Last Sunday I noticed Bodo was limping. His right hind leg appeared to be broken. This week they cut power & water. I was miserable. (I am in a slump, I'm sorry, it happens.)
So I escaped to Yaounde! I have brought Bodo in a market bag from Bokito to the PC office. I went to see the vet today and his leg isn't broken. Apparently the join is dislocated. He got some injections and a massage. I have to bring him back again Sunday and Monday for more treatment. In all, it cost me about the same as a year's tuition for my 5eme students at the lycee.
I do not feel guilty about spending this sum of money on a cat.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Life up to September 23
Lord of the Termites
9/2/2007
Nice to see you, too
Exactly 100% of Bokitoans have pointed out my weight gain since they last saw me. This is not an exaggeration. Each and every person says “Mais, tu as pris les poids » (You’ve put on weight) or « Tu as trop grossis » (You’ve gotten too fat).
And to a Cameroonian, it’s a compliment. It means you have enough money that 1) you’re eating more than necessary and 2) you’re not engaged in physical labor. True. True. I spent my summer vacation traveling and eating restaurant food. I usually shrug off their compliments with a laugh.
At least no one’s suggested I go on a diet.
On the other hand, both cats have lost weight and if it weren’t for their fur you could see their ribcages. I feel neglectful. But since my return they’ve been eating well. They seem to enjoy baked Cheese Nips.
9/23/2007
A PCV’s emotions during service are often described as a roller-coaster. I’m at the bottom of a very steep hill (see last entry) so maybe I should just continue baking chocolate chip cookies in my marmite rather than writing a whiny blog entry.
Some very strange things have been happening in Bokito lately.
If you remember last New Year’s Eve, my water pipe burst and after several days without water I paid off my local SNEC chief and had the break repaired.
Well, it happened again. Suspiciously during the middle of the night the pipe “burst”, seemingly without the help of anyone. Maybe I pissed off the plumber the last time he fixed my faucet. As soon as I sent my neighbor boy to find him, he was already approaching the house. Perhaps his plumber intuition told him a pipe was broken.
He fixed it again for an easy 4000CFA. I think he looks at me and sees dollar signs. After he did the work he told me the chief demanded another 1000CFA. I refused to pay it. (FYI, our previous SNEC chief was sent to another town and the new one arrived last Friday. Perhaps he heard about the American and thought he’d get in on the action.)
Plus, I’ve had a brownout at my house for two weeks. Everyone else has managed to get AES SONEL (the electric company) technicians or local electricians to fix their problem but I always seem to get skipped. Today I am assured an electrician will be here before noon. I wonder how much money I’ll have to shell out for that!
And, to top it all off, I woke up this morning to find hundreds of termite wings strewn about my dining room, living room and porch. The wingless termites? They must’ve all crawled into the ceiling to munch away. Despite the roofer’s repairs, my house leaks every time it rains.
The bright light at the end of the tunnel? An oncoming CamRail train. Lucky for me it will derail just before the station. At least there are a few things one can count on in this country.
9/2/2007
Nice to see you, too
Exactly 100% of Bokitoans have pointed out my weight gain since they last saw me. This is not an exaggeration. Each and every person says “Mais, tu as pris les poids » (You’ve put on weight) or « Tu as trop grossis » (You’ve gotten too fat).
And to a Cameroonian, it’s a compliment. It means you have enough money that 1) you’re eating more than necessary and 2) you’re not engaged in physical labor. True. True. I spent my summer vacation traveling and eating restaurant food. I usually shrug off their compliments with a laugh.
At least no one’s suggested I go on a diet.
On the other hand, both cats have lost weight and if it weren’t for their fur you could see their ribcages. I feel neglectful. But since my return they’ve been eating well. They seem to enjoy baked Cheese Nips.
9/23/2007
A PCV’s emotions during service are often described as a roller-coaster. I’m at the bottom of a very steep hill (see last entry) so maybe I should just continue baking chocolate chip cookies in my marmite rather than writing a whiny blog entry.
Some very strange things have been happening in Bokito lately.
If you remember last New Year’s Eve, my water pipe burst and after several days without water I paid off my local SNEC chief and had the break repaired.
Well, it happened again. Suspiciously during the middle of the night the pipe “burst”, seemingly without the help of anyone. Maybe I pissed off the plumber the last time he fixed my faucet. As soon as I sent my neighbor boy to find him, he was already approaching the house. Perhaps his plumber intuition told him a pipe was broken.
He fixed it again for an easy 4000CFA. I think he looks at me and sees dollar signs. After he did the work he told me the chief demanded another 1000CFA. I refused to pay it. (FYI, our previous SNEC chief was sent to another town and the new one arrived last Friday. Perhaps he heard about the American and thought he’d get in on the action.)
Plus, I’ve had a brownout at my house for two weeks. Everyone else has managed to get AES SONEL (the electric company) technicians or local electricians to fix their problem but I always seem to get skipped. Today I am assured an electrician will be here before noon. I wonder how much money I’ll have to shell out for that!
And, to top it all off, I woke up this morning to find hundreds of termite wings strewn about my dining room, living room and porch. The wingless termites? They must’ve all crawled into the ceiling to munch away. Despite the roofer’s repairs, my house leaks every time it rains.
The bright light at the end of the tunnel? An oncoming CamRail train. Lucky for me it will derail just before the station. At least there are a few things one can count on in this country.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
La Rentree Scolaire
Since my return to post a few weeks ago, the Cameroonian school year has begun.
I showed up the very first day, alongside a few teachers and even fewer students. My first day of teaching was spent reviewing with a dozen students in an empty classroom. By the time the principal held our first term general assembly at the end of the week, about 1/3 of the teachers and students at the lycee had returned to Bokito.
In the past week I began classes in earnest, although once my timetable was altered without my knowledge and I missed two hours of class. This year I'm teaching my former 6eme students English and IT in 5eme. Now that what had been three 6eme classrooms have merged into only two 5eme classrooms, I have 81 and 85 students in each. And do remember these are, in general, 12 and 13 year olds. Adolescence in Africa is just as awkward as in the US.
I also have two classes of 3eme, mostly made up of students who failed the BEPC exam last year and have to repeat. There are, as of last Thursday, 101 and 95 students in these two classes.
So, here I am in Yaounde. I went to Makak on the train for a provincial meeting. I'll be back in Bokito tonight.
I just hope AES Sonel has repaired the electricity in my quartier. Since last Sunday we've had a brownout (small lightbulbs will shine at half-wattage, no major appliances function). Some houses have full power again but as I left for the weekend mine was still off. I complained at their office in Bafia as I paid my bills. I pay my bills even if I don't have power! I'm their best customer.
In any case, the few weeks at post have been good. Where things use to irritate me I can now shrug and do without. When taxi drivers ask to marry me, I can respond with sarcasm rather than cold stares. I feel much more at home and comfortable this year.
I showed up the very first day, alongside a few teachers and even fewer students. My first day of teaching was spent reviewing with a dozen students in an empty classroom. By the time the principal held our first term general assembly at the end of the week, about 1/3 of the teachers and students at the lycee had returned to Bokito.
In the past week I began classes in earnest, although once my timetable was altered without my knowledge and I missed two hours of class. This year I'm teaching my former 6eme students English and IT in 5eme. Now that what had been three 6eme classrooms have merged into only two 5eme classrooms, I have 81 and 85 students in each. And do remember these are, in general, 12 and 13 year olds. Adolescence in Africa is just as awkward as in the US.
I also have two classes of 3eme, mostly made up of students who failed the BEPC exam last year and have to repeat. There are, as of last Thursday, 101 and 95 students in these two classes.
So, here I am in Yaounde. I went to Makak on the train for a provincial meeting. I'll be back in Bokito tonight.
I just hope AES Sonel has repaired the electricity in my quartier. Since last Sunday we've had a brownout (small lightbulbs will shine at half-wattage, no major appliances function). Some houses have full power again but as I left for the weekend mine was still off. I complained at their office in Bafia as I paid my bills. I pay my bills even if I don't have power! I'm their best customer.
In any case, the few weeks at post have been good. Where things use to irritate me I can now shrug and do without. When taxi drivers ask to marry me, I can respond with sarcasm rather than cold stares. I feel much more at home and comfortable this year.
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