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.