Before I join Simon to meet the Fon/Chef/King of the Kom people, I just had to tell you about my experience yesterday night trying to make cookies for my neighbors and friends in the Fundong area.
Firstly, I find working in my kitchen to be difficult because there is VERY little "counter space" but nonetheless I made the dough, with a little tweaking from the recipe provided in the Peace Corps cookbook. I wanted to make Chocolate Chip Cookies but being that there are no chips, I put a piece of Mambo Bar (the Hershey Bar of Cameroon-haha) on each ball of dough, similar to Peanut Butter Thumbprint cookies. I was hoping to use my neighbor's stove, and then thought I would put them in a pot on top of my gas stove, but then my neighbor, Odette, told me I should do it over their fire. I thought that meant, directly placing my "cookie sheet" (tin roof piece borrowed from another neighbor-so resourceful these Cameroonians) on the hot fire. Any smart person would know THAT WOULDN'T WORK! Then we made a type of convection oven by putting sand inside a pot and I placed the cookies around in two bundt pans stacked one on top of the other and covered it with a lid. It worked, but took much longer than 9-11 minutes! I shared the first batch with those in the fire pit and then was attempting to take all of my belongings (my four dinner plates, spatula, cookies, butter container-too much for me to handle, but I insisted) to my house and decided to offer Stephen, our night watchman, a cookie and it all came crashing down to the ground! I lost cookies, 3 of my 4 plates broke, and everyone came rushing out to see what happened and offered me an "Ashia" (meaning: sorry, good luck, courage, and the like)!
Oh well, they enjoyed what they had. Hopefully today with Carine, the making of Snickerdoodles (am introducing cinnamon to Cameroonians!) in her oven and possibly another batch of "chocolate chip" will be more of a success!
I'm off, but not before again wishing you a happy new year with much prosperity and happiness!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Culturally Cameroon
I hope that you were able to read my November posting because it has not been showing itself on the main blog page, but if you go into the archives on the right hand side, you should see it listed there. Also, if you haven’t already, please take note of my new address here in Fundong!
Let me see how I can sum up the remainder of training in the West region...
We finished up technical training, wrapped up our work with our community groups (my group was working with a “youth group” that was really men of a wide variety of ages, to help them gain knowledge and the tools to be community agents for malaria prevention), and I began learning small small (a little bit of) Pidgin – I am not very good at it and will have to get a tutor in order to more effectively work in the various communities around here.
The last few weeks of PST (Pre-Service Training) were bittersweet because we were all excited to move on, have some freedom again, and begin our new adventures but at the same time had all grown to enjoy each other’s company and the routine we were in together. Needless to say we all put on a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, more traditional than was imagined with local ingredients, and unfortunately a few suffered from what we think was food poisoning (me included, but only one short bout out of both ends).
Our swearing in ceremony took place on December 2nd in downtown Bangangte, after we had packed up our home-stay rooms and got all of our belongings ready for the big trip to post! It was a very nice day; the US
Two members from each of our host families were invited to attend and I had extended those to both of my host sisters (Carole & Sabine), but only Sabine came (with their aunt), which was unfortunate that the both of them weren’t there to spend some final time together, in celebration. I am hoping/planning to visit them again over the course of my time here – it’s not that far from where I am posted and there are other volunteers in that area that I will be visiting over time! There was a celebratory luncheon, which felt like a BAD family reunion, there wasn’t much conversation at the individual tables, they were playing Lady in Red, but the food was good (and of course my sister and her aunt slipped some extra in their napkins to take home) and it was greatly appreciated!
After spending a wonderful final afternoon and evening together (we stayed at a hotel in Bangangte that night) we bid adieu to each other the following morning. Peace Corps arranged for buses/vans to take groups of us to various parts of the country, depending on our posts, and it felt like the end of summer, saying goodbye at sleepover camp! I spent a day and night in Bamenda (Northwest regional capital) doing banking and a bit of shopping and then had an extraordinarily easy trip with all of my belongings to Fundong – renting out an entire taxi – with my bike sticking out of the trunk and my other bags in the backseat with me. I was told it was going to be the worst experience of my Peace Corps service – it’s going to be smooth sailing for the next two years if that’s the case!
Now onto Fundong, my home for the next two years!!!
The title of this posting is because in the less than two and half weeks that I’ve been here, I have attended a part of a funeral, an entire burial and funeral, and a traditional wedding! That’s also not mentioning all of the time I have had to observe, interact, eat and spend time with locals since arriving here. This first month is basically for settling in (which I’d definitely say I’ve been doing) and I will begin official Peace Corps work after the Christmas weekend. Now when I say “official work” I mean that I will start spending time in the BFF (Better Family Foundation – the NGO I’ll be working with) office, observing the goings on at the District Hospital and Urban Health Centre, various community groups already in existence, and more. All of this observation is for me to decide what projects/groups I will want to continue working on/with and gaining insight for other needs in other areas. That information will probably be in the next posting, once that period of work is underway.
Before I get to the traditional Kom (the ethnic group and language of the people in this area) events that I have thus far attended, I just want to say how welcomed I have been here (again, a lot of greetings of, “you are welcome!”) and how happy I feel to be posted here and living here. I live in a compound with VERY friendly, warm and welcoming people. My neighbors who share my duplex are Francois and Peggy (Francophone, so I practice my French with them), he works for the light company and she owns a boutique in town. They have two children, Joe and Cabrelle, 3 and 1 ½ years, respectively. Peter and Carine live in the compound as well, sharing the duplex with my landlord (Everestus and his wife, Marta). Peter and Carine are teachers in a village 17 km from here and thus are away for a good portion of the week, but are very sweet, giving and speak French as well. My landlord has six children, only one who still lives at home, the others are away at University or at boarding school (but everyone is home now for the holidays) and there are relatives of them who also live in the compound, many of them, I’ll spare you their relations and names (plus I don’t quite yet know how they are all connected). Needless to say, there a plenty of children and they sure enjoy when I am home and reading on my veranda and they get to color, play cards, play Kooshball and use whatever I have in a basket for them. Some are not so good at sharing, others want me to “dash” them one thing or another (dash in Pidgin means to give a gift), but on the whole it gives me pleasure to see them having fun. At times it gets to be too much and I say that I am going inside and have them clean up and leave my premises, but it’s typically nice to have the company.
I have been spending a lot of my daytime with Simon and Rose (my counterpart and his wife, they also have three children who typically spend some time at the store after school), typically at Rose’s blanket/shoe/sock/curtains store on the main drag in Fundong. Actually, I told Rose that I would help her out this past week by working in the store for her while she rested and got things done (after working hard and lovingly for her sister’s husband’s funeral last weekend). Business hasn’t been so good, I think because people are spending their money elsewhere at this time, but Rose also just told me that it could be because cocoa in the Southwest Region hasn’t been so successful this year and thus people have less money. Being at her store has given me a great opportunity to be visible, greet many people, and have some key observation time of the goings on in Fundong from 8 am through until the early evening. I also have gotten a lot of reading accomplished (!a huge feat for me – 2 books in a week!) since business has been slow!
I continue to shake A LOT of hands, am saying the one greeting I know in Kom (tu-LIE-mah --- good morning) and hardly speaking Pidgin. I really need to get on that! Simon and Rose think that I will pick it up and they say they will only speak to me in Pidgin, but then we end up conversing in Grammar (English). After the New Year, I’m going to find someone to teach me.
This posting has become long enough without even going into some details about the funerals and wedding. Therefore, I will post after Christmas (which I am spending with my French teacher from high school, Dr Ghogomu and his family) and really describe some traditional ceremonies!
Happy Chanukah/Christmas/New Year to all of you!
Be in touch because internet exists here in Fundong and I’d love to regularly hear from you. Take care and I’m sending all of my love!Friday, November 6, 2009
Many Handshakes in Fundong
Here I sit, more than a month later, in Bamenda (provincial capital of the Northwest Region, one and half hours from where I will be living and working for the next two years). I am finishing up with site visit and will be heading back to Bamena tomorrow, squeezing into a run down bus with 19 people, which in the States might comfortably fit 13 people...try to imagine.
Post announcements were announced last week after much anticipation! I am in 1 of the 2 Anglophone regions, where they speak English, Pidgin (faux-English/special English), and local languages of course, being that there are over 250 spoken in the entire country. Once I return to Bamena, I will be beginning Pidgin classes and will be able to give you a dose of it! The local language in Fundong is Kom, and I'm sure I'll be learning a bit of it over the course of my two years.
I will be working in conjunction with an NGO in Fundong called Better Family Foundation (BFF) and they will soon be launching a website. Their vision and mission is to help families have healthier relationships and lifestyles, through counseling and education. Additionally, the NGO does community outreach in the health arena...basically, my options for community development and health work will be endless, as I experienced during my few days of site visit. My counterpart's name is Simon Mbeng, though in Cameroon the last name always is written and often spoken first. He's a wildly energetic, motivated, educated and generous man and I am looking forward to working with him and the rest of the BFF team, who welcomed me so nicely.
I am replacing a fantastic volunteer named Kim Wilson who was a wonderful host and provided good insight and support regarding living and working in Fundong and just being a Peace Corps Volunteer in general. Let's begin with my house to be: 1 MASTER bedroom with a connected bathroom and water heater, 2 guest bedrooms, 1 guest bathroom, a large living area and a decent sized kitchen. Electricity and running water are very consistent and my house is situated in a compound consisting of a night watchman and other educated folks---a social worker, the landlord, and a high school principal. Pictures will come when I get situated in December.
I met SO many people during my site visit, multiple times and was greeted just as much with the phrase, "You are welcome." This greeting didn't come without multiple handshakes initially and as we said goodbye. Keep in mind that in Cameroon handshaking and most other actions using your hands (ie: eating) must be done with your right hand, using the left hand is considered to be dirty and a sign of disrespect. It's been difficult to get used to since I am a lefty!
Funny story that occurred one evening in Fundong that I think defines the friendliness of the people:
Kim and I had just finished great conversation and a delicious dinner of grilled whole fish, babaloa (NW equivalent to Baton de Manioc) and much pepe (spicy pepper sauce served throughout the country) thanks to Simon and his wife Rose. Just as we decided to leave around 7 pm, the electricity in the town went out. It had been a big market day (every 8 days) and thus it was very busy with many people still remaining in the streets and in town. As we crossed the street I all of a sudden felt what I thought was a branch next to my big toe in my Reefs. Turns out it was a thick metal piece that went through my sandals all of the way, just missing my big toe! Ironically enough, there had been the start of a vaccination campain in the area against TETANUS going on that day! So, thanks to a car's headlights ahead, I was trying to push the piece out without much success. Out of nowhere, a random Cameroonian who was selling mini flashlights comes up to help shine a light and when I continued to struggle, he put the sandal into his mouth in order to yank the metal piece out with his mouth. After successfully getting the piece out, he walked off without a word and just a smile!
So...there will be plenty more to write once I arrive at post and spend the first few months feeling out the population and seeing where there is need, so I will save that for a later date. There will definitely be opportunities to use my nutrition knowledge and build on that foundation that I already have, in addition to dabbling in other areas of health as well.
Swearing in is on December 2nd, meaning that there are only about 3 more weeks of "Stage" (training) left. After that point, I should have more regular access to internet as it is pretty efficient in Fundong.
I hope all is well with everyone and I always appreciate hearing what's happening with you stateside via letters, email, texts, calls, etc. Happy almost Thanksgiving and belated Halloween.
All of my love.
A Bientot.
Post announcements were announced last week after much anticipation! I am in 1 of the 2 Anglophone regions, where they speak English, Pidgin (faux-English/special English), and local languages of course, being that there are over 250 spoken in the entire country. Once I return to Bamena, I will be beginning Pidgin classes and will be able to give you a dose of it! The local language in Fundong is Kom, and I'm sure I'll be learning a bit of it over the course of my two years.
I will be working in conjunction with an NGO in Fundong called Better Family Foundation (BFF) and they will soon be launching a website. Their vision and mission is to help families have healthier relationships and lifestyles, through counseling and education. Additionally, the NGO does community outreach in the health arena...basically, my options for community development and health work will be endless, as I experienced during my few days of site visit. My counterpart's name is Simon Mbeng, though in Cameroon the last name always is written and often spoken first. He's a wildly energetic, motivated, educated and generous man and I am looking forward to working with him and the rest of the BFF team, who welcomed me so nicely.
I am replacing a fantastic volunteer named Kim Wilson who was a wonderful host and provided good insight and support regarding living and working in Fundong and just being a Peace Corps Volunteer in general. Let's begin with my house to be: 1 MASTER bedroom with a connected bathroom and water heater, 2 guest bedrooms, 1 guest bathroom, a large living area and a decent sized kitchen. Electricity and running water are very consistent and my house is situated in a compound consisting of a night watchman and other educated folks---a social worker, the landlord, and a high school principal. Pictures will come when I get situated in December.
I met SO many people during my site visit, multiple times and was greeted just as much with the phrase, "You are welcome." This greeting didn't come without multiple handshakes initially and as we said goodbye. Keep in mind that in Cameroon handshaking and most other actions using your hands (ie: eating) must be done with your right hand, using the left hand is considered to be dirty and a sign of disrespect. It's been difficult to get used to since I am a lefty!
Funny story that occurred one evening in Fundong that I think defines the friendliness of the people:
Kim and I had just finished great conversation and a delicious dinner of grilled whole fish, babaloa (NW equivalent to Baton de Manioc) and much pepe (spicy pepper sauce served throughout the country) thanks to Simon and his wife Rose. Just as we decided to leave around 7 pm, the electricity in the town went out. It had been a big market day (every 8 days) and thus it was very busy with many people still remaining in the streets and in town. As we crossed the street I all of a sudden felt what I thought was a branch next to my big toe in my Reefs. Turns out it was a thick metal piece that went through my sandals all of the way, just missing my big toe! Ironically enough, there had been the start of a vaccination campain in the area against TETANUS going on that day! So, thanks to a car's headlights ahead, I was trying to push the piece out without much success. Out of nowhere, a random Cameroonian who was selling mini flashlights comes up to help shine a light and when I continued to struggle, he put the sandal into his mouth in order to yank the metal piece out with his mouth. After successfully getting the piece out, he walked off without a word and just a smile!
So...there will be plenty more to write once I arrive at post and spend the first few months feeling out the population and seeing where there is need, so I will save that for a later date. There will definitely be opportunities to use my nutrition knowledge and build on that foundation that I already have, in addition to dabbling in other areas of health as well.
Swearing in is on December 2nd, meaning that there are only about 3 more weeks of "Stage" (training) left. After that point, I should have more regular access to internet as it is pretty efficient in Fundong.
I hope all is well with everyone and I always appreciate hearing what's happening with you stateside via letters, email, texts, calls, etc. Happy almost Thanksgiving and belated Halloween.
All of my love.
A Bientot.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Two Weeks In Cameroon...
...and boy do I feel like it has been closer to two months (because I have already experienced so much and not because it has been going slowly or is dreadful).
There is so much to write and I will attempt to paint you as much of a picture as is possible with a limited amount of internet time. We have left Yaounde and the Agroforestry volunteers are in a medium sized town called Bangangte and we, Health volunteers, are in a SMALL village (and I mean that, though it turns out there are actually 10,000 people)! We come and go between the two places both for training courses and personally for my own sanity and freedom. Last Sunday, another health volunteer, Kim and I jumped in a "bush taxi" [a station wagon with 4 of us in the back and 2 in front next to the driver---imagine me leaning up against a grandma's breasts while she eats corn on the cob in my ear]and came to Bangangte to get our favorite food (omelette de spaghetti, which is 1 or 2 eggs mixed with spaghetti noodles and a tiny bit of tomato and onion and MAGGI [MSG] and piment, yummy spicy pepper sauce) and to cruise around the market and hang out with some of the Agro volunteers.
Let me tell you about my home stay family, which I will say is not an ideal family situation, but one that I can definitely cope with for the remaining 8.5 weeks. I live with a grandmother and her two granddaughters who are 16 and 18, Sabine and Carole, respectively. The "father" of the family lives in Yaounde and I haven't met him yet and probably won't, so it's just 4 of us women living ensemble! Well, I take that back, because in Cameroon, many members of the village spend inordinate amounts of time at other people's houses passing time, helping to cook, clean and such. There is a backyard with a smoke house (and I mean SMOKE from all of the cooking over a fire) and 2 other houses behind who seem to eat our food and use our latrine and water. Yeah I said latrine and let me tell you that in addition to the other following "firsts" within my 1st 24 hours, I experienced extreme culture shock:
Diarrhea and peeing in a latrine [a small 3"x3" cutout in the ground...dribble dribble, but luckily my family has the custom of bringing in some water to wash off the area after use]
Cold Bucket Shower [quite exhilarating but I've definitely become accustomed to it]
Trying Rat [Eww...tasted gamey and was tough]
Being locked in my room [because my lock malfunctioned and I thought I'd have to escape out of my screened in window in order to get to training on time]
Living in very small quarters [I haven't taken pictures yet, but imagine a full sized bed with a mosquito net, the bed being unnecessarily big, a wood desk, a trunk and no other room to walk except in a straight line straight ahead after opening my door...but it works]
Not understanding the language and being stared at and laughed at often [since my host family typically speaks the local language, Bamena aka Pattois---when they speak French, it is with a STRONG Cameroonian accent and is very fast]
As I said above, for these reasons and probably more, the culture shock was extreme. I thought that since I had visited and spent some extensive time in 3rd world countries, I would know what to expect...WRONG. Staying in hotels with flush toilets, showers and English while walking through shanty towns and villages is NOT the same as living that life! Being that it's been over a week as of now, it has all definitely become more customary and manageable, so have no fear, I'm surviving and obviously learning a lot about many, many things---that I can't possibly all write down here and now.
My host family is very forceful, telling me to shower 3x/day (I've told them I shower 1x/day and that will be what they should expect) and washing my feet frequently. It's very ironic since handwashing for them (be it with soap or without) is not in their vocabulary and they clean their floors and dishes with dirt/food soiled rags and water, not thinking it necessary to change the water halfway through. Oh well, I still walk on their floors [in my house they are tiled in the main area and cement in the bedrooms] and eat off of their plates. They are also very focused on the notion that I am "RICH" and that they are "POOR" which makes it difficult to want to integrate into their lives and become more familial with them. I'm enjoying speaking French with other volunteer's families and others in the village and finding ways to fill my time with the other volunteers, SPEAKING ENGLISH! Don't get me wrong though, we're plenty busy with health technical training, 3.5 hours of French, and other projects in between.
Great news to end this blog entry, today I was told that I have moved up from Intermediate Mid French to Intermediate High (the level necessary to swear in at the end of training) beginning on Monday!!
I don't know how frequently I'll be able to access the internet during the course of the next 8.5 weeks, so have patience for the next entry.
In the meantime, here is my cell phone number: 01-237-7011-2714
You can call me from Skype by buying Skype Credit from the main website and can TEXT me for free (free for both you and me) from Skype.
And again, snail mail and packages are HIGHLY welcomed!!! Please check the side of the blog for a wish list of food/snack items if your feeling generous.
A bientot!
There is so much to write and I will attempt to paint you as much of a picture as is possible with a limited amount of internet time. We have left Yaounde and the Agroforestry volunteers are in a medium sized town called Bangangte and we, Health volunteers, are in a SMALL village (and I mean that, though it turns out there are actually 10,000 people)! We come and go between the two places both for training courses and personally for my own sanity and freedom. Last Sunday, another health volunteer, Kim and I jumped in a "bush taxi" [a station wagon with 4 of us in the back and 2 in front next to the driver---imagine me leaning up against a grandma's breasts while she eats corn on the cob in my ear]and came to Bangangte to get our favorite food (omelette de spaghetti, which is 1 or 2 eggs mixed with spaghetti noodles and a tiny bit of tomato and onion and MAGGI [MSG] and piment, yummy spicy pepper sauce) and to cruise around the market and hang out with some of the Agro volunteers.
Let me tell you about my home stay family, which I will say is not an ideal family situation, but one that I can definitely cope with for the remaining 8.5 weeks. I live with a grandmother and her two granddaughters who are 16 and 18, Sabine and Carole, respectively. The "father" of the family lives in Yaounde and I haven't met him yet and probably won't, so it's just 4 of us women living ensemble! Well, I take that back, because in Cameroon, many members of the village spend inordinate amounts of time at other people's houses passing time, helping to cook, clean and such. There is a backyard with a smoke house (and I mean SMOKE from all of the cooking over a fire) and 2 other houses behind who seem to eat our food and use our latrine and water. Yeah I said latrine and let me tell you that in addition to the other following "firsts" within my 1st 24 hours, I experienced extreme culture shock:
Diarrhea and peeing in a latrine [a small 3"x3" cutout in the ground...dribble dribble, but luckily my family has the custom of bringing in some water to wash off the area after use]
Cold Bucket Shower [quite exhilarating but I've definitely become accustomed to it]
Trying Rat [Eww...tasted gamey and was tough]
Being locked in my room [because my lock malfunctioned and I thought I'd have to escape out of my screened in window in order to get to training on time]
Living in very small quarters [I haven't taken pictures yet, but imagine a full sized bed with a mosquito net, the bed being unnecessarily big, a wood desk, a trunk and no other room to walk except in a straight line straight ahead after opening my door...but it works]
Not understanding the language and being stared at and laughed at often [since my host family typically speaks the local language, Bamena aka Pattois---when they speak French, it is with a STRONG Cameroonian accent and is very fast]
As I said above, for these reasons and probably more, the culture shock was extreme. I thought that since I had visited and spent some extensive time in 3rd world countries, I would know what to expect...WRONG. Staying in hotels with flush toilets, showers and English while walking through shanty towns and villages is NOT the same as living that life! Being that it's been over a week as of now, it has all definitely become more customary and manageable, so have no fear, I'm surviving and obviously learning a lot about many, many things---that I can't possibly all write down here and now.
My host family is very forceful, telling me to shower 3x/day (I've told them I shower 1x/day and that will be what they should expect) and washing my feet frequently. It's very ironic since handwashing for them (be it with soap or without) is not in their vocabulary and they clean their floors and dishes with dirt/food soiled rags and water, not thinking it necessary to change the water halfway through. Oh well, I still walk on their floors [in my house they are tiled in the main area and cement in the bedrooms] and eat off of their plates. They are also very focused on the notion that I am "RICH" and that they are "POOR" which makes it difficult to want to integrate into their lives and become more familial with them. I'm enjoying speaking French with other volunteer's families and others in the village and finding ways to fill my time with the other volunteers, SPEAKING ENGLISH! Don't get me wrong though, we're plenty busy with health technical training, 3.5 hours of French, and other projects in between.
Great news to end this blog entry, today I was told that I have moved up from Intermediate Mid French to Intermediate High (the level necessary to swear in at the end of training) beginning on Monday!!
I don't know how frequently I'll be able to access the internet during the course of the next 8.5 weeks, so have patience for the next entry.
In the meantime, here is my cell phone number: 01-237-7011-2714
You can call me from Skype by buying Skype Credit from the main website and can TEXT me for free (free for both you and me) from Skype.
And again, snail mail and packages are HIGHLY welcomed!!! Please check the side of the blog for a wish list of food/snack items if your feeling generous.
A bientot!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Nous Sommes Ensemble
Here we are in Yaounde, Cameroon---the capital city of slightly more than one million people. We really haven't seen too much of the city during these first few days, basically we are being shuttled between our hotel and the Peace Corps office [located directly across from the "Indomitable Lions" stadium for those soccer fans out there]. We did detour last night for a welcome dinner at our Country Director's house in a very secure and upscale portion of the city.
The saying above is a typical Cameroonian phrase that translates to: "We Are Together," which literally is the theme of our time both in Philly and in Yaounde (and how Peace Corps strives to structure the program). Though the 32 of us have only known each other for five days, it definitely feels like much longer, you know how it is when you spend every waking moment with someone and are in a shared, life-changing experience.
We have been having our meals at the hotel, think fried/boiled plantains (my absolute favorite), a good amount of rice, bread, meat, fish, pineapple, and papaya. Coffee was my saving grace the other day to alleviate a few days of constipation, though right after a delicious lunch today, I had my first bout of diarrhea. Hopefully that was the one and only!
Pre-Service Training (PST) has been off to a slow start. Saturday we had language interviews to assess where our knowledge and skills with French conversation stand before training. We received our level today and I was placed in Intermediate Mid, right below Intermediate High which is where we need to be when PST is completed, before venturing to our posts to begin service. Not too shabby, and I am looking forward to some review and refreshing.
Today PST began to pick up as we begin the health, safety and security bulk of training, especially the important topics of appropriate food and water preparation. Those have priority since on Thursday we will be heading to Bangangte for the main 11 weeks of PST while living with host families. We also received our Medical Kits which have a multitude of items in them ranging from bug spray to lip balm and condoms to water purification tablets.
I'm going to end this posting since the electricity and wireless internet connection (at the Peace Corps Office and Volunteer Guest House) are shaky and my computer battery is on its last few minutes. I hope this gives you some initial insights and leaves you knowing that I am beyond satisfied with my choice to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Until next time...
Love Stef
The saying above is a typical Cameroonian phrase that translates to: "We Are Together," which literally is the theme of our time both in Philly and in Yaounde (and how Peace Corps strives to structure the program). Though the 32 of us have only known each other for five days, it definitely feels like much longer, you know how it is when you spend every waking moment with someone and are in a shared, life-changing experience.
We have been having our meals at the hotel, think fried/boiled plantains (my absolute favorite), a good amount of rice, bread, meat, fish, pineapple, and papaya. Coffee was my saving grace the other day to alleviate a few days of constipation, though right after a delicious lunch today, I had my first bout of diarrhea. Hopefully that was the one and only!
Pre-Service Training (PST) has been off to a slow start. Saturday we had language interviews to assess where our knowledge and skills with French conversation stand before training. We received our level today and I was placed in Intermediate Mid, right below Intermediate High which is where we need to be when PST is completed, before venturing to our posts to begin service. Not too shabby, and I am looking forward to some review and refreshing.
Today PST began to pick up as we begin the health, safety and security bulk of training, especially the important topics of appropriate food and water preparation. Those have priority since on Thursday we will be heading to Bangangte for the main 11 weeks of PST while living with host families. We also received our Medical Kits which have a multitude of items in them ranging from bug spray to lip balm and condoms to water purification tablets.
I'm going to end this posting since the electricity and wireless internet connection (at the Peace Corps Office and Volunteer Guest House) are shaky and my computer battery is on its last few minutes. I hope this gives you some initial insights and leaves you knowing that I am beyond satisfied with my choice to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Until next time...
Love Stef
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
T-2 Days
Has a year really already passed since I first sat down to begin my application to become a Peace Corps volunteer? Have the past four months of family, friends, freedom and adventure come and gone already? I guess time really does fly by when you are having fun!
I made a goal for myself to post my first blog entry before departing for Cameroon, and so with T-2 days ahead, I will sit here and try to get you on the same page as my thought processes. Maybe the delay in posting is because I have been busy saying goodbye to people all across this country, agonizing over packing, or my desires to have the blog details all worked out before posting.
Most certainly the delay is because I am filled with feelings of great excitement, anticipation, intrigue, and readiness that I haven't been sure how to write down in words. Sure there are probably feelings of anxiety, nervousness, fear, and sadness but I feel that I am so ready for this experience to begin that those are not at the forefront. Who knows, they could pop up as soon as I post this, once I arrive in Philly to begin Staging (Peace Corps terminology for Pre-Departure Orientation), as I step off the plane in Yaounde, or a few weeks from now.
Here's what I'm feeling right now:
1) I'm ready for the anticipation of what's to come, what I'm going to experience, and what my role is going to be to happen already. It has been a year of drawing upon written information, other people's experiences, and my imagination. I'm psyched to hit the ground running and see what being (no longer becoming) a Peace Corps volunteer is all about...for me. Everyone's experience is different (for obvious reasons) and I hope I can communicate what it is that I'm thinking, accomplishing and exploring through blog posts, emails, phone calls, and HAND-WRITTEN LETTERS.
2) It saddens me to think that I will not be around for your milestones, other big events, and just to have the ease of picking up the phone or making plans to hang out at the drop of a hat. On the other hand, though two years (well a little bit more) sounds like a long time, in the grand scheme of things, it really isn't. We shall see what communication opportunities exist in Cameroon (ie: consistency of electricity, access to internet, etc.), though that is part of a moral dilemma that I am having as to how modestly I would like to spend my time while in Africa, if given the choice.
Well then, I could probably write more, but I won't, especially since I have to go finish packing to leave New Jersey this afternoon and head into Philadelphia for my last goodbye.
Take care, be in touch, follow my blog, forward this onto anyone whom you think might be interested, and BE WELL!
A BIENTOT ["Until Next Time" in French]
Stef
I made a goal for myself to post my first blog entry before departing for Cameroon, and so with T-2 days ahead, I will sit here and try to get you on the same page as my thought processes. Maybe the delay in posting is because I have been busy saying goodbye to people all across this country, agonizing over packing, or my desires to have the blog details all worked out before posting.
Most certainly the delay is because I am filled with feelings of great excitement, anticipation, intrigue, and readiness that I haven't been sure how to write down in words. Sure there are probably feelings of anxiety, nervousness, fear, and sadness but I feel that I am so ready for this experience to begin that those are not at the forefront. Who knows, they could pop up as soon as I post this, once I arrive in Philly to begin Staging (Peace Corps terminology for Pre-Departure Orientation), as I step off the plane in Yaounde, or a few weeks from now.
Here's what I'm feeling right now:
1) I'm ready for the anticipation of what's to come, what I'm going to experience, and what my role is going to be to happen already. It has been a year of drawing upon written information, other people's experiences, and my imagination. I'm psyched to hit the ground running and see what being (no longer becoming) a Peace Corps volunteer is all about...for me. Everyone's experience is different (for obvious reasons) and I hope I can communicate what it is that I'm thinking, accomplishing and exploring through blog posts, emails, phone calls, and HAND-WRITTEN LETTERS.
2) It saddens me to think that I will not be around for your milestones, other big events, and just to have the ease of picking up the phone or making plans to hang out at the drop of a hat. On the other hand, though two years (well a little bit more) sounds like a long time, in the grand scheme of things, it really isn't. We shall see what communication opportunities exist in Cameroon (ie: consistency of electricity, access to internet, etc.), though that is part of a moral dilemma that I am having as to how modestly I would like to spend my time while in Africa, if given the choice.
Well then, I could probably write more, but I won't, especially since I have to go finish packing to leave New Jersey this afternoon and head into Philadelphia for my last goodbye.
Take care, be in touch, follow my blog, forward this onto anyone whom you think might be interested, and BE WELL!
A BIENTOT ["Until Next Time" in French]
Stef
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