March came and went, and rapidly April is fading away as my countdown dwindles. I will be home with my family in less than two weeks, which gives me goosebumps to think about. All the Thai food and margaritas I can get my hands on. Anyways, here is a recap of the past two months in village.
MARCH:
Well March started out with all the volunteers throughout the Littoral coming together for our very first ever regional meeting. It was Peace Corps business as usual, which included an exciting trip to the Ekom waterfalls and a few nights of fun games and cold beers in Nkongsamba. In total, there are 7 volunteers in the Littoral, which is pretty small compared to all the other regions but we make a well rounded bunch. There is 3 Agroforestry, 1 Health, 2 Business and 1 Education volunteer and hopefully more to add to this after the next stage. We even had some volunteers from the west and one from the south crash the party.
With all these volunteers in the area, Poola (my village) got its fair share of visitors to my counterparts excitement as well as mine. It’s really starting to feel like home with all the new furniture I got made and photos cluttering the walls. I even hung my mosquito net, finally. Took being eaten up a few nights in a row to realise I was being a complete idiot. As rainy season approaches I have a strong feeling I will be looking like I have chicken pocks. Mosquito's seem to love my blood, as well as the damn moot moots. I am taking extra precaution because A. Malaria is not on my bucket list and B. I really don't want anymore damn scars.
Following the meeting and my new pad updates, I was off to Yaounde for a few days to fill out some lingering paperwork and hang out with my lovely Agro girls, which means shopping at Casino and Hilton Happy Hour! Yaounde just can’t get enough of me. Thankfully the city will have to wait til my next visit, in July when I get to go for training as a PSN (Peer Support Network) Volunteer.
Next on the agenda was March 8th, or to everyone else in the world (except us Americans) International Women’s Day. Having gone to the International Youth Day in Nkongsamba in February, I was a little terrified of what I might encounter. Youth Day was by far the scariest day I have experienced in Nsamba. Kids were running around, taking over the city and without any chaperons which relates to me getting the hell out of there as fast as I could. However, Women’s Day I prayed would be different and have some sense of structure, and thankfully it was. It was nice to see all the women, dressed in women's day matching pagne and hats, parading around the city as if they owned the place. I unfortunately didn't have enough time to get an outfit made out of the fabric until after the fete, and therefore was harassed by numerous men asking where my women's day pride was. I offered as delicate as physically possible for me "Where the f is your women's day pride and pagne?" followed by an evil glare which made all the women cheer. It is sad to think that women only feel empowered one day of the year here but that’s another story I don’t want to get into. There was an assortment of delicious surprises at every corner and so much happiness filling the streets, one couldn't be anything but happy. The day of festivities was followed by an evening of dancing and drinking at a fellow volunteers post. We went out and celebrated with all the women in her village till the wee hours of the morning, only to wake to a ghost town. A true sign of a good night here in Cameroon. The entire fete redeemed the frightful Youth Day, and left me excited for the next.
Exhausted from all the fun and excitement in Cameroon, there was not much more I could do with March by the means of working, as IST (in-service training) was just around the corner. From the moment we swore in as volunteers, we were all excited for the next opportunity our stage would all be together again and IST could not come sooner. IST was held in Bamenda, which meant a whole 10 days speaking English, well an interesting version of English. We had such an amazing time, with hot showers, catered meals and the nights to enjoy with friends we hadn’t seen in 3 months. Unfortunately our group of 19 Agro volunteers turned into 13, which meant I had to face reality that 6 of my close friends from stage were gone. After 3 months of PST being constantly together with these agro cats, it was a breath of fresh air to be able to spend time together again as well as rekindle friendships . I made it back to post following IST an being surrounded by Americans allot of March gave me a few setbacks in the language sector as well as my integration into village life. The first day back in my village, I began speaking Spanish to my counterpart. Oops. However it feels good to be home again and back to being productive. So long March, it's been swell…
APRIL:
Why hello April… The month approached faster than I could catch up and before I knew it, E and her friend from the states were at my door. I remember in stage talking with E about her friends visit and all of a sudden it was here and gone. Matt's visit was great because it let me experience Cameroon through a new set of eyes again...it was invigorating and made me enthusiastic about what I am doing here.
They went on their way to enjoy the rest of Cameroon, which meant one thing for me; all the fun and games were over with, and I found myself working at the farm every day. My days were now packed with trainings on elevage (animal raising), feeding all the animals, giving them medicine, creating demostration plots (which I then used the new techniques I learned at IST), planting 100 moringa trees, building two nurseries, seeding over 500 acacia trees, and finally creating a budget for the Youth Development and Resource Center we are planning on building in Poola. Having a packed schedule again really had me regretting not working out the past few months and sleeping in till 9 every day. The first week kind of kicked my butt, bruises, sunburns and cuts to show for it. Battle wounds, I like to call them. They are a badge of honor here in Cameroon. I am no longer looked at as just an American girl, they see me now as the American girl with pig shit on her pants, mud under nails and in serious need of a shower.
All this physical labor made me loose track of time and before I knew it, it was Easter. I had to ask a little girl holding a palm leaf what day it was a week before (thinking I had missed the holiday) which was pretty amusing for the little girl. It was palm sunday, not Easter... opps. Which was good though because it gave me time to make plans for Easter. I had a friend come and visit from the west, and my postmate joined in the festivities. We made delicious pancakes and smoothies for breakfast and Mexican food for dinner. I ate like a queen that day, better than my normal routine of beans and beignets or parle-g’s. It’s nice to have people to cook for every once in a while. However the dishes were murderous, especially when you don't have a sink. Oh the life of a PCV. I at least have running water and electricity pretty consistantly. I'm living by the posh corps standard of living, and I am not complaining.
The following weekend I got invited to a fete by some neighbors, which was exciting for me since it was my first formal invitation from a Cameroonian in village. It was at a church in Nkongsamba on a Saturday and I was happy to be attending because it was for a local boy in our community who was being promoted within the government. I made it to the church right at 9 and could see a car full of delicious delicacies which they were about to set up. I figured I was probably early since in Cameroon nothing really starts on time. The fete was to commence at 9am… As to be expected it didn’t and instead we had to attend church which didn’t break till 1:30pm. Longest mass I have ever been to. I was dying inside of boredom since everything was in French and there was no way of constantly translating in my brain, so I zoned out. Not before they asked me to stand up in front of everyone and proceeded to tell the entire party about an American girl who found god in that very church, wish you could have seen my face during this. It was a mix of confusion, denial and anger…this after being humiliated by being placed in the children’s bible study. I of course made Justin and his wife sit with me as we were surrounded by 15 kids varying in age from 4 to probably 17. I guess that part was pretty amusing. I wasn’t the only one during mass having a hard time focusing; Justin my counterpart passed out and had to be woken up by the pastor himself. I am going to be more cautious next time I get an invite or make sure I eat a LARGE breakfast before. I was starved by the time we did eat at 2pm, but I did try canerat for the first time. Not to shabby.
Finally, this past weekend came. I got to attend a march in Douala. The forbidden city in PC Cameroon. The city we as peace corps volunteers have to get approval to visit. Well thankfully, it was a PC approved function and I got to help "Knock Out Malaria". There was an 8 mile walk followed by a concert from 3-4 popular bands in Cameroon. I got some great video and photos of the event. I think it was the first time in Cameroon that I have seen an event run smoothly and efficiently. It was a job well done in my eyes. Until next week Douala, we shall meet again when I get to fly home to the states.
It was a great March and April to say the least, but I have a feeling May is going to be even better with me being stateside for my sister’s wedding, niece’s birth, trip to Tahoe and Seattle and getting to see everyone I love. Also means I will get to finally post some photos on here.
Best regards,
Katie
