ISP Work

I wrote this post last weekend and had intended on putting it up right after my previous one however, the internet was incredibly slow and I have not had much time to get to a cyber cafe recently.

While working on my ISP everyday is a little bit different. I usually wake up around 6:30am. Depending on my schedule, I will either directly get dressed or hang around in my PJs working on my computer. Breakfast every morning is a mini loaf of bread, peanut butter, and coffee with lots of milk (powdered) and sugar. My host mom leaves for work between 7:30 and 8:00 and my host dad leaves around 9:00. Claudia’s schedule varies, like mine, depending on which classes she has. Some days my first obligation is at 7:30 in the morning, other days I don’t have to leave the house if I don’t want to. Since I’ve arrived my time has been spent visiting schools and introducing myself to administrators and teachers, handing out surveys, collecting surveys, and scheduling interviews. I have also had to visit the Delegation of Secondary Education and, like I said John Fru Ndi.

The front of my house.

At this point, I am working with four schools: Sacred Heart College- an all boys Catholic boarding school just up the road from my house, Our Lady or Lourdes- an all girls Catholic boarding school closer to the center of town, PSS Bafut- a co-ed Presbyterian boarding school about 15 minutes out of the city, and GBHS (Government Bilingual High School) Nitop- a public bilingual school that my host mom works at. I also try to get to a cyber cafe at least every other day or so to keep up with my internet communication. Somedays the cyber cafe is open, some days it’s closed, sometimes it’s full and other times there’s no one there, occasionally the power’s out, or the internet isn’t working. I have also dropped off some fabric to be made into clothes at a tailor in the main market.

I’m home by 6:30 every evening and spend that time with my host family and working. Each day, if I have time, I sweep for my host mom. My host family, especially my mother is very Catholic. I find myself lying about how religious I am. I told my host mom that I’m not Catholic but that I am Christian which she took to mean devoutly so. Some evenings, if I’m still awake or in the living room when she and Claudia pray, I join in. Every other evening, when I go to bed, I am reminded how important it is to pray.

Making juice (lots of juice) with my host mom.

On the weekends I spend almost the whole time at home working and with my family. Last weekend, I helped make juice on Saturday for church on Sunday. This weekend Claudia and I spent Saturday morning washing dishes and doing laundry. The city has been cutting its water supply frequently and for days at a time recently due to maintenance. The water cuts are random and unannounced which makes it hard to bath, cook, and clean as one would normally. Sunday, I go to Mass with my family. My host mom spends almost her entire day at the church, during the sermons she translates into French. Last Sunday Claudia and I went late, around 10:00am and left early, around 12:30pm. Apparently it’s not necessary to attend the entire mass. I like going to church here. Everyone dresses nicely which means that many women wear clothing tailored out of the fabric sold here. I love looking at all of the different patterns and styles. There is also a lot more dancing and singing than any church service I have been to at home.

I’m really enjoying my time in Bamenda. Even if my final ISP isn’t great (which I hope doesn’t happen) I’ll still have had a great time getting to know my family, Bamenda, and learning more about the school system here.

A Full Week in Bamenda

My final home stay bedroom.

I have now been in Bamenda for over a full week. The city of Bamenda is located in the North West region of Cameroon. It took me about 8 hours to get here by bus. While here for my ISP I am living with a family in the neighborhood of Ntarinkon which is also where one of the city’s larger markets is located. Ntarinkon is a little bit out of the center of the city and we live off of the main road in a quieter neighborhood. If you didn’t know any better, it would be hard to tell that you were in one of Cameroon’s bigger cities.

My host family has been great! They speak French at home- or at least with me. In reality, they switch back and forth between four languages: French, English, Pidgin English, and Patwa (which refers to local languages). My host mom of the vice principal and a French teacher at a local public school, one of the schools I am using in my research. I’m not entirely sure what my host dad does, something with contracts. They have several children but all of them are grown up and have moved out except for one. Claudia is 23 and in her final year at the Catholic university in town studying biochemistry.

Claudia cooking in the kitchen.

Dorothy is the SIT coordinator in Bamenda. She is the one that found me my host family. She has also helped me choose which schools to work with and introduced me to three of them. Everywhere I go with Dorothy someone knows her. She plays a prominent role in a non-profit organization that sponsors widowed women, teaches medical law at the nursing school in town, is highly involved in the Presbyterian church, teaches Sunday school, and although her children no longer live at home, takes care of nieces and nephews who live with her so that they can go to school in the city. Amongst all of that she has found time to help me find my way around Bamenda.

The backdoor to the house to the house if just out of the
frame on the right. The traditional kitchen, storage, and
latrine are in the building on the left. The pit toilet latrine
it only used when we don't have water.

It was nice coming to Bamenda having been here already. Although we were only here for two days, some areas of the city still felt familiar. Last time I was in Bamenda, we stayed at the Presbyterian church center in the rooms they have for rent there. While we were here, we got some free time to wander around the main market and do some shopping. We also visited John Fru Ndi, the founder and leader of Cameroon’s biggest opposition party. In 1972 Cameroon was changed from a federal state to a single party, unitary state by President Ahidjo . In 1990 John Fru Ndi founded the Social Democratic Front (SDF) as an opposition party. It wasn’t until later that year that then president, Biya, legalized the creation of new political parties. Despite, or maybe because of, significant opposition from the ruling party, John Fru Ndi was a highly competitive presidential candidate in the 1992 elections. By most accounts, Fru Ndi actually won the 1992 elections. However, President Biya managed to stay in power. From then on, Biya has made sure that he is secure in his position, winning elections by 80% or higher. 

Front of the house.

When we were in Bamenda in October, we also met with a member of an illegal Anglophone secessionist group. Cameroon remains divided between Anglophones and Francophones, or those living in former British ruled Southern Cameroons and those who come from the former French ruled Republique du Cameroun. The group we met with does not consider themselves a secessionist group because, based on international law, Southern Cameroons never legal agreed to join the Republique du Cameroun. They consider themselves a restoration group, looking to be granted their human rights. The lecture was very interesting and gave us a new lens through which to consider Cameroonian history and politics

Both of the lectures/visits we has last time have helped me in my ISP. The secessionist group lecture gave me insight into the history and some of the tensions between Anglophones and Francophones. It’s also important to remember that in Cameroon, being an Anglophone doesn’t simply mean you speak English. There are many Francophones that are English speaking. Anglophones and Francophones are seen as two different ethnic and cultural groups.

 I have also already paid John Fru Ndi another visit to get his opinion on my ISP subject. Just as Dorothy and I arrived at John Fru Ndi’s Wednesday night, another car pulled up also containing Americans. They are in Cameroon in the behalf of the University of Minnesota, working to start an abroad internship program for some of their graduate students. The five of us were asked to stay and eat. While John Fru Ndi did not join us, we had some really interesting conversations. They also tried to convince me to apply to their International Development grad program next year. The evening was a lot of fun and Mr. Fru Ndi told me that I should come back sometime while I’m still in Bamenda.

The view from Sacred Heart College.

Week Between Batoufam and Bamenda

This is a very basic rundown of the week-ish between Batoufam and when I departed for my Independent Study Project. It was out last week of class-time for the semester so, like every college semester ever, it was filled with assignments and wrap-up projects.

We arrived back to the humidity of Yaoundé on Saturday. Sunday November first was spent finalizing our partner research projects. Cora and I worked at the office in the morning and then went to a cafe in the afternoon and evening. Monday we spent the day watching our peers present their findings. Each group was allotted an hour to present and answer questions. 

As soon as our first research projects were finished, we jumped right into our individual projects. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were basically free days to start gathering sources for our individual research projects. Thursday I met with my advisor for the first time. Dr. Dze Ngwa was one of our guest lecturers at the beginning of the semester. He is a historian and an expert in education, racial relations, peace studies, and much more. Dr. Dze Ngwa occasionally teaches courses at both University of Georgia in Atlanta and St. Andrews in Scotland, as well as at the University of Yaoundé. Our first meeting was very preliminary; it was held at his non-profit’s (ANICHRA, “African Network against Illiteracy and Human Rights Abuses) office. Friday we each presented our ISP (Independent Study Project) proposals. The proposals included research questions, hypotheses, survey questions, methods, etc. After each presentation, the group asked questions and gave suggestions. Saturday we had our last class of the semester. The class focused on the actual writing of our ISP papers- guidelines, rules, suggestions, etc. 

Because Saturday was our last day of classes a group of us went out to pizza after school to celebrate. It was my first time eating pizza since I’ve been here! I returned home to find the living room occupied by a party in full swing. I knew it was my host brother Sonny’s 19th birthday. As soon as I got home, I changed and then helped Gael in the kitchen preparing food and cleaning up. Sonny’s friends were coming and going all night. He had told me before that he had American friends, I hadn’t thought much of it until I met them all. It was really interesting to meet Americans that live in Cameroon. Once the majority of the work was done in the kitchen I joined the party which didn’t end until about 2:30am. My brothers and a few select friends went out even after the party had ended. They invited me to go with them but I was beyond exhausted and had to pass. 

Sunday and Monday marked the official start of ISP but instead they were spent working on the last of the papers due for the regular course work. Monday night, we went over to Elias’s house to hang out before everyone split up to go to their various ISP sites. Tuesday morning I met with Dr. Dze Ngwa for almost a full 2 hours. During our meeting, he helped me iron out some of the details for my research, gave me some contacts in Bamenda (the city where I will be staying), and helped me define some key terms. Tuesday afternoon Monica and I had lunch together and bought supplies for out respective bus journeys the next day.

Wednesday I was up bright and early so to arrive at the SIT office at 7am. Serge and Flaubert (the SIT driver) brought Morgan, Monica, and I to our buses and so began my ISP journey.

This is the majority of my ISP proposal as submitted to the SIT office with the edits and changes Dr. Dze Ngwa and I made:

  "Education is one of my passions. I knew going in to the SIT Cameroon program that I would want to work with education in some way. Upon arriving in Cameroon, I became intrigued by the Anglophone-Francophone divide that persists. It was with these to interests in mind that I began to shape the topic of my Independent Study Project. There is extensive literature discussing the relationships between Anglophone and Francophones in Cameroon. There is also much written about Cameroonian education, particularly tertiary education. One can also find much to read about bilingualism and linguistic divides within the Cameroonian education system. However, there is very little published exploring the persisting pattern of Francophone families sending their students to British System schools. It is the causes and affects of this pattern that I wish to explore. I believe that this issue may also shed light on the greater problems of Anglophone-Francophone relations and national integration.

Key terms:

• Anglophones: Those who identify/are identified as coming from the Northwest and Southwest Anglophone regions of Cameroon. An ethnic categorization based upon the former British administered Cameroons. 
• Francophones: Those who identify/are identified as coming from the Francophone regions of Cameroon. An ethnic categorization based upon the former French administered Cameroun.
• English School (Sub-)System: One of Cameroon’s educational sub-systems based on the Anglo-Saxon school system implemented by British colonizers.
• French School (Sub-)System: One of Cameroon’s educational sub-systems based on the French school system implemented by French colonizers.
• National Unity: The overarching, largely political, goal that envisions all members of Cameroonian society, from all ethnic affiliations, respecting each other and living equally.

• Brief history of how the two systems formed. 
• What is the curriculum content of both systems?

Research Questions and Hypotheses:

           1. For what reasons do Francophone families choose to send their students to British System schools?

                      Francophone families send their students to Anglophone Systems schools with hopes of creating more opportunities for them to gain desirable jobs such as governmental positions or international work.

          2. Are there tensions among the Anglophone and Francophone members of the school communities?

                     There do exist some tensions among members of the school community but they exist more between members of older generations that between students.

          3. How do Anglophones within the case study region view Francophones attending Anglophone System school?

                     Many Anglophones see Francophones attending Anglophone System schools in a negative light- as coming in to take their opportunities and jobs.

Delimitations: 

The study will focus on both Francophone and Anglophone high school students attending two English Sub-System Schools in Bamenda. The students will all be eighteen years or older. In order to obtain a full picture, the study will also use information gathered from other members of the schools’ communities including, but not limited to, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators. 

• Students (40-50)
• Parents (in general)
• Teachers
• Principals
• Delegation of Education in Bamenda
• Politicians
• John Fru Ndi
• Public School (Guidance Counselors, Teachers, Principals)

Appendixes:

Survey Questions:

     Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in this study. My name is Kelsey McFadden, I’m an American university students in Cameroon studying the pattern of Francophone students attending Anglophone System schools in Cameroon. If you would like to participate, please fill out the following questions to the best of your ability. Thank you!

         1) Name (optional):

         2) Age: 

         3) Which language do you prefer? (circle one)

                      FRENCH            ENGLISH

          4) Region of Origin: 

          5) Do you identify as     FRANCOPHONE           ANGLOPHONE

          6) How long have you been attending a Anglophone System school?

          7) What factors led you to attend an Anglophone school?

          8)Do you believe that the English School system is better than the French School system? (circle one)            

                     YES          NO

               8a) Explain your answer:

         9)What are the advantages of attending a British System School?

         10) If you are Anglophone, do you view your Francophone peers as different from you? If you are Francophone do you view your Anglophone peers as different from you? (circle one)     

                    YES          NO

                10 a) Explain your answer:

           11) Are social divisions between Francophone and Anglophone students at your school?

           12) Are there social divisions Francophones and Anglophones in Bamenda?

           13) Are there disparities between the Francophones and Anglophones in Cameroon?

           14) In what ways do Francophones attending British System schools affect national unity?

Proposed Timeline:

• Saturday, November 8- Tuesday, November 11:
• Read and gather as many secondary sources as possible. 
• Prepare for voyage to Bamenda.
• Establish host family with assistance of Academic Director.
• Print and give out test surveys to receive feedback on the structure and wording.
• Tuesday, November 11:
• Meet with Dr. Dze Ngwa to further discuss subject and go over documents I have read thus far.
• Wednesday, November 12:
• Depart for, and arrive in, Bamenda.
• Settle in to host family.
• Thursday, November 13:
• Establish rapport at two British System high schools in Bamenda.
• Get permission to conduct research and begin to build relationship with administrators and other faculty members.
• If possible, give surveys to be handed out or hand them out myself. 
• Friday, November 14- Tuesday, December 2
• Schedule interviews
• Collect surveys
• Code and process survey responses
• Write Interview Questions
• Hold Surveys
• Transcribe Interviews
• Have majority of interviews finished by Friday, November 28.
• Code Interviews
• Begin formulating paper and findings.
• Begin writing by Friday November 28. 
• December 2 or 3:
• Return to Yaoundé
• Wednesday, December 3- Tuesday, December 9:
• Write Paper
• Draft: Friday, December 5
• Draft (final): Monday, December 8
• Finalize Assignment
• Meet at least twice with Dr. Dze Ngwa
• Put together presentation
• Tuesday, December 8: ISP Paper Due
• Wednesday, December 9 or Thursday, December 10: ISP Presentation

Batoufam (Fianlly)

On my walk to school.

            I have been so busy lately that I haven’t really had time to sit down to write about my time in Bamenda and Batoufam. I’m actually currently back in Bamenda thus, I will save that portion of our trip for later.

            Batoufam is a agriculture, based village between Yaoundé and Bamenda. Our first night there, we all stayed in the “chefferie,” the compound where the chief of and his wives and family live. The chefferie’s main building, the palace where the chief himself lives, is a maze of rooms, courtyards, and doors each of which is decorated with traditional paintings and carvings. All of the students stayed in a room off the back of the throne room where we slept on a mattress covered floor. The next afternoon we met our host families and moved in with them.

Our driveway. I took this picture standing just to the right
of my house.

            My host family consisted of my dad, John-Pierre, three moms, my host dad’s brother, and between 30 and 40 kids. I had one mom that was “assigned to me.” I got to know my mom’s kids better than any of the others, they were the only ones whose names I learned. The families live in compounds, ours consisted of about nine buildings. I got my own house, which was interesting. I’m not sure what it is used for when i’m not there because there were very few things in the house. I mainly kept to my small bedroom because the house itself felt too big for me and my few possessions.

My bedroom.

            On a normal day, I woke up at 6:30, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and packed my bag. Breakfast consisted of the previous day’s dinner reheated, which sometimes I didn’t mind and other times was hard to finish. I also has given wine with breakfast and dinner everyday. I felt like I couldn’t refuse the wine, it would have been rude, so in the mornings I made sure to be served only a little. Around 7:20 I left for school, walking down the mountain to the chefferie. The walk was gorgeous with some stunning views. The weather was perfect, and in the morning it felt like an early fall day at home, just a hint of crispness in the air.

            We had classes at the chefferie, in a garden area (the kind that you can picture having grand garden parties in). In the middle of the day, we ate lunch prepared by the chefferie’s cook in an three-sided dinging area. One of the long sides of the building was open and faced a catfish pond. It was really nice spending meal times all together, something that we don’t get to do normally.

I took this standing just outside my mom's kitchen
and the living room where we did homework.
My house is the building on the left, the driveway is
between my house and the other to its right.

            In the afternoon I returned back home, this time climbing the mountain up to my house. Upon returning home, I bathed in a stall behind my mom’s house. There was a rock and dirt floor, three tin walls, and a curtain door. I got a bucket of cold water, so I never waited until too late to shower or else it would have been too cold. Even in the later afternoon, I could see steam coming off my body. In the evenings, I joined my siblings in the living room, next to the kitchen where my mom was preparing dinner, in doing homework. The older siblings all took time to help their younger siblings with their homework. I also helped with English homework whenever someone needed it. When dinner was ready, I joined my dad in the kitchen to eat. The others ate in the living room but as a guest, I ate in the kitchen with my dad. During meals we had all sort of conversations including the affects of colonization in Africa and Cameroon, how the West has and is harming Africa, famous African Americans, whether or not Obama has been a good president, who killed Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, education, etc. My host dad loved to talk, he’s very well read, and very opinionated. He is also quite a comedian. After dinner, I usually retired to my room to finish homework or go to bed.

The entrance to the chefferie.

            While in Batoufam, our program focused on the Bamiléké people that inhabit the village. The chefferie is the heart of Bamiléké culture, according to one of our professors, the chefferie drives everything they do. About 20% of Cameroon’s population is Bamiléké, and they are the most widespread ethnic group. Historically, they come from the Northwest region of Cameroon but today, Bamiléké people can be found living all across the country. The chieftaincy of a Bamiléké village is gained hereditarily, a chief has so many sons that there are plenty candidates to choose from, and one holds the position for life. The chief governs with the help of dignitaries or notables who sit on counsels, are traditional doctors, members of secret societies, or act as chiefs of their own neighborhood. My host dad was a notable, chief of our neighborhood, and a traditional doctor. We got a full tour of the chefferie, visited a traditional doctor in his home (actually we “visited” my host dad, so school came to me on that day), and attended a tontine meeting. Tontines are groups (usually of women) who come together to financially support each other. Kind of like a traditional version of micro-lending the women each contribute a set amount of money a week. The money can then be used for different projects, personal or community. There exist tontines all across Cameroon that deal with a whole variety of issues. The tontine we visited was one created by the chief and consisted of specific women from each of Batoufam’s neighborhoods that focused on development. There are tontines that act as health insurance, support education, pay to have a person’s body brought back it is village when they die, etc.

Some of the decorations and carvings at the chefferie. The spider, chameleon
and tortoise are all symbols of the chef and represent different qualities that a
good chef should have.

            While in Batoufam, we also took a day trip to visit a monastery and an museum a little ways away. We had a soccer match between host siblings and students. We tied, which surprised the Cameroonians. I played almost the entire match, other SIT students sat out, and Elias and Arsenne basically carried our team. We also took a day off from classes to attend the weekly market. Market day in Batoufam is very important, everyone goes. According to my host mom, people start arriving before daylight to set up and remain well after dark. Adults take the day off of work and kids go to the market after school (or they skip school). My mom and I walked to the market together. It was a good ways away and took even longer because we stopped to chat frequently. We also took a detour to visit my dad’s mom. Upon arriving, I followed my mom around the market and met what felt like the whole family. I got a lot of practice greeting people in the language Batoufam as I was introduced to friends and family. We also bought okra, smoked fish, beignets, spices, and other products.

Some of the rooms in the chefferie are set up like a museum,
 a project that is funded by the EU. This particular museum
poster pictured my dad playing a role in a coming of age
ceremony.

            The morning of Saturday the first, we left Batoufam. My dad left before I did in the morning to attend a funeral. It was sad to have to say good-bye. My time in Batoufam was definitely a highlight of my time in Cameroon.

Nothing But Picture

I promise to post something about my past two weeks in Bamenda and Batoufam but for now, here's a selection of pictures. 

Monica loves avocados. When you're driving on the national roads you come across many police stops and check stations. At each of these stations there's usually a dozen or so people selling food. We bought some avocados on our way to Bamenda and used a pocket knife to share it. 

Approaching Bamenda.

Marianna on the way from Bamenda to Batoufam.

Part of my walk to school each morning in Batoufam. It was beautiful but there were some very steep parts of the hill. We had classes at the chief's compound/palace which is traditionally always at the lowest point of the village to make it easy for people in need to help to get to him.

Cora looks out the window on our weekend trip to Foumban.

The goat that lives in the kitchen.

Mama cooks dinner in the kitchen. It usually took several hours to make a meal.

The living room where we did homework each night.

Alex helps Flo with his math homework.

The weekly market is a huge deal in Batoufam. Everyone attends and people start arriving at 4am and leave after 9pm. Because it was market day, we didn't have any classes. My mom brought me around with her. I was introduced to what felt like the whole extended family throughout the day.

The entrance to the "cheferie"

Sonya (foreground) and Manelle do homework.

Moecha is too young to have homework but she sat with us anyway. Someone would write a word on her chalkboard and she would try to copy it even though she can't read.

Mama in the kitchen listening to something someone in the next room is saying.

The chief's dignitaries gave us a good-bye party. My host dad and I accidentally matched.

The group with out host parents.

Mary (one of my host sisters) and I take selfies.

Joun loves food. Here he's got way to many prunes for him to carry.

Flo and Joun eat fresh guava from family's trees.

My host dad the day I left, dressed to attend a funeral the next village over.

The palace.

Nathan, Christiane's son, and his toy car fashioned out of a water bottle.

Saturday (and an explanation of what I'm doing of the next two weeks)

1. We had classes today, my host family couldn’t believe that I had school today, especially because we’re leaving for another 2 weeks tomorrow. My host mom wanted me to go to the sports center with her this morning to work out again.
2. Our first class this morning was “Survival Pidgin” We learned the basics of Cameroon’s pidgin English dialect so that we have at least a jumping off point while we’re in the Anglophone area of Cameroon next week.
3. After a quick break, we had our weekly discussion. Instead of recapping the week and checking in with how everyone is doing we talked about our upcoming trip to Bamenda and Batoufam.
4. Bamenda is an 8 hour drive away. Bamenda is in the north-west anglophone region of Cameroon. While there we’ll get to meet the leader of Cameroon’s biggest opposition party, the party that is widely believed to have won an election in the 1990s but got cheated out of their win by Paul Biya. We’re also meeting with an illegal Anglophone succession group. We’ll be in Bamenda for two nights. Both Bamenda and Batoufam are considered “very cold” by the people I’ve talked to in Yaoundé and Kribi- it’ll be high 50s-mid 70s. 
5. Batoufam is considered a rural farming area and will probably be the hardest part of my stay in Cameroon. I’m not really sure what to expect even though we spent a long time talking about what is might be like. We’ll be living with families for the 11 or 12 days that we’re there. The families will most likely be polygamous with probably a minimum of 10 kids (that’s the average in the area). The chief in Batoufam is helping facilitate our stay, finding us host families, our lunch is being cooked in his house, and allowing us to hold classes in his home. 

This is my last post for the next two weeks! I’m off to pack and prepare.

Friday

My apartment buildiing

1. Our final French exam was first thing this morning. It was an in-class written essay on the novel we read. The prompts asked us to pull from other authors and our own life experiences. 
2. As soon as we had both finished, just after noon, Cora and I headed to the Ministry of Secondary Education for our final required interview. We really had no idea where we were going, or who to talk to. That’s how it works here- you just show up, state why your there and hope for the best. That’s how we ended up making all the connections we did at the Lycee de Tsinga. I was a little more skeptical this time.Once we found the right building, the security guard sent us to the 6th floor where we were directed from room to room until being sent to the 3rd floor. On the 3rd floor we bounced around a few rooms. In one, we were sent to explain what we wanted to a women, when we arrived she had been talking to another man. He happened to hear what we wanted and took us to meet his boss. His boss told him that he was capable of answering our questions and told us that he had plenty of time to speak with us. That’s how the man we happened to run into became our contact at the ministry.
3. Our interview was almost an hour long and during it he bought us chocolate from a man that walks around the building selling snacks. We also learned that he had a PhD in Chemistry which he earned through a program that took place in Cameroon, Pakistan, and Germany. At the end of the interview, we were shown photos of his four kids (Stella-5, Ashley-3, Nathan-2, and George-3 weeks). We also exchanged contact information and he said that his wife (a teacher) would love to meet us and to come over to his house anytime.  
4. In the evening my brother, Sony made dessert crepes for everyone.
5. Gael, Glendon and I played several very competitive rounds of Ludo (the original version of Sorry)