal architecture, and certainly without paved driveways or manicured lawns they sit amongst rolling hills with the nearby mountains in the background. It’s an innately beautiful scene and I’m glad that when the road splits, I turn left.

While in Yaounde prior to IST my fellows PCV's and I had some rather interesting conversations on how the everyday things that we now find normal, just really aren't normal. A few days after the Fete in Bafut I was hanging out at fellow PCV's house. That particular morning started off with my friend trying to get in touch with Camtel to reconnect his internet. He stopped by their office two days prior but due to an error on their end the net wasn't working. During the course of several phone calls he was told: "these things happen try again another month", "press 0 to talk to an operator" only to press 0 to be told "your input is incorrect" and then be hung up on. I could carry on with examples of how customer service just doesn't really exist here, but long story short we had to make the trip into town to talk to Camtel.

We wait on the corner of the road for about twenty minutes trying to hail the next bush-taxi or moto that passed. Finally a bush taxi arrived so we pile into the equivalent of a rusty 84'Civic with six other people. I manage to wedge myself between the three other people in front and try my hardest to avoid the stick shift. Oddly enough, I find this to be the best spot. Only a few kilometers down the road we pullover. I'm confused for a bit as we already have our 8 passengers but then..voila! The driver reaches over and pulls from his glove-box the largest King Rat I have ever seen, which he then hands out the window to a friend who's running over to get it! Even the driver kind of chuckled at my face!

Yet a few more km's down the road we see stopped, congested traffic. We had come upon a moto accident that had just happened. The driver on the right has a large gash on the right side of his head, looks delusional, and was still sitting in a pile of glass next to empty beer crates. The other guy doesn’t look much better. While Ive passed dozens of accidents in the States and (as much as I hate to admit it) am one of those people who slows down to get a better look, what was so startling this time was the clear visual I actually did got. There were no police cars or ambulances, yellow tape, or big SUVs blocking the scene. Instead, you had only the two moto drivers on the ground right in front of you and the crowd of pedestrians who were trying to help. Next time I'm hoping curiosity doesn’t get the best of me.

Just before we arrived into town we slow down over two road blocks. The driver slips a 500cfa piece to the gendarmerie which we are assured will go "to the community". Funny how just before Xmas & New Years every gendarmerie made you stop. I overheard one taxi driver say his friend paid 10,000cfa in one day. While our government is certainly not without its fair share of problems, we're lucky to have the one we do. Really puts into perspective just how much a productive and ethical government has to do with the well being of its people. From a microfinance standpoint it's upsetting to think how many businesses might actually work here if they didn't have to go thru the top.

Luckily, once we made it the trip was a total success. My friend got his internet fixed and I found the very last can of mushrooms at the market. Green bean casserole a must have for Xmas! & this time I did not use sweetened and condensed milk :) So while twenty minute car rides like that are nothing to me, something tells me once I return aux Etats-Unis a trip to Meijer just won't quite measure up.

I left off my last post with describing arriving in Yaoundé. After three months of being at post , I was big time spoiled by all that “city” life can provide. Menu items with real cheese, recognizable meat, stores that resemble grocery stores, drinks outside of cold (or warm) beer, a washing machine, the list goes on. All of this comes at a price for a PCV on a PC salary, but oh so worth it when you don’t get it often! It was then off to Kribi, a beach town in the Southern Province of Cameroon, to unite with my fellow stagier’s for a week of In Service Training. IST meant of full week of sitting in tech sessions from 8am-4:30pm. The first few days with my counterpart were spent working out our “three-month plan”, the next few learning about the different types of committees we can join, and then dividing up between SED and ED’s to compare notes on our first three months at post. While it sounds like quite the productive week really most of was spent being bored with repetitive tech sessions and anxiously awaiting 4:30pm when we could hit the beach. The after-hours were fabulous: swimming, eating fish (that I literally saw being taken the water), roasting s’mores over a bonfire, and playing Scategories . For an entire week I felt back to my old self. Only two days back in village though and I feel very much back at post. Yesterday was spent in a neighboring town participating in their annual cultural fete. It’s a bummer my principal had car trouble on the way back from Yaoundé AND that the cab driver drove off with his bags as soon as he arrived at the Palace, otherwise I would have had a very knowledgeable source explaining to me the history of his village. Still, he made sure to give numbers of his friends so I was well taken care of. Today it’s off to pick up a few groceries and then put in a full days worth of baking. Will be celebrating American style today, Cameroonian style the next. I’ve received several emails recently talking about the nasty snow storms in the East. While I can’t even fathom snow I’ve been up for two hours already today and still no sun. C’est Noel en Afrique!  Wish us luck with the marmite! Safe Travels & Merry X-Mas to All!

Back in September I remember saying running water arriving to my house anytime between then and December would be like Christmas came early. However, can't comment as of yet how it is to having running water at post; it's coming "la semaine prochaine", but what I can comment on is the wealth of Packages I received the other day!!! Foster Swift--you completely outdid yourselves! :) You're three large packages took up the balk of room on the dolly. I was one pretty excited PCV opening up them up. I loved the cards & am super excited to have some coloring sessions chez moi with the neighborhood kids. They've taken a real liking to digging through my trash for fun. Without toys to play with it passes a few hours, but still I had to give them a big lecture the other day on why it's not so safe to do so. Thinking your gifts will be a very welcome alternative. Office Girls, Kari, Loyd, E, thanks so much as well! A few pieces of candy are gone already, but must save a bunch as I've been promising people in my village American bon bons for weeks.

I've been in Yaounde for the past few days. This trip marked the first time in three months that I've been out of my province. Really weird to come to the "city" again. Thus far I've taken a ride in an air conditioned vehlicle with leather seats, ate pizza with real cheese, had a tirimisu milkshake, three Tequila Sunrises, two burgers (one of which was just eaten as our 5:30am Hilton breakfast--long night for the girls!), and I've was positively overwhelmed by going Casino--think C grade Target. While I anticipate stores in America to freak me out once I return, the nicely stocked shelves, brand-name products, clothing aisles, a housewares department, and of course Christmas Decorations! were all just really too much. I ended up walking up and down aisles for about twenty minutes with my basket in hand, yet I left the store empty handed. Honestly, I think I was too freaked out to put anything in it. Quite possibly I might have forgotten how to pay for it. It's been wonderful getting to see my stage friends again. Sorry to cut this short because right now I'm getting a yelled at for being late (as usual). Off to the bus stop and headed to the beach! Once again MERCI BEAUCOUP to all those who made my first Christmas in Afrique magnifique!

Wanted to draw some attention to my friend Shioban’s recent post. She brings up a lot of great points, all of which I agree with but have not found the time to write about as of yet. Here’s the link so take a look: http://cameroonsiobhan.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgiving-part-one-why-americans.html Personally, and maybe its having read her post, but over the past two days the reality of the poverty I’m surrounded by each and every day has really begun to set in. Its when you observe even the smallest of things, that youll never be able to look at America in the same way anymore. Happy Reading! SED updates are next....

Well my first official Thanksgiving abroad has come and gone. Really it was more of a week long celebration this year. The festivities/heavy eating started on Wednesday at dinner with our Chinese friends. The wife in the younger couple pair told us just last week she’d be going back to China….the following week! So on Wednesday night we saw her off with homemade dumplings, several plates of veggies, my favorite fried sweet potato dish, and the Chinese tradition for sending people off…chicken. We dined on two types: the Cameroonian fried version and the thinly sliced and steamed Chinese version. Thursday morning was followed up with all the delicious leftovers, and by mid afternoon I couldn’t seem to get my hands out of the plate brownies my friend made up. Catherine if your reading this: You are already missed! It’s weird not having you around, but we know the timing is right for you and your return. All my best!

Thursday I played hostess to five fellow PCV’s from my stag. As of November 23rd we were officially out of our zero-travel period, so for most of us it was the first chance to see each other over three months. Like geographic regions in the States, all ten provinces in Cameroon are extremely different. It was really interesting comparing notes with other volunteers on how different their posts are, after them having seen mine. My good friend Laura was placed in the Extreme North but due to security reasons just this last week switched posts to the Southwest. To her seeing the West again was like experiencing PC Gabon.

So what’s on the menu for a Thanksgiving in Africa you ask? I tried my hardest at making my absolute favorite (green bean casserole) and also at putting together my grandmother’s recipe for pineapple casserole. Since both required a hefty amount of whole milk, I decided substituting a little sweetened and condensed milk in with the powdered milk might thicken it up. Works with French Toast right? FYI: pineapple casserole is sweet enough on its own, and green bean casserole was not meant to be sweet. Even though I only used a tablespoon or so, a little went a long way. Oh how I wanted a can of Cream of Mushroom soup at that moment!

Another one of my friends made what I thought were delicious mashed potatoes, although she also happened to think her recipe turns out much better when prepared stateside. Chicken was hired out as I was not about to kill & de-feather them (pas encore at least). Bread picked up from the local bakery and for dessert: brownies, lemon squares, and an “apple pie” that turned out more like apple crisp with a very burnt exterior. Always a trip working with Dutch Ovens. You just have to laugh when the cookbook reads “pre-heat”.

What I’m thankful for: Hands down #1 is simply to been given this opportunity. Peace Corps is certainly the most interesting, challenging, yet rewarding thing I’ve ever been a part of. I’m thankful for my good track record with security and while I’ve torn through all the supplies in my medical kit outside of the really scary stuff, I’ve had relatively great health thus far. I’m thankful for the friends I’ve met both in village and with PC, and for SED work which has finally started to pick up.

What was given: Well first off was the obvious cultural exchange. The fact that five other whites were staying with la blanche’s spread like wildfire around the neighborhood. Not more than five minutes after our arrival home we had roughly twenty kids coming to check us out. Their curiosity continued all weekend. They were never far from the front door, and the kitchen window was always filled with faces. While sometimes you have to wonder what’s the intrigue about a bunch of people just sitting around, when you think of how different the laptops, games, movies, cookies supplies, and are simple mannerisms must be to them…you get it. I’m certainly guilty of sitting through 4-hr long meetings or all day festivities just for the sake of observation.

While it would have been impossible to feed them all, once again they enjoyed the occasional sample. My Cameroonian friends who did come and eat with us were pretty hilarious. In general any PCV who’s ever tried cooking American food for an HCN’s has been faced with a bit of uncertainty. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they hated it, but when their favorite things on the menu were the chicken and the bread (both prepared by Cameroonians in this instance) you get the point. Will try again sometime soon, but next time will avoid sugar at all costs.

The cultural fete on Saturday went pretty well. We arrived mid-afternoon so it was H-O-T hot. Checked out some traditional dances near the palace and then headed to a bar to cool off. We had plans to stay that evening, but wound up coming back to hang out at post. While that night we had fun hanging out en ville with some of my fellow neighbors, I was kind of kicking myself today when the Prince stopped by. Yes, grandson of the Sultan has a mad crush on yours truly and while he had verbally invited me to the special ceremonies and I was told to call him as soon as I got there, I didn’t. In an effort not to lead him on I decided against it. Nevertheless, today when I found out he checked over a dozen times at his store to see if I’d called, had guards out on the lookout for us, and had still even reserved five seats at the royal dinner…I felt a pretty bad, little disappointed. Fete dinner at the palace with the royals!? Pretty sure that would have been nice.

While my principal duty in Cameroon is to work with small enterprise development the beauty of Peace Corps is that we're not only encouraged, but required to work on secondary projects. One of the fastest and easiest ways for us to get involved is to volunteer at a local school. Thanks to the Commandant de Gendarme I was working out a timetable with St. Augustine by week two. To say the education system in Cameroon is nothing like the US would be an understatement. From the facilities, to the resources, the teaching style, the teacher's objectives, right down to the uniforms, it's all different. Nevertheless, I feel extremely fortunate to have been placed in such a different environment. Everyday is a learning experience for me “the teacher”. Working at St. Augustine has caused me to seriously reflect on our school system in the US and my own personal education as well. I hope to describe to you as best I can what I’ve been observing. If in reading this you begin to think “wow she must really hate her job”- Don't! The four boys in my 4eme absorb everything I say like sponges and the coy smiles I get from them each and every day absolutely light up my world. I have to struggle with my Form 2’s derangement, but when I yell at them and then threaten not to come back, I have them begging for me not to leave. They're also the class that just the other day asked questions like “What's a hot dog?” "Do people eat couscous in America?” “Is it true there aren't any blacks in America?” That last one led into big discussion on the terms minority and majority. I even threw in a mention of 2050. While I only have the Form 4 section for 50 minutes a week, but they're quite the eager beavers! They actually get excited when I give them an assignment (?) and they love correcting mistakes together in class. Probably the best part about working thus far is just that, I'm finally working. It feels so good to have purpose and responsibility, like I'm finally doing something effective. The situation at my bank has been rather unusual and I'm still stumbling through my “business French”. Therefore, while the microfinance work moves slowly I'm thankful to have been blessed with another opportunity. So without further adieu A l'école.....

From the Maternelle (preschool) on up whatever the teacher says, the students regurgitate; whatever the teacher writes, the students copy; and whatever the teacher says, is right. By all accounts I treat my classroom as my classroom and push critical thinking. Sure they can “repeat after me” and pronunciation is at about a 70% level, but when asked questions concerning what, why, or how, they're just stumped. Case in point, the other day while working on pronunciation with my Form 2's (ages 10-13). I asked which word sounds different: Fan, Van, Far. They were able to identify far. Yet, when I asked then what’s a f-f-fan, I got 18 blank stairs. So I asked what's a v-v-van. Again 18 blank stares. Five students raised their hand to give me a definition for far. They have all of the above items in Cameroon, the students can identify the different sounding word, but they have no idea what the words they're repeating back to me are!

I think what makes up for the majority of the education deficit is the lack of books. The students are required to buy their own books every year, but when families have just enough money to pay for tuition & uniforms there goes all the money left for books. St. Augustine is such a new school that my classes of 4, 18, and 20 students are a far cry from the normal 60-90 person classrooms. In my class of 4 we have one book, my class of 18 has three books, and in my class with 20 students I've never even seen a book. While the teacher takes the time to write out everything on the board the children twiddle their thumbs or talk with their neighbor. The most frustrating aspect is having those students who I know would research material at home/study on the weekends, yet their without the resources to do so. One or two exercises in their notebook doesn't cut it. Once I've gathered a better assessment of the students needs and figured out the logistics (all the while abiding by the donation regulations I'm under by PC), I will start a book drive. Most likely sometime early next year, so stay tuned!School at St. Augustine runs from 7:30am-3:30pm. On the other hand, most lycee's have a more university-esque schedule. Depending on the day a student may finish anywhere from 12pm onward. I don't arrive to St. Augustine until 10am, but from the very first parent-teacher meeting it was apparent tardiness is a huge problem. Nothing unexpected; my morning run is around that time and even by 8:30am I see kids en route to school or some still working the fields. While the majority of children will walk every morning, St. Augustine is fortunate enough to have one bus. Yet operating with one small bus means some kids should be standing at the side of the road around 5am, others around 7am. After the principal was scolding the parents for their children's tardiness, the parents rightfully shot back: Nobody knows what time their children are to be picked up! Hopefully for everyone's sake, the system will be worked out soon.

Discipline is #1 on the agenda. Thus far I've seen several kids hit on the forearm with a tube, some having to sit on their knees in the gravel for the entire period, others having to march on their knees in the gravel, and just the other day the new teacher walked in right after my class period and hit a female student across the face. There's no standing in a corner here. Recently I received an email from a good college friend who teaches at a not-so-nice inner city school in the States. Much to my surprise she seems to be having the same problem, except this time it was the parents, not the teachers, who barged into classrooms. Tension in the home life permitted to carry over to school grounds!? As teachers we're forced to accept it. It's a part of the culture, “the way things are done around here”. Still, it will continue to be hard to accept.

While the work ethic has been quite an adjustment for a fast-paced American, the staff thus far has been absolutely fabulous. I've been adopted into the Petchup family (both husband and wife teach), invited to several functions en ville, and I can no longer stroll through town without running into a staff member. For the time being the highlight of most bank days is leaving the bank and passing George the bus driver, who every time gives me a double-honk and this huge wave. When you're no longer a stranger to everyone in your community it really makes a place feel that much more like home.After my first encounter with our principal I walked away thinking “this is going to be a problem”, but in fact he has turned out to be hands down one of my favorite people. Everyday I get asked where my “crash helmet” is (PC requires we wear a helmet when we take a moto), he always harping on me about how I should be taking more breaks, and his bone dry sense of humor keeps me laughing everyday. Unlike Michigan, Cameroon has two seasons: Rainy and Dry. We're currently in dry season which means plenty of weddings and plenty of funerals. Yesterday I got asked if it’s true we have “professional mourners”. Quoi!? He said he heard it was true, that we actually hire people to mourn at a funeral. “No” I said, “The feeling are actually genuine”. Peace Corps Goal #2, check.

My students in Form 4 will be writing for their national exam soon. We'll be covering the proper format of an essay shortly, but first we have to work on SPELLING! It's scary how bad they are. With the Form 2's Miss Cook has had to revisit all those things like the present perfect, past progressive, and simple past tense she thought she'd abandoned in the 6th grade. Who knew they'd come back to haunt me!? However what I'd much rather be doing is holding spelling bee, after spelling bee, after spelling bee. You won't ever be a good writer if you can't spell correctly, and spell check isn't an option. Du Courage hey!

A quick excerpt about Obama to finish this post. Happy Turkey Day Everyone! I'm jealous of the turkey, and stuffing, and Green Bean Casserole (yuuum), and pumpkin pie. There's a huge cultural fete in a town nearby that only comes every two years, so Thanksgiving will be at Chez Moi. We're planning to eat on Friday and seeing the sites Saturday/Sunday. Hope to invite as many of my Cameroonian friends as possible. Peace Corps goal #2, check encore!

Obama: Il a gagne!!! While only American citizens went to the polls on Tuesday the 4th, rest assured the world was watching. Ever since arriving in Cameroon I've been hearing all about and having to answer questions about Obama. Why? He's their brother of course! At my teacher's meeting that Wednesday yours truly brought a white cake (special thank Wendy). One guy had the great idea that every time someone took their slice they had to say “Long live Obama”. 32 slices of cake= 32 “Long live Obamas!” While I'll never know what it was like to experience the reaction in States, it certainly was neat seeing it half-way around the world. Being able to explain our election process with people who go to the “polls” every seven years yet have had the same President since 1982, was bittersweet. Godspeed to him over these next four years....…

Flipping through the channels on a lazy Sunday in EL I stumbled upon the show “Untold Stories of the ER”. Having never watched it before, I decided to tune in. Featured in this episode was a homeless woman, with skin already just a flaky, charcoal-black layer. The woman walks into the ER, points at her arm to the receptionist, and says “I got worms”. So the doctor comes in next, takes out his scalpel, peels off a section of the woman’s lower right arm, and sure enough finds four earthworms in her lower right arm. As he pulls the first one out and goes to lay it on the table the woman freaks out. Arms flailing in the air she starts shouting, demanding they give each of her “friends” a home. The doctor calls for the nurse who then wheels over a cart with several jars, paper lids, and a permanent market. One by one the nurse places the worms in a jar and labels them accordingly.

After Peter, Bob, Tim, & Harry have been given proper homes the doctor starts stitching the woman up, until once again she claims, “I got worms”. The doctor pauses for a second in disbelief, looks up at woman, looks over at the nurse, and then reaches for his scalpel. By the time it’s all said and done the doctor has uncovered a mass of worms in four different locations on the woman’s body! The nurse has a full cart. As I sat there watching in utter disbelief I could help but feel disgusted and humored at the same time. Laughing in part because of the comedy the show brought to the ER, but mostly because it brought back that scene from Dumb & Dumber when Harry & Lloyds big money making plan is opening up a worm store called “I Got Worms”. Now, all joking aside….I got a worm.

While in reality not really even a worm at all, I’ve managed to acquire Tinea Corporis, aka ringworm. For awhile I’d classified the spot on my right leg as a fall wound not healing correctly, but lately I’d become suspicious. The other day at school I asked a fellow teacher, who took one look, asked “Does it itch”, smiles/laughs and says “You have ringworm”.

According to the medical manual it’s quite common in Cameroon because of the warmth and humidity, so potentially this may not be a one time deal. Honestly I just find it funny, because while I know Africa has already changed me it’s yet another small example of how. In the States the thought of ringworm would have completely grossed me out, but now the only thing I can think is how annoyed I am by “this damn thing on my leg”. Hope I didnt just spoil anyone’s lunch

August 23rd “moved” to post

September 23rd first night at post

October 23rd fill everyone in on what’s been going on at post

To start off where I last left off…I found a house! While it was a month long fiasco, it was also well worth the wait. Brand new, living room, two bedrooms (one of which I’ve converted into the kitchen), and a modern bathroom. Only a ten minute walk to the main market, close to my bank, semi-close to my school, plenty of magasins nearby, and I’m practically touching a small clinic that’s open 24/7. The best part is the waiting room for the clinic is outside, so it’s like having free 24-hour security. Electricity is a yes, and while I was promised water on the 24th of September and almost every day after that…pas encore. No complaints with warm bucket baths, but would be nice for some much needed cleaning. Thinking anytime in the next month would be X-Mas come early!

During first few weeks at post all those depressing thoughts I’d expected to come (I’m so far from home/my family/my friends, how can I possibly work here I can’t even speak French, two years worth of volunteering and when I leave will Cameroon really be any different) hit every morning. I think the worst part was knowing that a good run, a walk outside, or a trip to the store might make it all better, but wait….the minute I stepped out the door people were staring, pointing, some yelling “la blanche”, others “ma chère”, and most likely my only destination was the chaos of the downtown market. It suddenly became quite clear why people find it so easy to ET those first few months. Having said that, it also put into perspective how much PC can rest on what the volunteer makes of it. So, in the past month I’ve operated on the 12:00pm-4:30pm rule; the hours were I was not allowed to be in my house.

What I’ve learned thus far is that not a day goes by without something worth writing about. Seriously, not a day. The bad certainly gets mixed in with the good, but by the end of everyday I just find myself laughing and thinking “Oh Cameroun!” Some of the more interesting encounters I’ve chosen to write about below.

Cameroonians are extremely friendly, a bit curious, and generally laid back. It seems whenever I step out for ten minutes should I pass fifteen houses, I give thirty “Bonjours”. Sometimes, like today on the way to school, riding on a moto is like being in the Homecoming parade all over again. Thankfully, I’ve got a wave down pat. J November 30th was the ending of Ramadan which meant “une grande fête en ville”. I was invited into a neighbor’s home, given probably the largest plate of food I’ve had to stomach, and stayed out en ville until 1am. Waaay past my 9pm bedtime. Cameroonians love to drinking/ dancing, so the streets and bars were packed with people doing just that.

For no real reason (except to get me back in his office) I was asked for a copy of my resume by the Secrétariat Sous-Préfet, but I did it anyways. En route while I passing the gendarmeries I heard “la Blanche viens, la Blanche viens”. Ninety-eight percent of the time I pretend not to hear, but the man persisted so much I had to. Turns out it was the Commandant de Gendarmerie, whom I missed meeting during all my protocol because he was out of town. I’m invited into his office where I sit for twenty minutes while he searches the stacks of paper in his office for my official Peace Corps letter. He finds it, we discuss, he asks “do you like beer”, naturally I reply “yes”, so from 12pm-3pm I’m drinking with the gendarmeries. I mention that while my program is with microfinance, I’d like to volunteer at a school as well. Thirty minutes later I’m meeting with the coordinator of a bi-lingual private school, working out my timetable.

One of the teachers at my school worked & was friends the former volunteer here. He speaks very good English & French, and has been a great help to me thus far. This Saturday he’ll be starting as my French tutor for 4hrs a week, and he’s very interested in starting an NGO in town offering French, English, & computer education classes. Possible SED work there so that’s exciting. I finally ran into the group of Belgium/Dutch volunteers in town who I’d been hearing about for weeks. It seems every time I went to town villagers would tell me “I saw your sister today”. No not my sister I’d tell them, but nice try. China Man & China Couple (I realize those aren’t the best names, but really they’re like terms of endearment for them for Wendy & I) are still very much “volunteers for volunteers”. Anything and everything they do for us. Honestly their generosity just astounds me. Every meal is like Thanksgiving and some of the best cooking I’ve ever tasted, China Man drinks whisky sachets like water and now makes me drink beer that way as well, rather than have Wendy translate all the time we now exchange small vocabulary which is hilarious!, I’ve been taught some Chinese calligraphy, and the free, fast internet has given me lots of time to gchat with people back home.

This post has made me realize I can no longer wait a month to write a post, but for those interested a few more sectioned off updates below. My favorite holiday’s coming up, so peeps do me proud! I’m expecting HiLaRiouS pictures with those next letters…

News from the bank: Did I fail to mention that my counterpart is now in jail for embezzling 5 MILLION Cfa! 5 million CFA = approx. 10,000 USD’s. A large sum of money to steal from an American bank, A LOT of money to steal from a Cameroonian bank. Corruption is extremely prevalent in Cameroon, a major hindrance to development here. They often make the list of top tens in countries around the world, and a friend recently told me one in two female counterparts is corrupt. So much for being thankful I had a girl. The bank is fairly new and an employee from another branch was caught stealing less than a year ago, so I’m not sure what that says for the future of the bank. I’m pretty sure my big Marketing plans are out the window, but I guess time will tell. My new counterpart has yet to be determined, so for now I’m just going two-three times a week to “observe” and study French.

Work: Thanks to the Commandant I’m now working at the Bi-lingual private school in town. After three weeks my timetable is still being worked, but tentatively it looks like I’ll have three sections of English: Form 2, Form 4, & the 4eme. The school is still being built and the entire project is not slated for completion until 2010. It’s a highly ambitious project by African standards. Currently there are about twenty some open-air classrooms, thirty (yes thirty) computers w/ internet are waiting to be installed, next year they’ll start construction on the lycée (high school), and after that there are plans for a canteen and dormitory. I’ve already asked and apparently funding is in place for all the building. Unfortunately, the funding for books, office supplies, teachers salaries, and transportation is not. The brains already churning with possible SED work there.

Kids: No surprise here, they’re everywhere all the time. At school I command the sort of respect that goes with a name like Miss Cook. Everything is yes Madame, no Madame; still I’m working on Mademoiselle. However, the minute I arrive home I’m back to just being Kate. My neighborhood posse of anywhere from 12-20 is dashing towards my front porch the second I dismount the moto. Thus far we’ve had map showing aux Etats-Unis w/ “Name that State”, numerous photo album sessions, some French story time, and as always the normal run through of what each of them learned that day at school. At dinner time the crowd gathers on a small concrete ledge outside my kitchen & supporting themselves with the window bars. The little ones are by far the cutest because they’re all hands & braided tops of heads. While for the most part I’ve only prepared eggs they’re fascinated by American cooking and always appreciate the occasional sample. J While I had the intention of keeping the inside of my house off limits, that plan was shattered last week when they spotted my neck pillow. After a brief explanation & demonstration I then had all the kids on my couch, trying it out, and laughing hysterics. Brighton peeps: I hope you’re laughing just as hard too!

Health: I’ve had a couple of bad falls recently, providing plenty of entertainment to the employees/patrons of the clinic. The first was directly devant the clinic when I slipped on a rock coming out of the latrine. Rock slips off the ledge, followed by Kate. First the middle toe, then my hands, then my chin. Left side of my leg also took a beating.

The second was even better. 45-minutes into the run I heard a moto, turned my head to see how far behind it was, trip on a rock, and fall hard onto the dirt. Both hands bleeding, right knee cut up, and running outfit a mixture of dirt and blood, I was forced to turn around and finish. To make it even better my hands hurts too bad to carry the guava I was given from a man yelling “Du Courage. Guava. C’est bien! Tu dois prendre!”, so I now have a third boob. When the hospital got one look at me everyone started shaking their say heads, “Patience, patience” they say.

Hi everyone! Its been awhile! Ive been having major computer issues, so have not been able to blog in awhile. I was halfway through one last night, but lesson planning and the four hour parent/teacher mtg wore me out! Theres been an interest in packages lately. Lots of questions about what to send. Ive compiled the following list of goodies that would be much appreciated! Im still using the same Yaounde address. Pkgs usually take anywhere from three to six weeks. By no means feel obligated, but if you do, merci beaucoup! Blog w/ updates in the next few days! The mail system is not the greatest, so a packaging tips to for a safe arrival: Insure the package and/or address the package to Sister Catherine Cook. Write religious sayings over it, or put religious stickers. Theyre very superstitious here, so theres a better chance it wont be opened before arrival. Put liquids in plastic baggies. Chocolate unfortunately typically melts before arrival, & I can find snickers and twix in grocery stores here. Wish List

DVD’s or TV series (any I have none)

TV Series (Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, Sex & the City, Etc.)

Magazines (Newsweek, The Week, People, Etc. *Clothing magazines* are also appreciated. You get much better results just giving the tailor a picture rather than try and explain!

TEFL Materials

Deodorant: Secret Platinum kuku coco Butter or Lady Speed Stick-Orchard Blossom

Clean & Clear Astringent

Cheap jewelry/hair pieces

Mousse or Gel for hair

Colored nail polish

Gifts for others

Coloring Books, small boxes of crayons

Jump ropes

Frisbee’s

Food Wish List

Sugar-free Gum (Dentyne Ice or Trident)

Crystal Light packets

Tea packets (Chai, Vanilla, Apple, Raspberry, etc.)

American Candy (esp. gummies/sour candy)

Non-stick Spray

Powdered Cheese Packets (like in Kraft Mac N’Cheese)

Raisins

Beef Jerkey (peppered, hot, teriyaki)

Parmesan Cheese

Peanut Butter

Maple Syrup

Millstone Coffee

Splenda

Twizzlers

Hot Sauce

Ms. Dash spices

An unexpected turn of events after my Friday return to post. Story is little bit lengthy and complicated, but I’ve included the majority of it below for those with time or interest. In short: my landlord was a jerk, refused to sign a document for the water company, so the apartment PC had for me fell through. Currently shopping for a new piece of real estate. Agents or journals don’t exist, so shopping meanse riding around neighborhoods on a moto asking people if they know of anything available. Of the five I’ve seen thus far three were definite no’s; two perfect, but occupied. Our Chinese friend's wife returned today after three months in China, so Wendy & I had lunch there again. Not that he doesn’t already do everything for us, but as soon as Wendy told him what happened on Friday he just kept shaking his head saying “pas une problem”. We’re going on Monday to find a place. He truly is just as he says, “A volunteer for volunteers.”

On days when I don’t return to post I practice my domestic skills at Wendy’s. Between fetching water, filling the water buckets & bottles, walking the mile to market, making meals (au natural takes so much longer!), doing dishes, the occasional run, and entertaining the many kids who stop by my days are filled. From 7:00pm on it’s movie after movie or Season 3 of Grey’s. Finally got around to posting some pics. Hope you enjoy!

Not so much…..

My thinking going into last Friday: have all documents ready for the electric & water company, visit both places with my counterpart, sign the papers, leave post by mid afternoon, stay with Wendy another day or two while I wait on installation, middle of next week move to post. En realite: Arrive at post at 11am counterparts out of town for the morning. Visit electric company solo where I get yelled at b/c I don’t have my lease legalized. This I already know but comes after trying to have it signed (insert time when I was scammed for money), figuring out it has to be legalized in the first place b/c my landlord has unpaid bills from the previous tenant, him calling a friend at the electric company saying “my friend I miss you!”, so now all debts are cleared. Yet when I can’t provide the name of the person my landlord talked to, the boss of the electric company is irritated once more. Need the number one my box so take a moto back to apartment w/ electric co. worker to get it. Luckily outside of the deposit I had to leave but couldn’t (box wouldn’t open??), I leave electric company finished.

Visit water company next and get yelled at again b/c I don’t have a bill from the previous tenant. This I already knew as well but explain to the man I’ve asked my landlord repeatedly for an old bill but he keeps telling me it’s not possible. Give him my landlord’s number, he calls, I hear “oh d’accord d’accord.” Man gets off the phone, looks at me, laughs, and says “it’s because no one’s ever lived there before.” What!?! Liar! I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my landlord talk about the previous tenant, and if you remember the problem with the electric company & the legalized signature was because of this old tenant. With that out of the way next find out one of the papers needs a fiscal stamp and more signatures.

Visit town hall to buy a fiscal stamp, stop by the police station for a signature. At the police station I’m directed upstairs where when I show the officer what I need completed and first thing she says is “why are you bringing this to me and not your landlord?” Good question. 2:05pm call landlord to come to the police station to sign to it. Tells me he’ll be there in five minutes. 3:15pm in walks landlord. Landlord becomes angry when he realizes what he has to sign. Document basically reads if I leave w/o paying the bills, he has to. Landlord starts arguing with the gendarme. Not the best of ideas. At this point gendarme and I are basically bff’s s after having spent over an hour in her office chatting it up with her and her visiting sister. Landlords continues to argue. Gets so mad he then says he’s leaving. I demand he stays until Pascale gets there. Landlord takes off anyways. 3:30pm Pascale arrives at police station. Her and gendarme chat. Get the gist of what’s going on, but phone APCD to get a better translation. Sure enough landlord refuses to sign, which for me means no way to get water, so it’s just decided I should get a new place altogether. 4:00pm gendarmes sister goes out to find me an apartment! 4:30 she returns but no luck. 4:45pm meet up with Pascale’s husband and head to landlord’s office. He quietly argues with landlord trying to get some understanding. It kills me at this point to not know exactly what is being said b/c I know my landlords not telling the truth. Pascale is pissed. Pascale leaves room. Landlord looks at me and switches over with some English. Bad idea. Now I’m yelling in English. And while I’m sure he didn’t understand every word, after all of this…..it sure felt good.

Upon arrival in Yaounde every stagiere, depending on their program, is given their resepective calendar for the next eleven weeks of Stag. Our lives are blocked off seven hours a day, Monday thru Saturday, in two hour increments. We live and die by the "cote". I checked it every morning to know what books to read, I can't count the number of times I heard/asked "What sesssion do we have next", and it's where everynight I got to put a big X thru the day showing I was one step closer to becoming a PCV. Well my friends, on August 22nd, 2008 I officially made it! I am now a current Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon.

The swearing in ceremony was held in Bangangte where we had our training. Almost everyone affiliated with PC Cameroon was there, several important officials in Bangangte, a few current volunteers, and two members from each of our homestay families. There was a special appearance by the Cub Scouts Chapter of the American Embassy in Cameroon (flag holders), but unfortunatley they forgot the popcorn and I'm positive the memo to the Girl Scouts got lost because there weren't any cookies either. Outside of the rain and loss of power the ceremony went really well. There was a nice luncheon to follow. PC did up certificates for host families (certificates are like gold here) and my mom said she was going to frame hers and put it in the living room. The final night of stagiere togetherness finished with several boxes of wine, beers, dancing, and a slumber party on the concrete floors of the SED house. On Saturday, August 23rd, 2008 there's one big blocked off section on the "cote" that reads "Cutting the Cord". For all of stage this has pretty much freaked me out, but as it turns out my cord wasn't cut nearly as well as the others; pretty much I'm still dangling.

I could write pages on the last month in stage, but after a brief read of my friend Wendy's (roundtwocameroon.blogspot.com) I realized two things: 1.) She does a good job of summing it all up 2.) I'm a Slacker when it comes to blogging! Outside of a Fabulous dinner given by my host family where they let me invite three other friends, made every Cameroonian food under the sun, and even had gifts 24/7 of my time has been spent with Wendy so just check hers. My solo experience yesterday was my first major hangup. While not fun at the moment, an hour after it was over I realized this just some of what these next two years are all about.

Events from yesterday: So even though my landlord has known I'd be arriving for over two months now, that means nothing, and my apartment is still not ready for me yet. The minor problems I can deal with (roof leak, broken locks, very stinky bathroom, cobwebs/rodents), but not having water or electricity poses a different problem. Without another volunteer in my town to stay with I've been traveling back and forth between my house and Wendy's; roundtrip 2 hours. Yesterday was the closest I've come to tears (well pretty much I was crying) when after going from my apartment, to work, to the electicic company, to the water company, back to work, to my landlords, I still have to visit city hall for a signature. I think a large part of upset played into the fact that I expected the day to go something like this: go with my counterpart to the electric and water companies, counterpart does lots of the technical french talking, I sign the papers/pay the installation fees, I can leave for Wendy's, and in three or four days my house will have water and electricity. However the reality: counterpart sends me with another employee who doesn't help at all with the french, I find out I need a list of things at both places, return to work and counterparts out of town, then visit landlord to get some of the documents I need and told by his secretary I must first go to city hall, pay a small amount of money to get the lease legalized and then come back. So I go to city hall expecting to pay something around 2,000-4,000 cfa, but the man refuses to sign unless I pay him 63,ooo cfa! My french was not getting me through this one, so on the brink of tears I phone my APCD who saves the day. Long story short a new law went into effect and I owe taxes on my apartment (not normal for a PCV homestead). My landlord did up the lease wrong, so that it reads I'm renting a commerical business. Consequently, the man was trying to charge me 15% yearly in taxes for a CB instead of 5% for a homestead. While the charge has now dropped to the 21,ooo cfa, the down side is it might be another battle to decide who going to pay it. Trying all this again on Friday when my landlord gets back from Douala. On good note, after spending three hours at the bank on Tuesday I now have a bank account in Cameroon! After waiting in line for over an hour today I was able to withdraw cash. Wendy just kept saying "takes 10 minutes in the US..30 in England". hah! I really will need all three months just to get "set-up".

I've posted the Blog Links to a lot of my other friends; they're really good at covering the day to day stuff and at posting the ever appreciated PICTURES. I encourage everyone to take a look at their blog pages. You get a lot of different persepectives on life in Cameroon and a mix of stories and experiences. Till next time...

A small part of the French vocabulary, a word that has swiftly become a stagier/personal favorite, and one that as PCT’s we certainly get a lot of use out of.  I realize I haven’t posted in awhile but I’m going to take the time with this post to write solely on Cameroonian life au general. All 36 stagiers will be traveling to Yaoundé this weekend for a few days for banking and general wrap-up matters. I hope to nab some free dialup Internet at the Coz to write another post about what’s been going on in the PC world, but for now just a short list of things I think you’ll find très, très intéressant…… Bush Taxis:  Gone are the days of taking a taxi and riding solo in the backseat.  Here you pay a flat rate, climb in the equivalent of a Volkswagen Jetta, and share a ride with seven-nine other people (not including the driver).  While on site visit I usually found myself sitting inbetween or just to the right of the stick shift. Maïs:  French for corn on the cob.  You see it being grown all over in the fields, being sold all over the market, and at roadside stands.  Now before you’re mouth starts watering because you’re dreaming of Fall aux Etats-Unis J, it’s not what you might think.  Here they eat the short, tougher corn we’re accustomed to feeding animals.  Instead of boiling it and smothering it in butter and salt, Cameroonians grill until partly burned and eat it solo.  While it takes some getting used to I thoroughly enjoy sharing a cob with friends; in particular that one stagier who carries salt in her purse at all times. J Television: Cameroonians Love It! Chez moi, the television comes on at roughly 6am every morning and isn’t turned off until 11pm.  It’s on during breakfast, I can imagine lunch (I’m at school), and their eyes are glued to it during dinner.  I’ve concluded that Cameroonians have some sort of special hearing, since it’s a rarity for the television to be the only electronic going at one time.  Often the televisions on, radios playing, pots are clanging in the kitchen, my baby sisters crying, and nobody seems to miss a beat.  Seriously, it’s impressive. Unfortunately the evening news is way too fast for my comprehension, but what I can tell you that’s markedly different from the evening news in the states, is that the showing of dead bodies is perfectly acceptable.  There’s typically a crowd of people hovering nearby, and often the deceased has committed some sort of crime so it serves as a statement to others. Nethertheless there it is, and it takes some getting used. Private Vehicles: Operate with the same philosophy as bush taxis: cram em’ in!  When I go to church with my family all nine of us squeeze in the family car.  Seatbelts aren’t a priority.  On my first day here I rode shotgun sans a seatbelt with my little sister on my lap.  En route to a neighboring town my father signaled our presence around the many, many turns, simply by laying on the horn.  Intéressant.The other day I had to slightly chuckle when a Mercedes Benz made for five drove past carrying eight.  Even first class has a new meaning. Especially for Jordana: Thanks for the post with questions! Wish I had could put up pics. of the market because that’d be the easiest, but they take way to long to load! Picture this: two Lansing size city blocks filled with brown stalls comprised of general stores, tailors, restaurant/bars, hair salons, etc.  There are several street vendors lining the street selling produce (corn, avocados, peanuts, carrots, bananas, pineapples, passion fruit, etc.), clothing, footwear, or random household goods.  The market here is small-medium size, but once I reach most post I’ll have a huge one.  I’ll be able to find……lettuce on a daily basis J and its rumored even strawberries during season.  Income generating activities for women: the most common is selling produce in the market, some work as civil servants, and many simply do all the work around the house.  I hope to work with the women’s group at my bank so I’ll be sure to post some information on what sort of projects are worked on. Hope that helped! Especially for Simon: I received your letter today!! It was my first in Cameroon and Much Appreciated.  I had to laugh when I opened it; of course you’d put it in Word letter format, signed, and dated. J  Glad to hear things are going well in NYC. More updates on your end with the next letter! Dadio: Got your 2nd pkg. Thanks so much! I’m assuming you sent the second for insurance as it contained the exact same things. J You’d be happy to know I was explaining Chutes & Ladders en francais to my sisters last night and that I’m now set on face towelettes for the next two years. Looking forward to my Sunday phone call…              

To yet another couple who tied the knot this past weekend…Congrats! I talked with the fam. on Sunday and all agreed the wedding was FaBulOus! Wishing you only the best in your new life together. As a consequence of having so many friends getting married this summer, I’ve really been able to alleviate the amount of time spent on brainstorming catchy post titles. However if I had to put a little more of an Afrique spin on things it would have read something like this….. Beverly Hills. Since after all, this is my post.

Picture this scenario: My APCD standing in the front of the classroom before a map of Cameroon and fifteen very anxious SED volunteers. He’s wearing a multi-colored beaded hat with points all around, which we are told is symbolic of a chiefs hat. James (APCD) announces that inside of his hat lies the name of each volunteer, and under their name is their post. He’s going to start at the front of the classroom, each volunteer will pull out a name (not necessarily their own), and read to the rest of the class who it is/where they’ll be going. Consequently, he now has before him fifteen Bug Eyed Volunteers.

It was pretty surreal feeling to say the least. Hearing each of my friends names called off, them questioning which province the name of their town (they can hardly pronounce) is even in, and then watching them place their pin on the map. Peace Corps has you wait 8 months+ to find out what country, 1+ month during PST to know your post, and then Wham there it is. Three quarters of the way through the list I heard my name, and my pin went in l’ Ouest.

The SED’s and ED’s in our stage are pretty evenly divided amongst the ten Cameroonian provinces. Two weeks ago the ED’s spent time traveling to their respective posts, and this past week it was our turn. By traveling within the same province (and one of the more developed) I knew I was going to have it pretty easy. Typically PST’s stay with other volunteers at their posts, but since I’ll be the first PCV at my post in more than a decade, I stayed with my counterpart. A brief explanation of my week: two days spent with my counterpart exploring my town, host institution, apartment, shopping in the market, all the while being exposed to really fast french. The final two days were spent at the home of another nearby PCV watching three movies, two seasons of Sex & the City, eating a lot, and catching up on US Weekly. Basically....it was America. :) My apologies for not just writing the name of my town so you can research it on your own, but PC does not permit us to release them for safety and security reasons. However some fast facts: it sits in a valley surrounded by mountains, is known for it’s huge market, the prominent religion is Islam, its situated near two other major cities in Cameroon, and all the roads leading to and from are easily navigable. The easily navigable roads and close proximity to other cities account for me not having seven hour bush-taxi delays, having 160km trip take 11 hours, riding in “prison buses”, getting into an accident, or just experiencing the sheer heat and humidity that’s present in the North & East. While my adventurous side was quite jealous after hearing all these stories, Im sure Ill look back after two years and appreciate Beverly Hills.

I know I’m forgetting plenty of info. by trying to cram almost a month’s worth of PC life into one post, so if anyone has any questions for me Please Post them. I’d love to write about what people want to hear about. My parents mentioned food availability has been a popular question. To this I can answer bread, rice, plantains, peanuts, potatoes, eggs, cabbage, beans, pineapple, bananas, and fish are the most common. Some traditional dishes include manioc, couscous, and coki. My family is an exception, but most Cameroonians use a ton of palm oil in their cooking, which is way bad for cholesterol. Really outside of couscous (nothing like couscous in the states....think runny Playdo served in a sac) and the fish (covered in skin and its eyes stare right at back at ya), I like it all. I eat so much pineapple I think I might turn into one, and everyday eat half or all of a french baguette with avocado or eggs. Hoping to post some pictures soon!

Highlights over the past month

1. Riding mottos. This might be one PC extra I won’t give up Stateside.

2. Running and having every pedestrian, car driver, people shopping in the market, and even kids running across their lawn in groups giving me a thumbs up, huge smile, and shouting “Du Courage”

3. Getting good reviews from my home stay family

3. Reading people’s comments. Keep them coming...I love em’!

It's going on six days now. The time is longer than usual, but my host mom just shakes her head and laughs. Everyday has brought something different. For the first day I went showerless using bottled water for everything else. Days two, three, and four consisted of bucket baths using the tap water that sits in buckets in the yard. Day five I collected rain water (I kid you not), and today I hit a milestone when I pulled water from a nearby well and carried it a 1/4 mile African style (aka on my head). Picture the two nephews, my host mother, and I walking single file in a line back to the house all carrying buckets on our head. A fabulous lost photo opportunity! While I felt very accomplished taking this bucket bath, I'm crossing my fingers for water soon. Happy 4th of July To All!!!!!

After almost three weeks I’m happy to report that as a group, Nous Sommes Ensemble! Yes all thirty-eight of us are still here and from what I’ve gathered thus far about previous stages in Cameroon, this is quite the feat. There is so much that can be said already about my time here, but for now let it just be said that life is very, very different. Gone are long stretches of paved roads, modern buildings, safe transportation, reliable electricity/water, or even a simple access to “things”. You name it, more than likely it’s non-existent or difficult to find. Even simple things like brushing your teeth (now in a toilet), washing your hands (sinks don’t exist in bathrooms), drinking water (if you can’t even bathe with it…), or washing your clothes (three hours later, still a little soapy, bring them in half dry, leave set four days to avoid mango flies in your skin). What all this really means: I have come to accept a new level of personal hygiene pretty quickly. I am without running water more than with, so clean feet before I crawl into bed, brushed teeth in the morning, or a guarantee I can shower after working out, just doesn’t happen anymore. Still, outside of face towelettes and Clean & Clear (Mom did you send some?) I do not really feel that bad about it. Since arriving, I have had zero need for my debit card, carrying around more than $20, or my cell phone outside of emergencies. To be honest Ive found it quite liberating.

From a development standpoit there is so much that could be done. The other day I asked a current one-year volunteer what he thought Cameroon lacked most. His response: Systems. He said that after living and working in the States for 40+ years he has found a new found appreciation for the functioning systems we take for granted everyday. While tasks are often accomplished here there’s no manual, sound model to duplicate, a system for checks and balances, and absolutely zero follow up. Last Friday every SED volunteer was assigned a business in the community to work with over the next eight weeks. It’s more of a learning experience for the volunteer than anything else, but still hopefully some value will come for it on the business end. I was assigned to newly opened Cyber Café in town. Talk about an awkward when you walk into a business to give advice on business strategies, and you’re struggling in French to even get through questions like “Why did you decide to open?” Luckily the owner does speak a little English, so if it gets really bad in French there’s a backup. Even better, is that the owner would like help on Marketing which means I can stay away from those books (huge sigh of relief coming from my Dad J).

As far as daily life is concerned, the Peace Corps keeps us on quite a rigorous schedule thus far. Although my alarm is set for 6:35am every morning, an alarm clock has proved unnecessary. Every morning at exactly 5:21am there’s an obnoxious cackle from the chicken that resides directly outside my bedroom, and chiming in shortly after are the remaining members of the neighborhood choir. 7:00am a cold shower; 7:15am throw on the same clothes I’ve only worn three times before; 7:30am breakfast with the host family; 7:45am speed walk to school; 8:00am-4:30pm a mix of language, technical, and cultural training. During our only real free time between 4:30pm and our home stay curfews at 7pm, volunteers can often be found at Chez Pierres (our favorite bar), the Internet café, or Marche A. Currently we are in the middle of the rainy season in Bangangte, so almost everyday we can expect to get use out of our umbrellas, an ¼ inch of red mud caked to the bottom of our shoes, an inability to hear what our teacher is saying in class, and our drying laundry to become WET!

My host family thus far has been outstanding. My father works finance in the neighboring town of Bassamba, although he often works directly from the house or travels to the capital, Yaounde. My mother is a matrice (female teacher) for ages 12-16 and currently enjoying her time at home with the kids during summer break. In Cameroon it’s commonplace for immediate and extended family members to live together. When I first arrived a nephew and niece were living here as well, but both have since parted. Serg the 18 year old nephew who proved to be the perfect median in the house for the first week (fluent in French with a little English) has since gone back to Yaounde to wait out school in the fall. Gladis, the niece and “menager” (housekeeper) speaks no English. While it’s very difficult at times to get our points across, this relationship has pushed me to utilize my French more than any other. Gladis will be returning in a few weeks, but in the meantime two more nephews from Yaounde have filled her place. The two biological children, Clara (4) and Evonne (1), are as cute as can be.

For the next few weeks we will continue with four hours a day of French lessons and a mix of technical sessions. Immersion started today, which means zero English at school for the remainder of our time. On July 10th our APCD will return to give us our posts, a date everyone is anxiously awaiting. While SED volunteers are active in all ten provinces of Cameroon the three most likely placements are the North, Extreme North, and West. Most of us are fighting for spots in the francophone to exercise our French, but at least three volunteers will be placed in the Anglophone. While we have given the APCD our preferences, ultimately the decision is not up to us. It will be interesting to see who winds up where, but either way every volunteer is bound to think their post is the best because it’s what they have come to know.

This is getting long so I’m wrapping it up with a quick list of firsts. Coming up soon....info. on my exact assignments!

Firsts:

Going to the bathroom in two separate pit latrines (FYI the one at my house is way nicer than the public markets)

Three marriage proposals in one day

Leaving a cockroach unattended in my room

Spending three hours on laundry

Et pour un autre volontaire…...showering with a chicken

Ps: And in case your wondering how the third “first” turned out…..Kate Cook, with her J-41, right-hand corner of her bedroom

A very simple post to say Congrats you Crazy Two!!! Thinking about you much (a play by play actually, so right abou now you should be enjoying some homemade banana bread Miss BATOR). Wishing you only the best as you start your new life together. Have a fabulous honeymoon and try not to spit out too many kids before I get back!

Under the weather. Not feeling so hot. Just flat out sick. As any knowledgable Peace Corps volunteer will tell you its a part of service; reoccurance a common thing. What Ive been experiencing the past few days I would like to think of as a welcome to Africa; a small taste of the fun stuff yet to come. I made it through the formal dinner at the PC directors house on Sunday, where the US Ambassador made an appearance as well. Very nice evening of mingling and eating under an outdoor graduation style tent. Monday was a round of shots, self introductions, and pre training. Tuesday morning we took our french placement tests with some more pre training seminars, and shortly after that I began to know the inside of my hotel room and the infirmary quite well. By far the most frustrating part has been missing out on all the training seminars, but my roommate has been quite helpful and encouraging, and is quick to point out that if there were a week to be sick why not get it out of the way with an airconditioned room, electricity, and running appliances. Feeling increasingly better as the day goes on, and actually looking forward to the three hour bus ride to Bagante tomorrow morning where ill first get to meet my host family for the next twelve weeks!! In case your wondering madame varners french only got me so far. Never have I said je ne sais pas more in the course of fifteen minute conversation. Ive been placed as a novice mid, the only upgrade from novice low, but the good news is that the majority of my training class has been as well. As a side note, no my punctuations really not this bad....these french computers are just really hard to figure out! bye for a few weeks

Just returned from the clinic this morning which means I'm officially done with the staging process! I arrived on Wednesday afternoon 1 1/2 late for my first seminar (not because of Cook time but rather fog delays in Phili!) yet everything worked out OK because more than half the group was delayed as well. Our first day was consumed with group activities and lectures. It feels great to finally be among others who will be sharing in the same experience as me. The majority of the group is girls (typical of the Peace Corps where ratios are usually 60% female 40% male). Everyone is super friendly just as I'd imagined and several of the boys on the group are down right hilarious. "Since this is the Peace Corps" as they put it, we've been doing a lot of talking about our feelings (excitement, anxieties, aspirations). It seems at the moment every one's feelings are quite similar, but once we've landed and the reality of living in Cameroon sets in I'm sure they'll vary drastically. The Peace Corps staff (3 former volunteers) so far has been wonderful. Very knowledgeable and professional. They each served in a different decade so it's been nice to have that perspective of how Peace Corps was and what it has become. After a long training session on Wednesday we finished the night off at an outdoor pizzeria, followed by a karaoke bar that unfortunately was not doing karaoke that night but totally redeemed themselves with a rock, paper, scissors tournament! Honestly the whole first day left me feeling like this was my third study abroad. As much as I enjoyed them I'm anxious to get away from that lifestyle which will be coming shortly. Day two was another full day of seminars; a little more focused on Cameroon itself. Although I don't have my official post yet, I can tell you that the Northern Provinces are the Anglophone regions, Muslim, more conservative, very HOT (120) but dry climate. The South and West is the Francophone region, more liberal, roughly 90 degree temps, and apparently people are Very friendly. I'll be happy with either although I do really want to become strong in French. This morning I received my Yellow Fever & will start taking my weekly Malaria pill at noon. The Peace Corps provides all the preemptive strategies to getting sick thus it's up to the volunteer to be sure they abide by them. Setting a Friday reminder as we speak! Okay off to checkout and then do more shopping. How it's possible I still need more things I Don't Know..but I do. Au revoir! My next post will be from Cameroon!!!

So I leave tomorrow! Is it really finally here!? If I had a quarter for every time someone asked me in the past week "Are you ready" I'm pretty sure I could create a career out of this. Are my bags packed?; yes they're waiting upstairs. Am I excited?; absolutely, I think tomorrow will be the start of an amazing two years. Am I scared; somewhat although not for my safety, simply for the unknown. I read somewhere once that one of the reasons the Peace Corps application process takes so long is to sort out those who have the patience to withstand it from those who don't. So if the waiting game was my first Peace Corps test then I think I've passed and am ready for what tomorrow will bring.

To all of those people who've I've had a chance to say goodbye to and those that I have unfortunately missed, I will miss you dearly! Your encouraging words and smiling faces have meant a lot. For the next two days I'll be in Philadelphia for Staging, going through orientation seminars and meeting everyone in my group. Friday I officially leave for Cameroon, connecting in Paris first before arriving in Yaounde. The next twelve weeks will be consumed with Pre-Service Training in Bagante. While my Internet access over the course of two years will be limited I hope through this blog to generate awareness about Cameroon & Peace Corps. So please check it often, pass it along to family/friends, do write with any comments questions you might have.

Objectives for the next two years:

Energy

Open heart

Open mind

The rest should take care of itself...

Clothing

Pictures of clothes you might want to have made

Cotton button-up shirts (3) Tank Tops (3)

Everyday shirts (4); Shirts for work (3)

1 pair black spandex sweatpants & 1 small fleece

5 below the knee breathable skirts; 1 dressy skirt

3 pairs Capri’s

2 long cotton dresses

2 pair workout shorts

1 Northface Rain coat

1 pair black dress slacks

1 pair jeans

Underwear (15); bras (4); sports bras (4); socks (8)

3 pairs of boxer sleep shorts; 3 matching cotton shirts

1 long sleeve shirt

Shoes

Reef Flip flops

T9 sandals (for work)

Black Naturalizers (work)

off-pink flats (work)

Birkenstock sandals (for work)

Nike running shoes

Toiletries

Toothbrush 2; Toothpaste 1 mini bottle; 1 floss

2 pairs sunglasses

1 bottle Visine

5 bottles deodorant-hard to find in Cameroon

Double sided magnifying mirror/regular hand mirror

Clean & Clear face wash & astringent

1 box of q-tips; 1 package of cotton swabs

4 tubes of Carmex

3 cheap razors; 1 nice razor with 2 refill packages

Large camping towel-REI

Fingernail clippers & nail file & 2 pairs Tweezers

1 large hand sanitizer bottle; 5 small travel sizes

1 small bottle of lotion

Three month supply of prescription drugs

Hair ties, clips, headbands, and bobby pins

Diva Cup

Minimal amount of makeup & 2 bottles clear green-tea nail polish

2 wash cloths; 2 packages of disposable wash cloths

Kitchen

Spice Mill for peppercorns

Can Opener

Potato Peeler

Collapsible measuring cups and spoons

1 Nalgene bottles

Plastic storage containers and Ziploc bags of assorted sizes

2 pampered chef knives; self-contained in sharpener

o Medium size non-stick pan

Entertainment

Watch

Travel Alarm Clock

Digital Camera

Ipod Nano (8gb)

Ipod Speakers-small (9.99 wal-mart)

3 sets of headphones

Dell Laptop

1 GB USB storage device (2)

Compact Mag-Lite flashlight

LED headlamp

Photos from home

French/English dictionary and Thesaurus

Poster size map of the world and Cameroon

Miscellaneous

American stamps to send letters home with Volunteers

Journal & Address Book

2 packages of sugar free gum

Quality Pens with refills or replacements

Umbrella

2 rolls duct tape, 1 bottle gorilla glue

2 combination locks

Comfortable sleeping pillow with 2 pillow cases

Inflatable pillow

Savanna Mosquito Net with canopy

Paper Work

12 passport size photos

Money Belt

Copy of Visa & Passport

Gifts for host family

Bath & Body Works hand cream

1 bottle of perfume

2 jump ropes

Luggage

Rolling Duffle Bag

Green Jansport hikers backpack

Northface shoulder bag with laptop compartment

The following suggestions and postal regulations may be useful:

1. Mail should be sent directly to the Yaoundé address, OR directly t your Volunteer's post address once training is finished.

2. Both Volunteers and family members should number letters sent so that the receiver can determine whether any letters do not arrive.

3. Packages should be sent via air, not surface mail (surface mail has been known to take longerthan two years to arrive.)

4. Sending packages to your Volunteer in Cameroon is a risky proposition. Theft of packages isnot only a problem in the Cameroonian postal system, it also occurs on the U.S. side. Although occasionally a package arrives quickly and without problems, it may take months or it may get"lost" along the way. Therefore, it is not advisable to send valuables this way.

5. If you do send packages, bubble envelopes seem to work better than large boxes. They areless tempting to would-be thieves. The sender should clearly and honestly mark the contentson the outside of the package, but a general description of the contents is sufficient: "clothingand candy" rather than "Nike high top sneakers and 2 lbs. Godiva chocolate."

6. Express mail is an expensive option that may take just as long to get to Cameroon. Perhapsa more secure option than regular airmail for documents, checks, etc., it is subject to morescrutiny by Cameroonian customs than regular mail. For items other than documents, PeaceCorps staff has to submit import licenses to customs, and clearance can take up to 10 days.Thus, you may not necessarily save any time by using Express mail. DHL and UPS operate in Cameroon for those important documents. Note that current prices for these services runaround $100.00 for one pound or less.

7. There is a tax which Volunteers will have to pay on all packages received before they canretrieve them from the post office. This tax varies according to the size of the package. It mightbe a nice gesture from friends or family to send a six-pack of Mountain Dew, but it may cost a Volunteer up to $10.00 to get it out of the post office.

8. Packages sent to the Yaoundé office are sent regularly to Volunteer posts. This may delaydelivery to the Volunteer by up to several weeks.

9. If Volunteers wish to send a package from Yaoundé to the States, Cameroon postal ratesare high and insurance is not available. For this reason, many Volunteers wait to sendpackages with returning PCVs (whom they ask first, in country) or wait until their Completion of Service (COS) date to send home gifts and souvenirs. Letters going to the States through the Cameroonpost have been quite dependable.

10. US postage-stamped letters can be put in the "next traveler" box at the Peace Corps officein Yaoundé, to be hand carried by the next person going Stateside. Note that this is a courtesy,not an obligation, and Volunteers shouldn't expect any traveler to carry more than letter mail, unless special arrangements are made with the individual. Air travelers may be required toopen letters and packages and/or submit them to X-rays, especially when they don't belong tothe traveler.

11. The Cameroon Desk in Peace Corps Headquarters, Washington, is available to answerVolunteer & families' questions about mail. Due to staff and budget constraints, they cannot, however, facilitate the sending of personal mail for Trainees and Volunteers.

Posted by Wendy at 3:23 AM

Labels: logistics

Remember: Visitors are not permitted during a Volunteer's pre-service training or during the first three months at post. The best time for visits are after a Volunteer has spent at least six months at post.

1. Planning. Start planning at least six months before departure since several things have to be done sequentially which can add up to several weeks/months. Keep in mind that communication takes a long time, so arranging the logistics through the mail will require a lot of lead-time. Make sure that the timing of your visit is convenient for the Volunteer you are visiting. A Volunteer's primary obligation is to his/her assignment, so be sure that your visit will not disrupt any work plans. We recommend visits at some point during the second year.

2. Passport. If you do not already have a passport, obtain a passport application and application instructions from a post office or your travel agent. To apply for a passport, you will need the completed application with two passport photos (with your signature on the back of each photo) and the application fee.

3. Visa. To apply for a visa to Cameroon, obtain two application forms from the Cameroonian embassy, 2349 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 or over the Net; the phone number at the embassy is (202) 265-8790 . After completing the applications, send them to the embassy with your passport, two passport photos, W.H.O. records showing the required yellow fever shot (see below), the application fee, and a copy of either your tickets or your detailed flight itinerary, and a bank statement. You may also need to submit a letter of invitation from your Volunteer family member. Peace Corps Cameroon will also provide you with a letter supporting your visa application if your volunteer provides the offices with the details of your visit. You will be issued a single entry visa only, unless you specifically request multiple entry. You must have multiple entry if you plan to leave the country and return during the period of the visa's validity. Be sure to call the Embassy and verify with them that procedures have not changed.

It is our understanding that the Embassy will not return your passport to you unless you send a pre-paid express mail envelope. If you are in the D.C. area, you can pick it up at the embassy.

Separate visas are required for almost all African countries you may plan to visit, except for intermediate stops where you will not go outside the terminal while en route to or from Cameroon. Each embassy requires that you send your passport with the visa application, so you can only apply for one visa at a time.

You can consolidate and expedite your passport and visa applications if necessary by going through a private company that handles it for you for an additional fee of approximately $30 per visa or passport. (Ask a travel agent for details).

4. Health. A yellow fever vaccination is required. This immunization must be logged in a World Health Organization (W. H. O.) International Certificate of Vaccination. For more information on what additional vaccines, antimalarials or medications are required or recommended, contact your local health board or the Division of Immunization at the Centers for Disease in Atlanta, Georgia, (404) 639-1870 , or on the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/cafrica.html

You should also plan to take anti-malarial prophylactic drugs prior to departure from USA and during your stay in Cameroon. Contact the Malaria Hotline at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, (404)639-1610 for information on what drug(s) to take and where you can get them.

While in Cameroon, precautions must be taken with food preparation and water treatment. Drink only bottled water in sealed bottles or water that has been filtered and chlorinated or boiled. Vegetables must also be soaked in chlorine if they are not being cooked or peeled.

There are health risks, and the medical facilities in Cameroon are not comparable to facilities in the United States. Peace Corps medical Staff cannot provide care for family members or friends who require medical attention while in Cameroon. We strongly suggest that you consider extra insurance with emergency evacuation coverage from a company such as International SOS Assistance, Inc. (P.O. Box 11568, Philadelphia, PA 19116, 1-800-523-8930 or 215-244-1500 in PA).

5. Money. The currency used in Cameroon is called franc CFA. The franc CFA is fixed to the Euro (656 CFA = 1 Euro; 1 USD is about 400 CFA.) Travelers’ checks are safe, but incur exceedingly high commission rates and other charges (up to 25%). Travelers’ checks in dollars have also become increasingly difficult to change. You may want to take at least some travelers checks in Euros, since switching dollars to CFA in Yaoundé is usually more expensive than switching dollars to Euros in U.S. and then Euros to CFA in Yaoundé. Some of the big (and expensive) hotels in Yaoundé will accept an American Express or Visa credit card (caution advised). ATMs on the “Plus” system are increasingly available around the country. The best person to answer questions about money (and how much to take) is the Volunteer whom you are planning to visit.

6. Baggage. Have all your suitcases locked. On most airlines, you are allowed 2 pieces of baggage (not to exceed 50 lbs. each) per passenger for trips from the United States to Europe, but only 20 kg (44 lbs.) total for intra-European or African flights. Therefore, you may be charged an excess baggage fee for anything over 44 lbs. from Europe to Africa unless you check your baggage through to Africa directly from the U.S. (If you check baggage all the way through, be sure the baggage ticket has all appropriate code letters for the trip; the code for the airport in Douala is DLA, the Yaoundé airport is NSI, and the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is CDG). Consult your airline or travel agent for further information.

7. Flight Check-In. If you fly through Paris, arrive at the check-in counter for the flight to Douala or Yaoundé two hours before take off. They start checking passengers in then and you cannot get a seat assignment until this check-in. The check-in process goes very slowly, so plan to stand in line a long time. They will not allow large carry-on bags.

8. Arrival in Douala / Yaoundé. You must have both your passport and W.H.O. card for immigration when arriving at the airports in Cameroon. French and some English are spoken at the airport, but it would be best to ask the Volunteer you are visiting to have someone meet you at the airport. You will have to open all bags for inspection. Try to keep all your bags in sight once they come into the baggage area. There will be men vying to carry your bags for payment. Carry your bags yourself if you can. If not, negotiate a price with one person before allowing anyone to take your bags (about 1$ per bag.) If no one is going to meet you at the airport, get instructions ahead of time from the Volunteer on how to take a taxi to your next destination.

9. Accommodations. Your best source of information about where to stay is the Volunteer whom you are planning to visit. The Yaoundé Hilton presently has a special rate for families and friends of Peace Corps and is recommended by Peace Corps staff, and the Akwa Palace Hotel in Douala gives a Peace Corps discount as does the Parfait Garden.

10. Photos. Picture taking is fine, in general, but you should always ask permission before taking anyone's photograph. Photos are never allowed at the airport or any military installation, so please keep your camera concealed when near these locations.

11. Identification. During the course of your stay in Cameroon, you will have to show your passport to the police several times, so you must carry it with you in a safe place at all times. It is sometimes convenient to have a certified photocopy of your passport to present to officials. Your volunteer will know how to do this.

12. Departure. Presently, you must pay a departure tax of 10,000 CFA at the Douala or Yaoundé airport before boarding. Check ahead of time, as this tax needs to be paid in local currency, and most likely you would need the exact amount.