Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Car talks and Cow Stomach

Last week I had to make a trip to the provincial capital in the west with a couple other volunteers to fix some banking issues we had. Our training director, David who is an awesome Cameroonian, took us in a Peace Corps vehicle. He has been very helpful and accommodating and even plays soccer with us every Thursday. Anyways, to get to the point, we were conversing in the car and somehow we came up on the topic of our host families and what they get in return for allowing us to stay there. Most of us assuming that Peace Corps pays them plenty, without saying any type of amount David informed us that they receive just a little. Not even enough for all our food and utilities (water, electricity) that we use! Then he mentioned that some of the families do not even accept the payment. They just want to do it because they want to help. He explained, “Africans do not have money, but they always have space for foreigners. And food to go around." Just made me think. And it think it made more of an impact when were driving by poor neighborhoods and slums.

And speaking of food, I ate cow stomach the other night by accident. It was kinda dark when my sister gave me my plate of food but I could tell it was meat and boiled plantains in some sauce. So I asked her if the meat was beef and she said yes. So I took a bite and it didn't taste like any beef I've ever tasted before. Very rubbery and not much flavor. So I asked her again what type of meat and she explained that it was the stomach of the cow. She must have saw my face because she laughed and asked me if I didn't like it. I managed to swallow the piece of meat but she happily proceeded to eat the rest of the meat off of my plate. I lost my appetite. Needless to say, I am very excited to start cooking for myself.

Monday, July 13, 2009

It’s only a bus, train and moto ride away…but remember your helmet.

By looking at the map, it is quite a bit a ways away from the center region. In fact it takes about 2 ½ days of continuous travel time to get there from where I am at right now. And traveling in Cameroon is an experience in itself that I would like to share with you all.

First I take a five hour bus ride to Yaoundé, the capital, to catch an overnight train. Imagine the first time riding on a train was in Africa! The train has different cars for different ticket prices. Since I was traveling with three other trainees who are posted in the north we got a ‘couchette’ which is a very small room with four beds and a window. It can get really shaky but for the majority of the time it is pleasant to lay down, watch the scenery fly by and feel the breeze. The train can take anywhere from 14 to 24 hours depending on what type of problems it runs in to, including derailment. It seems as though the train derailing is a common occurrence and nothing to worry about, but I have hard time wrapping my head around that idea.

Then there is another eight-hour bus trip to my post. The easiest way to describe the buses is they are like large vans with rows of benches across and no seat belts. What would normally fit five people comfortably across, Cameroon squeezes in at least eight. If you are not touching the person next to you then the driver can fit in more passengers. I’ve actually become used to it pretty quickly and it makes me feels safer when the driver is hurtling down bumpy dirt roads. I feel like I have less of chance of popping out if there was an accident.

And motos are used around the village. They are cheaper and can get to more places than a car could fit. Peace Corps requires us to wear helmets so we have to lug around a clunky helmet when we travel. And we are the only people who wear them; I’m not even sure if Cameroonians understand why. A little bit scary at first, but then motos turn out to be fun once you get used to them.

I will always have lots more traveling stories to tell but that is all for now. The most important part of traveling here is to not pay attention to the actual driving. It will just make you sick and scared for the whole trip.

A little place that I will call home for the next two years

I went on my site visit last week! I am not supposed to tell you of my exact whereabouts on here but I can say it is in the Extreme North Province of Cameroon. This is where I secretly wanted to go so I am really excited to get a post there! So I will tell you a little bit about it from what I know so far.

The village is small and located next to a couple of huge mountains; a view that I will enjoy waking up to every morning. The mountains even have hiking trails that I will have to check out! The high school has about 1,000 students and eight male teachers. I will be the only female and only English teacher in the school – a bit intimidating. The students come from my village and the surrounding villages. I don’t have a house yet but most likely I will have electricity (sporadically) but no running water. Yay for bucket baths and paying children to bring me water from mysterious sources!(No worries, that is totally normal) And the closest internet is about 1 ½ hours away so my updates will be less frequent.

From what I’ve heard from other volunteers, the extreme north is extremely different from what I’ve been experiencing right now. For one thing, it is about ten times hotter. In the hot season, temps reach 115 degrees in the shade. It has a huge Muslim population, so it is more conservative in dress and mannerisms. The area is also more laid back and chill. In the words of another volunteer, “its just too damn hot to get angry.”

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Omelet, Spaghetti, Tomato, Onion and Pimont Sandwiches. Yummmm.

So this entry will be about the food. Why, you ask? Because I love food and I know you would like to read about the food I eat in Cameroon.

So I stay at host family, who feeds me breakfast and dinner. For lunch, I and the other volunteers are on our own but there are a couple shops/homes nearby.
For breakfast, I usually have hot chocolate and baguette bread with butter and a chocolate spread on top (think nutella). They don’t have milk here so the hot chocolate is made with condensed milk powder, chocolate powder, sugar and hot water. Tastes just like Swiss Miss. If only I could find some marshmallows.

For lunch, I usually have one of three options. Either a sandwich made up of an omelet with spaghetti, tomato, onion and pimont (a spicy spread) mixed in. Sounds a bit weird but I actually start craving them already. Or I cut up an avocado with my swiss army knife and make an avocado and Laughing Cow cheese sandwich. Or I buy a bowl full of Cameroonian food from a local mother who cooks up huge pots of delish food. She usually makes a mashed potato/black bean mixture, spaghetti mixture, some type of vegetable mixture that looks like sauerkraut but tastes a million times better and fried plantains.

For dinner, it varies. I’ve had a rice mixture with cut green beans and carrots. Or small potatoes with fish and peppers. Or fried plantains. Or boiled plaintains with a cooked bean mixture. Or rice with a peanut sauce and fish on top. It doesn’t sound too unusual but the spices they use are different but common to every dish so everything has a Cameroonian taste to it. Oh! Just the other night I had fried potatoes which tasted exactly like some hot french fries! They were unbelievable amazing! And I think the more I eat, the more my host mother likes me. It’s a good trade-off.