A few of our favorite things

‘Tis the season and all that, or nearly so, even though it is definitely still June outside here!  We’ve tried to be honest about our struggles, yet still upbeat, and as we move into our sixth month in Cameroon and look ahead to In-Service Training and our first Thanksgiving and Christmas here, it seems an appropriate time to consider and share some the things we’ve enjoyed about being here.

So, in no particular order, we like…

…that it’s winter, and we’re not bundled in three (minimum) layers of clothes when we leave the house…
…the way our favorite market mammas’ and shop keepers’ eyes light with genuine happiness to see us when we do our shopping – and if we’ve been away for awhile, we’re greeted with, “You have been missing!”
…the way our neighbors call out, “You are going?,” when we leave for the day, and “You are back?,” when we come home.  “Yes, we are back,” we say.  “You are welcome!” they cry…
…the way our coworkers, and random strangers, greet us in the same way every day, “You are welcome!”…
…the beautiful Muslim prayer rugs and traditional slatted wood chairs we decorate our home with…
…the way, amused at us shouting, “Ntarinkon!,” at passing taxis and inexplicably (though we allegedly speak the same language) not being understood by the drivers, a passer-by will greet us, ask our names, introduce themselves, and then hail a cab with a call of, “Ntarinkon!,” that to our ears sounds exactly like what we said, yet is understood by the taxi drivers…
…laying in the hammocks we brought home from Mexico a decade ago on our front porch after a long day in Africa…
…grilled fish with basil sauce, soya (thin-sliced and seasoned grilled beef kabobs), kati kati (grilled chicken), njama njama (huckleberry greens), achu (a kind of thick, rich stew made with palm oil and beef broth), peanut soup…
…the way our community host will brag to others that we’ve eaten achu…
…the way coworkers will ask how we’re doing, and then, to a positive answer, will say, “Thank God!”  Well…yes, indeed!…
…the way, if one of us is alone somewhere, people will always say to greet the other…
…how, if you ask a Cameroonian how they are doing, the answer invariably begins with, “no,” as in, “No, fine!  Thank you!”…
…that bananas, pineapples, tomatoes, onions, garlic, rice, pasta, canned tuna, and peanut butter, to name a few, are readily available in Bamenda…
…that we live in Bamenda…
…that Cameroonians always express approval when you buy Cameroonian things.  “Your (house, kitchen, cooking pots, chairs, necklace, clothing, etc.) is good!”…
…local honey and jams…
…hot, sun-dried laundry fresh off the line…

Settling in

So, we’ve been in Cameroon for about five months now.  It feels both so much longer than that and like the time has flown by, and IST (In-Service Training) is just around the corner.  We’ve flown across the world, made it through three months of training, moved to the beautiful North West Region, triumphed in our struggle for housing, got a bed made, survived the election (a tense time for Peace Corps admin, but quiet for us volunteers), got a futon made, and co-hosted a dinner for the new training group (that’s right, we’re no longer the new kids!).  The house we fought for is starting to be a cozy retreat and welcoming place for us to come home to, a few plumbing issues aside (certain faucets don’t exactly turn off, unless you cut each room’s main valve outside and our landlord hasn’t seen it as a priority – we occasionally really miss our awesome landlord in Pittsburgh, but also really just have to laugh about it).

We’re learning who our favorite market mammas are to buy produce from, and our neighbors all know we belong in the neighborhood now.  At this point we can pretty well find our way around town and find the essentials, and - another thing no one tells you about Peace Corps – we recycle in ways that previously we would have thought extreme and absurd (cookie trays leftover from the Girl Scout Samoas box make excellent silverware holders).  At work, Jack has been teaching computer skills at the Delegation of Basic Education, and Kiyomi has been conducting an organizational assessment at her NGO.  It all moves at a slower pace here, which takes some getting used to, but believing that we’re contributing to the success of our community has a way of making any challenge seem lighter.  In the coming months, we’re looking forward to collaborating with another volunteer to teach basic literacy at a health clinic nearby, and are hoping in the next year to have the opportunity to start teaching civic responsibility and community building with some education materials developed by LAGA (The Last Great Ape Association) that Peace Corps Cameroon is interested in testing and adapting.

LAGA is amazing, and we are really excited about their vision.  The organization’s function is to preserve great apes, their habitat, and to prevent poaching; their purpose is to demonstrate a functional model of a new kind of NGO that, rather than just asking for money, trying to create new laws, and working within a defunct system, instead seeks to fight corruption, enforce laws already on the books, and create a better system.  We’re really excited about the collaboration with Peace Corps in seeking to teach civic responsibility with a community-based approach, and we’re more excited about the opportunity to take part in testing these materials.

Wish List 2.0

So, what do you send the Peace Corps Volunteer who has everything?  For those of you who have asked, now that we’re getting a little more settled here in Mankon country, here in alphabetical order (just because) are some comforts from home that we’ve missed.  Also, our new address is at the bottom.

Almonds
a wall Calendar
Canned salmon
Coffee (Bolivian, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Mexican, Rwandan)
Crossword books
Dried fruit (apricots, blueberries, cranberries)
Ear plugs (see The Rooster mentioned in previous posts)
Flax seeds
Granola
Hashi (also known as chopsticks)
Hops
Hydrometer
Malt (yes, Jack wants to make beer)
Pecans
Pumpkin Spice Lattes (okay, we know those won’t mail well…but we can dream…)
Sleep masks
Soba noodles
Sudoku books
Tabasco sauce
small, individual Thermoses (for taking coffee to work – no office brewers here!)
Toe socks (to go with our Vibram Five-Fingers!)
Walnuts
Whole grain pasta
Whole wheat crackers
Worchestershire sauce

Our Address in Bamenda:

Jack and Kiyomi Gaines
Peace Corps Volunteers
Peace Corps Cameroon
Bamenda Regional Office
P.O. Box 837 – Mankon – Bamenda
Mezam Division
Northwest Region – Cameroon

Things no one tells you…

Things no one tells you about joining the Peace Corps.

It’s very much like any other government job – lots of paperwork, lots of hurrying, lots of waiting, lots of not a lot getting done.  Bring a book.

It’s not at all like any other job – at all.  It’s cute that you thought you might walk into your office and be able to ask someone what you’re supposed to do though.  I see here on your resume it says you’re a creative, independent self-starter… good thing, too!  Go to it!

Peanut butter is more American than apple pie – who knew?  We went through two and a half big containers of Jif peanut butter in our first week and a half at post.  Peanut butter did not play a large role in our diet before leaving the States – organic, fair trade, fresh ground honey roasted peanuts are tasty now and again, sure, but two and a half tubs of the stuff?? Salsa or hummus, maybe… not peanut butter.  We had an inexplicable, insatiable craving.  It must be laced in the water or pumped into the air back home, and we were just in withdrawal.  Other volunteers have mentioned similar experiences.

Being awakened to a spectacular sunrise by the crowing of a rooster… leads to murderous thoughts, throwing rocks, and chasing a giant chicken around the yard.  Not a lot of sunrise reflection or appreciation.  Its not pretty.  The crow of a rooster outside your bedroom window is like being awakened by the sound of someone standing beside your bed and screaming at the top of their lungs.  Repeatedly.  It’s really enough to drive one to…wait for it… murder most fowl.

Food that feeds the body is good.  A meal to nourish the soul, home cooked with good company, commiseration and a dash of encouragement, is essential for this expat stuff…  Even better if it’s made with familiar ingredients!

The sound of your brother’s voice will make you happier than you can remember being.  And then will make you cry.

Depression, rather than something you seek “help” or medication for, is more of a state of being, alternating regularly with euphoria.  It’s either bi-polar disorder, or “culture fatigue,” but either way, those periodic glimpses of equilibrium are what you’re looking for.  They get more frequent, and sometimes you even find yourself looking around and feeling strangely comfortable, content…even, oh, yes, at home.

And the moment we’ve all been waiting for

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/22/world/africa/cameroon-election-outcome/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

While we are strictly apolitical while serving as volunteers, we are happy to say that the election results were announced last night without incident.  Thanks for all the prayers!

Some news on the Cameroon election

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/03/world/africa/cameroon-election-campaign/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

Getting settled

Hey Friends and Family!  We got to keep the house in the Ntarinkon Quarter after someone from the main office in Yaounde came to check out the situation personally.  We move in this weekend, and are so glad to finally be getting settled.  It’s been a whirlwind of buying some essential furniture and houseware items and getting familiarized with our respective offices.  We both have a half-time schedule right now, three days a week and four hours a day – we can’t complain!  The rest of our time during these first months is spent getting to know our way around our city, getting to know our neighbors and starting the process of integrating into our community.  We have an offer of cooking lessons from one of our neighbors that we can’t wait to take up!

For the month of October we’ll be on Stand-fast, which means we stay put in our town, no traveling to neighboring towns for any reason, because of the election.  The national election takes place on the 9th.  The campaign season lasts about a week here – for the last week we’ve seen flyers and people have been driving around town with loud speakers.  Then everyone gets to vote for one of the candidates, and then we hope to have results in a week or two.  Most Cameroonians seem to be like most Americans when it comes to voting – as long as their day to day lives aren’t disrupted, they aren’t terribly concerned about the outcome.  But, just as in the States civic responsibility has been on the rise in recent years, part of our job here as volunteers is going to be to build civic awareness and encourage volunteerism at the local level.  But for now, we stand fast.  Luckily we love Bamenda and don’t mind staying put here, though it’s postponed some hiking trips.

We’ve been seeing status updates on Facebook about the weather turning cooler, people dragging out sweaters and looking forward to hot cider!  Here in the Northwest, the days alternate between sunny and beautiful, or rainy and cool enough for sweaters, soup and hot chocolate – in other words, perfect for the two of us.  “Fall” here means we’re going into dry season, though, which we’re told means beautiful, sunny days alternating with just plain hot – conditions we’re also okay with, since the rain sometimes prevents going to the market, or leaving the house at all.  And we’ve been told a big benefit of dry season means laundry dries in a morning, instead of taking a day or two!  Sometimes it’s those little things that can make all the difference…