First week in Bafut
I am getting used to being called white man,especially by the children. There's no gender differentiation here.
I am getting used to scaring children because of my skin color.
I am getting used to eating mounds of corn meal mush and jamajama ( sliced, boiled greens).
I am still not used to being waited on by young people; getting meals made, cleaning done,etc. I need to get assertive and cook some of my own meals. When I asked my host about shopping and cooking for myself she asked me why?
I am still not used to the sitting around aspect of Cameroon. There is a lot of visiting and imparting information in the day to day connection between people.
I am not used to the fact that I have paid for nothing since I have come into this family. We have gone out for drinks in the evening a few times and if I'm invited I don't pay. I will have to invite them and then they will have no choice but to let me pay! There is no concept here of potluck. If dave invited the hikers to the Xmas party he would have to supply all the food ( way to go Joanne), and at least two drinks a person.
I am not used to, and just can't, eat because it is offered. I am mastering the art of rubbing my belly and saying ' belly flop' which means belly is full up in Pidgin. If I stop by to say hello I will be asked to take drink or food ( see how hard it is to make a choice?).
I have had my first motorcycle ride as a passenger. I was scared ...less. I created much enjoyment and merriment for everyone. They are determined to teach me to ride myself. There is a motorcycle connected to the group that I can use. I think I might just stick with cabs as much as I can. At 150 francs a ride ( about 50 cents) it's worth it ( even with 7 people in a cab).
I am loving saying good morning/afternoon/evening to everyone, usually with a one or two handed hand shake. With a few women I know a little better I am getting a slap first that moves into a handshake with a snap of the fingers to finish off.
I am getting used to seeing little kids (3+) walking alone or in small groups long distances to school. Also, seeing kids with huge burdens on their heads walking great distances for their families ( with food, wood, etc).
I have not adjusted to the slowness and inconsistency of the communication here. My internet is down as much a s it is up and running. Downloading a document or attaching one can take hours.
I am getting adjusted to the women in this group breaking into song and clapping , maybe doing a dance around a table. They are threatening to have me play goalie for International Women's Day when the women challenge the men to a soccer match. Funny eh girls. Stayed tuned for March 8th news.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
First Days in Bafut
First day in Bafut
Well, I was the first to be picked up this morning by Mama Veronica. First order of business- the grass roots car had conked out down the lane and we had boys push it somewhere to get something done. John, Veronica’s husband took great pleasure in telling me about the state of life living with a grassroots woman. There was a lot of laughter- the car was the worst of the worst cars I have ever seen. Totally cracked windshield, rusted out body, stuffing out of the seats, metal exposed in the seat rims. But, it chugged along and got us home ( My luggage had to go in an accompanying motor cycle taxi).
Home is 8 miles outside Bamenda (Mile 8), then 15-20 minutes down a winding DIRT ROAD. Veronica and John have 5 children, one still at home in secondary school, one in secondary school boarding, a daughter Theresa. In university ( she has been appointed my guide and protector along with the boys). They have built a small complex on a piece of land. I am to live in a LITTLE suite on the other side of the courtyard to the main house. I am enclosed by caring and cooking. I have a little sitting room with leapard print wicker chairs and a TV, a small bedroom with single bed and a wardrobe with little lambs on it. Remember the ones to hang your clothes in and zip up? Then a closet kitchen that the boys are still finishing and a little bathroom, with toilet and small sink. Shower is a hand held one, cold water only.
The family has encouraged me to join them anytime in a large living room space with comfy furniture, bigger TV and VCR. The kitchen is a fire pit set aside in a large outdoor court yard. There is a new pup who was a rescue dog ( no need for my dog spray here). First day I watched fu-fu and ndole being cooked over a fire pit ( 2 hours). We ate and then went to the Women’s Center. It is a couple of desks, a few sewing machines and a few computers. Internet is dial up.
Then a big adventure going back to the market in Bamenda to get a few foods and towels. Theresa, a daughter home for the afternoon from university came with me to haggle and protect me ( orders of Mama). So, I bought used towels that looked like Value Village rejects, plastic containers that again looked suspiciously used and good vegies and fruits that I got taken advantage of (worse if I was alone). I got bargaining tips ( I smile too much and look too eager) and lessons on getting taxis.
Back to the center where two elders were waiting for me. They had walked all the way to the house wanting to great me and I was shopping! I was invited for a beer which was non negotiable and all the group talked Pidgin- not a word understood by me. Many people, especially the older people, don’t speak English, especially if they haven’t been educated. Just when things were interesting enough the power went out, a frequent occurance here apparently. Candles were brought out and everyone continued to sit.
Home at last, unpacked groceries into the common kitchen and am alone. This will take some getting used too. The women here are trying to do a little of everything. They help each other with small loans for businesses, help pay for medicines ( they just got someone to donate some medical supplies), teach sewing for young women to have skill, Theresa is trying to get youth together, giving families money for school fees, helping support a midwife to deliver babies more safely….. Little money and lots of ideas. Transportation is horrendous. Women are walking some for hours to get a basket of vegies to a market. These same women have furnished my home, supplied my kitchen, made my bed and are feeding me. I feel blessed by kindness and welcome by everyone I met today.
Tomorrow we go to a funeral of a client who died this morning from AIDS
( ’a stubborn man who refused to take medicines’). I have been told that this week is to visit, rest, and get organized. I have to combat the urge to ’do something’ and just be!
Well, off to make my ’still need to buy list’ for going into town on Saturday. I have my outfit and caba ( a big mumu dress) to pick up, toilet paper and bleach ( have to clean my little place and get it for the veggies) and hangers to buy and a housewarming party to go to. He is a Philipino volunteer who has been here for 1.5 years and just signed on for a second stint. He is a fantastic cook and is making an Asian feast.
Day Two In Bafut
I spent the day waiting, sitting, waiting, then at a funeral where we sat, ate, drank, sat, ate moved over, drank, ate, watched dances including a masked dance. I was exhausted from the sitting and the heat. It will be an art to not accept all that is offered to me as the food is not all that palatable. My host says it will take years to build up a tolerance for the food! Other volunteer veterans say most of us will loose weight here.
Well, I was the first to be picked up this morning by Mama Veronica. First order of business- the grass roots car had conked out down the lane and we had boys push it somewhere to get something done. John, Veronica’s husband took great pleasure in telling me about the state of life living with a grassroots woman. There was a lot of laughter- the car was the worst of the worst cars I have ever seen. Totally cracked windshield, rusted out body, stuffing out of the seats, metal exposed in the seat rims. But, it chugged along and got us home ( My luggage had to go in an accompanying motor cycle taxi).
Home is 8 miles outside Bamenda (Mile 8), then 15-20 minutes down a winding DIRT ROAD. Veronica and John have 5 children, one still at home in secondary school, one in secondary school boarding, a daughter Theresa. In university ( she has been appointed my guide and protector along with the boys). They have built a small complex on a piece of land. I am to live in a LITTLE suite on the other side of the courtyard to the main house. I am enclosed by caring and cooking. I have a little sitting room with leapard print wicker chairs and a TV, a small bedroom with single bed and a wardrobe with little lambs on it. Remember the ones to hang your clothes in and zip up? Then a closet kitchen that the boys are still finishing and a little bathroom, with toilet and small sink. Shower is a hand held one, cold water only.
The family has encouraged me to join them anytime in a large living room space with comfy furniture, bigger TV and VCR. The kitchen is a fire pit set aside in a large outdoor court yard. There is a new pup who was a rescue dog ( no need for my dog spray here). First day I watched fu-fu and ndole being cooked over a fire pit ( 2 hours). We ate and then went to the Women’s Center. It is a couple of desks, a few sewing machines and a few computers. Internet is dial up.
Then a big adventure going back to the market in Bamenda to get a few foods and towels. Theresa, a daughter home for the afternoon from university came with me to haggle and protect me ( orders of Mama). So, I bought used towels that looked like Value Village rejects, plastic containers that again looked suspiciously used and good vegies and fruits that I got taken advantage of (worse if I was alone). I got bargaining tips ( I smile too much and look too eager) and lessons on getting taxis.
Back to the center where two elders were waiting for me. They had walked all the way to the house wanting to great me and I was shopping! I was invited for a beer which was non negotiable and all the group talked Pidgin- not a word understood by me. Many people, especially the older people, don’t speak English, especially if they haven’t been educated. Just when things were interesting enough the power went out, a frequent occurance here apparently. Candles were brought out and everyone continued to sit.
Home at last, unpacked groceries into the common kitchen and am alone. This will take some getting used too. The women here are trying to do a little of everything. They help each other with small loans for businesses, help pay for medicines ( they just got someone to donate some medical supplies), teach sewing for young women to have skill, Theresa is trying to get youth together, giving families money for school fees, helping support a midwife to deliver babies more safely….. Little money and lots of ideas. Transportation is horrendous. Women are walking some for hours to get a basket of vegies to a market. These same women have furnished my home, supplied my kitchen, made my bed and are feeding me. I feel blessed by kindness and welcome by everyone I met today.
Tomorrow we go to a funeral of a client who died this morning from AIDS
( ’a stubborn man who refused to take medicines’). I have been told that this week is to visit, rest, and get organized. I have to combat the urge to ’do something’ and just be!
Well, off to make my ’still need to buy list’ for going into town on Saturday. I have my outfit and caba ( a big mumu dress) to pick up, toilet paper and bleach ( have to clean my little place and get it for the veggies) and hangers to buy and a housewarming party to go to. He is a Philipino volunteer who has been here for 1.5 years and just signed on for a second stint. He is a fantastic cook and is making an Asian feast.
Day Two In Bafut
I spent the day waiting, sitting, waiting, then at a funeral where we sat, ate, drank, sat, ate moved over, drank, ate, watched dances including a masked dance. I was exhausted from the sitting and the heat. It will be an art to not accept all that is offered to me as the food is not all that palatable. My host says it will take years to build up a tolerance for the food! Other volunteer veterans say most of us will loose weight here.
The Fon's Palace
Fons Palace
Thirty miles from Bamenda is the biggest Fon in the northwest region. He has a palace in Bafut, encompassing a complex including homes for the senior wives on one side and the newer wives on the other. He has 38 wives and I lost count of the children. There is a school in the complex.
We were allowed one picture taker only ( thanks Leon) so the pictures included are courtesy of my colleague. We toured a wonderful museum where no pictures were allowed. One of the sons and a wife toured us and explained some of the Cameroonian history and customs.
Fons are the traditional rulers of the country. I was told that they own much of the land people live and farm on. They also can give or take back lands from people. They can send scouts out to villages in search of cars, women,etc. That they might want and take it. They have a lot of power and for many, a lot of prestige.
Thirty miles from Bamenda is the biggest Fon in the northwest region. He has a palace in Bafut, encompassing a complex including homes for the senior wives on one side and the newer wives on the other. He has 38 wives and I lost count of the children. There is a school in the complex.
We were allowed one picture taker only ( thanks Leon) so the pictures included are courtesy of my colleague. We toured a wonderful museum where no pictures were allowed. One of the sons and a wife toured us and explained some of the Cameroonian history and customs.
Fons are the traditional rulers of the country. I was told that they own much of the land people live and farm on. They also can give or take back lands from people. They can send scouts out to villages in search of cars, women,etc. That they might want and take it. They have a lot of power and for many, a lot of prestige.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
From Yaounde to Bamenda
Bus trip extraordinaire
First day in Bamenda,the city closest to my placement in Bafut. Nine of us journeyed yesterday on a packed bus five seats in a row, multiple adults and children in a seat ( a woman in the seat two down from me had two toddlers on her knee the whole way). The bus was to leave at 8, so as good foreigners, we all got on the bus at 8:15 and waited. The engines started at 9:00 which we took to be a good sign. By 9:30 people were getting on, getting off, reshuffling and the driver started collecting tickets and honking his horn. We left at 10:00 already hot, sweaty and rapidly swelling....
The first hour of the trip we got talked to by an assistant of the bus driver. He spoke first about bus/travelling etiquette: don't feed your pickins ( children) too much or they will have to pee and poo on the trip; don't chew gum and put it on the seat for the next man ( no gender differentiation in the Pidgin language) to sit on; when you get food please to share it with your fellow man so that no man shall go hungry; please get the attention of the driver if private businesses have to be conducted on route...). He then spoke about this bus being a family while we are together. He had us all smile and say good morning to all the people around us on the bus. He then led us in a prayer. It was a fine way to start a trip.
He then regaled us with a lecture on teeth brushing, how to do it, when to do it, the kind of brushes to use, and how to get children to brush ( this was an interactive process). He sold toothpaste particular to smokers and people that have brown teeth- he discounted it for people travelling to villages while town folks paid full price. After the tooth brushing lecture, came the lecture on the virtues of calcium. Half and hour and many packets of Chinese made calcium later he wished us all a good journey and sat down.
There were short stops on the way where market people either came on the bus or sold things through the windows ( pineapples, peanuts, papayas, coconut pieces, candy, etc). We had one 15 minute stop to use a washroom and grab food. Then back on the bus. The bus pulled out and parked 100 meters up the road to wait for 2 slackers that were late. When they got on the bus several people chastised them- the pickins were boiling here, etc.
People here are quite frank with comments and instructions. It is refreshing. Older women discipline others children, people keep each other in line when behaviour is not acceptable.
After a 3 hour wait for dinner in the hotel,(remember the cheese shop in Monty Python?), we all collapsed into our palatial rooms and crashed.
Tomorrow is Bafut to tour the Fon's palace and see where my new home will be. Pictures will come on my next entry.
Cornelia
First day in Bamenda,the city closest to my placement in Bafut. Nine of us journeyed yesterday on a packed bus five seats in a row, multiple adults and children in a seat ( a woman in the seat two down from me had two toddlers on her knee the whole way). The bus was to leave at 8, so as good foreigners, we all got on the bus at 8:15 and waited. The engines started at 9:00 which we took to be a good sign. By 9:30 people were getting on, getting off, reshuffling and the driver started collecting tickets and honking his horn. We left at 10:00 already hot, sweaty and rapidly swelling....
The first hour of the trip we got talked to by an assistant of the bus driver. He spoke first about bus/travelling etiquette: don't feed your pickins ( children) too much or they will have to pee and poo on the trip; don't chew gum and put it on the seat for the next man ( no gender differentiation in the Pidgin language) to sit on; when you get food please to share it with your fellow man so that no man shall go hungry; please get the attention of the driver if private businesses have to be conducted on route...). He then spoke about this bus being a family while we are together. He had us all smile and say good morning to all the people around us on the bus. He then led us in a prayer. It was a fine way to start a trip.
He then regaled us with a lecture on teeth brushing, how to do it, when to do it, the kind of brushes to use, and how to get children to brush ( this was an interactive process). He sold toothpaste particular to smokers and people that have brown teeth- he discounted it for people travelling to villages while town folks paid full price. After the tooth brushing lecture, came the lecture on the virtues of calcium. Half and hour and many packets of Chinese made calcium later he wished us all a good journey and sat down.
There were short stops on the way where market people either came on the bus or sold things through the windows ( pineapples, peanuts, papayas, coconut pieces, candy, etc). We had one 15 minute stop to use a washroom and grab food. Then back on the bus. The bus pulled out and parked 100 meters up the road to wait for 2 slackers that were late. When they got on the bus several people chastised them- the pickins were boiling here, etc.
People here are quite frank with comments and instructions. It is refreshing. Older women discipline others children, people keep each other in line when behaviour is not acceptable.
After a 3 hour wait for dinner in the hotel,(remember the cheese shop in Monty Python?), we all collapsed into our palatial rooms and crashed.
Tomorrow is Bafut to tour the Fon's palace and see where my new home will be. Pictures will come on my next entry.
Cornelia
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Two weeks in Yaounde
January 20, 2011
It has been just under two weeks in Cameroon and it feels like much longer. Time is drifting along slowly- like Cameroonian time. I am becoming more able to sit quietly and let the world go by taking in the sights of sounds of my new home. The colors, the clothing, the people are vegetation , the traffic….I have eaten some wonderful foods like beignets and ndoelle plus lots of barbeques. I have also searched out café au lait and croissants and had pizza and greek salads.
The picture taking here is sensitive- a tip that would have been good to know. People don’t want their picture taken or they want money for you to take one. It is not alright to take pictures of any government type buildings, the airport,etc. I will ask for the etiquette of picture taking once I am in Bafut. Since the Fon lives in Bafut and there are tourists who visit the Fon’s Palace, picture taking may be more acceptable.
I have included a picture of Yaounde from the top of Mt. Febe, the highest point in Yaounde.
I would like to take pictures of the women and men who carry amazing things on their heads. The include reams of fabric, towers of laundry baskets, trays of peanuts, carrots, and meat skewers, baskets of bottles, etc. Posture is beautiful , straight and tall. I would also take pictures of weddings with the fathers and sons dressing in similar shirts, mothers and daughters in matching dresses- all colorful fabrics and amazingly intricate designs.
So for now you'll get a picture of a banana tree, a papaya tree and a great staghorn fern that grew on the side of a monastary we visited.
The group of volunteers here is a wonderful one made up of Canadians, Phillipinos, Brits, and several Dutch people. The large francophone contingent are working in the North , Far North , south and southeast areas where the majority of people are French speakers. The rest of us are going to the Northwest region -the home of the second major political party in Cameroon. We are spread out around Bamenda and hope to be able to get together to socialize and talk about our work together.
I’m heading to my placement early next week after two weeks of intensive language lessons ( how you deh? everyone), lots of forms and procedures, organizational development modules, etc. I am learning interesting and challenging things about this culture and the role of women here. It’ll be good to leave the big city for the mountains and cooler temperatures. I just found out I’m getting a frig! Yipee!!
It has been just under two weeks in Cameroon and it feels like much longer. Time is drifting along slowly- like Cameroonian time. I am becoming more able to sit quietly and let the world go by taking in the sights of sounds of my new home. The colors, the clothing, the people are vegetation , the traffic….I have eaten some wonderful foods like beignets and ndoelle plus lots of barbeques. I have also searched out café au lait and croissants and had pizza and greek salads.
The picture taking here is sensitive- a tip that would have been good to know. People don’t want their picture taken or they want money for you to take one. It is not alright to take pictures of any government type buildings, the airport,etc. I will ask for the etiquette of picture taking once I am in Bafut. Since the Fon lives in Bafut and there are tourists who visit the Fon’s Palace, picture taking may be more acceptable.
I have included a picture of Yaounde from the top of Mt. Febe, the highest point in Yaounde.
So for now you'll get a picture of a banana tree, a papaya tree and a great staghorn fern that grew on the side of a monastary we visited.
I’m heading to my placement early next week after two weeks of intensive language lessons ( how you deh? everyone), lots of forms and procedures, organizational development modules, etc. I am learning interesting and challenging things about this culture and the role of women here. It’ll be good to leave the big city for the mountains and cooler temperatures. I just found out I’m getting a frig! Yipee!!
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