Joyeux Noel

I'm heading back to post today, so you may not hear from me again for a few weeks. Health & Agro folks have midservice and the rest of my stage is off to IST so the PC office will be pretty busy.

But if the cyber in Bokito actually is operational, I can email every day!

Pictures

So I got the pictures up earlier than I expected. You should be able to see them here:

http://arkansas.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2061949&l=37a25&id=20601980

And I'm going to Mbalmayo to see my family for the day, but I'll be back tonight!

Back from the Beach

The beach is awesome, no matter what country you're in! I had an excellent time splashing in the waves, sitting on the beach and eating fresh fish right off the grill!

Sure, we were in session from 8-4 (with coffee break and lunch w/ nap) but afterwards we hit the waves. Kribi is humid and it actually poured rain our last night. I got soaked, which is weird since it last rained in Bokito in November. On our free day Sunday, we took a taxi to the Chutes de la Lobe and took a pirogue ride up the river into the jungle and stopped at a pygmy village. The chutes are quite rare, because they fall from the river directly into the ocean. It's a gorgeous site. I'll try to post pictures next time. We didn't see any monkeys in the jungle. And the pygmy village was more awkward than interesting: they were drunk and demanded money in return for a traditional dance, which we declined.

The hotel was across from the street from the ocean. We enjoyed breakfast & lunch. Food was ridiculous in amount and quality. IST was a week of gluttony. The rooms were air conditioned & had cable, so I watched CNN International in a/c. I can't believe I had to leave. ;-)

So I'm headed up to the Adamaoua for Christmas. Still haven't decided if I'm going to visit my host family today.

Joyeux Noel a tout le monde!

IST and Christmas

I have finally seen Christmas decorations! And I even heard some Christmas carols on the radio! Despite the scorching heat, inch-thick dust, and water outages, it is in fact Christmastime! It still feels quite strange because the weather is getting warmer. I keep thinking we're going on summer vacation.

Today we're leaving Yaounde for the beach! I can't wait to swim in the ocean and lay around on the beach. We have in-service, so we'll have to do some work but I'm sure we'll find plenty of time to drink and play in the surf. I've been charged with "guard-ing" people things, including a jar of sea water, sea salt, and of course bonbons and provisions. My students so excited I left for Christmas break a week early. Little do they realize they're the ones not learning while I'm gone. I'm sure I felt the same way when I was in high school.

When I arrived yesterday I went to the mail room and had another load of fabulous packages! I received Christmas packages from Aunt TJ & Uncle Dick, Aunt Kath, Aunt Barb, Grandma J and Aunt Jane. I didn't open anything that was wrapped (I want to save that for Christmas!) but everything else was awesome! You guys know exactly what I need. I'm still enjoying last week's packages. Cheese nibbles made it all the way across the ocean--intact and tasty.

Someone reminded me about summer sausage and it really isn't Christmas without it. ;-) The transit house recently lost 3/4 of its DVD collection to theft so we're really hurting for a good selection.

I hope Bodo and Fred are still around when I get back. I left the keys with one of my students and charged her with feeding them at least once a day. The trip to Yaounde yesterday was much longer than necessary due to roadblocks. It is the Christmas season, which means gendarmes are more frequent along the roads. Luckily the drivers on the Bokito-Bafia route had decided not to strike (this time) and I eventually made it to Bafia in time to ride the greyhound bus to the capital. One of the guys at the agence de voyage accused me of having given him my phone number and then not answering his calls. I assured him that he must have me confused with another blanche, to which he replied that maybe I didn't recognize him because all Cameroonians look the same. I'm pretty sure I'm right, since I frequently lie about even having a cell phone and I never give out the number. PCVs who fail to follow this rule end up with lots of stalkers who send text messages "je t'aime" and bip a lot.

Biping is a Cameroonian phenomenon that arises from everyone's lack of credit on their mobile phone. To successfully "bip" someone you must only let it ring once before hanging up. They are supposed to return your call (thereby using their own credit and not yours). If someone annoys you with too many bips you can "cut" them by picking up the phone before they hang up and waste some 50-100CFA of their credit. More experienced bipers can "flash" which means your phone lights up but doesn't ring. This takes a lot of skill and coordination to hang up before the ring. Biping is annoying. When people bip me from a number I don't know, I often try to cut them, but usually I'm not quick enough.

Okay, that's it for now. If Kribi has an Internet cafe maybe I'll post again. Ahhhhhhhh the beach!

I posted some pictures on Facebook, and I think you can use this link to view them without having to join:
http://arkansas.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059554&l=b9212&id=20601980

November

07/11/2006

I take a moment to pause and note that I am watching a low quality bootleg of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on my laptop in Africa. After a long, difficult day at school I returned to discover that the files I’d transferred from another PCV’s computer do actually work and I am thrilled. I’ve been waiting since July 7 to see this movie. I consider it my great sacrifice that I can no longer play the Pirates drinking game with my best friends. I may have to bust open the 800 CFA box of sangria (yes, a box of wine for less than $2) and throw a party.

This is a great day.

09/11/2006

Unfortunately part 2 of POTC did not work properly, so I’ve only seen the first hour and a half. Someone please remedy this.

29/11/06

Shortly afterwards my voltage regulator died and my laptop batteries discharged. I took it to a technician in town and he got it working. I realize it’s been a very long time since I’ve posted. Sorry. The internet café in Bokito is complete but not operational because it lacks machines. Oh, quel village!

What have I been doing in all this time? Well, I’ve been teaching, writing tests, grading papers, and filling in report cards. I also went au village with one of my students. That was quite fun, although I fell in the field and scraped up my knee badly. Then we fell off the moto when in slid in a muddy patch. All’s well.

This past weekend I celebrated Thanksgiving with a group of PCVs in the Littoral province. I climbed a mountain. Then we ate a lot. It was fabulous. Now that I’ve left the Center province I’m excited to see the other parts of Cameroon. Soon enough we’ll be on the beach at Kribi for IST.

2/12/06

I have now been told that the internet café in Bokito is actually working. I’ll have to go investigate further when I return. It’d be nice to have the internet right here. Yesterday was the Kermesse, a sort of “cultural day” but really an excuse for the students to do provocative dances for their friends, and somehow it’s sanctioned by the school. I was appalled at the disrespectful way they mocked the teachers and the tiny outfits (miniskirts and bras) that students danced in. Plus everyone has a tendency to give money to the performers during their act, but it’s usually boys who want to feel up the female dancers. And it’s not just my American sensibilities; my Cameroonian colleague called them “seductresses” and we decided last night that the administration’s attitude is partly to blame. Of course, my Anglophone friend thinks that in general Francophones are more disrespectful and impolite. She would say that.

A funeral was held at a house next to the lycee last night, so mourners were walking past my window at all hours of the morning. I did not sleep. The cats have also discovered they can come in through the bedroom window (if a cat can come in through the mosquito netting I’m sure the mosquitoes themselves have found a way), which they do around 4 or 5am.

Later

Thanks to a friendly IT volunteer I now have Microsoft Office 2003 in French and English. No more annoying activation messages!

We had our provincial meeting last night. There are only four of us, and three are new, so it was short. Still, a good time.

To respond to the last blog’s comments, yes, my house is huge. It’s much bigger than the normal Cameroonian house and would under most circumstances house 20 people. Instead, it’s just me and the two cats. There are several negative consequences to living in a huge house

--money for furnishings, repairs, etc

--cleaning

--people asking to live with me

My house is huge, so obviously I have lots of money and also have need of adopted children to do my laundry and cook for me. It’s hard for Cameroonians to believe I can live there alone. They also think it’s amazing that I have no siblings or that my parents would allow me to move across the globe.

I’m quite content to do some laundry, take a warm shower, and bum around on the internet.

Halloween, etc

25/10/06

Bodo now has a brother, Fred. Fred arrived last Friday from somewhere au village and spent the next 3 days wailing his head off in my spare bedroom. He's still quite shy and acts a little jealous. My friends think it's amusing that Western Fred is actually more villageois than his city slicker African brother. Bodo's not exactly a sophisticate but he doesn't meow for days on end. Fred came home late tonight and he was only let in because I heard his loud meowing, so maybe it's a good thing. They both enjoy canned sardines and leftovers. Despite no actual relation, they look like twins. I call them my boys.

I don't want to jinx anything, but we've had electricity for almost 3-4 days, with a brief loss this morning for a few hours (water also) and everything's back now. On the other hand, the cell phone service has been haywire. I spent yesterday in the big city of Bafia for Pedagogical Day (a supreme waste of time). I got to do some shopping afterwards and that's exciting--good bread and everything's 50-75CFA cheaper in the city. I forgot what it's like to have a supermarket and all types of food available on a daily basis.

I also have furniture! I don't have the money for cushions yet, but I have a loveseat, four chairs, and a table in my living room. The carpenter painted them different shades of purple, which will clash with the pale green fabric and blue walls, but whatever. Nothing in Africa matches anyway. Still, my house is more like a home every day. My next project is replacing missing & broken door handles and getting the toilet to flush. The proviseur is supposed to call my landlord, who lives in Douala, and have him come to Bokito to sign the lease and take care of my roof, which leaks.

I started a list of the books I've read in PC so far, and I've only finished 10. I have read more issues of Newsweek and The Washington Monthly since June than in the previous year. Maybe that's part of it.

02/11/06

Well, it's been a long two weeks but I'm heading into Yaounde this weekend. Part of the usual reason for this trip was rendered pointless since Ruth, the PC Safety & Security person, came to visit today and brought my mail. There wasn't much but I'm happy to have what I got. I think there must be a delay at the Campost or something. One package of soup mix & roach traps had been eaten by mice (perhaps they also enjoy the roach bait?).

It's hard to believe that Halloween has already passed and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. The weather has not been getting cold. We're actually approaching the dry season and intense heat. The rainy season will be ending in a week or two (not that you'd know, since we're in the midst of a rainstorm and have no power) and soon it'll be crazy hot all the time. Great! Without the leaves changing and chilly nights, I don't even notice that it's almost time for Christmas. I've been asked to provide a Christmas list, so here goes.

1. Portable speakers for my MP3 player

2. DVDs (for example, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, which I haven't seen yet) or books you think I'd like

3. iTunes Music Store gift certificate, so I can get some new music

4. Drink mixes these are great when the taste of water gets old (but I don't need tea bags--it's available here)

5. Snack foods, especially cheese flavored ones or granola bars

6. Cat toys/treats for Fred & Bodo

7. Chocolate

Since I have the laptop now, I would appreciate any burned TV shows (new episodes of Lost, Six Feet Under, Gilmore Girls), music, movies, etc that you might want to share.

A colleague tells me that an internet cafe has opened in Bokito. I haven't been to check the connection, but I hope to get there next week. Supposedly the school's salle d'info (computer lab) will be operational by November 15 but I am skeptical. My students in 3eme, the exam class, want to start practicals but I have nothing to offer them. Hell, if they want I'd pay the fees at the cyber cafe so a few of them could use a computer.

I went to my second funeral last night. First, the APLYBOK, the employees association at the lycee, went on a condolence visit to a colleagues house, which means that we give him some money and then drink his beer & palm wine and eat lots of his food. Everyone got nice and toasty before heading to the funeral of another colleague's daughter. I'm told we'll be having another visit in two weeks and a week after that is our monthly dinner reception. I enjoy all the food.

To combat the PC weight gain, something like the "freshman 15", I've been running in the mornings. Tuesday I started going to the sports teachers' exercise class. Yikes, am I in pain. The teacher wants to call Dad but I explained that he doesn't speak French so that would be useless. I guess he wants to converse with a fellow sports fan.

Pictures

Snapfish is acting weird, so I'm slowly uploading pictures here. My house definitely looks more lived in...most of these were taken weeks ago. And here's a picture of my new kaba with my hair braided. I can't figure out how to rotate it though, so just imagine.

More tomorrow, if I feel up to it before going back to post.

More house pictures

The kitchen.
The dining room, another leak.


















The other spare bedroom, with a serious leak.

The storage room, or spare bedroom where I keep my bike and the extra mattress. A guest bedroom, if you will.


The salon, or a big empty living room.


The long hallway











The bathroom

Two Long Weeks at Post

9/27/06

I can't activate the Microsoft Office Pack on my new laptop without the internet, so there's no telling when I get to use that. So I'm using that old fashioned program, Notepad, to write my blog. I love technology. There's also a webcam on my laptop, though I doubt I'll ever get to webchat.

I have probably tripled my electricity use in the last few days after I added a few modern inventions: a fan, a refigerator, and a laptop. I ended up giving my electric hotplate to my colleague who needs it more than I do. Of course, Sonel (the Cameroonian electicity company) has yet to install the meter I paid for 2 weeks ago, so all of this is free of charge. I giggle every time I think about leaving all the lights on. Hehe.

I have also been doing some home repairs. Or rather, I paid for the supplies and watched as friends and neighbors did the work. A friend of a former PCV in Bokito (hello Sarah!) came to visit me last week. He helped with several things around the house, most importantly the mosquito screens! I am no protected from bugs in my living room and bedroom. The kitchen and bathroom are still problems because window panes are missing, but once they get replaced it will no longer be a problem. I can finally stay cool and bug-free at the same time! I also have a porch light, so people can't sneak around in my yard without me seeing. It's amazing how much work went into these simple tasks, but I am grateful!

I have been asked a few questions on religion in Cameroon, so I will share the few observations I have made in the 3 months I've been here (definitely not an expert). There are quite a few Muslims, but most people claim to be Christians. It's quite interesting, but most people who are educated and devout still believe in witchcraft. Take my Anglophone colleague, who has traveled to the West and has a university degree, yet told me a story about her aunt's reincarnated ghost baby and her village's cursed lake. It's weird what people believe in. As far as I can tell, traditional beliefs aren't considered a religion like Christianity--you can believe in both. Most people in villages still bury their relatives in elaborate tombs in the front yard and have traditional ceremonies, but they go to church. Most people are afraid of witches. I am protected from their spells because white people have more powerful magic (this is how technology like cell phones and computers are explained) but outsiders are safe in a town because their powers are unknown. You never know who could be a powerful witch. It's easy to laugh at some of the stories, but people here really believe them. Who's to say they couldn't heal you by leaving chicken feathers under your bed for three weeks?

I handed back an in-class exercise one of my classes had done the previous week. Much to my surprise, the chef de classe (a student in charge of some organizational and disciplinary tasks in his/her class) used a length of rubber to whack his classmates! Of course, they were crowding around like wild animals but is that necessary?! And yesterday afternoon none of the students paid attention to me as I explained a listening activity because they were busy watching an assistant discpline master (and math teacher) hit several classmates who had arrived late after the lunchbreak. And people have the gall to tell me that it's actually forbidden by law to hit students, but there he was, right outside my classroom! They all trailed in rubbing their butts. I teach the youngest grade and some of the children are so tiny!!! I felt terrible, but it's better that someone else disciplines them. I can act as progressive and moral as I want, but students won't respect such Western touchy-feely teaching methods. In any case, I send them out of class or have the chef turn in their names for manual labor. This past Friday, 2/3 of my students spent the class period outside in the rain because they didn't do the homework. We'll see if they don't start doing my assignments.

10/01/06

On a side note, it is possible to make Nutella crepes and watch Sex and the City in your pajamas. Just like Paris!

I have spent the weekend copying class lists into my grading notebook (supplied by the school) and correcting informatique homework. A surprising number of students couldn't label the parts of a computer after I had written the answers on the board (or are they just lazy?). Then I wrote an English lesson and test for the following week, as well as informatique lessons and a test. I have created 4 IT lessons in a foreign language without a textbook or a syllabus. I'm proud of myself, even if I did spend a few hours with the French-English dictionary. :-)

A friend brought her 2 year old twins over to meet me today, and one of them peed on my porch. I also learned the French verb for "have a bowel movement" though I imagine it translates more closely to "poop."

10/09/06

I think a combination of my poor teaching and my students' laziness (ils sont un peu betes) has led to massive failure after the first English test. I had a passing rate of 30% in one class and a little better than 50% in the other. And in the Francophone system, 10/20 is passing. Yikes. And my colleague thought our test was easy. It remains to be seen how the informatique students perform on their first test.

I also have a cat now! Two, in fact, when my friend brings the other one (he ran away before they were brought to my house, then her son had malaria, so his arrival was delayed a week). I'm taking suggestions for names. Although I really want to name one Bodo and the other Foumban because Bodo is a character in the English textbook and he's from Foumban, a city in the Western province famous for the chief's palace. "I'm Bodo. I'm from Foumban. Who are you?" When they are old enough, we will make the trip to Yaounde or Bafia if possible to get the vaccination contre la rage (against rabies).

Last week, in case you didn't know, was UNESCO's World Teacher's Day. Thank goodness for UNESCO! I got the day off, and we were all honored with speeches and marches and a sad little reception. Students from Journalism Club provided running commentary during the proceedings, like the color announcer at a sporting event: "And here comes the Sous-Prefet in his car, to be met by Monsieur le Proviseur and Monsieur le Maire de la Commune de Bokito. Welcome, Monsieur le Sous-Prefet. ... And now, a speech from one of our quality teachers at the Lycee de Bokito, to be followed by a word from Monsieur le Sous-Prefet." Their rapid fire description of every minute detail at the ceremony was far more entertaining than actually watching. :-) Next time English Club should provide simultaneous translation, since this is supposed to be a billingual country.

10/12/06

I will head to Yaounde this weekend and what a welcome vacation! Tests and report cards have been taking up all my time lately. I'm so disappointed by my students poor performance on the English & the Informatique tests. Actually, the students in 3eme (the 4th year at lycee, about a HS freshman) cheated like mad, so they did fairly well. Except the ones whose answers were so wild that they ended up with 4/20! HAHA! At least I got to laugh a little bit. Still, it's disheartening. I thought I wrote a fairly easy test--the students were only required to memorize the information. Maybe it was too overwhelming for kids who don't have TVs, much less computers (I got a lot of answers about cell phones and remote controls).

After a particularly terrible day at school this Tuesday, I got a surprise. A friend came over to braid my hair and gave me a kaba. After 3 days without electricty and 1 day without water, the return of both and my runaway kitten, a group of women gabbing and doing hair was just what I needed. I'll post pictures on Snapfish. Although all the Cameroonians like my hair I'm not very comfortable with it yet.

And tonight I discovered a great thing--the kitten is an incredible roach-killing machine. It caught and devoured a huge roach in about 30 seconds. I'm so impressed. All that remained were the wings. Bon appetit!

Update

I am in Yaounde, enjoying the benefits of running water and electricity (both of wish have been spotty in the last 2 weeks at post).

I left my real blog update on my laptop, so I'll post a real entry in a day or two. So excited, I want pizza!

La Poste

As I head back to village, I just want to share the experience I had going to the post office this morning. It took eight stamps to mail a card (125 CFA each, rather than one 1000 cfa stamp) and they barely fit on the envelope. I mailed lots of cards so hopefully they all make it aux Etats-Unis.

The cab ride back was delayed by a herd of goats in the road.

A bientot tout le monde!

Cool Weather

It's only been a week since I was here, so not much has happened that needs to be reported. If all goes according to plan, a slightly-used refridgerator, mattress, and fan are on their way to Bafia and will be delivered to my neighbor's house tomorrow by my proviseur. Sweet! And I should open the mailroom on Monday morning to find my laptop waiting for me! :-) De plus, the trip here was free, since I crowded into the back seat of my proviseur's toyota.

I have also inherited a locker at the case--complete with toothpaste and laundry detergent. I miss Daniel already! I visited the Artinisat today and bought a necklace, but for the most part its kitschy stereotypical African "handicrafts" made in China.

That's all for now.

Woo Pig Sooie!

I am in fact alive. There is no internet cafe in tiny Bokito, so this is my first opportunity to write in 2 weeks. And when I arrived in Yaounde yesterday the power was out, so no free internet here, either.

Sheesh.

What an exciting, bizarre, hot, lazy, empty but busy 2 weeks. My first diary entry after arriving starts, "Oh my God. My kitchen is infested with cockroaches. THere are tons. I must buy huge canisters of Moon Tiger." I've done that and they seem to have retreated to the kitchen. I survived the first night, and the first two weeks. We'll see about the next two years. The last education volunteer lasted only 3-4 months.

My house is huge and for the most part empty. I have a bed (for which I finally got sheets and pillows), a desk and chairs (on loan from the school). I have been eating well. All I can get here is fruit and veggies. Looking at the meat makes me kinda sick, so I only eat it when other people prepare it. I have running water (a week before I arrived, a woman who couldn't drive wrecked her car into my water meter, so I had to buy a new one for 23,000 CFA ($46)) and electricity (no meter installed yet, after 3 trips to Bafia and roughly 30,000 CFA ($60) in expenses). But whatever. That's Cameroon.

I've been to the weekly market twice now. No cucumbers or eggplants sadly, but I can get green beans, carrots, and okra. Lots of people come by to give me food and fruit. It's nice. I've met all sorts of people. The inhabitants of Bokito are very friendly and welcoming. Most of them have been very nice, if a bit persistent. My colleagues are also friendly. I think I will be happy there. My house is on a main thoroughfare, a bit too public for my taste, but close to lots of things and I can watch people go by. I figure it helps them get used to me and also passes the time.

As for my official 9 to 5 job, it's going. "La rentree scolaire" is always very slow in the villages and there are still teachers missing. FOr their part, students and teachers are skeptical about "Informatique" taught by a young white woman who doesn't speak French and has no computers. I feel the same way, especially since I'm teaching 5 hours of it a week and have yet to receive the government-produced syllabus or a textbook. I teach the youngest class, and an older class that will take a national exam at the end of the year--one section of which is on IT. Thursday afternoon I had 47 absent students (just to give you an idea how big the classes are).

In closing, I will relate the story of my arrival in Yaounde. I left Bokito with an Anglophone colleage, Caroline, at 8 am. We got into a standard 4-door (like a camry), joining the driver, 2 parents plus child in the front seat, an adult male, and another female & child in the back seat. Total occupants: 9. We stopped to pick up a woman and her load of cassavas. Total occupants: 10 + cartload of cassavas. When we arrived in Bafia, we bought tickets for the van to the capitol. Our trip was delayed by a pig. The biggest pig I've ever seen. Except the luggage handlers at the agence are mostly Muslim and refused to touch it. So, 8-10 male passengers hoisted a screaming pig onto the roof and strapped him down. After arriving, the pig was unceremoniously rolled from the roof to the ground, kickin\g and squealing.

I'm sure it made a tasty centerpiece at someone's traditional wedding. Go Hogs!

Bugs (Of the stomach kind)

I don't know what I've got but it's unpleasant. It is definitely not caused by the 500CFA ($1) beer that can be found anywhere. This time it's old fashioned food-something or other. I don't know what did it, but who cares? Hopefully I will feel much better in the morning. I will spare the gory details.

Ah, well. I did watch most of the first half of Lost Season One, and that show rocks. :-)

Swearing-in

All in our matching pagne we were sworn in by the US Ambassador to Cameroon. I am now a Peace Corps Volunteer.

I also feel like crap at this moment and instead of wandering around Yaounde to cash checks and open bank accounts, I want to curl up in bed. And I have no appetite for all the incredible food to be found here. Blah.

Week 10

I'm sorry to all my adoring fans, I haven't been able to post lately. Life has been pretty busy here and I'll try to bring you up to speed on all of my various activities.

First off, the end of Model School. Last Thursday and Friday we gave final exams to the students. Proctoring was quite interesting since cheating happens a lot here, and students aren't always very clever. Haha, but that's the eternal battle between teachers and students, right? I'm learning alot about what my old teachers put up with, and I was an excellent student. ;-) Then the exams had to be graded and handed back. Report cards had to be filled out, ranks assigned, statistics figured. All by hand on the French grading system of x/20. A new experience in bureaucracy and silly paperwork. Then we held the Class Council, in which every student's progress is discussed and any honors/citations/demerits are given. Any student whose grade is borderline (passing is 10/20) can be passed or failed based on their behavior. It's the best way for teachers to get revenge on the devilish dérangeurs in their class.

Speaking of, I must digress on the French verb déranger. It is the best word ever. There is no good English equivalent. It can be used in any context, but is best when describing the behavior (comportement) of students, any person who harasses les blancs on the street, or an annoying host-sibling. Silly PC rules can also dérange. This is just one great example of what we PCTs like to call Camfranglais, a version of franglais specific to Cameroon. Ahh, I love learning other languages. Like pidgin, as Bill informs me, finger fo foot=toe, or there's manside / womanside for right / left. Anyways.

The Cultural Soirée took place yesterday. All the various clubs presented the activities they've been doing the past few weeks. We had several dances from the US and Cameroon, ie. the booty call, the bikutsi. My host sisters were in two ballets with the gymnastics club and let me tell you, they are flexible! Gymnastics here is more like cirque du soleil than tumbling passes. I have pictures.

Today we attended the Closing Ceremony where prizes are awaded to the best students. I'm proud to say that both my sisters (in the Anglophone section, Form 2 and Form 4) won the overwhelming majority of prizes. Obviously we're just smarter. ;-) I even got to award one of the prizes, and I couldn't have been prouder if they were my real sisters (well, if I had siblings).

In between all the grading and picture taking, we've been preparing to leave. Next week we'll have our official swearing-in as Peace Corps Volunteers. I leave for post the next day. I haven't talked to my principal lately so there's no telling what state my house is in. I'll spend the first few days meeting important people in the town, buying furniture, and settling in. I'm excited to have my own place although I'm also scared of the unknown! But it's all very exciting!! I won't see some friends until December, but supposedly or IST is in Kribi! woot woot!

I'll soon have lots of free time and no one to talk to, so I'll do my best to catch up on all the mail that needs to be sent. I appreciate all the mail I receieve, even if it takes me several weeks to write back. It feels very old-fashioned and fun to sit down and write long letters.

Much love to all! The next time I write I'll be a true Peace Corps Volunteer!!

Quick Update

I'm at the cyber cafe even though I didn't really intend to come again this week. Oh well! Not much has happened since Friday, except that last night I had PC Cameroon-style mac and cheese and it was awesome.

A lot of people have asked what to send in care packages, so I've put together a list of some things: kraft mac and cheese, spices (such as all spice or italian seasoning), grated parmesan cheese, soup or pasta mixes, any kind of mix really, crayons, pens, pencils, nice paper & stationary, bath stuff--exfoliating cream, nice soap, etc...just about anything that's light and would not be available in Africa. If your package is less than 1 lbs it doesn't get checked by customs and thus is more likely to reach me. Plus, it's cheaper to mail.

So that's all. We got matching pagne for our swearing in ceremony, so we'll be kinda dorky. It's actually not a bad fabric, so it'll be nice. I dropped off some fabric I bought yesterday at the tailor, so i have a new dress in the works. We have Tuesday off for Assumption Day and we're going on a picnic! Fun stuff.

Week 8

Wow, it's pretty insane that I've been here for 2 months now! Training is alternately very busy and exciting or slow and boring. We're having language interviews tomorrow but I already reached my level so I haven't been going to language class. I took the free afternoon to come to the internet cafe. No reason to waste time sitting around!

Model School is almost over! Yay! We're writing the final exams this weekend and have only 2 days of class next week. The PC is apparently worried about our mental health so we've been given Assumption Day off. After exams we give out grades, have a few parties, and then get sworn in. It's exciting and scary at the same time. I spend as much time as possible with the people I won't see again for months. I'm stoked to get to post and start settling in. School starts officially on September 4 but students and teachers take about 2 weeks to show up. That gives me plenty of time to buy a bed, stove, and fridge (I think those are the essentials).

I had an awesome day in Yaoundé last Sunday. The zoo was depressing but I didn't expect much. I am enjoying the snickers bars I bought at the white man store. For lunch I had a pizza, strawberry milkshake and a nutella crepe. It was tasty. The other day I finished off the chevre I had bought and it was wonderful. I like Cameroonian food for the most part, but I really miss my dairy and chocolate.

Not much else is going on these days. The PC Cameroon director gave us the America Spirit game (someone sent it to him) so we had a crazy time at the bar with this patriotic board game. Hehehe.

Lots of people have been sick lately, so let's hope I don't catch whatever they've got.

PS

A Chalk Chuck is a fabulous device that holds your chalk so your hands don't get dirty or dry out. My Grandma Rogers gave me hers. Everyone is jealous.

Week 7

I will attempt to fill in the last few weeks and share a few cultural insights.

Birthdays are not traditionally celebrated in Cameroon. (It just doesn't jive with a community structure. I can't believe I just said jive.) My host family is pretty modern so I got a birthday cake and a special dinner. My sisters gave me a handmade bracelet that says "Jessica Joyeux Anniversaire." My PC friends sang "Happy Birthday" and bought me beers. They even made a card--it's pretty ghettotastic and is safely stowed in my diary. I also got several phone calls and cards from the States. I still feel like a baby but at least I'm not the youngest person in my stage (training group)!

The Cameroonian spice rack begins and ends with one ingredient "le cube". It's some kind of beef boullion. Maggi is the most popular brand although some people buy Konig. Everyone cooks with them and I doubt I've had a meal without one. They are sold everywhere, usually next to the Kitoko sachets--a shot of whiskey in a plastic bag for the equivalent of 20 cents. Maggi Roue is even a game show on TV!

Speaking of TV, if you get the chance, watch a Nigerian-produced movie. They are Africa's answer to Lifetime specials. They are almost as spectacular as the Argentinian soap opera dubbed into French, Monica. Watching Canal 2 is almost surreal because my family knows the jingles for dozens of products that will never be available here. They also watch a lot of TV about white Westerners. For example: Friends, Smallville, Family Guy, Alias, The 4400, Will and Grace (unusual since homosexuality is illegal).

African pagne. It's a printed fabric you buy in a full or demi. You take it to a tailor and can pick from her models or attempt to tell her what you want (lots of hand gestures involved). Just this week I bought a new fabric and picked up my dress today. Jennifer & I are trading our leftovers so we'll each have a different print. We're getting matching shirts made. :-) The traditional kaba is actually an African miumiu. Ensembles are more expensive and moder. The cost for a midrange pagne and ensemble will run you 10-25,000 CFA (20-50 dollars) or a simple kaba and pagne is as low as 6,000 CFA (12 dollars). It takes about a week and you have a tailor-fitted, handsewn traditional African outfit that you would never wear in the States! I'm hoping the boys will have bubus made from a fabulous shrimp fabric we found.

Back to more practical commentary...
Model School finished its second week yesterday with a test. We've been told to expect cheating in a variety of forms, so I watched from the back as Laura administered a test in Seconde. I had just taught the class about clean water, personal hygiene and good health. The prefix un- fit neatly into the CCBI lesson (community content based instruction) that the PC loves so much.

Speaking of PC, we heard yesterday that our Director in DC was appointed to a UN Food program in Rome and Bush nominated his replacement. I think the confirmation is this month--hope it makes the news! I'm not sure it will have an effect on me!

Tomorrow we're taking a field trip to Yaoundé! On the schedule: zoo, bakery, Expresso House & Snack Time for American food (pizza and milkshakes) and a supermarché for more of the same. I love white man stores (that's really what they're called). The zoo's entrance fee is 1000 CFA (2 dollars) but 3000CFA (6 dollars) if you have a digital camera and a whopping 5000 CFA (10 dollars) if you actually plan to use it. Our training director explains that they expect you to use it and want to make another buck. He's such an interesting guy--a Cambridge educated Cameroonian university professor, a real post-colonial intellectual who listens to the BBC and speaks precise English.

I learned this week that we have 2 weeks of vacation at Christmas beginning Dec 22 and 2 weeks for Easter in March or April. That's the end of the dry, hot season but it's the only time I'll get off besides summers. School ends in June after exams and starts in September. I have IST in early December. Just an FYI for folks who might want to visit. Bill's post is 30 minutes from the black sand beaches of Limbe and some of my close friends are up North.

That's all for now. I hope all is well in the States! Someone is getting married outside and there's a party in the street. Cameroonians love to celebrate!

Birthday in Africa

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday here or on facebook or through email!! I had a wonderful birthday and I'm so happy to hear that everyone's thinking of me even though I'm 6000 miles away.

Unfortunately I'm running out of time at the internet cafe. Blogger wasn't working on the other computer and I just now switched with only 2 minutes left!!

Anyways, the long and short. Model School has started and I find teaching very boring. Everyone is very jealous of my Chalk Chuck from my grandma and even the Cameroonians think it's really neat. I will try to write more later this week.

Birthday in Africa

Comments

Even though I don't reply to comments (it takes too long on a crappy internet connection) I really appreciate having them! And I'm sad when no one leaves one hint hint.

Travel in Cameroon

I will take more time to write a coherent, organized version of the last few days. In the meantime, I am spending the night in Yaounde with the PC.

I visited my post, but I forgot to bring my camera (I know, I'm an idiot. It sat in my backpack the entire trip.) so no pictures until September at least. I saw my house, which is huge, and found out that at least 3 people have served there in the past ~10 years but no one in the last 3 or so (I think someone might have left early). There's no wall, but it has a shaded yard, a huge veranda, and two toilets (one is a pit latrine). I will have running water & electricity when they work. I'm excited. Two teachers live on either side of me and one lives behind, so I'll be near my colleagues.

The school looks a lot like the lycee in Mbalmayo, where we've been training. And the village is dusty in the rainy season, so one only knows what it's like in Dec-April when it's dry. Yikes. Still, it's a 15 minute ride to Bafia, a city with an internet cafe and stores. I'm excited. People should send me things to put on my wall--for example, a map of the US, the world; pictures in nice frames without glass; other pretty light weight decorative items. I have 3 rooms so it's a lot of space and not a lot of money to furnish with!

Tomorrow we'll bum around Yaounde and spend some cash. Tonight we went to this crazy expensive restaurant run by an american that has nutella crepes! I was so full from my chocolate milkshake & chicken cordon bleu that I had no room for nutella! I know, I'm a failure. Next time I'll get one. It made me so happy to know I can get one!

Anyways, I'm in a much better mood than when I spoke to the 'rents on Tuesday (I love you Mom & Dad!), but I've always been told that PC is an emotional roller coaster. And everyone who knows me should know how much I hate roller coasters. It's amazing how much snot one terrible day can produce. Haha, that's kind of gross. But, I should go hang out with the other PCVs in town and then get some sleep.

Site Visit

I'm spending some time on the Internet at the PC office, after enjoying my first warm shower in a month. We're stopping over in Yaounde from a nearby village, where we visited the PCV who lived with my host family 2 years ago during her training. One of us will be replacing her. He stayed for the remaining time, while the rest of us are moving on to Bafia & hopefully Bokito as well.

We stopped at the supermarche on the way in and I paid $4 (2450CFA) for emmental cheese. It was tasty. You can also get snickers bars and some other American snack foods but it's all expensive. I'm excited to travel more and hopefully we can stay a night here before returning to Mbalmayo.

I teach 3 hours of classes Monday morning, so I have to prepare those lesson plans. It's exciting!

Week 4

Exciting news! I have received my post. My home for the next two years will be Bokito, Center Province. It's close to the nation's capitol and about 3 hours travel from Mbalmayo. Tomorrow I meet the principal of the lycée (high school) where I'll be teaching. Apparently he's staying with the family of another stagiare, but that's another story. I will more than likely be visiting this week, probably with 2 or 3 other trainees. I'm both excited and scared to see my post. I just hope I have running water and electricity.

My host family said Bokito is on the road to the West province. I hope I get lots of visitors and can travel easily myself. If it's as close as it looks, I can visit the PC office regularly and have easy access to free internet, a washer/dryer, mail, and banking. My only disappointment is that I've already seen the Center province. The weather will be comparable to Mbalmayo and the Center doesn't seem as interesting as some of the other provinces. However, the volunteer makes her post and I have big plans! (Including a cat, so someone needs to send a flea collar.)

We had language interviews on Friday and I'm sure I bombed mine. I get nervous and forget the simplest French words. Model School begins next week, so we won't haev more time for formal French classes. The Monday we return from site visit (week from tomorrow) I teach the first 3 hours in a row. It's terrifying. I know which levels Im teaching but not the topics. I have to write the lesson plan next week. We are finally moving from theoretical training to practical experience. Hopefully I'll be more comfortable when school starts in September.

Last night some musically inclined stagiares hosted a concert. Afterwards a large group of us went to a "boite de nuit" or night club. I invited my host sister without remembering that in Cameroon an invitiation means one has to pay for everything! Oops! I had to borrow money, but we didn't drink that much or stay out very late. I think one visit to the club is enough for me. Yesterday I also tried koki at a friend's house. It's ground beans with piment and oil then put in a banana leaf and steamed, like African tamales. It's delicious, but a little hot for me. My stagiare neighbor made Mexican food for dinner and it was incredible. I ate a lot yesterday.

I watched the World Cup last week. My host family rooted for Italy because the French team is all from Africa. Since Le Pen wants to send all African immigrants in France home, it's hypocritical and so they root for Italians (whom I remember as being very racist also) instead. Personally, I was disappointed that both teams were from Europe.

We've had several current PCVs on site recently for AIDS/GYD, first aid, and environmental education training. It's interesting and enjoyable to talk with them, although you can definitely tell who's been in country longest. :-)

Thursday's soccer game ended in a tie. I'm really enjoying the weekly game, and it's pretty incredible just to watch Cameroonian footwork. I am trying to upload pictures to Snapfish right now, so if you have that info you can check them. Or email my parents.

A bientot!

Week 3

It has been a long week. The sheer effort the next two years (and our official COS date is July 1, 2008) will require is becoming clear. Speaking French is an exhausting and overwhelming struggle every day. For 5 minutes every morning I contemplate the day's challenge and compare it to life in Fayetteville after graduation. Plus, the only cheese I've found here is La Vache Qui Rit, which isn't refigerated. Paris was gloriously easy--so many Americans, so much fine food.

However, I have discovered "la sauce d'arachides" or, the greatest thing in Africa. I liked it so much my family had me invite friends over to enjoy. Yesterday we had a small "peanut party." Due to a miscommunication it was actually a dinner party and not a bunch of Americans enjoying peanut butter. I went to the market with my French class and bought the peanuts. Today I'll make the remaining half into peanut butter with a grinder. Everyone enjoyed the peanut sauce and I had a good time (I wish I could find Nutella).

Another wonderful snack food is the "beignet de crevettes" which my Parisian readers might remember as shrimp chips. They are pork rinds with shrimp flavoring and here one buys a box for 800CFA and fries pink plastic things. It's a fun afternoon activity with my host sisters, plus I have snacks for breaktime.

My host mother and sister went to Bafoussam in the West province last week. They brought back a whole host of tasty and delicious agricultural products from Cameroon's breadbasket: green beans, carrots, onions, garlic, green peppers, pineapples, guavas, mandarins, passion fruit, limes, avocados, and kola nuts. Food is cheaper in the West province.

For the 4th of July the stagiares organized a party with plenty of beans, guacamole, pineapple, watermelon, bread, meat, potato salad, and even chocolate cake. We didn't have fireworks but it was a nice day. One of my stagemates plays bagpipes and I tell you--it is surreal. Listening to the Star Spangled Banner on bagpipes in Africa on July 4th is bizarre.

That same day my host family began preparing a fete. From what I have since gathered; my host mother passed her coursework and took an oath as a Huissiere de Justice. I think it's like a victim's advocate/judicial liaison. Her new title is officially Maitre and she has fancy black robes. I didn't get to attend because of training, but I met the PCV who lived with my family 2 years ago. She's about to COS and was very nice.

The preparations for the celebration meant 8-15 women at our house cooking over 3 fires in the backyard, singing, peeling, chopping, frying, and baking all night long. I went to bed around 11pm after frying plantain chips for 2 hours. The fires were still going and I woke up to the same scene the next morning around 5am. I hope the guests enjoyed all the food. The leftovers were good and we still have softdrinks.

This week my first African dress was finished. I'm quite pleased with it, and I look forward to trying different styles and finding pretty fabrics.

C'est tout!

P.S. Bon anniversaire à ma meilleure amie! Bonne fete!

Party

Today has been much better than last Sunday. One of the PCTs had us all over to her host family's house for a wee party yesterday afternoon. They cooked yummy food for us and it was great to hang out with people outside of classtime. Very enjoyable.

Most recently I have learned how to make homemade peanut butter. It's actually quite easy. Next time I might buy my own peanuts so I can add sugar & salt until its perfect. We made a peanut sauce with the stuff we made and it was quite tasty, although the smoked fish was inedible.

I have become adept at finding and spraying roaches with Moon Tiger (my new best friend). It is probably full of chemicals that are illegal in the US but it works quickly and it's awesome. Not much else has been happening. We change our language classes tomorrow but someone just told me we'll be with the same instructor. I like mine alot so that's great.

Another PCT is leaving tomorrow. She's unhappy and feels unsafe and didn't exactly want to be here in the first place, so it's for the best. Some current PCVs will be here this week, so we can talk to people who are working now. I'm nervous about going to post (although I'm excited to have my own place and privacy). Hopefully they'll give some good info.

Training

Sorry I didn't write more on the last entry. My host sister came with me and was standing over my shoulder. It was a little awkward. I have finally found an internet cafe that works with gmail so you have no excuse for not responding to my emails. I'll know. :-)

Mbalmayo is a good sized town for Cameroon. It's busy all the time and there are lots of people. For the most pârt they are friendly and security incidents for the group have been minimal. I had porcupine for lunch on Friday and it was terrible. Today I got yogurt, and it was quite exciting--dairy products are hard to come by here. My family only has powdered milk.

They are very nice people on the whole. They have hosted other PCTs before, so they give me my privacy, are patient with my French, and show me how to do everything. They tend to watch a lot of TV but tonight we're supposed to play a game. I have my own room, but opn Sunday I found a large roach. I hate roaches (in case you didn't know). So today I bought 'le Moon Tiger' to kill them. He may live now, but I will win the war. Oh, and monday morning a mouse was in my backpack. I whacked him with a flashlight until he ran away. The family cat must not be a good mouser.

My family lives near our training site. There are four girls: Nina 15, Andy 12 or 13, Lynn 9; and Xilia 4 or 5. The father is a teacher of masonry at one of the schools and the mother is a secretary in an office. Also, a younger sister or cousin lives with us. Her name is Mimi and she is a university student in Yaoundé. She's trying to take the TOEFL and go to the US. I think they want to take me to visit the volunteer they hosted. She is a teacher somewhere north of here.

Otherwise, the food is different but good. It can be a little bland and we don't eat much meat but I expected that. My host mother's neighbor is making me a dress, so I'll have to post a picture when it's done.

All the PCTs are getting along. Four have already quit (including one of the two married couples). I'm sure I can stick it out to the end. I had a rough night on Saturday, but I wrote Jeff a long letter and all is well. It's going on a plane back to the States so hopefully it'll be there soon. I'm still fairly upbeat. I haven't been very sick or uncomfortable yet *knock on wood* and I can't imagine any reason to quit and go home yet. Africa is diverse and interesting and I'm learning so much about myself every day.

The water wasn't working this morning so I took my first bucket bath. And I haven't screamed because of the roaches, even though they're really big. I don't like being so hot and sweaty all the time, but it's cool at night and I love the thunderstorms. So all is well.

A demain!

Mbalmayo

We are now at our training site, home for the next ten weeks. I'm at an internet cafe that works, so will try to update more often. Now it's time to get back. More later and hopefully pictures too!

Bonjour!

I'm at the Peace Corps house on our last morning in Yaounde. After lunch we're traveling to Mbalmayo to move in with our host families and also to start the real training.

Last night we had a special dinner al fresco complete with local dance troupe to entertain us. The male dancer grabbed my hand & made me dance with him! Everyone says I kept up pretty well. It must've been all the practice in our apartment after the Ugandan orphans performed at the WAC. Brit & I got it right! :-) I will have to buy a drum and learn to play it. I love the music here, it's amazing.

On Wednesday we went to the police station to apply for our cartes de sejour. If that's any indication of what it's like in the capitol I can't imagine what the provinces are like. We did get to a super boulangerie where I treated myself to a tarte aux fraises. Superbe!

The rest of our time we're shuttled between the hotel & the peace corps office in a caravan of SUVs and vans. I've walked on the street a few times but haven't interacted with the locals much. That will happen today!

I've mailed a few things so look for those.

I'm here!

This place is so amazing. I can't post pictures right now, but it's wonderful.

I'm so excited to get started. We travel to our training site & move in with our host families tomorrow so hopefully I'll get more time to update and respond to email, etc.

Philadelphia

I'm in Philadelphia for another day and half. We've been doing a lot of getting to know you exercises and drawing pictures of our anxieties and aspirations.

A lot of people are already thinking of mailing stuff home.

We had phily cheese steaks last night. Somebody wanted to go to a sushi restaurant owned by the Iron Chef guy (Morimoto?) but half the group got separated and the other half ended up at a BYOB Mexican place anyways (who ever heard of a BYOB Mexican restaurant?).

Departure

My mom and I packed (almost) everything I had planned to bring. My luggage weighs about ~60lbs, so I'm well under the limit. I look ridiculous with 2 backpacks & a duffle but if everything makes it to Cameroon in one piece I'll be happy.

I may get there and decide I packed all the wrong things.

So, it's not actually my last few hours in the States--this is weird. I'll see my aunt & uncle tomorrow in Philly & then I finally get to meet all my fellow trainees! I hope we can enjoy our last two nights at home. I'm ready to go! :-)

Tonight we are going to Margot's, the swanky French restaurant in East Nashville. I should probably eat someting exotic instead, like sushi (I don't think there will be many sushi restaurants where I'm going) but this is also an early Father's Day for us.

This may have been the worst decision of my life thus far, but I doubt it.

Oh, and I got my haircut last week:

My grandma made that quilt. Each of the grandkids got one. :-)

Welcome!

As many of you already know, I am heading off to Cameroon as a TEFL/AIDS Education volunteer with the Peace Corps in June. I created this blog so friends, family, and coworkers could keep in touch & follow my (hopefully) wonderful adventures in Africa.

I don't have much else to say at this juncture. I started a new email account (my UA will expire in September), and it's jessicaincameroon at gmail dot com. I will probably get access to email every few weeks/months and will try to respond ASAP.

I'll post pictures here when I can. In the meantime, I will be at home in Nashville in early June before my staging event in Philadelphia.