The only thing about the rain is the higher chances of power disturbances. This past Thursday, a huge storm came through while I was teaching. The class itself was kind of a funny disaster because on top of the fact we were teaching income statement/balance sheet, which no one ever understands, the rain caused loud noises that forced us to divide the class into small groups. Then, the poorly constructed building led to water everywhere. It's pouring outside, but we were not exactly dry inside. Finally, the rain subsided and Nura and I ended the class. While making our way back to my house, we saw crowds of villagers heading somewhere, and turns out the storm knocked over a power line and caught Charlie's house on fire...
We got home and were in the process of making hummus when I noticed the fridge wasn't working. This is when I realize my power regulator box had been fried. Bummer. Later when I attempted to put on some music, I realized the charger to my Macbook is also fried. Blast! I was quite annoyed by these things, but they all eventually worked out. The next day, I went back to Nura's house and she let me borrow her ghetto fabulous extra macbook charger that someone in this country had made - the Macbook magnetic charger somehow connected to an IBM battery charger. It's amazing the things people can come up with here. I also made a trip to Bafoussam to buy another regulator, this time twice as powerful,in hope that nothing else gets fried again.
Everything worked out all within 24 hour but it really had me worry for a bit there. So much of my work now depends on the computer. The thought of my computer crashing again scares me to no end. Earlier tonight my computer was acting up and I think my heart stopped for a second. This is what I will not miss about life here - the constant fear that my computer will freak out and there will be very little that I can do about it. When things work, you want them to work better. I was contemplating on upgrading the memory to my laptop to make it work faster. After this exeperience, I am now just focusing on having a computer that simply works and has power source. Perspectives, I tell ya.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Village Love
I'm wrapped in a fleece blanket with a cup of warm jasmine tea by my side. The rainy season has finally arrived, and I couldn't be happier. Since around November, I've been suffering through the horror that is the dry season. No matter how much I clean, my house is always dirty, as are my feet. The dust is everywhere. It covers everything in the house. If I dare step outside of my house, I am instantly covered by the dust, and if a car or a moto drives by - forget it, there is no part of me that will remain clean. I get lazy with the shower, because on top of the fact it's a pain in the butt to get water/boil water/bucket bath, what's the point? I will be dirty again in 3.5 seconds. Furthermore, my respiratory system is all screwy from the dust. I take decongestants as if they were candy. This problem wouldn't be so bad if this country has more paved roads. It's a vicious cycle, you see? The roads aren't paved, the dust get people sick, and then people aren't productive. This results in people never being productive because they are too sick in the dry season, and in the rainy season? well, there is the rain! Why would one uses the umbrella and brave the rain when you can just "sit it out"?
In any case, I am so so happy the rain is upon us. I love the fresh smell of the air in the morning, the cold breeze that causes me to put on a sweater and wrap in blankets. The beginning of the rain also makes this the only month that the weather corresponds with the Northern hemisphere. April shower!
I am in a jolly good mood, even though the quiche tonight didn't turn out quite as well (evaporated milk makes all the difference..!). Today, I thought about how I will really miss this place when I have to leave it behind in roughly a year's time. Despite of all the things I miss about the modern work (tonight, I particularly missed Jazz bars and a good glass of red wine in big heavy wine glasses), I will never again live in a place where strangers are so nice to me. The more I live here, the more I am amazed at just how NICE people are. I am not talking about Cameroon, I am talking about my village. Trust me, outside of my village, people are not nice.
Apparently the kid who stole from me stole again, this time with his older brother. They were caught and put in jail. I absolutely love the fact nearly a dozen people have came and told me about this news. They all come to me with this, "I just want to make sure you know the kid got what he deserved" kind of niceness. I will miss this about village living. I will miss everyone now calling me by name - the lady that sells me my everyday things, the vegetable mama, the fruit lady, the bar ladies, the tool guy. Everyone knows my name, and they all now throw in a little something extra when I buy things. When was the last time you bought your grocery and the guy at the checkout greeted you by name and threw in extra tomatoes? Also, I love love love the kids that wave and yell my name when I am either on a moto or walking down the street. Every kid that lives along the way from my house to the carrefour has now properly learned my name. No one calls me "la blanche" any longer.
I count my blessings everyday with the people I encounter: the unbelievably nice villagers, the motivated students, the adorable kids, and then there are the fellow volunteers and the seemingly endless supply of French students/volunteers whom I can have "real" conversations with and they get my craving for a glass of really good wine and a piece of really good chocolate. My daily life here may not be at all exciting, but life in general is ever so unexpected. There hasn't been a month that gone by where I hadn't thought, "well, that was an interesting and unexpected month". I don't know too many who can say that about their lives in the world of running water, washing machines and plentiful choices. (I can't wait to get my jeans washed in a washing machine!!)
In any case, I am so so happy the rain is upon us. I love the fresh smell of the air in the morning, the cold breeze that causes me to put on a sweater and wrap in blankets. The beginning of the rain also makes this the only month that the weather corresponds with the Northern hemisphere. April shower!
I am in a jolly good mood, even though the quiche tonight didn't turn out quite as well (evaporated milk makes all the difference..!). Today, I thought about how I will really miss this place when I have to leave it behind in roughly a year's time. Despite of all the things I miss about the modern work (tonight, I particularly missed Jazz bars and a good glass of red wine in big heavy wine glasses), I will never again live in a place where strangers are so nice to me. The more I live here, the more I am amazed at just how NICE people are. I am not talking about Cameroon, I am talking about my village. Trust me, outside of my village, people are not nice.
Apparently the kid who stole from me stole again, this time with his older brother. They were caught and put in jail. I absolutely love the fact nearly a dozen people have came and told me about this news. They all come to me with this, "I just want to make sure you know the kid got what he deserved" kind of niceness. I will miss this about village living. I will miss everyone now calling me by name - the lady that sells me my everyday things, the vegetable mama, the fruit lady, the bar ladies, the tool guy. Everyone knows my name, and they all now throw in a little something extra when I buy things. When was the last time you bought your grocery and the guy at the checkout greeted you by name and threw in extra tomatoes? Also, I love love love the kids that wave and yell my name when I am either on a moto or walking down the street. Every kid that lives along the way from my house to the carrefour has now properly learned my name. No one calls me "la blanche" any longer.
I count my blessings everyday with the people I encounter: the unbelievably nice villagers, the motivated students, the adorable kids, and then there are the fellow volunteers and the seemingly endless supply of French students/volunteers whom I can have "real" conversations with and they get my craving for a glass of really good wine and a piece of really good chocolate. My daily life here may not be at all exciting, but life in general is ever so unexpected. There hasn't been a month that gone by where I hadn't thought, "well, that was an interesting and unexpected month". I don't know too many who can say that about their lives in the world of running water, washing machines and plentiful choices. (I can't wait to get my jeans washed in a washing machine!!)
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Real World?
With one month left to vacation, I've been discussing the shock that I am about to endure when I step foot outside of the airport in Paris, then again in Taipei, and repeatedly with each city/village that I visit on the island of Taiwan. These discussions are quite amusing and I thought they are blog-worthy for the readers!
1.) Taking a shower every single day. Sometimes twice a day. I don't know what that is like anymore. Last week I was at Kate's house and she has running water and a cold shower with running water felt amazing. Then I visited my Chinese friend and I took a shower with hot water. I almost melted. Now, imagine having that every single day.
2.) Sit in a restaurant that is shiny and every single item on the menu will be available when you order it. I made this comparison when I taught the inventory session of my business class and I told my students how bizarre it was in the beginning when stores or restaurants would run out of things. But now, I think I will be amazed when they always have everything.
3.) The choices. Being able to choose from where do you want to have lunch, to where do you want to have coffee, to where do you wan to go shopping, to what kind of things should we buy. OMG the choices!
4.) White/Asian People Everywhere! Volunteers are just as shocked to see other white people as Cameroonians here. We are just so used to be the only one around. When I get to Paris, I will be shocked by all the white people. Then when I land in Taipei, I will freak out by ALL the Asians! Oh My Goodness.
5.) Constant electricity and high-speed Internet. I will be amazed that there is ALWAYS power. Always. Even villages in Taiwan where my grandmother lives has constant power. And then, high speed Internet. Where I can type in a web address and doesn't have to wait for it to load. Or I can open YouTube and have movies play. What?!
The list can go on, but I will let your imagination run wild. I am going to be the strangest person for at least the first week that I am in the civilized world. I feel sorry for friends who are hosting me in Paris and my family during that first week. But I am SO EXCITED!!
1.) Taking a shower every single day. Sometimes twice a day. I don't know what that is like anymore. Last week I was at Kate's house and she has running water and a cold shower with running water felt amazing. Then I visited my Chinese friend and I took a shower with hot water. I almost melted. Now, imagine having that every single day.
2.) Sit in a restaurant that is shiny and every single item on the menu will be available when you order it. I made this comparison when I taught the inventory session of my business class and I told my students how bizarre it was in the beginning when stores or restaurants would run out of things. But now, I think I will be amazed when they always have everything.
3.) The choices. Being able to choose from where do you want to have lunch, to where do you want to have coffee, to where do you wan to go shopping, to what kind of things should we buy. OMG the choices!
4.) White/Asian People Everywhere! Volunteers are just as shocked to see other white people as Cameroonians here. We are just so used to be the only one around. When I get to Paris, I will be shocked by all the white people. Then when I land in Taipei, I will freak out by ALL the Asians! Oh My Goodness.
5.) Constant electricity and high-speed Internet. I will be amazed that there is ALWAYS power. Always. Even villages in Taiwan where my grandmother lives has constant power. And then, high speed Internet. Where I can type in a web address and doesn't have to wait for it to load. Or I can open YouTube and have movies play. What?!
The list can go on, but I will let your imagination run wild. I am going to be the strangest person for at least the first week that I am in the civilized world. I feel sorry for friends who are hosting me in Paris and my family during that first week. But I am SO EXCITED!!
Content
I think for the first time in the 10 months that I have been in Cameroon (I know, 10 months!), I can honestly say that I am truly happy here. My happiness is not due to new surroundings and influx of new adjustments that lead to temporary excitement. Instead, the bubble of joy is a result of finally finding my purpose here in village and really recognizing and appreciating the supportive community that surrounds me. There has been more than once over this past week alone when I was walking down the street with a big goofy smile and thought, "I see why volunteers extend a third year now." Don't worry, I am not extending. I need extreme efficiency and crazy Excel spreadsheets in my life after 27 months here!
I am in a really good place. Last night marks the half way point for my first series of business classes here in village. For the past three classes, I've had to teach them alone since Nura had other engagements. In the beginning, I was quite frightened by this prospect, but they turned out marvelously. For some reason, I think I connect better with my students when I teach alone. Maybe they feel less intimidated when there aren't two white girls teaming up. Each session that I taught alone, I had many students stayed after class to ask me various questions, and also to propose new collaboration opportunities. In the last week alone, I was asked to teach the class again in a neighboring village and the community will pay for my transportation, also becoming a project advisor for a local GIC, assist a student to launch his idea of brining a cyber café into Batié and teach students Excel. I also received many requests to teach English, but I had to put my foot down and explain that is not my area of expertise and I would like to focus my energy in topics that I am trained to teach. I think I disappointed quite a few with that announcement, but I have learned the importance of saying NO!
In addition to the business class, the library project is really rolling! We have decided to split the project into two phases. First to raise money so we can receive the 22,000 English books from Books For Africa, then phase two will be seeking book donations in French. The project has manifested into something quite significant, but all the volunteers involved are really excited and committed to see this project through. Let's hope everything works out!
One month until vacation, and just a little over one year until the end of my service. Time is flying by! I am glad I've reached the state that I am in. I am happy and still have another year to really get work done before going back to nutty efficiency! Hurray!
I am in a really good place. Last night marks the half way point for my first series of business classes here in village. For the past three classes, I've had to teach them alone since Nura had other engagements. In the beginning, I was quite frightened by this prospect, but they turned out marvelously. For some reason, I think I connect better with my students when I teach alone. Maybe they feel less intimidated when there aren't two white girls teaming up. Each session that I taught alone, I had many students stayed after class to ask me various questions, and also to propose new collaboration opportunities. In the last week alone, I was asked to teach the class again in a neighboring village and the community will pay for my transportation, also becoming a project advisor for a local GIC, assist a student to launch his idea of brining a cyber café into Batié and teach students Excel. I also received many requests to teach English, but I had to put my foot down and explain that is not my area of expertise and I would like to focus my energy in topics that I am trained to teach. I think I disappointed quite a few with that announcement, but I have learned the importance of saying NO!
In addition to the business class, the library project is really rolling! We have decided to split the project into two phases. First to raise money so we can receive the 22,000 English books from Books For Africa, then phase two will be seeking book donations in French. The project has manifested into something quite significant, but all the volunteers involved are really excited and committed to see this project through. Let's hope everything works out!
One month until vacation, and just a little over one year until the end of my service. Time is flying by! I am glad I've reached the state that I am in. I am happy and still have another year to really get work done before going back to nutty efficiency! Hurray!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Village Drama!
For weeks now, things have been going remarkably well, almost too well. I kept saying it's as though something bad will happen to balance out all the goodness. I had a nice trip to clear my head, gained perspective, my business class enrollment exceeded expectation and has been going really well, work has been keeping me busy, etc. etc.
This past Saturday, Loïc and Billy were working on my garden for me in the backyard. They pitied me and saw my disastrous looking garden and decided they'd help me. I went back there to tell them what seeds to plant and such, then they told me I need to go buy a bag of fertilizer (chicken poo). I had no idea how to buy it, so they said they'd go buy it if I give them money. Both are trustworthy kids who are my stable waterboys, so I said okay. I was in the backyard for no more than 5 minutes, came back to look for the wallet I had set on top of the bookcase - and nothing. Cell phone was still there, but wallet gone. I knew I didn't misplace it because just that morning I went to the bank and took all the fees for the business class. I even told myself to put that wallet away, but got distracted doing this and that around the house. So within that wallet was nearly $100 in cash (a lot in the US, much less here!), and my Cameroonian ID (can't go anywhere or do anything without).
I remained calm, and less than 10 minutes later, all the available neighbors were outside my house. I had called my friend Victor immediately, but he was far away and it was too complicated to explain over the phone.The "grand" (big man) in the neighborhood came with his car within minutes to access the situation. We knew it's a kid because the fancy cellphone was left untouched. So the big guy told the kids to investigate among themselves and find the thief. Meanwhile, I was told to be patient and it will be okay. People began leaving, the few people left were around my age, whom I never see! They were so nice and we chatted, etc.
Later in the afternoon, a group of kids dragged me to see the "village justice". I really had no idea what was happening despite of them explaining it to me 3 times. We got to this guy's hose, and he ordered to speak individually to the kids, then he ordered whomever took the money to put it back at my housegate before 7pm that night, or else. The "or else" part that I understood included unkind punishment and going to see the police. Later, Billy and Loïc revealed to me that they think it's one of the kids that was in the group. BelFrank was his name. He's the other kid that's still been coming by my house since the last episode.
7pm came around, of course, nothing. I remained surprisingly calm, holding onto slim hope that all will be fine. Next morning, I woke up after just few hours of restless sleep, where I had multiple dreams that the kid had buried my wallet in the ground in front of my house. Unfortunately, I woke up, and nothing was there. I went to Rose's house next door and some kids were congregating, and just then, BelFrank and his mother, along with his older brother, arrived on a moto. Apparnetly Rose had gone to his house first thing in the morning, and the kid wasn't there at 6am (what was he doing at 6am?!). We waited for Rose to come back from Church. Meanwhile, my friend Victor came on his moto. He was sorried to be gone yesterday, and when I explained what happened, the man was NOT happy. Victor is a man with authority in our neighborhood; he is the president of the development committee and is respected by all. He yelled at the kids and demanded whomever it is to drop the wallet off anonymouly that night. Rose came back later, another round of yelling went on, this time in the local language. Just happened that a few of the mamas were around, and they were all yelling at BelFrank and gesturing hand motions at me. I nudged Billy to translate, but he would only give me the gist of the information. So much less fun when you don't understand what is being said!
So come this morning, I went to the primary school that I used to teach at and spoke to the Directrice (principal). She loves me, and I love her. When she heard this, she was also angry. She ordered the kids living in my neighborhood in for questioning, and a pivitol story was discovered. Friday afternoon, BelFrank and this other kid stopped by after school and got water for me, then I gave them 200cfa to go find me some bread. No bread was found, but I gave them 50cfa as a token of apprciation. Apparently BelFrank had saw money in my wallet and when they left, told the other kid to go steal it. Nice kid said, "I'm not a thief, if you want it, you go get it yourself." Voilà! Truth revealed!
But of course the stubborn kid says he didn't do it. Everyone got sent back to class. I called Victor to say we were questioning the kids, and he came. Apparently when Victor came, Belfrank got scared and ran away from the classroom. There was quite the funny scene of Victor, a nearly 50-year-old man chasing after this little rascal in the fields, but to no avail. We've validated the thief and all I had to do was wait and watch the village soap unveil.
Later in the afternoon, Billy came to tell me they saw my ID on the side of the road by my house. Funny thing was that all the kids were afraid to touch it and I had to walk out there to pick it up myself. By nightfall, Victor came with Loïc to ask me a few final questions before they go to BelFrank's house to investigate. Throughout the afternoon/night, many neighbors stopped by to check on progress. I felt so loved. Then the real love moment occurred at 10:20pm, just as I began writing this blog post, Victor and two other chiefs of the village came by, along with Rose. They had beated it out of the kid and got my things back! It must've been quite the show since it went on for hours, but at last, victory!
So, this experience turned out quite positively. I lost out on nothing; instead learned just how much respect and care that my villagers have for me. Every single adult here is some sort of a parent to me; this is something I won't find anywhere else. I had my wallet/purse stolen twice in London within a year, and both times, I was upset and felt violated. The worst thing about it is no one cares, and furthermore makes you feel like an idiot for not "being careful". In London, there is a system online that you can report theft crimes, and the Met Police gives you a courtesy call as routine and tell you sorry it happened, better luck next time. Yes I shouldn't have left the door open while stepping outside for a few minutes or I shouldn't have left my wallet in plain sight. But it is MY house after all. I love that not one single villager ever made me feel like it was my fault, because it isn't. Depiste how careless I was, it is always the thief's fault!
I am loving the village more by the day. This is the kind of communal love that one cannot find anywhere in the "modern" world, behind the big cars, triple locked doors, alarm systems and goodness knows what else. Never again will I lose a wallet with $100 in it, and have the whole town investigating and hunting down the thief for me. We think our ways of living is so much more "advanced" and "sophisticated" in the "developed world", but we must also think about what we are missing out: the simplicity, the basic good nature of mankind, and a solid support system with those who live around us.
This past Saturday, Loïc and Billy were working on my garden for me in the backyard. They pitied me and saw my disastrous looking garden and decided they'd help me. I went back there to tell them what seeds to plant and such, then they told me I need to go buy a bag of fertilizer (chicken poo). I had no idea how to buy it, so they said they'd go buy it if I give them money. Both are trustworthy kids who are my stable waterboys, so I said okay. I was in the backyard for no more than 5 minutes, came back to look for the wallet I had set on top of the bookcase - and nothing. Cell phone was still there, but wallet gone. I knew I didn't misplace it because just that morning I went to the bank and took all the fees for the business class. I even told myself to put that wallet away, but got distracted doing this and that around the house. So within that wallet was nearly $100 in cash (a lot in the US, much less here!), and my Cameroonian ID (can't go anywhere or do anything without).
I remained calm, and less than 10 minutes later, all the available neighbors were outside my house. I had called my friend Victor immediately, but he was far away and it was too complicated to explain over the phone.The "grand" (big man) in the neighborhood came with his car within minutes to access the situation. We knew it's a kid because the fancy cellphone was left untouched. So the big guy told the kids to investigate among themselves and find the thief. Meanwhile, I was told to be patient and it will be okay. People began leaving, the few people left were around my age, whom I never see! They were so nice and we chatted, etc.
Later in the afternoon, a group of kids dragged me to see the "village justice". I really had no idea what was happening despite of them explaining it to me 3 times. We got to this guy's hose, and he ordered to speak individually to the kids, then he ordered whomever took the money to put it back at my housegate before 7pm that night, or else. The "or else" part that I understood included unkind punishment and going to see the police. Later, Billy and Loïc revealed to me that they think it's one of the kids that was in the group. BelFrank was his name. He's the other kid that's still been coming by my house since the last episode.
7pm came around, of course, nothing. I remained surprisingly calm, holding onto slim hope that all will be fine. Next morning, I woke up after just few hours of restless sleep, where I had multiple dreams that the kid had buried my wallet in the ground in front of my house. Unfortunately, I woke up, and nothing was there. I went to Rose's house next door and some kids were congregating, and just then, BelFrank and his mother, along with his older brother, arrived on a moto. Apparnetly Rose had gone to his house first thing in the morning, and the kid wasn't there at 6am (what was he doing at 6am?!). We waited for Rose to come back from Church. Meanwhile, my friend Victor came on his moto. He was sorried to be gone yesterday, and when I explained what happened, the man was NOT happy. Victor is a man with authority in our neighborhood; he is the president of the development committee and is respected by all. He yelled at the kids and demanded whomever it is to drop the wallet off anonymouly that night. Rose came back later, another round of yelling went on, this time in the local language. Just happened that a few of the mamas were around, and they were all yelling at BelFrank and gesturing hand motions at me. I nudged Billy to translate, but he would only give me the gist of the information. So much less fun when you don't understand what is being said!
So come this morning, I went to the primary school that I used to teach at and spoke to the Directrice (principal). She loves me, and I love her. When she heard this, she was also angry. She ordered the kids living in my neighborhood in for questioning, and a pivitol story was discovered. Friday afternoon, BelFrank and this other kid stopped by after school and got water for me, then I gave them 200cfa to go find me some bread. No bread was found, but I gave them 50cfa as a token of apprciation. Apparently BelFrank had saw money in my wallet and when they left, told the other kid to go steal it. Nice kid said, "I'm not a thief, if you want it, you go get it yourself." Voilà! Truth revealed!
But of course the stubborn kid says he didn't do it. Everyone got sent back to class. I called Victor to say we were questioning the kids, and he came. Apparently when Victor came, Belfrank got scared and ran away from the classroom. There was quite the funny scene of Victor, a nearly 50-year-old man chasing after this little rascal in the fields, but to no avail. We've validated the thief and all I had to do was wait and watch the village soap unveil.
Later in the afternoon, Billy came to tell me they saw my ID on the side of the road by my house. Funny thing was that all the kids were afraid to touch it and I had to walk out there to pick it up myself. By nightfall, Victor came with Loïc to ask me a few final questions before they go to BelFrank's house to investigate. Throughout the afternoon/night, many neighbors stopped by to check on progress. I felt so loved. Then the real love moment occurred at 10:20pm, just as I began writing this blog post, Victor and two other chiefs of the village came by, along with Rose. They had beated it out of the kid and got my things back! It must've been quite the show since it went on for hours, but at last, victory!
So, this experience turned out quite positively. I lost out on nothing; instead learned just how much respect and care that my villagers have for me. Every single adult here is some sort of a parent to me; this is something I won't find anywhere else. I had my wallet/purse stolen twice in London within a year, and both times, I was upset and felt violated. The worst thing about it is no one cares, and furthermore makes you feel like an idiot for not "being careful". In London, there is a system online that you can report theft crimes, and the Met Police gives you a courtesy call as routine and tell you sorry it happened, better luck next time. Yes I shouldn't have left the door open while stepping outside for a few minutes or I shouldn't have left my wallet in plain sight. But it is MY house after all. I love that not one single villager ever made me feel like it was my fault, because it isn't. Depiste how careless I was, it is always the thief's fault!
I am loving the village more by the day. This is the kind of communal love that one cannot find anywhere in the "modern" world, behind the big cars, triple locked doors, alarm systems and goodness knows what else. Never again will I lose a wallet with $100 in it, and have the whole town investigating and hunting down the thief for me. We think our ways of living is so much more "advanced" and "sophisticated" in the "developed world", but we must also think about what we are missing out: the simplicity, the basic good nature of mankind, and a solid support system with those who live around us.
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