La Fin!

Sorry this took me so long to update. Although I have technically have left Cameroon now, I figured I should give some final updates/thoughts for any remaining readers out there, haha.

Since my last post I was just working on ISP and took a weekend trip to Mount Cameroon. As for Mount Cameroon, that was quite the experience! I have never climbed a mountain before so I found it incredibly difficult. I guess I really didn't know what to expect! One of my friend's Cameroon guidebooks said anyone who is "moderately" in shape can do it, so we figured - hey no problem. However, this mountain was MASSIVE!!! We took a bus to Buea, which is the city the mountain is located in. We made plans with the Ecotourism office and stayed the night in their guest house and got all of our camping supplies, food, etc. ready. We took off early the next morning for the mountain. That was probably the most difficult day of my entire life... It was over six hours of complete straight up and difficult terrain. Definitely wasn't ready for that, haha. When we finally got to camp for the night, I was so exhausted. The next day was so difficult too. All in all though, I suppose it was a great experience and a ridiculous amount of exercise. It is the highest mountain in West Africa, 3,901 meters (12,798 feet).

Now for ISP. I worked really hard to finish it! I got a draft into my adviser before Mount Cameroon weekend. I met with him and picked it up the Monday morning I got back. That was helpful, so I made my edits and was able to get it printed, copied, and binded to turn it in on Tuesday. I even got a copy made for myself in yellow paper with black binding (taxi colors, haha). I am really proud of how the paper turned out! My presentation was last Wednesday. I think that went well too. My mom and brother came to watch, which I thought was really sweet. My host mom doesn't understand English, but she still basically said she wouldn't miss it for the world, which I thought was cute. It was really interesting hearing everyone else's presentations as well, since we were all off for about a month researching different things.

We had the end of the semester party for our families and people associated with SIT last Friday night. It was at a restaurant but we also had to plan activities - like songs, games, dances, and speeches. I ended up giving a speech in French on behalf of the American students. I basically thanked the families and gave a heart-to-heart about our experiences in Cameroon. I think the families really enjoy the party and the food was really good. We had a limbo competition and even sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I'm not entirely sure how old we are...haha.

The last few days were just full of packing, saying goodbyes, finishing Christmas shopping, and spending time with families and friends. It was really anticlimactic when we were at the airport, I felt like. It was nice to finally be on a plane, as we waited for the moment for so long. It's hard to say how I really felt about the entire experience, because I feel like I need to be home for a bit before I can actually evaluate the experience and reflect back on it. When I try to choose a word for the experience, usually "trying" comes to mind. It was difficult, it wasn't always fun, I made some great friends, I was challenged, I was angry, I was homesick, I became more independent. I guess I was a whirlwind of emotions. Sometimes I was so angry I wanted to scream, but other times I was so touched I could cry. It was a very strange and confusing three and a half months of my life. I did have a wonderful family who loved me and I will always care about, and I also met nine amazing fellow Americans who are the only ones who can totally understand this experience because they also embarked on it. I am worried that I became a bit detached and more cynical at times. Some of this sparks from a feeling of independence, and not being so naive. But there were parts about the culture that I absolutely hated and will never understand. I guess the worst part is that I went into the experience with not a lot of expectations, but I was definitely motivated and willing to want to learn and hopefully make a change. However, I seemed to find that for the most part, people are so willing to accept things for the way they are. They don't seem apt to make things better for themselves - to work towards something brighter and newer. The hardest part is that in Cameroon, corruption is evident on every level of society and in every instance. It seems so hopeless, because it's a mentality that's existent and so constant. People seem to have the attitude, "well what can I do?" And I didn't want to think that they were correct. But maybe they are. And if they are, for the most part, relatively happy, then why work for change? I guess these are the thoughts that plague my mind as I end my experience in Cameroon. I am curious to see how my views will pan out as I return home and give it some time.

Right now I am in England visiting my friend Gemma. I will say I was happy to take a hot shower and eat some nice and different foods. I've been doing some shopping and trying to adjust to the cold and snowy weather conditions. It was weird being in a Westernized country, and almost having to figure out how things work again. It is difficult to because it's also not identical to the US culture, although it's similar in many ways. I think I am really tired, and just am trying to enjoy the time and spend it with my friend. I will say I am glad to be going back to the US in just a few days for Christmas. I can't wait to see my parents and brother.

So I believe this is the end of my Cameroon blog. I hope it is true what they say - "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Au revoir,
Brittany

Cameroonian Thanksgiving!

So after stressing a lot about Thanksgiving plans, including sending numerous emails and making phone calls to the Embassy, asking our US families for help, attempting adventures to scope of the Americans in Cameroon, and trying to get a hold of the Peace Corps...we finally decided to just man up and make a Thanksgiving feast for the six of us students who were in Yaounde. We were able to use the kitchen at the school office, which was great. Shopping for dinner was so funny. We went to the market first for all of the fruits and vegetables, and even bargained them down. Then we went to the new grocery store for the first of our supplies. We ended up making a delicious salad, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, and a homemade stuffing. We bought three rotisserie chickens and made gravy for the side. We also cut up fresh pineapple and papaya, as well as cheese and crackers. We had two types of wine and iced tea and water. We also had cake, a tart, and two types of ice cream. We set a table with a piece of left over pretty fabric someone had from making a dress, and with two candle holders we got at the artisan. We displayed the food really nicely, and it really looked like a Thanksgiving! It was crazy to think we pulled it off in Cameroon, where there happened to be no running water in the office, and a broken stove. Two girls really spear-headed the cooking process, which was great, and it was nice that everyone pitched in and helped. The staff member that was watching us for the night at the office attended our dinner, and we explained to him all about Thanksgiving and its meaning. We prayed and also said what we were thankful for. We even wrote our thanks on the table cloth, as that is a tradition one girl said she does every year with her family. It was difficult being away from home on the holiday, but this experience was really different and peaceful. Plus we got to eat outside for Thanksgiving, which was definitely a novel idea!

Other than that, I've just been working on my ISP. I think I'm more or less done with my surveys, interviews, and outside research. Now I'm finishing up transcribing my interviews (they take so long because the majority are well over an hour in French!) I also started the initial writing of my paper, and I need to have a good draft done for Tuesday to give my adviser to read/edit. I want to pick it up on Thursday before I head off to Mount Cameroon and Limbe for the weekend! I'm really excited to go with my friends and get away for our last weekend of ISP. I haven't traveled much here, except to the places with the program, and I think it will be a fun and rewarding adventure. Limbe is supposed to be gorgeous, with black sand beaches! It'll be funny getting a tan in December. I also can't wait to climb Mount Cameroon! I believe it's the tallest mountain in Western Africa. I'll definitely take lots of pictures.

After I turn in my paper on the 7th, I'll present on the 8th, have a couple of closing seminars, a language proficiency exam, and then the end of the semester party with the staff and our host families. I actually got volunteered to give a speech, in French, at the party about our experience in Cameroon this semester. I want to write a tearjerker! I can't believe I only have two and a half weeks left. The time has really started to fly. I'm going to make the most of every last day, because I'll be off to England and then home before I know it!

ISP Period

I have been crazy busy lately!!! ISP has commenced...It's weird being in Yaounde without all of the rest of the group. Actually, my few really good friends decided to stay in Yaounde as well. However, the other students are off in various places completing their research. I'm glad that I am in Yaounde, though, because all of the information I need is here. Yaounde is the capital of Cameroon, one of the biggest cities, and the central government is located here.

I'm researching taxi accidents and unsafe driving in Cameroon - but really doing a case study of Yaounde, I suppose. I never realized I had such an interest in safe driving and the causes of accidents before! I think just after being here for a couple of months and taking taxis daily, I'm so disturbed by the state of the drivers and the mentality around driving here. Seat belts and car seats are virtually nonexistent, and often taxi drivers squeeze in more than four passengers into their small cars. It kills me to see two or three people in the front seat, or babies and small children on their mother's laps. Imagine if the car got into an accident? I realize that this was often the case many years ago, but now there is knowledge of vehicle safety and people should not be as negligent. Anyways, I've been exploring the city - going around and introducing myself and meeting people who can help me. I've done some informal interviews, and have just begun the formal interview process. It's really motivating/surprising how much my French has improved! I never thought I'd see the day where I could carry on an hour interview in French.... It's not perfect, and I don't understand everything, but I record it on my recorder and transcribe it later. This is not to say that when there's an Anglophone in the crowd who's willing to talk to me that I'm not elated, haha.

I'm trying to plan what to do for Thanksgiving! We never anticipated that it would be so difficult to attend Thanksgiving at the US Embassy in Cameroon. I know in other countries the embassy is very willing and pleased to host Americans on American holidays. However, here they have not been receptive (not returning phone calls or emails) so we have yet to get an invitation. We've been exploring other options, like possibly going on adventures to different parts of the city to find the random Americans that exist, haha. I know there are some groups of Americans doing various things, so we may just go introduce ourselves and see what they're up to, haha. I just feel like if there's an option to be with other Americans during Thanksgiving we should. Plus there will be only be five of us, including me, in Yaounde during Thanksgiving. We are also thinking of going to Limbe for Thanksgiving day weekend. Limbe is similar to Kribi, as it is touristy and full of beaches, but the sand is black!! I guess there are a few nice hotels and fun things to do. There are some other neat places to visit, though, so we're unsure which trip we want to plan. We definitely want to do something because that's the last weekend of ISP and it will be a fun last excursion before we do hardcore writing for the last week. I can't believe the paper is 30-40 pages, plus appendices...

As a side note, the making dinner for my family was a huge hit! It was so delicious, and they loved it. I couldn't believe how much ketchup my mother used, haha. The ice cream was so good too. :) It actually had its benefits for me too, haha, as my mother bought hamburger meat the next week and fried it with onions and spices and it was so good!! One night she even cut up potatoes and fried them so they tasted like delicious, greasy, large french fries. Woo!

As another side note, I had a really fun sleepover with three of my friends last week. I felt like a little girl again, as we went out to dinner and thought we were so cool staying up until like 10 PM (we are really lame and always tired here...) But there is a set of bunk beds plus my own bed in my room, so it worked out. The restaurant we discovered was so delicious! It's in a ritzy part of town I suppose, at the top of my street, and had amazing Italian options and even a dessert menu. It was interesting to see that virtually everyone eating there was white and foreign. We rarely ever see white foreigners, and it's because we actually live in the culture and are essentially "Cameroonian." We walk around, buy food off the street, take the unsafe taxis, go to the market, etc. Most foreigners here only take their private cars and go to nice restaurants and stay at the Hilton. It was fun for a treat to eat at a nice place though, and my mouth watered at the taste of pizza!

I bought an internet key so if you are interested in Skyping, it's much more feasible now. :) A special shout out goes to my summer Onset loves, who graced me with their faces yesterday.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Wish me luck on my project. <3

Beach Life!

Long time, no post! Sorry about that, but I was in Kribi for about a week and a half and there was no reliable internet there. We went to a cyber café, but it was so slow and it wouldn’t even support Outlook so I couldn’t check my email. That was frustrating with course selection, among other things. But all’s well that ends well, since I’m back in Yaoundé as of Sunday afternoon (with the most amazingly fast cyber café!) I’m staying in Yaoundé until I leave on December 14^th to go to England and then back home to the States. J I’m actually thinking of buying an internet key from one of the cell phone service providers here. There’s a promotion going on that when you pay for the key, you get unlimited internet access from anywhere you’re situated for a month. I think that would be perfect for the month of Independent Study Project (ISP). I’ll be able to do work and have online access from virtually anywhere, since we tried to negotiate a deal with the woman who works at the cyber café, but she was unhelpful, haha.

Anyways, I guess I’ll give some highlights of Kribi! I absolutely loved it there. It was like being on vacation, since it’s full of beaches. I guess it’s one of the touristiest places in Cameroon, although I actually didn’t outright see that many tourists. My home stay was great. I had a mom and three little sisters. Well, the mom was technically the grandmother of the two youngest girls and the oldest girl was a cousin. The mother of the two little girls also lived in the house, but she worked most of the time so I didn’t see her much. Interestingly enough, the family was Bamilike. It’s funny that I had a Bamilike family in Kribi because my family in Dschang was not, and that’s where the predominant Bamilike population resides. When I first arrived at the house I was kind of overwhelmed because I met my mom for all of two seconds but she had to run out the door for a reunion or something. So she just said, okay, have fun with the kids! Well, it would have been one thing if it was just my three sisters, but there were approximately 12 kids hanging in/around the house. The houses are pretty close together and there are a lot of neighborhood children. I was definitely intimidated, but they were interesting to watch. Anyways, after a couple of days all of the children loved me and it was a happy ending. My own little sisters were precious. The youngest one was especially attached to me, and she would often want to do my hair and teach me hand games, haha. They also had a fascination with my cell phone games, lol. I gave the girls lots of toys and gifts; they really lucked out because I had not had children at the last two home stays and I wanted to get rid of my gifts. The oldest girl wanted to braid my hair, but ended up realizing that my hair does not have the African texture she’s used to, haha. I gave her a purse I had brought along as a gift, and she absolutely loved it. I sometimes brought home bubble gum or lolli pops for my sisters and the neighborhood kids and they were all really appreciative. It was definitely a different experience having children in the house, but I wouldn’t trade it because it seemed more traditional and an example of a common family structure here. I also had a nice room and my own bathroom attached to it, so I can’t complain about the accommodations! When I left to get on the bus back to Yaoundé, my youngest sister was crying. I felt so bad! L

The curriculum themes in Kribi were prostitution, fishing, and tourism. I know, wicked random. But we definitely did some interesting things. The first Saturday we went to two pygmy villages. I thought they would be living in the forest, but I guess it’s the rainy season so they set up small, rural-like villages. They speak a native tongue, so the professor translated their words into French for us. We got to ask questions and learn about their culture/way of life. They also performed traditional dances/songs and we offered them some money and the school brought gifts. It was really neat to meet them, but I also felt kind of strange viewing humans as a tourist attraction. A lot of their land has been sacrificed and they are considered a minority that has been historically taken advantage of by the government and growing sense of modernity. It’s difficult to find a balance between tradition and progressive thoughts, but it’s certainly a topic of great interest to me as a Philosophy major.

We also visited a fishing marina one day. We learned all about the importance of fishing to society there, and its great connection to tourism. We got to tour the marina and saw all the different types of sea food available for sale. Believe it or not, Kribi also made me a believer of fish! I hated most sea food before I tried it in Kribi! Well, I think I really just dislike the smell of sea food. However, in Kribi it’s the freshest fish you’ll ever experience, and there’s virtually no odor. One day, my friend Katie and I went to lunch with her host mother at this outdoor place that she owns. They brought us this MASSIVE fish and we shared it, eating with our hands. I have never tasted something so glorious in my life. We also had the best fried plantains and French fries ever. God, I am going to miss Kribi fish!

A not so good aspect we unfortunately experienced was theft. The first afternoon the bus dropped us off at our new home stays. However, no one was home at my house yet, which was the same for another student. So we had to stay with our friend Olivia and her host mom because the mom was the home stay coordinator in Kribi. We had lunch and then decided to go swimming for the first time at the public beach. We stopped at Olivia’s new home so she could get changed into her swim suit. There’s a small boutique in front of her house where a lot of random people sit and you can buy snacks and phone credit. There was one young woman there who started talking to us as we were about to enter Olivia’s house. We all found her kind of annoying and loud, but she told she could accompany us to the beach and whatnot. We essentially told her no thanks, but she pointed out where the beach was. She started walking with us and pointed out her home and car, and told us she was police. We just found her really annoying, and she left us before we arrived at the beach. So we got to the beach and left our stuff in a pile in plain view and went into the water. A few minutes later, we saw our friend Katie heading to the beach walking with the woman we had met (whose name is Michelle, by the way). We were all like, ugh, her again, but we didn’t care too much. Michelle and our friend Katie came into the water with us and we all swam for a while. After a little bit, we saw Michelle get out of the water and walk to our stuff. She looked like she was picking up our clothes and shoes and moving them to higher ground so they wouldn’t get wet by the tide. However, Olivia and I explicitly saw Michelle open her blue, small wallet and take something out and put it into her swim suit. We ran as fast as we could out of the water and Olivia checked her wallet. She was missing two 10,000 CFA bills (which is about $40.00 American). However, the rest of the money was there. We confronted her about it, but she pretended to not know what we were talking about and acted really confused and hurt that we would accuse her of stealing. This process went on for a let’s just say, A LONG TIME. She then offered, because she’s police and all, if Olivia was missing money we could go to her house with her and she’ll give it to us, no problem. We thought it was weird, but finally agreed. We tried to get her to walk with us, but she would stop and talk to people, take phone calls, and sit and sulk. It was one of the strangest experiences that I’ve ever had. Eventually, Olivia and I left to go towards Olivia’s house because we had called one of our staff members. We saw the staff, who was on a moto taxi, and told her where Michelle was waiting with Katie and our other friend, Ben. Unfortunately, Michelle had taken off on a moto and said to our friends, what are you going to do about it? And evilly laughed…weird. However, Ben was smart because she took her phone and called his phone from it so he had her real number. Of course when the staff member tried to call her, she didn’t pick up. However, she actually called her back and made it clear that she was “dangerous.” We weren’t frightened, just kind of in awe at how surreal the situation was. Olivia had to go to the police several times, but it was good that we had her real phone number because all phones are registered in Cameroon so they could trace her. She actually did live in the house she pointed out, which was basically Olivia’s neighbor. Everyone in town knows her, and her mother is the mayor. She was an idiot! I went to the police one time and wrote a note as a witness. In the end, the police called Michelle in and then her mom had to come and just paid because it was an embarrassment to the family. It was the weirdest experience ever, but at least she got the money back.

That would have been a happy ending to the story, but unfortunately on the last night before we left Olivia was walking with her host brother to town. One the way, a moto taxi came up behind her without its lights on. The guy on the back grabbed her shoulder bag and they struggled for a minute, and then the bag ripped. It had her iPod, digital camera, her ID, and some money in it. I personally couldn’t believe they tried it even though her brother was there, but I guess you never know what’s going to happen, especially at night. It’s just a really awful situation, because even though she reported it there’s little to no chance the police could catch the thieves and she will get her stuff back.

One other neat thing we did in Kribi was go a meal prepared by a pastor’s family. One of the student’s, Helen, lived with a pastor’s family. Her father’s other pastor friend invited her and the other students to a dinner on the Friday night before we left. The family was really jolly and welcoming. They made this wonderful chicken, vegetable, and plantain dinner for us. They even bought us sodas and drinks, which was really sweet. It was funny, because we started taking all these pictures with the huge groups of family and friends, and we there for about four hours. People in Cameroon are generally very friendly, and they love entertaining groups, which is fine by us! That night, I also took my first moto taxi ride. It was pretty terrifying, but also wicked fun!

I can’t believe that it’s November and I have a TAN. How weird is that? Kribi was SO hot. It must have been 90+ most days. The walk to school was just under an hour, and we did a lot of other walking. It was good for exercise, but it was difficult to walk with the beating sun and humidity. I went to the beach a lot, and the water was so warm! It was beautiful; I almost felt like I was on vacation with a few twists. Now that I’m back in Yaoundé, it’s still more or less summer weather, but at least it’s a little more manageable.

As of now, courses are finished. We are now concentrating on ISP! I am really excited for my topic, and have already started visiting places and securing informants and information. I have found that although sometimes the information is not readily available, people are generally willing to go out of their way to help us. It’s a totally different experience doing research here than in the US, but I think it will be a great learning opportunity.

By the way, Ali and I made dinner for her family yesterday! We made an all-American meal – cheeseburgers, French fries, and soda floats. It was definitely a hit and oh so filling. We’re actually repeating the process tonight for my family, so I hope that they like it just as much!

<3 Brittany

Nigerian Royalty

So I'll start off this post with the random note that a few of my friends and I met the Nigerian Ambassador's son. We were sitting in this amazingly fast internet cafe close to the office, and this guy next to me on his laptop kept mumbling stuff under his breath. It was really weird, but I noticed it was English - which was sadly comforting. He ended up initiating conversation with us (in English!!!) and we told him we were Americans. Come to find out he's the Nigerian Ambassador's oldest son who just got back a few weeks ago from traveling and such. He has lived in New York as well as different places in Europe, and he went to university in Cyprus. It's just funny because my house in Yaounde is on the road of the residence of the Embassy. I walk by it every morning and evening and just gape at how big it is. It really looks like a palace! We ended up seeing him at the internet cafe the next day and he invited us over to see the residence on Friday. It was SO amazing inside. We had these delicious sweet croissants, champagne, juice, spring rolls, and CAKE. I was fantasizing about cake lately so that was an added bonus. I guess the cake was left over from Nigeria's recent 50th country anniversary, haha.

It was funny telling my brother I met him and went in the house because he was so impressed. It's weird to think he's lived on the same road as the residence for years and never been inside or met anyone from there, and I just casually made friends with the son after a few weeks in Yaounde. I guess you never know what's going to happen?

Other than that random bit of exciting news, not much else is especially interesting in my life. I've thoroughly enjoyed being back in Yaounde these last two weeks after muddy Dschang! It's nice to go home to a small family that really cares about me and takes care of me. My mom started buying avocado and sometimes ham to eat with breakfast bread. I never used to eat avacodos, but they're really delicious here. I like spreading it on my baguettes.

I've had a lot of assignments lately, so things have been pretty stressful. I am also getting nervous for ISP time that is quickly approaching. I'm definitely doing motor vehicle accidents and driving in Cameroon as my topic. I need to talk to my director and the staff for ideas of places to visit and contacts to make. I think I'll use the driving schools, government officials, taxi cab companies, car dealerships, and the like. I just need to pinpoint my topic more and do some research. It's difficult when I don't always have internet though! I realized how easy life is at home and at Stonehill in the States. I can just turn on my computer and be connected to the internet within two seconds. Here, everything is a process and often unreliable. It definitely makes me appreciate doings things "the old fashioned way." Sometimes it's just less stressful to write out your homework or essays and spend time really communicating and talking things over with others.

We leave for Kribi on Wednesday morning. It's another city that apparently is more touristy and has a lot of beaches and fresh seafood. I don't really like seafood but I figure if I'm going to like it, it'll be in Kribi where it's apparently so fresh and amazing. We live with another home stay family and I really hope I have children in the house this time! My first two home stays are childless, which is rare. I just want a new perspective and I also have so many kid home stay gifts I need to pawn off, haha.

Last weekend we went to the big Hilton hotel on Friday night for 2-for-1 cocktails during Happy Hour. The view was so amazing on the top floor, and looking out at the city of Yaounde made me realize how beautiful it is. The pool there is also so nice, so I think one hot day we'll go over and pay to swim. Some people paid to swim in the pool in a different hotel which sounded amazing. Also, the bathroom in the Hilton was amazing. I like gasped when I saw toilet paper and soap to wash my hands. When I saw a hand dryer I don't even know what my reaction was! It is such a novel piece of equipment.

Last Saturday we went to Concordia (the restaurant with wireless) in the morning to do some homework. Then we went to our Cameroonian classmate, Ornella, dance competition. Watching all the different groups was so amazing. I have never seen such raw dance talent! It's like we were watching a movie or an extreme talent show, haha. Then we went with SIT to a night club. It was okay but there were a lot of older people and the music wasn't interesting. However, we go to sleep over in the office which was a nice perk.

I can't think of much else that's interesting, but I'll update soon!

A few pictures...

Just a few pictures to hold you over for a while :)

My mosquito net all set up (what a task the first time)

Me at an art school field trip

One of the gorillas at the gorilla sanctuary

At the University of Yaounde with some Cameroonian students

Classic African woman

My friend and I chilling in our nets in a hotel

My bathroom in Dschang

My hill in Dschang (doesn't do it justice!)

More of the hill...

My friend and I at the Chefferie

Another friend and I at the Chefferie

Sorry this took so long!

So I am officially back from my first two voyages as of last Sunday night. We went to two different cities in Cameroon - Dschang and Bamenda. I had a good trip overall, but it's definitely nice to be back in Yaoundé because my home stay is more comfortable and I like the climate here better. Sorry it took me so long to post again, but things have been pretty crazy lately. The curriculum is really taken off and I’ve had a lot of assignments among other things to do.
I guess I will start with a short trip recap with some interesting tidbits…
First of all, I will just say that Dschang was not my favorite city. I was in a family with two parents who were both very nice. We didn’t have running water and the bathroom was less than ideal. We basically had a hole in the floor where you go to the bathroom. About two feet away from hole is where you wash in buckets. I’m sure I don’t need to describe the smell… My room was alright except I quickly discovered that there were mice in the house. I found many droppings on my things and on the floor. I tried to keep food out of my room but when I came home I found droppings on the bed and even inside my mosquito net. I have no idea how they got in there! If you know me well enough, you’ll know that the summer before last at camp I lived with mice and we did not get along so well. The last few nights I slept with the light on and listened to my iPod in hopes that would deter the mice. When I heard them I basically filled with tears. I really detest mice!
Now more about my parents. Well, my mom did not talk much. She is Anglophone but also speaks French. In the morning, I always had an omelet and bread waiting for me to eat for breakfast. That part was most excellent! I have even become accustomed to eating omelets “natural” which means with some vegetables but no cheese. I love making omelet sandwiches. Otherwise, my mom was nice but just did not speak very much, which I found kind of strange. My dad, on the other hand, was very verbal and interesting. He talked a lot and seemed to really care about helping me to communicate in French and talking to me about Cameroonian culture. My mom was not there for the first two nights when I first arrived because she was away for a funeral or something, so it was just me and my dad. He actually cooked dinner the first two nights which is untypical in Cameroonian culture. He is a fisherman and very proud of it, so we had fish a lot. I don't really like fish but I learned to eat it because there were not a lot of options and it's very popular in Cameroon. He also worked at the University of Dschang as something like a data entry person, I think. He was really cool and I am definitely missing him.
Every morning I would walk to school (which took about 35 minutes) to the University of Dschang. Luckily two of my friends lived kind of close to me so we walked together. However, the walk was treacherous!!! We had to walk up two or three MASSIVE hills composed of mud, rocks, holes, people, and trash. It was so difficult. I quickly learned that I did not have the correct footwear for such an endeavor. Every day I would arrive at school completely covered in mud and dirt. To make it worse, it rained two or three times every day in Dschang. When I say it rained I mean it POURED AND STORMED. Imagine trying to make it up or down a massive mud hill after or during a rain storm. It's not pretty. Even now my toe nails seem to be stained with the remnants of mud. The dirt has a reddish tint and it's not too attractive! My friend even fell on more than one occasion. I just don’t understand how Cameroonians found it such a simple task! I tried to take some pictures of the hills/walk, but they definitely did not capture the situation in full...
One day after school my friend and I stopped at a spot on the street where some guys were selling shoes. My friend wanted to buy sneakers because we were going to a cave and a waterfall the next morning and she only had sandals. We kept reiterating that we needed the cheapest pair of sneakers and he kept showing us the ugliest sneakers. There was even a pair made by Good Year Tires and he made the point that they were American. Indeed. Then he hounded my friend for her phone number and since we were in a hurry I whipped out a fake number and said my phone was at home. Then we left and I thought that was the end of it. Imagine my surprise when I actually saw the kid on campus the week after and I think he figured out I gave him an imaginary phone number. Oh well, haha.
The University, on the other hand, was very nice. I was surprised to see that it was relatively clean and full of interesting people. I definitely didn't like the University of Yaoundé when we visited one time, but Dschang was very nice. School hadn't officially started but we had a nice classroom. There wasn't internet access, but we learned to utilize internet cafes which are very popular in Cameroon. They are really cheap and it's kind of neat to use computers near other people because you end up having some interesting conversations with random people, haha. We also did some interviews and surveys while we were in Dschang for a couple of different projects that are due soon. I was really nervous about conducting interviews in French but it's getting better now and I am definitely improving. :)
I ate a lot of spaghetti omelets during my stay in Dschang. It seems so random but they are SO good. We went to this place for most of our lunches where they made spaghetti omelets with some vegetables and bread for the equivalent of like, 75 cents. It was so amazing. I also ate a lot of bananas and oranges from the street. In addition, I ate way too many cookies and chocolate bars from the street. I need to cut down on the random sweets. In Yaoundé, though, I eat less junk from the street vendors so that's good. I still miss cheese but right now I think I am missing the idea of cheese because I haven't had it in so long and kind of forget the exact flavor of the amazing taste, haha.
A story I will share from Dschang is when I went to a Protestant church with my dad one Sunday morning. We walked to church and when we got there we went into this random side room with math problems on the chalk board. Since he worked at the university I figured it was a group of professors or something. I waited and then he walked me into the church and sat me at a pew on the side where there were not many people. Then he told me to wait and left me alone there and I was so confused. Church started and there was so much clapping and dancing and singing! It was so cool and different, but I was really disconcerted because my dad was not there, haha. All of the sudden, I heard people coming in singing. Then I spotted my dad at the front of the line of singers conducting them. I was like, wow you forget to mention that, haha. So mass continued in and I started to space out a little until I heard a lady speaking in French something about a visitor from the US. I was like um, oh no, maybe there is something else here. Then she announced my name and I looked to my dad at the end of the pew and I stood up. I was so embarrassed so I just gave a wave and then sank back into my seat. It was an extremely strange and funny experience, haha.
I really liked Bamenda, though! It was English speaking. They don’t speak “regular” English, though; they speak pigeon English. It’s so random. Here’s an example:
Person A: Mornin’
Person B: Mornin’ Wut side you kommit?
Person A: I kommit America
Haha, it’s definitely different. We met with the SCNC which is a political group very angry with how the Anglophones in Cameroon have been treated and considered after the country’s independence. They want to leave the country and form their own. The representative was so full of angst; it was a little disconcerting. We also met with John Fru Ndi which is the opposition party to the President. President Biya is very unpopular in Cameroon and serves as more like a dictator. The elections are very corrupt and the government is not successful for serving the people of the country well. The opposition party was interesting to hear from. I guess Cameroon has been called the most corrupt country of the world in 2008. Interesting. Fru Ndi’s house was amazing. We basically had a feast for lunch! We also went to the market in Bamenda and I was surprised to see how organized it was compared to the others I have been to. There was an inside part where you can walk in and there are essentially aisles with organization. It was beautiful. We also found this artisan shop with all these hand crafted and unique items. I got some cool presents J We went to the same restaurant two nights for dinner. It was delicious. I had French fries and KETCHUP one night! Can you believe it? I also had the most creamy spaghetti and tomato sauce. I also ate carrots and green beans (believe it mom) and they were extremely delicious. I can’t believe I’m saying that I miss vegetables… One funny story from Bamenda was before we went in to the restaurant I was with a few friends standing outside and this little boy with a scale came over to us and asked us for money or to buy the scale. I was all like, why I would want to buy a used scale? Then my friend was like, can I just pay you a little bit to weigh myself? So they went to the side of building and she checked her weight, haha.

This past week at school has been relatively normal. I can’t believe I have been here for over five weeks now! It’s crazy. Last night at student’s night we watched Sex and the City. I had never seen the television show or the movie, believe it or not. However, just watching that movie made me miss the US so much! It was a nice break. We also went on a scavenger hunt for pizza. There was a restaurant that sold it but the pizzas were so small and expensive. Oh well, it didn’t stop us! It was nice to have a treat. J Other than that, I picked up my clothes from the dress maker and was very happy with the results. I got two different dress styles and also a tunic and fun pants made with the extra material. While I was at the market yesterday I also picked up another dress for the equivalent of like $5. They are just so comfortable and I know I’ll wear most of them in the US too. This past week and next week we are doing a unit on NGO’s so we travel around to various agencies and do meetings and network. It’s really neat.

Also, I have battled a lot with my ISP topic lately. For those of you who are not aware, ISP stands for Independent Study Project. The ISP is an integral piece of the SIT study abroad experience. Essentially, all students choose a topic to research for about a month. You also choose a place to live and a family to stay with. You have an advisor and network and do a lot of interviews and field work. It’s really intense! After a lot of thinking, I believe I have found an interesting topic. I want to explore motor vehicle accidents and form a policy on the topic. This is a hot topic right now at every level in Cameroon, as there are so many deaths. Taxis and cars cram tons of people in cars and seat belts and helmets are very rarely used or required. Even reading Cameroonian newspapers and watching the news, government officials are perplexed by the topic. Since I am a political science major I think it would be interesting to look at this from a policy perspective and potentially after researching and discussing thoroughly I may be able to craft a policy on the topic. Thoughts? J

I’m sure I’ll think of things I forgot.

Love,

Brittany