Spaghetti Omelet Sandwiches

Finally time to write about my new found favorite lunch: spaghetti omelet sandwiches.. yes this is a real thing. They take some eggs, spices and vegetables, mix in a handful of spaghetti and make an omelet, then stuff that omelet in a delicious baguette. It is really an incredible experience. So when I drown in the Middlebury pool come December everyone will know what to blame. Coming to Africa I thought it would be fairly easy to stay in shape and eat healthy but it is really difficult. Almost the entirety of the diet is carb based – bread at every meal, pasta, couscous, rice, etc. Meat is really expensive so it is rarely the focus of the meal. There are a fair amount of vegetables at dinner but we can’t get them off the street or in the supermarket unless we plan on cooking them or we will get sick so there are few alternatives to eating a primarily carb diet. In addition to that, either the malaria medication that I take or I am having a really hard time adjusting because come 8 pm I am beat. I just have no extra energy to go on a run or work out most days, plus there is rarely time even if I did have the energy. Very nervous to go on training trip in December but hopefully you other abroaders will be right there with me!! 

Sooo good.

First Day in Dschang

Had quite an off and on night of sleep as the light in my room flickers all the time even when it is off. Was awoken around 5 by yelling and, of course, roosters, and finally at 6 my host mom called for me to wake up and take a shower. People shower every day here without fail, it is really bad to wake up and not shower before school. Apparently, our shower does not actually function, so bucket showers for two weeks. It is impossible to wash my hair with a bucket so it’s going to be nice and dirty for my return for Yaoundé. I had a glass of hot powdered milk and some bread for breakfast before taking a crazy route to school. My mom had to show me the way today because I had never been to the university, and we left with my sister around 7. At first it was just really muddy but then we came to a crazy hill pass that was really slippery and will no doubt be a giant slip and slide when it rains (we’re in the rainy season.) After about 40 minutes of walking we reached the university, which is really big but we have a classroom that they let us use. We talked for a long time about our experiences, some good, some bad. We had a guest lecturer talk to us about the Bamileke ethnicity that is dominant in this region but is highly controversial in Cameroon. For lunch we went to the France/Cameroon Alliance center for an omelet. However, there were two men and a tiny kitchen trying to feed all 13 of us so it took a really long time. We came back for an hour of French class and then were released for the day. I walked home with another girl, we tackled the hill together which was awesome. On the way home I bought a weird food they call plums but they are far from plums. They sit and roast over a fire on the street, you can buy one for 20 cents and they are all warm and mushy inside. I also bought an avocado on the way home for 20 cents. (pineapples are 80 cents, mandarins 10 cents.) Made it back to my house safely and sat in the living room doing homework for a couple hours while my host sister played with her friend, constant screaming. I’m really enjoying Dschang so far though, it feels a lot homier than Yaoundé; guess I’ve always been a country girl, but I sure do miss my Yaounde family.

(And of course you real family!!)

French/Cameroon Alliance buildings

Water (September 23)

I have a feeling my Cameroon adventure is just now beginning. In Yaounde my host family has a maid that lives next to the house and is responsible for all the cleaning and maintaining of the house. But in Dschang people don’t have money like that. My 6 year old sister taught me how to wash the dishes after my first lunch here. We stood outside and used a small pot of dirty water and some old sponges to wash all the plates, putting them right back on the ground when we were finished. Then we got a basin and rinsed them all and put them back in the house. It was more effective than I thought it would be but it was still quite the experience. And I can’t believe that a 6 year old knew exactly how to do everything, I guess they have to have a lot of responsibilities here when there is so much not covered by appliances.

Dish washing

The kitchen in our house

Dschang!!!

We had a crazy week of work, lots of assignments but nothing like life at Middlebury. We still found time to go to la Brique, a neighborhood known for its fabrics. It was predominantly Muslim and was really different than where we had been in Yaounde so far, much calmer. On Friday we celebrated the end of a long week with a beer at a local restaurant, one of the first drinks I’ve had since coming here. On Saturday we woke up early and all met at the office to depart for our second location, a more traditional and rural town in the West of Cameron called Dschang (pronounced Chang). We spent seven hours (excluding our many breaks on the side of the road to go to the bathroom in the bush) on the bus driving through all kinds of villages in Cameroon. It’s really mountainous so some of the views were really amazing. When we finally arrived at our hotel at 5 last night, we were all exhausted but excited to explore our new home. We went on a short walk and could tell immediately how different Dschang is from Yaounde. There are almost no taxis, primarily dirt roads, much less crowded and quieter.

We had an incredible dinner at our hotel, pot roast, salads, chicken, rice, bread and vegetable sauce. Then we hung out for a couple hours before going on a group trip to the nightclub. When we first got there around 10 we were the only ones. But we had a drink then hit the dance floor and danced to all the American songs they were played. Eventually Cameroonians showed up and started dancing too. It was a really fun night, great to not worry about host families and French and work for the night.

This morning we woke up to a nice breakfast and headed straight to our new host families. It’s always stressful at first, not knowing what the situation will be, what the people will be like, etc. I arrived at my house and just my papa was there. He seems really nice, really quiet though. Eventually my maman and petite soeur came back from church. Patricia, who is 6, is absolutely crazy. She ran and hugged me as soon as she got in the door and hasn’t left my side since. She loves my white skin and soft hair and is constantly touching me and laughing. She’s made the transition really easy because her parents just laugh at her all the time. My house is way nicer than I expected, we have a real bathroom with a toilet and shower. We were told to expect outhouses and bucket showers, so I’m really lucky in that regard. I was also surprised that my family is so small because in Dschang people tend to have really large families. I think it will be really fun here though, a good amount of activity but also a lot of chill time, and I have my own room, which helps a lot. We’ll be here for about two weeks before going to Bamenda, an Anglophone region, for two days to meet with a local chief before returning home to Yaounde. 

Life is good in rural Cameroon.

On the bus

So many bananas!!!

Finally in Dschang

Water

Living in Africa has forced me to think about water all the time. From buying all the water that I consume because the tap water here would probably kill me, to leaking pipes, to immense amounts of rain, to the days when the running water is not working, water permeates all hours of my life in Cameroon. For the past two days we have not had running water in the house or at school. The toilets are disgusting, I haven't really showered (bucket showers leave much to be desired) and we are very anxiously awaiting the return of running water. In contrast to the lack of water in that department, yesterday I experienced the most intense rainstorm of my life. We were leaving our visit to the University in Yaounde when all the sudden the skies opened and dumped water on us. I ran a very short distance to the taxi and was absolutely drenched in a matter of minutes. To get to school we drove through an actual lake.. it was crazy. Despite the challenges it isn't that hard to live like this, but I will be excited to take a hot shower when I get home in December. 

Doesn't even portray the extent of this rain.

Gorillas!

Happy Weekend! Woke up really early this morning and took my host sisters on our Saturday day trip. We all piled into a bus and began our adventure with a trip to the boulangerie to buy lunch supplies. My sisters, of course, wanted hamburgers. They we drove all though Yaounde and well into the suburbs to a region called Bamunda. There was visited Cameroon’s only art school. The pottery was amazing.. wish I could have taken it all home with me but you’ll have to wait until Christmas to see what I bought Mom and Dad. After that we got back in the bus and headed to a gorilla sanctuary. First we saw baby chimps.. cutest things in the world. They were so playful, all over the monkey bars and other play things in their home. Then we saw some huge gorillas that are frighteningly human-like. We trekked through the forest and saw many habitats with awesome monkeys. The highlight was probably the white-bearded monkey in the pictures below with her baby. Such a fun adventure to share with my new sisters. When we got home my mom was having a bunch of friends over for a “reunion” which happen every Saturday. People were told to come at 2 and the first person didn’t arrive until 3:30.. Cameroonians are frightening lax about time.

Really didn’t think I could be as happy as I am here. I don’t think I’ve ever been as enthusiastic about new experiences or enjoyed being out of my comfort zone so much. I’m so lucky.

Host sisters on the bus ride

Pottery!

BABY CHIMPS

Surprised monkey and babyyyy

Glowing in a large tree

African dance

Pretty normal morning of classes. We talked in French class about the emergence of NGOs in Africa and what some of the frequent problems are.  Then we had to go out for thirty minutes and find someone on the street to talk to. Lauren and I went to a bar-like area right across from our school. We bought a big bottle of Fanta and sat with a big group of guys who are there every morning before we get to school and stay until long after we leave. At first I thought they were drinking for hours but it turns out it’s just their social space. It was fun to talk to them and practice in being absurdly friendly. After lunch we had an African dance class. I already knew I couldn’t dance.. now I know that I can’t dance like an African either. While we butchered what the woman was trying to teach us, two guys on drums made the coolest rhythms. Really fun to let go and try something new despite the embarrassment! 

Thyra breaking it down

Lookman being Lookman

Pretty afternoon clouds