Wild Wild West!

This weekend was amazing!

We went on a field trip to the West Region, to the city of Bangangte'. It was about 5 degrees cooler than Bafia and so beautiful! Mountains!

Some of the girls! L-R: Shannon, Ashleigh, Me, and Lauren chillin in the West!

We left Bafia around 7:00 am and the drive was only about one hour. We went to an Agroforestry Extension Office – they do demonstrations and educational programs for farmers in their area to promote agroforestry and sustainability. They also have a pretty nice tree nursery where they make some of their money from. We got to see so many different agro techniques that we had talked about in class like intercropping, terracing, and agro-pastoral systems (which actually ended up being pretty terrible for the Center because their cow was stolen and the grass they planted turns out to be invasive without a cow munching on it every day). We also practiced some propagation techniques like cuttings and grafting – which is super cool in citrus trees! I didn't know this before but you can graft a citrus tree to have different branches that produce different types of citrus – like a grapefruit branch, orange branch, mandarin (the best type of citrus here!), and lemon. Mandarins are the best here because they taste more like Florida oranges than the real oranges : ) Oranges here are very sour and difficult to peel.

So anyways, it was also awesome because we got to stay in a hotel AND have a later curfew. Yes, we are treated like children. I got to have braised fish with baton de manioc, pimont (like sirache), and onion. DELICIOUS hot fresh off the grill of the fish mama not to mention cheap and tastey paired with an ice cold Castel.

The next day was pretty awesome as well. First, we went to a women's co-op who make Shea butter and got to learn about the Shea butter process and (more importantly) about women's co-ops in general, how this particular one got started, and how it functions today. These women are so smart – they make loads of money making that Shea butter and they are trying to expand their market outside of just Bangangte', Yaounde, and Bamfassam (the regional capital of the West). Then, we went to a small village where an agro volunteer lives to learn about tofu production and THEN got to eat some fried tofu with onion and pimont!! After which, the volunteer also works with a women's co-op bakery and talked about the positives and negatives of their organization and got to eat some beniets. Good morning!

Tofu Making: after you grind the soybeans, you have to cook them for about 30 minutes to denature the toxins in the beans. Then you add vinegar to speed up the coagulation

Then you press the soy like cheese, then leave under a rock for a few hours and Voila! Tofu! Here, they add boullion cubes and pimont to add some spicy and salt. 

Finally, it started raining. And raining. And it was pretty cold. And I don't have a rain coat. So I got very cold. We were out in the jungle in a tiny village with only mud roads out. We plowed along, got stuck four times, but luckily we had tiny villages along the way to help push us out (along with us!) so needless to say we arrived in Bangangte' SO muddy. Wow so muddy. The mud is dark red too, similar to the red clay soils in the south : ) but my shoes were caked. When I got home Sunday, my family just laughed at me, because Cameroonians would never walk around with shoes as dirty as mine are. They are always impeccably dressed, I don't know how its possible!

So all in all, its been a very good week. We only have three days of class before ANOTHER field trip to the North West Region!! More mountains!! More cooler weather! And I'll be more ready for it this time, even though I still don't have a raincoat but whatevs. I make due. I should buy an umbrella but I'll miss the Thursday market this week.

OOH and I know this is only gossip, BUT we all had our second interviews with Tiki, the program director for Agroforestry, last week. Tiki told me he wants to send me to the Extreme North!!! We'll see next week (November 2^nd!! Check back around that date if you want to know because I'm sure I'll be blasting it all over my blog/facebook because I'll be so excited!) for sure, but I'm pretty excited. I'll have to learn fulfulde (unless I really want to focus on French, which I do, but I already tested high enough on the language test so I can if I want). But anyways, I don't want to say TOO much because its not for sure yet.

Anyways, I love you all! Things are going fine with my host family, all is well. Send me letters! I really like them! Emails also work too! Let me know whats going on with you all!!

Breakfast!! Usually I have an omelet with bread, but this morning I got fried plantains : )  

I hope this pictured loads but in case it does - its a picture of Ashleigh at our demo-plot! 

The training house - fellow trainees are playing soccer outside. It was a bit too hot for me! We have all our sessions and classes inside. 

The beat goes on....

Week Three of training!

Things are finally getting rolling. I feel more comfortable in my family : ) and am getting into a routine. Things are always changing in my house – we constantly have brothers and sisters visiting from Yaounde and Douala, staying for a few days, and heading back. Staging is really getting busy too, hence the little time I've had to blog.

We have so much work! I'll post pictures of my demo plot and tree nursery after they start looking like real things (maybe another week once the seeds start sprouting?), but that took all of last weekend. We also have two other technical assignments and a cross-cultural assignment. Beaucoup de travaille!!

We're all definitely just taking it one day at a time and I'm trying really hard not to feel overwhelmed. Though the past two days have been a little stressful because I couldn't get water! The well was always locked! The well is located inside a family compound so when no one is home, they naturally lock the gate. So the past two days, I went there after school to no avail! But this morning, I finally got in there to get water. An ordeal. It is SUCH an advantage to have water at one's house! Its definitely preparing me for post though, because it is likely I will have to walk to a water source for all my water also. It really makes you think about how much water you use. Especially bathing and using the toilet (we have a bucket flush toilet – its pretty much exactly like it sounds).

Saturday we are going to be issued our bikes! Finally! Even though I have no idea where I'm going to put mine (we keep ALL of our belongings in our room) but it will be nice to pedal around town sometimes.

All of your love and best wishes is greatly appreciated! Anyone who wants to call me is welcome: ) I'm going to post again soon with pictures and hopefully a movie of my super cute nephew!!!

10/1/2011

End of the first week of PST and I have been with my homestay family for 5 days now. Training is definitely going to be a difficult time, but hopefully worth all the stress! I've come to realize that training is going to be a stream of awkward and sometimes uncomfortable situations, but I suppose that is the best way to grow and change as a person!

We were issued our technical books and gear - I got my machete sharpened today! We also got hoes. Yep, we're Agro volunteers for sure! 

The rainy season is in full swing here! I was awakened late last night by a huge thunderstorm with torrential rain (it was really loud because of the tin roof of my house). Its raining right now, but it gives me an excuse to be at the Training house before returning to my homestay for lunch.

I hope to put up pictures of my new family and house soon!

I love you guys! 

9/27/2011

I've made it to homestay!!

I have a new Cameroonian Mom and Dad; my dad is a retired Civil Engineer, and my mother is a housewife. Today, I met my two new sisters (a few others – I didn't catch how many exactly - don't live close enough!) and I really like them. Plus, I could talk to them in my new French! I don't think I was totally understandable, but they are “sympathetic listeners”, according to the Peace Corps definition of Intermediate Low – my current language level.

There are four cousins that live here also, because my Cameroon mom and dad (maybe from here on out they will be Cmom and Cdad) said they didn't like having an empty house. The two sisters I met both normally live in Yaounde and are here for two weeks. One is a cosmetologist – I'm crossing my fingers that she'll do my hair before she leaves! I could use some braids. Or maybe a weave. Just kidding on the latter but for real on the former....

Training is going to begin soon! I can't wait to learn more things about Agro and about Cameroonian culture! My Cmom is supposedly an EXCELLENT cook – and my first meal there is definitely a testament to that rumor, so I am really hoping she will teach me a thing or two about cooking in Cameroon!

My sister has a son; he is ADORABLE. I've never liked children before, but this one is adorable. I can't really understand his french, but hopefully after another week (and before he leaves with his mother to go back to Yaounde) I'll be able to understand better.

This post has a lot of exclamation points but I hope that only proves that how excited I am about truly beginning my training.  

FIRST there are kids outside the internet cafe singing Rude Boy by Rhianna. Except I doubt they
speak English so they dont really know the words and are most just making the sounds. hahahaaaaaaaaaaa i love it!!

I decided to add mom and dad to this email so they can see whats going on and so I dont have to repeat myself; sorry if parts of it are confusing!!

The food is good; pretty oily, but weve found some good places to eat and I cook for myself a lot. The big thing here is grilled fish. There are literally women on every corner grilling fish over coals; you pick
out the piece you want, she brushes it with some oil and serves it with pimont (spicy pepper condiment) and baton du manioc if you want.The baton is really crazy, its manioc rolled inside a banana leaf and
steamed. I equate it to eating bread or rice with your dinner because it doesnt really taste like anything but its good to dip in the pimont or to eat if you need to cool your mouth down from the spice! There is a market near my house and you can buy fresh produce, we go there everyday to get veges for the day.  For instance, this morning I bought tomatoes, an avocado, and some mandarins before I bought a breakfast sandwiche. Which was delicious, even more so after I added sliced tomato and avocado. The big thing here is also bean sandwiches - straight up red beans cooked with spices and oil and slathered on the inside of baguette bread. I dont eat it every day, but this morning I went for a long run so I was faaaaaaaaaaaamished!!

Its so cool here in Ebolowa, I know it will be different when we leave for the other training center in Bafia; that is in the Savannah, whereas now we are in the jungle. This morning I had a running buddy, he actually ran the whole run with me. We ran up to the top of this mountain where there are really nice views of the city and also some of the surrounding mountains. Ive been running up it the past week - since I discovered how the route to the top. Except Ive been running without glasses and contacts so i cant see too well; but I carry my glasses with me but I think Im getting used to it.

Its pretty interesting because there arent many Amercians in Cameroon, so people are really excited to find out that we arent European. Apparently, the French are pretty rude to the Cameroonians, and they dont like each other too much. The beaches probably have a different dynamic, because that is where the majority of tourists visit here, but there is also a huge game reserve in the North where you can go on Safaris and see the Big Five African animals. Im not sure exactly what those animals are... my guess is Lions, giraffes, um.... hippos perhaps... ?

Keep writing me emails! Im sorry I can only get here once a week - things are so busy around here! We are leaving Ebolowa for Yaounde on friday and then heading to Bafia on next Monday - week from now. Things are happening differently for us than for other trainees because the program I am in is a pilot language program soooo we spent the past four weeks only learning language and then next Friday, the rest of our cohort is arriving from the US and then we will all go together to the training center in Bafia to begin ACTUAL pre-service training. Sometimes it feels a little overwhelming because its not even REALLY begun for us! So a week from tomorrow, i will meet my homestay family and all the trainees will start our technical
training.

OH and we think the goats were killed or sold. There was a soul one hanging around our house the past week, but I think he got bit by a dog because hes really been limping around and no one has seen him the
past few days. Sad.

Our house! The African Assae is paid by Peace Corps to guard our house aka chill with us

My bed! The right one is mine. Like my giant stack of French books to the Left of my canteen?

Our Next door neighbor!! GO COCKS!!!

Happy College Football Kick-off!!!

We've been working on french lessons from 8am to noon, taking a lunch break until 1;30 and then more class until 4;30! But its truely amazing how much french you learn with both many hours of instruction and total immersion! Ebolowa is a very pretty town, I think. There are some hills in the distance and because it is the rainy season, the weather has been beautiful!!

We met our neighbors, and played soccer with them today. I was definitely the worst player on my team but I am determined to get better! There are also some goats and chickens that are always wandering by. The billy goat makes really strange noises, at first I was pretty scared when I woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of something shouting/groaning, until we realized it was just the billy goat trying to get it on with a female goat...

Today, my fellow trainee, Ashleigh, and I picked up our dresses from the tailor!! Its so exciting!! I got a long very flowy dress made out of the traditional Cameroonian fabric - it is green, orange, and black in some ziggy wavy pattern. Ill post a picture soon - I forgot to bring my camera with me to the internet cafe!


The rain has been off and on since we arrived here in Ebolowa. It actually really reminds me of Seattle... its pretty much cloudy all the time but its nice because it keeps the temperature so nice. This is the petite rainy season; there are three seasons in this part of Cameroon - a petite rainy, petite dry, long rainy, and long dry.

I am also excited because we met our program trainer, Tiki, who made an EXCELLENT first impression by bringing us chocolate bars (I nabbed a dark chocolate one!) and also buying our beers last night. Oh, and the PCV in Ebolowa showed us to our new favorite bar - Play Boy. How chould it not be the best bar ever? I think that the owners just found a sign from a toy shop that sold Play Boy toys (because the font looks just like Play Dough or some other major toy company in the US).

As for the title of this post, I am so excited for college football even though I cant watch any of it and I probably wont read about it until long after the games are played. I contemplated making Sunday my internet cafe day BUT Cameroon (or this region of Cameroon) sellls their electricity to Eq. Guineq or Gabon on Sunday so the internet wont be on (far worse is the fact that we will not have running water all day) but.... GO GAMECOCKS!!!!