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)

Thursday

Our third guidance counselor contact explains a poster
to Cora.

1. This morning kicked off with a very long but very interesting thematic discussion. Our thematic discussions are designed to wrap up a module and help close any lingering ideas. However, I feel like the group could have spent even more time exploring the role of women in Cameroonian society. Many of us, Christiane and Serge included got very into some of the topics that came up. 
2. Cora and I originally had an appointment to meet with students at the Lycee de Tsinga at 10am however, our discussion ran long and then, the roads were blocked. This has been an incredibly busy week for Yaoundé. On top of the soccer match, the President’s mother-in law passed away and her body was brought to Yaoundé for a funeral. President Paul Biya left Yaoundé early in the week to travel out to his village and then returned later in the week. Each time he crosses the city, they close many of the streets. 
3. We ended up making it to Tsinga in time for the students lunch break. We got an impromptu interview with a third guidance counselor as well as a somewhat chaotic interview with 7 or 8 students at once. 
4. Back at the office, we recapped our interviews and spent sometime doing other work.
5. Because it was a Thursday student evening, I stayed at the office until 8pm doing work and
    reading and cooking for myself (which is the most exciting aspect of students evening).

The students we interviewed.

Wednesday

Yikes, I'm behind.... but here's the list of 5 things I did on Wednesday

1. Dr. Niger-Thomas returned this morning to give a lecture on the economics of women in Cameroon.
2. We had free time until 2pm to hangout, eat, and get some work done.
3. As a group, we visited the Peace Corps. Originally the visit was supposed to be last week as a part of the development organizations module but had had to be rescheduled. It was weird, and very interesting. Weird because the Peace Corps is in a really nice building with security and air conditioning and the presenters spoke English with American accents (aka they were American). It was interesting in general to learn about the Peace Corps its programs, and what its doing in Cameroon. 
4. After the Peace Corps visit, as soon as we got back to the office, I sent an email to an education-focused NGO contact that one of the presenters at the Peace Corps had given us. Hopefully Cora and I will be able to use the contact in our research. I hope to use the contact for my Independent Study Project at later in the program as well. 
5. Today we have 60 days left in Cameroon! Sometimes that sounds like a lot and sometimes that feels like barely enough time at all. Today was also a big day in Yaoundé because the Lions played Sierra Leon again. When there’s a soccer match, the streets are incredibly busy leading up to the start and then their extremely quiet. On my walk home, there were significantly less cars than usual including taxis. There were also fewer people in the streets. The streets felt relatively empty until you passed a bar or restaurant with TVs where
   you could find a large clump of people straining to watch the action. Everyone watches or listens to soccer matches when they occur. The match ended 2-0 Cameroon.

View from the Peace Corps Office

Tuesday

Monica sits down to eat food from the
maman

1. Today was our last French class of the semester! The program is organized so that we get a full credits worth of French but with all of the classes concentrated at the beginning of the program. 
2. Our second class of the day was titled “Youth’s Opinion on Women’s Roles and Place in the Society.” Two university students joined us for a discussion about how they perceive women in Cameroonian society today. It was very interesting because they’re view was much more optimistic (unrealistic?) than Monday’s lecturer, Dr. Margaret Niger-Thomas, who is a professor in Women’s Studies and works for the government in the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Family.
3. I bought lunch from the maman up the street; les haricots avec du riz (beans and rice).
4. After eating, Cora and I headed to the local public school where we are conducting the majority of our research project to pick up the surveys we had left with the guidance counselors. We also got a chance to sit down and chat with two guidance counselors and a computer sciences teacher. 
5. At home, I sat down and recorded our survey results on my computer in a spreadsheet and began to look at trends. It wasn’t that hard, except when I couldn’t read a student’s handwriting- which was often.
   
   

   

   Cora speaks with the head guidance counselor, our
   contact at the Lycee de Tsinga.

   

   The local public school.

Monday

Monica reacts to her birthday "cake"

1) Today was Monica’s 20th birthday. Instead of buying her a cake like they did for Morgan, Monica was given a platter of bananas and avocado and another platter of bread. She also got a small pound cake and some Nutella. She said that it was “better than any cake.”

2) We only had one class besides French class and it was postponed to 3pm-5pm.

3) The one class we had today, was our first lecture on women’s role in development. I’m really excited for this unit, it should be very interesting.

4) When I got home, I was surprised to find the living room filled with my oldest brother’s friends. It had been raining so I met them all wet and tired.

5) As per usual, Gael and I watched the same soap opera together. Things are just getting more and more complicated. I’m not sure I could ever begin to described all of the plots.

The birthday spread (minus the pound cake)

10 Aspects of Cameroonian Culture That Took Time Getting Used To

The first group photo we took in Cameroon.
Hiking Mont Febe above Yaoundé from the monastery.

1) In Cameroon, crossing your legs is seen as incredibly rude. Sitting with your legs crossed it seen as a sign of superiority. I didn’t realize how frequently I cross my legs when I’m sitting on a couch or in a chair. We sit in basic plastic chairs for classes and when taking notes sometimes I really wish I could cross my legs

2) It is incredibly important to always greet people. The first time you see someone in a day you have to greet them with “Bonjour” or “Bonsoir,” depending on the time of day. It is offensive to not greet someone in the morning, even if you’re just woken up and are on the way to to bathroom. Simultaneously, when arriving at school, before talking to a teacher or professor it is incredibly important to greet them. It is generally good practice to do the same for anyone you interact with regularly, waiters, or people working at stores. 

 My French class. ("Stolen" from the SIT Cameroon Facebook page.)

3) You don’t make prolonged eye contact with someone when talking to them. Instead of fixing them in the eyes it is better to look at them and then let your eyes wander every now and then.

4) It’s considered weird to eat and walk at the same time. Not that this is something I do frequently but sometimes you’re running late and want to save time by eating on the way.

5) It is not common for Cameroonian families to eat together. Rather, you eat when you’re hungry. At the two houses I’ve stayed at meals are generally prepared ahead of time and then left for the household to eat at will. Also, many people don’t eat three meals a day at regular times but prefer to eat then they get hungry, whenever that may be. 

The group at the Lion's match several weeks ago.
("Stolen" from the SIT Cameroon Facebook page)

6) Before eating, if you do eat with others it is custom to always wish others a “Bon Appetite” Similarly, when if you come across someone eating, or someone about to eat it would be very rude to not wish them a “Bon Appetite” or simply “Appetite”. Usually one responds by saying thank you or returning the sentiment. 

7) There is no social stigma behind picking your nose. People, my French professor included, will pick their nose while talking to you without thinking twice.

8) To get someone’s attention you make a hissing noise or a kissing noise at them. What would be viewed as potential harassment in the US is very common place here. When hearing the sounds, most Cameroonians will automatically turn their heads to make sure that it isn’t directed at them.

The view from our apartment's front balcony.
We're on the first floor directly below is the parking area
where a lot of the little kids play. The building and
parking area are closed off by a gate.  In the distance you
can see the President, Paul Biya's, house. It's the square
building on the top of the hill to the left of the center palm
tree.

9) Taxis are all over Yaoundé. When one wants to take a taxi they stand on the sidewalk, or walk in the direction they’re going. A taxi approaching will honk their horn to get you attention. At they slow down by you, you call the name of the place you’re going through the window (and often how much you’re willing to pay). If they accept they’ll come to a full stop so you can get in if not, they’ll drive away. It is common to have to ask up to five taxis to take you where you want to go before finding one that is going your way. This is partially because taxis will take multiple passengers at once, going to varying locations. 

10) For someone who didn’t have a whole lot of TV growing up, the amount of television watched in households is very different for me. My Yaoundé home has a TV in all three bedrooms and the kitchen. Sometimes they’re all playing the same thing. On top of having TVs on all the time, most of the time, the volume is turned up much higher than I consider necessary. I’ve gotten relatively good at ignoring the TVs, allowing me to do my homework in the same room.

10 Things I Did This Weekend

SATURDAY:

1. We had classes today which made the week feel just that much longer. Initially Saturday was supposed to be just an end of module Thematic Discussion however, a lecturer had to postpone so we had classes all morning. 
2. After classes Khalilah, Danny, Elias and I went out to lunch as a restaurant that makes pretty good omelets. 
3. When I got home the Cameroon-Sierra Leone soccer match was on. The game ended in a 0-0 tie between the teams. Technically the game was supposed to be a home game for Sierra Leone however, because of ebola, Cameroon said that they would only play if Sierra Leone’s team traveled to Cameroon. Even if you hadn’t known ahead of time, it was very evident that a soccer match was taking place in the city. All day people on the streets were wearing their Lions paraphernalia. People were wearing silly Cameroon hats and walking around with flags. While at lunch, we watched a man attempt to get into a taxi with a massive Cameroonian flag, which we ended up having to hold out the window even though it dragged on the ground 
4. I slept TERRIBLY Friday night so I was exhausted all of Saturday and just generally not feeling well so I took a solid nap in the late afternoon
5. Elias invited all of the other students, and some of our host siblings, over to his house to hangout in the evening. I’ve been on the outside of his house and knew that it was incredibly big, but I hadn’t realized that it was as quite as big and as fancy as it is. Elias had never even been in the living room space we spent most of the evening in. It started raining in the later evening, just as I was about to head home. Luckily, the walk between my house and Elias’s isn’t that long. I was still soaked by the time I got home. 

SUNDAY:

1. Sundays are great because they’re the one day I get at least an hour of extra sleep!
2. After getting up I started right in on school work that continued all day long. I was not the only one, every single other person in the house, my host mom wasn’t home, spent the entire day doing school work. Glendon, who, at 9, has a shorter attention span than the rest of us and considerably less homework mentioned several times how boring we were all being. 
3. I took a laundry break around 1:30 since it was so nice and sunny out in hopes that my clothes would get some solid drying time today.
4. Last week a chicken appeared on our balcony. By appeared I mean that someone bought it and put it there while I was at school. For the first day it was sitting in a basket with its legs tied together and then after that, it had a sting tied to one legs attaching it to the balcony. I dislike chickens and this one was hanging out making a less on the balcony. One day I did laundry and it was very much in my way. Not to mention that it would crow loudly between 4am and 5am every morning waking all of us up. Friday the chicken got moved to outside near the parking lot area of the apartment building, just under our living room balcony. Today, Gael was feeding it by dropping food off the balcony and a bunch of the peacocks that roam the neighborhood came by and started stealing its food. We would chase them off every now and then but got sick of it throughout the afternoon. That is until, I heard Glendon call for Gael saying, “Gael, the peacocks attacked the chicken.” I’m pretty sure the chicken it ok. It was one of those moments during the day that I thought, “I’m a long way from home.”
5. I finished the novel we’re reading for French class, “Une Vie de Boy.” 

Recap of this Week

In order to catch up with my blog posting this post is going to be a quick rundown of my past week.


Sunday spent the day unpacking from Kribi and doing homework. Cora came over to my house to work on our research project together. The first research project is kind of like a practice for our final independent study projects. Cora and I are working together to look at the resources available to teachers and students in Cameroonian public school to aid students who consistently fail classes. I got up at 6 in the morning and went with my mom to the outdoor sports facility where there are workout classes. The instructor stood at the top of a set of stairs and the participants stood below following them. There was probably around a hundred people but people came and went throughout. The class was kinda of like a mix between pilates and Zumba.

Monday was our first day back at the office which meant INTERNET! Although, because everyone was excited to use the internet again, it was really, really slow.

The giant place of pancakes (plain and
banana) we made in French class Thursday

Tuesday we had only French class and a quick debrief of the schedule and protocols for the rest of the week. This week we're continuing our module on development organizations and have visited several of them. I headed home early which was really nice and even got to take a nap. I realized that my host siblings all nap for about 2 hours in the middle of the day. My 45 minutes nap was ridiculed as being too short.

Bringing Marianna's cake out (a surprise for all of us)

Wednesday after French class we headed out to visit ACDIC, an organization fighting for the betterment of agricultural workers conditions. The presentation was really great and the organizations work was very interesting. After a very quick lunch at the office we went to visit MUFFA, a Cameroon-based micro-finance organization for women.

Thursday my French class make banana pancakes with Nutella for everyone else just as the other French classes had the past two days. It was also Marianna's birthday so we made her "M" "2" and "1" shaped pancakes. After everyone had stopped  We had until 1 to relax. After lunch we headed to RELUFFA, an organization that focuses on alleviating hunger in Cameroon but does so by addressing many different issues such as resource depletion, deforestations, subsidized imports, and workers rights. A representative from CED, another organization that works with pygmies, also joined us at RELUFFA.

Happy Birthday Marianna!

 Friday (Today) we had no classes until 10am. This morning we visited the World Bank which was a very different perspective from the Cameroonian organizations that we've been visiting. We've had two lecturers refer to the IMF as the "International Misery Fund" and several of them have talked negatively about the World Bank Groups and IMF's development policies in Cameroon and Africa. This afternoon we also had another dance class which, as usual, lots of fun and hard work.

Elias (and Ariane) at the World Bank.

Waiting for the World Bank lecturer to arrive

Pretending to be serious and professional.

Final Kribi Post

To make things easier (and maybe more interesting) I’m just going to pull out the highlights of my second week in Kribi. 

Hair half-way undone.

Sunday evening my host mom made, and finished, the skirt and top that she had designed for me so I wore the skirt to school on Monday and the shirt on Tuesday. 

Tuesday we started our module on development organizations. We started off by visiting WOPA, an organization to help young women under the age of 25 gain autonomy. WOPA mostly works with young women who, for whatever reason, have been unable to get enough of an education to support themselves. We got to eat lunch and chat with some of the program’s beneficiaries. 

I took my braids half-way out with the help of two of Marie’s friends which allowed me to at least wash the bottom half of my hair. I had the house to myself for the majority of the afternoon on Tuesday which was REALLY nice. 

Undoing my first braids

                                       Wednesday we only had French class. I hung out at the hotel for a little bit but headed home in time to cook lunch for myself. Before I had the chance to take my braids all the way out and wash my hair, Marie asked if she could re-braid it in a different style. The braids she did this time were SO small, it was incredibly impressive (but also hurt a little). 

Second braided hairdo (I could French braid
or put it in a ponytail)

Thursday we drove for 3 and a half hours to visit two FAGAPE (an organization that works with the Bagyeli population). At the first site, we explored a failed project that had been funded by a Canadian organization. The organizations that worked to implement the program hadn’t worked with the Bagyeli or asked them what they needed. 

One our way to the second site, the van broke down. The van which, I might add, had only two windows and was incredibly hot. We also had to fit four people in rows made for three. The seat I sat in had no back rest, and a sharp metal piece poking into my leg. The second site we visited was home to a successful school project. On the way back, the van broke down several times, usually as we were going up a hill. We finally made it back to the Hotel Ni D’Or after 7:30 pm. A car was hired to bring us home in groups. Danny, Elias, and I were last and, about half-way there, the car ran out of gas. After a VERY long day, we made it home. 

Being welcomed with song and dance
at a Bagyeli camp.

Friday was a very short day in terms of school work. I went home and got to hang out with my family and pack. When I gave my host family their gifts my host mom brought a another skirt and shirt that she had made me. On top of the surprise gifts, she wouldn’t let me pay for any of the other things she made me!

Young Bagyeli boy dancing as a welcome. 

Saturday morning I was very sad to leave my Kribi family. I felt very at home with them and loved the time we spent together! At the same time, it was nice to get back to Yaoundé where it isn’t as humid and we get fewer stares on the street. I also feel like I know my neighborhood, Bastos, in Yaoundé. 

One of the things I learned in Kribi is how much my hair is a plays a role in my identity. It sounds kind of shallow saying it. When my hair was up in braids, I felt like a big part of me was changed or                                                                                     missing.

Monica and Cora arrive to the hotel in pouring rain.

Elias's host brother plays in the ocean

The bus leaving my neighborhood Saturday morning.

My Kribi Weekend

Marie and Ange at the Waterfall

Saturday we got up and washed dishes at 6 am as per usual but when we had finished, I went back to bed until 7:45. My host sisters and Danny and two of his brothers headed down to the hotel. Once everyone had arrived we all piled on to a bus and headed to a local waterfall. On the way to the waterfall, we stopped at a fish market to look around and purchase fish for lunch. Christiane bought enough fish from all of us and then gave it to the fisherman’s wives to cook them for us while we were at the waterfall. Although it was a very rainy day, we spent a long time at the base of the waterfall and wandering around the sandy beach between the river and the ocean. It was a lot of fun getting to know everyone else’s host siblings.

After the waterfall, we returned to the fish market to eat our fresh fish and plantain fries. We spent a lazy afternoon at the fish market and then some people headed down to the beach down by the guest house. My host sisters didn’t have their bathing suits and it would 8have been a long walk so we opted to be dropped back off in town. Khalilah, Marianna, Me, my sisters, and Elias’s host siblings went to a soccer tournament put on by on of Cameroon’s major cellphone services. The soccer pitch was a sandy patch along the beach. 

Marie, Ange, and I

We took a very winding back short cut to get home. Once home, we hung out and watched a “The Popstar and the Princess” a Barbie movie to which Marie and Ange knew all the words. We made pasta for dinner and ate in front of the TV. 

Sunday we got up a little later than usual. After bathing and getting dressed we immediately headed to Mass, skipping breakfast. I’m pretty sure this was my first Catholic mass. The service was about two hours long and we were squished into a pew with two other older women who took up more than half the row. I was pretty hot and tired and didn’t try that hard to follow the service. Even if I had been paying attention to the sermon I would have had just as lost when the entire congregation said or did the same thing all in unison. The church had clearly been created by missionaries at some point in time. The paintings on the wall portrayed the most anglo-saxon baby Jesus I’ve seen. As an foreigner I was definately a rare sight at the church but I was glad that I was not called out or specially mentioned as many of the other students have been at church. 

Elias's host brother and Nathan, Christiane's older son.

When we got home, the three of us immediately changed into more casual clothing and watched some more TV while eating leftover pasta. My mom went to mass at 9am. I spent the rest of the morning watching TV, napping, and doing homework. Around 1:30pm I was called away from my homework to help cook dinner, which we all ate together at 2:30. While cooking, we all sat in the kitchen chatting. While the food was cooking, my host sisters asked me to teach them English. They would choose things they saw in the kitchen and ask me how to say them in English. They would then write the word down. It was great because it allowed me to learn new words in French too. This “dinner” was the first time I’d had a whole family meal in Cameroon. I went back to homework after eating.

Marianna

Marie

Playing Frisbee on the Beach at the Base of the Waterfall.

Kribi Week One

My Kribi Bedroom (2 whole beds to myself!)

Monday morning, I was woken up around 6 am. After getting up, I experienced that awkward uncertainty that often comes with spending a first day in a home stay. I got dressed and headed out to find the rest of the family. My host mom showed me how to make omelets. Once we had finished making the eggs, I was sent to the bathroom to bathe. My mom explained that the idea was that, after potentially breaking a sweat making breakfast, I would wash off and then eat. My host sisters, Marie (15) and Ange (11) left for school just before me. My host mom walked me to the Hotel Ni D’Or (“Golden Net“) that acted as our classroom for the next two weeks. Although we walked very slowly, I arrived at school hot and sweaty and remained so for the rest of the day.

Marie and Ange play with my computer.

For lunch, several of us ended up a restaurant not far from the hotel. The food was expensive but good. While there, we came across our first up-close experience with the infamous Kribi prostitute population. One of the other patrons was an old overweight white man accompanied by a young and very beautiful Cameroonian women. She was very clearly a prostitute by the way they interacted and spoke with each other. Prostitution in Kribi is very prominent although there are several kinds. There are prostitutes who are very public about their profession and will solicit customers in public places. There are also young women, very frequently students, who will not admit to being a prostitute but, out of a need of money, will sleep with tourists. 

I walked home with Danny and Elias, and Elias’s host brother, who live very close to me. Although I had a mountain of homework, I absolutely had to take a nap when I got back to the house. Just after 6:30, after some homework and dinner, my host mom brought me to the textile store where I purchased two different fabrics. On the way home, we ran errands and stopped at Papa’s boutique, kind of like a general store, which is right next to the textile store. The streets were incredibly full and lively on the walk to and from the textile store. Food vendors had popped up on the corner by our house. There was also a lot of music along the walk and motorcycles everywhere. In Kribi, “motos” are the main form of transportation. There are no taxis, only motos and most families own a moto rather than a car. Unfortunately, SIT rules prohibit us from ever taking a moto for safety’s sake so when in Kribi, we had to walk absolutely everywhere. 

Out the back of the house: the door and window into the kitchen are just to
my left. The door on the far right is the bathroom. The barrels along the
 wall are all filled with water that is used for cooking, bathing, cleaning, and
just about everything but drinking. The spout on the far wall directs
rain water into the pink tub. During the rainy season this is where all of their
water comes from

As soon as we got home, Mama took my measurements and sketched a general design for my clothes. I gave her pretty free reign in designing them, telling her that she was the professional. Out of the 6yrds worth of fabric I bought, she made me a skirt, a shirt, and a dress. I spent the rest of the night doing homework, taking a break for an hour to watch the same soap opera I watch with Gael and my host mom in Yaoundé. 

Tuesday played out much like Monday had. In the morning, my host mom told me that from now on, I should get up earlier to help my host sisters with the dishes which I was more than willing to agree to. I met Elias and Danny at 7:30 to walk to school. This time, for lunch, most of the group followed Christelle an long way to a Mama who was selling food, kind of like in Yaounde. However, I didn’t make it to the Mama’s  stand because on the way, we passed my family’s boutique so I stopped in to say “hi” and buy some snacks. On the way back to the hotel, I also picked up some apples at a vendor and some peanuts, PEANUT BUTTER, and a small baby swiss cheese. 

Our focus while in Kribi is the Bagyeli, a marginalized minority population, one of many that fall under the broader category of “pygmy.” We had out first class involving the Bagyeli Tuesday afternoon. 

As per my mom’s wish, I invited Danny and Elias in when we got to my house. I showed them around and we hung out for a little bit before being served a small meal. I spent the rest of the evening doing homework and watching my mom’s clients come and go. 

Mama cleans and guts SO much fish!

Wednesday I was woken up at 5:15am to help with the dishes, not what I pictured when my host mom said that I should get up “a little bit” earlier to help out. We also had no power so the cleaning had to be done by flashlight. I’m not sure how helpful I was, but I rinsed and put away the dishes that Marie cleaned. The first morning however, I had no idea where anything went so my work passed very slowly. My host mom must have noticed how tired I was and, once we finished, told me I could go back to bed for a little bit and she’d wake me up at 6:30.

The rainiest day yet, we had French class in the morning and then a second lecture on the Bagyeli. There was so much rain that we elected to walk home the long-way in order to avoid walking on a dirt (a.k.a. mud) road. In the evening I watched music videos with my host sisters. They had several DVDs of American music, especially Miley  Cyrus, and knew almost every word to the songs, even if they had no idea what the words were. I also spent some time chatting with my host mom. During my time there, we covered a wide variety of topics, from segregation in America to mud season in Vermont. 

Instead of heading to the hotel Thursday, we met the rest of the group at a boulangerie/super market to purchase lunch. From there we hopped on a bus for about an hour and a half and drove out to visit a Bagyeli (pygmy) camp. The first camp we visited was next to a massive development construction project. The Cameroonian government has contracted a Chinese company to build a massive deep sea port (this is one of three along the Cameroonian coast). The Bagyeli community originally lived where the port project is and the government moved them, building them small shacks to live in temporarily. When they were moved to their currently location 2 years ago the government promised that they would soon be relocated a full-sized village intended for all populations dislocated by the project. 

Computer photo session with Marie (center) and Ange (right)

When we arrived, they danced as a traditional sign of welcome and we each gave a little bit of money as a customary thank you. While we were there, we got to ask the villagers questions via Mr. Watu, our lecturer on the Bagyeli, translating. They talked about their issues relating to food, water, education, and integration. After a little while, we left and headed to another Bagyeli camp. The second camp had been built by the Bagyeli themselves in 2005 just off the main road to the port. This time, during the welcome dance, we were invited to join in. 

When we got to the hotel after a very hot day, I took a quick nap and then headed to the market with Ariene, Marianna, Morgan and Elise. While there, I bargained for and bought two skirts which definitely made the heat and humidity of Kribi more manageable. We spent a while wandering around. On our way out, Marianna was stopped by a vendor who asked her if I would be down to marry him. Egged on by Marianna, he then asked me if I would marry him. To which I said, “no, sorry.” However, Marianna thought it was hilarious and continued to encourage him. The conversation ended with him giving me his number and Marianna promising that I would call him. I never did call him but Morgan was in the market several days late and he caught up with her asking why I hadn’t called him yet. He gave her his number to give to me again. When I told my host mom about him she demanded to know why I hadn’t called him.  

Friday morning instead of our normal French class, we all went to visit a local chief. On the drive over we had to pick up a “notable” who, according to protocol, had to accompany us to meet the chief. We got to talk to him about is traditional role, how that role fits into modern Cameroon, and Kribi’s history. It was a very interesting conversation. The rest of the day passed uneventfully. 

     In the evening, Khalilah and her host family stopped by to visit. Our host moms are sisters. Her host siblings are all young and have lots of energy. Once they left, Marie sat down to braid my hair (check out these pictures!) My host parents left late in the evening to spend the weekend in their village for a funeral so the Friday and Saturday night was just me and my host sisters.