Final Horrah!

The week before I left Cameroon, we took a trip to Kribi, a beach town in the South West province.  It was by FAR the most dramatic and exciting trip of my life, with activities ranging from blowing a tire on the highway, playing in a waterfall in the rain on my birthday (yes, I am now 27), locking ourselves out of the car, eating fish and plantain chips on the beach and ending the evening in a Michael Jackson dance party (see picture of Brian), and the most thrilling was learning that my airline changed its departure days and I no longer had a flight out of Cameroon.  

However!  I did make it home (I am currently on a very fast internet connection in Charleston), safe and sound, welcomed home by family and dogs.  Mom prepared a beautiful birthday dinner and a GIANT CHOCOLATE CAKE!  (I substituted my chocolate cake cravings with chocolate cookies which don't even compare.  Anna specially ordered a "chocolate cake" for my birthday which was flavored with Ovaltine.  Hilarious.)  

Yesterday I had an episode of an overloaded sensory system.  My head almost spun off my neck and my eyes welled up in tears, but I managed to pull it together and survived to tell the story.  Needless to say, though, I am struggling to adjust.  This world is much louder, busier, shinier, and more organized with systems and regulations (many of which seem completely absurd.)  At times I just have to close my eyes to the intensity.  The strangest was the first time I was alone in the house... the silence was screaming at me.

My last week...

I met the Kom Chief at his palace!  Anna and I took motorbikes up there.  It overlooked the whole valley!  We could see Belo in the distance.  At his palace, he lives with some of his wives and hundreds of his children.  Yes, the Fawn (they call him) has over 60 wives, almost 400 children, and at 90 years old, is STILL producing children.  Go Chief!

I went trekking with a friend on Palm Sunday, so everyone was drinking palm wine (really interesting, comes from a palm tree, obviosly).  Every village we passed we stopped in a little bar, had a bottle of palm wine, got tipsy and kept on walking to the next village....  Was a wonderful day.

I've been working with a guy who does agroforestry at an organization here.  We planted flowers and trees at the school last week!  (the wall has also been finished)  I've been learning a LOT about agriculture in the area, sustainable practices, etc.  We visited a nursery where they cultivate coffee, several medicinal plants, passion fruits, and many others.  They want to start an environmental education program for youths, where they can move from village to village and visit schools along the way.  The idea is developing, and it seems like it could be VERY successful!  Maybe my next fundraising project!

Yesterday was Easter, and my "sister," Corrine, who lives next door took me to the Baptist church.  She is a sweet and bright 13 year old who likes to visit us and draw flowers while we work.  They spoke mostly in their dialect, so I didn't understand much, but nonetheless it was an experience!  My favorite part was at the end when everyone got up to give their contributions.  We filed out like we do for communion, row after row, but instead of an organ playing, there were drums! tambourines! shakers! clapping and singing!  EVERYONE was dancing- the old women we call "Ma," the small children, everyone!  One of the things I love most about people here is that they LOVE to dance.  I've danced more here than I have in the past 2 years!  

We met with our Women's Group and talked more about women's issues, like personal hygeine, HIV/AIDS, etc.  They were so attentive; they really wanted to soak up all the information.  At the end, "Ma" said to me, "May god take you safely home, and may that same god bring you back to us."  I walked out and started crying at the thought of leaving all of my friends, my community, the projects, and all of the potential.   (Anna and I are already talking about our next trip here.  She has fallen in love...)  

I have more ideas every day!  I remember thinking that I wouldn't be able to accomplish much because of the challenges and obstales.  I also remember thinking that if I could somehow make a difference... even in one person's life... it would be successful.  I can see how my work has been successful through the vibrancy of the children when they finish a drawing, through the women who listen and ask questions (and thank us by making us eat fo-fo corn and jamanjama), everyone who is excited about the school, and simply through the response of the community.  They have welcomed us with open arms and open hearts.  If they even knew how they have opened my heart...

This is my last week.  I'm trying not to think about it...  Just as I thought that my world would be turned upside down when I arrived, I know that my world will be shaken again when I return.  I wouldn't say that my world was turned upside down.  It shifted.  It expanded.  It opened.  It accepted.  It is overflowing.  And it is forever changed.  

 

Wubangna in the Rain

To clarify the title, a "wubangna" is the Kom term for "white man," literally translated to "red skin."

The rainy season is in full swing, so each afternoon we have a thunderstorm that moves in a dumps rain for about an hour or 2, then off-and-on for the rest of the day.  It is lovely if you can curl up at home with a book or sit on your covered front porch and watch the downpour, but there isn't much sitting around happening (I did come here to work, even in the rain!)  It happens: getting caught in the rain.  I've wised up and realized the necessity of carrying a rain jacket at all times.  Well, the other day I was walking back from the office and the gray cloud moved over quickly and before I knew it, everyone at 3 Corners (the center of town, see photo above) was running for cover!  It is quite comical, actually.  The motorbike drivers abandon their bikes, the ladies serving corn and beans on the street shack up under the market, the children duck under their parents, the girls on the street having their hair "platted" shimmy inside their shack, and only the goats, pigs, and sheep are left to bear the storm.  My shelter was on the porch of the fish store.  It didn't smell so great, and since it was chilly I decided that I'd like to take a cup of tea with my friend, Joseph, who runs a little "coffee shop".  If you're thinking Starbucks, you couldn't be more off...  No umbrella, no raincoat.  But I won't MELT in the rain!  I'll dry off eventually!  So I take off down the muddy sidewalk and THROUGH the middle of town where the 3 main roads meet.  Mind you, there is NO ONE out.  EVERYONE is under cover.  I am the only person, let alone WHITE PERSON crazy enough to risk getting wet.  As I'm flailing myself through a deserted intersection, I hear laughter from every direction.  The entire town was hysterical over a white man running through the rain...

The school project is moving along!  I feel slightly silly giving directions to old Cameroonian men, but things here in Cameroon can move frustratingly slowly, and sometimes you've got to be the boss.  We've installed electricity in the 2nd classroom!  We have quotes for custom furniture- tables, benches, little sofas for the reading corner.  Still thinking about what color to paint the outside...  I'll post another picture as soon as something exciting happens!

Mount Cameroon!

I sucessfully hiked to the summit of the highest mountain in central and west Africa at 13,500 feet!  It was the most amazing hiking experience of my life.  It was very strenous, but once at the peak, we were so excited and amazed.  Mount Cameroon is an active volcano, the last eruption in 2000.  We had to do a dance for the mountain so it wouldn't erupt on us.   It took 3 days and 2 nights, and we traveled through forests, fields, over lava flows, on the edge of craters...  It was absolutely incredible!  Our guide was very knowlegable about the mountain, and at 54, he hiked in plastic sandals and left me in the dust.  It was really kind of embarassing, 

but the man has hiked to the summit almost 100 times, so he knows the trails like the back of his hand.

We were a group of 11: 5 of us, 5 porters carrying our packs and food, and our guide, Hans.  We learned all about the mountain, its history, myths, endemic species of animals and plants and trees...  Hans was formerly an elephant hunter.  They only stopped hunting elephants in 1996- I know... that's incredible!  The mountain is not yet a National Forest, so hunters are still allowed to hunt whatever is left... monkeys, antelope.  There are almost 30 endemic species of bird and 6 of monkeys.  Since the sound of humans terrify the monkeys, we did not see any, nor any other animals.  We could have hiked farther to see the elephants- since they aren't hunted anymore, the population has grown to about 200.  

After the hike we treated ourselves to a sit on the beach... for 3 days.  It was beautiful and it smelled like home.  It was amazing to think that I grew up swimming in those same waters, only on the other side of the ocean.  The sand was black, of course, as it is at the base of a volcanic mountain.  4 of the other volunteers flew out on Friday for home.  I was very sad to say goodbye to my friends, but at the same time I was thankful to have had them in my life.  After a terribly long and tortuous journey, I am safely back in Belo.  I was welcomed back warmly from my local friends, so although it seems quiet without the others, I know I'm loved here in my temporary home.  

Just a snapshot of a typical bus.  Terribly uncomfortable, as you can see.  So imagine this, for 8 hours.  Sporting my OBAMA pride!  I almost fell in.....

Since the last time.....

I know, its been quite a while.  I am alive and well, no worries!

There has been a lot happening here!  It is all very exciting, and the most exciting to me is the work we are doing on the the school that is being built!  It is a vision of another volunteer- Andy, from Scotland- who has been coming to Belo for the past 3 years to continue developing his projects.  This year's project is a school building designed for the after-school program that the organization has created.  I have been helping there for the past couple of weeks, and it is so rewarding to see actual progress being made!  I have mostly been painting (you know how I love home-improvement) which has been REALLY fun- every window and frame is a different color, so we've been making a giant mess mixing oil paints but enjoying every second.  We've even recruited some locals to help!  (It is hard to get locals to help... usually they just like to stand there for hours and watch us work... very annoying.)  With the help of my friends and family who have graciously donated money to help finish this project, we have been able to: pour the concrete floor in the 2nd classroom, finish painting the windows and walls, begin plastering the outside of the building, and..... GET ELECTRICITY!  That is HUGE!  Almost no one here has electricity- let alone schools (I have not yet seen one school with electricity.)  So, to those wonderful people who have helped, A BIG THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US HERE!  We still need to finish!  If you want to help, a little bit of money can go a long way.  We still need to: finish plastering the outside, paint the outside, get electricity in the 2nd classroom, build furniture (desks and such) and build a fence around the school.  PLEASE email me if you want to help.  And tell your friends!  My email is mollydingledine@gmail.com.

I am also working on a Women's Health Project with our newest volunteer, Anna, from Germany.  We had a meeting with a women's group last week, and we were completely ASTOUNDED by the lack of knowledge that these women have about sex education, HIV/AIDS, birth control...  They don't know how HIV is spread or how to prevent it...  One woman even commented on the unusual and extreme pains she experiences before giving birth.  The education they need is so basic, and we are VERY excited about preparing our next meeting with them.  People love when we come to visit- whether it is with the Old People's Club, a home visit to elvaluate an orphan, or the Women's group.  Inevitably they prepare fofo corn and jamajama- a lump of tasteless, sticky, starchy ground corn (kind of like a giant ball of hard grits without any flavoring) and boiled huckleberry leaves drenched in thick red palm oil...  And they watch us eat it... all of it.  And as thankful as I am, I spend the rest of the day with an angry stomach.

We took a long trek on Sunday to a summit on one of the hills close by.  We like to explore- there are no real paths- so we set our eyes on a destination and just walk towards it, hiking along ridges, through farms with wild horses and herding cattle, through Fulani compounds (the Fulani tribe are Muslim and often men have several wives), bouldering up rocky hillsides, through woods and brush, across streams and by waterfalls...  It is breathtaking, and with the new rains, everything is turning green again.  Soon it will all be green... and muddy.  We scrambled up an extremely steep hill to reach these rocky cliffs that looked like monstrous pillars growing out of the Earth.  There was a group of three "pillars" standing on their own, and I couldn't resist climbing up to the top.  (See picture)  From there I could see three waterfalls and across mountains for miles.  Amaaaaazing!

The mice remain a nucance.  Every day I discover mice poo everywhere, the worst is on my bed.  I can only imagine them wreaking havoc while we are gone....  I think they are becoming more comfortable with us, because they are now unafraid of showing their pesky little faces.  

My housemate, Hannah, and the French Boys as we call them, and a local guy named Jude left early this morning to head to Kiribi- a beach town in the South West region.  They'll spend 2 days there and then Andy and I will meet them in Boya to hike MOUNT CAMEROON!  It is the highest peak in central and west Africa, and an active volcano!  Hopefully I won't wake up in my tent with lava flowing by.  It will take 3 days and 2 nights, and I hear it is really tough.  It will be a good send-off, though, to Hannah, the Boys, and Andy who all leave on March 27.  I am sad to say goodbye to my friends...  In such a small town you see everyone many times a day.  These people have become my best friends!  Several nights a week we have dinner at each other's houses, taking turns preparing dinner, and usually ending up in a dance party!  Last night we had a party with lots of our local friends.  Although I am sad to say goodbye to my friends, I am SO thankful to have had the time together.  It has been a time of unforgettable memories and lasting friendships that I will always carry with me.  

Next post will be after Mount Cameroon!  

I got Slapped by a Monkey named Jack

This is me making fou-fou corn.  It's harder than I thought!
Last weekend we visited a tea plantation, and we met several wonderful animals: An ostrich, peacocks, a bull, and my favorite, Jack the monkey.  He is a "white ice monkey."  He belongs to a guy who works at the plantation, so he is somewhat trained.  Sadly, most of the time he stays tied up, but he will go on hikes and swing from the trees as he follows his owner.  I was DYING to play with him, so I have him my banana.  He was happy enough.  So I walked over and he let me pet him a little.  As we were leaving I said "goodbye" by reaching toward him for a little pat, and he slapped me!  That is the last time I give my banana away to a monkey named Jack.

 After almost 4 weeks life just seems normal.  The things that were fascinating in the beginning have softened, and I've begun to settle into somewhat of a rhythm.  

The past few days have been really challenging.  I've been wondering if I'm making any sort of impact.  I just see so much that is needed for even the smallest thing to change.  It feels daunting to imagine myself taking on the smallest bit of that responsibility.  Its not my responsibility, but that's why I'm here- to give and share something that I think I have within myself.  And to think that even if I give everything I possibly can, it might not make any difference.  I was thinking of it like this:  Its like trying to cut 100,000 acres of grass with a pair of scissors.  

I'm still trying to get my schedule together.  Some of the work I am doing is sporadic, which might contribute to not feeling productive.  I'm figuring out that most of what I'll be doing is probably teaching.  

I have several boys who cannot recognize any number (not even 1 through 5).  They can count to ten but don't know what the numbers look like.  The same with the alphabet.  Some children are entirely unresponsive, even when you look them in the eye and ask them a specific question.  They stare... then you ask again... and they stare.  It's frustrating!  I wonder, is anything sinking in?  The major problem is that these children are not encouraged to be interactive or creative.  In school they are completely disengaged; teachers write information on the board and tell the children to copy it down into their exercise books.  Whether they follow instructions or not, there is no one who really cares.  In a class of 80+, what teacher has the time?  

If someone puts in SO much time to work with a child, and day after day you don't see a change, do you stop working with them because, in reality, you know it's not making any difference?  

So, I'm doing my best to keep myself busy.  I think the children really enjoy the art classes.  They need the freedom and encouragement to be creative, to express themselves.  Not even to express themselves in a new way, but to simply express something they have within.

It smells like bacon (a pleasant change from dust).  My mind is drifting to my kitchen... where there will be anything but bananas, potatoes, or rice.  I'm thinking some fantastic French cuisine...  (And for those who were worried about my weight- don't.  I have discovered "SMILES"- smiley-face cookies of which I eat a pack a day.)

Our Orphans, Our Home, and Our Housemates

Here is a photo of the view from our house, looking down on the school and up the hill to town.

One of the projects we have is an orphan program, which is still in the beginning stages of development.  On Saturday we met with each of them and found out some info about their living situation and needs.  Every one of them needs school supplies, some need uniforms and school shoes.  There are also some who have more specific needs, such as a mattress and covers.  Yesterday I dropped off some food for some orphans from the other organization.  The homes are very basic: clay brick walls, dirt floor, one room, maybe two, and a fire pit in the middle.  Most don't have electricity, and almost none have running water.  They sleep on bamboo beds with a mattress on top, but many of them don't even have a mattress, so they're sleeping on sticks of bamboo essentially.  Think of this when you climb into your bed tonight, and you'll be very thankful for it!

I have to wonder how they feel every day.  Some live with their loving grandparents or aunts, but I think some are neglected.  Life here makes people tough, beginning at a young age.  (You'll see a 6 year old walking uphill with a bunch of firewood balanced on his head.)  But they are still children without parents.  How do they feel when people openly talk about their dead mother?  Do they miss her?  Do they remember her?  I can't imagine who I would be without the love of my mom and dad, not to mention their presence and care.

I have already bought a bedspread and sheet at the market today, which costs $9.  I also bought a shirt and hat for our little albino girl (see picture).  Tomorrow we have a meeting at her compound to discuss water sanitation issues and albinism.  I will share the info I have with the family and encourage them to cover her skill so it doesn't burn.  They don't even know what it is- they think it's ring worms... but it's a 2nd degree burn.

I'm not asking for your money or to sponsor.  I am just letting you know what the situation is here.  We don't even have a way of accepting money from overseas (you would not believe the banking system here.  Think 1900.)  But, if this moves you, and you want to give any amount of money (just $5 goes a long way here) you can email me at mollydingledine@gmail.com.  We can figure something out.

On a lighter note!  Isn't our view amazing?  At 7:30 every morning the school children sing... such a joyful sound!  This is the hill we walk up twice a day.  Recently we've become very lazy... and keen on taking a motorbike...  How can I pass up a $.20 ride to town?  

Our home is, by Belo standards, luxurious.  We have tile floors, plaster walls, electricity and running water.  (Well, electricity and running water most of the time.)  There have been about a dozen power cuts since I've been here, lasting anywhere from 5 minutes to 36 hours.  My favorite power cut was when I was in the shower, and I had just lathered my entire body...  And my favorite water outage occurred when I was in the shower and had just shampooed my hair...  But don't let this fool you, I don't take that many showers.  If its cool out, sometimes I just can't handle cold water... am I that dirty?

BREAKING  NEWS!  (I'm typing this on my front porch.)  A van just drove by with about 5 goats strapped to the top of it, hollering the whole way up the hill!  (It's commonplace to haul goats around in taxis here, if you can imagine that.)

Oh, Our Housemates...  There are several different types and species.  Most common is Georgette, one of the yard chickens, who incessantly tries to sneak in the house.  (Inspired by Curious George.)  There there are the insects...  They come around at night when we have the lights on.  The worst is the disgusting flying worm thing that slams itself into the light bulb.  There are smaller ones that try to weasel themselves through the mosquito net, and in the morning they have all dropped dead in a circle on my bed.  Last night we were introduced to our newest mates.  Well, I had a pre-introduction in the form of small pellets of poo beside my pillow.  A small entourage of mice cheerfully decided to bunk up with us, keeping us up all night getting into mischief.  Oh, they were having a BALL!  Climbing up and down the curtains, into our suitcases, across our clothes, behind the head of our bed (not to mention startling the crap out of us every time they made a sound.)  They loved the game "light on- stand still, light off- RUN!"  I woke up a couple of times to myself gasping and believing that the mice were scampering across my bed.  So Rose bought some poison, and that should be that.

Speaking of creepy crawlers, I was properly introduced to Cameroonian culture by something called a "jigger."  The larva live in dust (of which there is plenty), they grab onto your toe, make their way in, and set up camp to turn into a worm that then turns into a fly.  You think you're grossed out!  It was in MY foot!

My most recent frustration is with the school system here.  There can be more than 80 students in one class.  There is no way for the teachers to focus on any one student, so these kids are just passed onto the next class.  Primary school is class 1 through 6.  There are students in class 6 who can't read.  I am working with an 8 year old who can't count.  Its disgraceful, but it sure does make me grateful for the opportunity to have a wonderful education.  And a GREAT appreciation for teachers, much more than I have ever had before.  THANKS MOM!  YOU'RE AWESOME!