I have been in Ngaoundere for over a month now and I am enjoying it very much. I live close enough to school that I can walk and far enough that my students do not know where I live. I am sure that some of them know that I live close by while others believe that I live in town and commute to work every day. Even though everything is seems great, it is not. I am a fan of routine and that is not at the university. Classes are often canceled or start remarkably late and this throws me off guard. I am so used to having my schedule and sticking to it. I guess flexibility is key here. I guess, I’ll have to suck it up because 9 months is a long time to complain about things not starting on time or happening at all.
This week I worked very hard. I had classes everyday and even translated documents for the head of research and geography department. I even started Fulfide lessons with Rose’s nephew. Learning Fulfide is one of my priorities. People ask, what is the point of learning a national language when the official languages are English and French? My previous experience in an African country taught me that learning the local language closes the gap between you and the local community and that is what I seek to do here. In Cameroon, there are more than 250 languages so of course I cannot learn them all but Fulfide is the main one here in Ngaoundere so that’s a start. I have set a goal for myself to learn 10 languages in my life time. I already know 5, so I am half way there.
The weekend was filled with adventure. On Friday, I had no electricity. This is not a first but it is the first time it has happened in my apartment. There was a technical glitch and we were left in the dark. So I cooked in the dark and ate in the dark. You should try it to “see” how it feels. On Saturday, I went to Dr. Wirba’s house to visit his family. I did not go last week so I knew they were expecting me. I took a taxi to Manwi, his village. This was the first time I ventured to Manwi all by myself. I thought I knew where I was going until; I realized I had given the taxi-man the wrong directions. Luckily, I realized that the house was just a block away and I made it in one piece. They were actually surprised to see me but it was all good. I played with the kids, talked to their mom and just relaxed. I got the inside scoop on certain issues and just enjoyed their company.
The Wirba’s are actually building a new house on their compound. The new house shows a contrast between modern houses and traditional houses in Cameroon. Madame Wirba gave me a tour of the new house, which is beautiful. After the tour was done, we began to walk towards the exit when we realized that one of the rooms was closed. That was weird because all the doors were open and the keys were sticking out of each key hole when we entered. Madame Wirba’s two-year-old son had locked himself in a room. At first everyone was calm because we figured that in five minutes everything would be alright. That was not the case. Ahmid started to scream and cried after he tried endlessly to open the door. We tried to coach him on how to at least take out the key and shove it under the door and that did not work. The poor boy cried and panicked himself to sleep. He was in the room for almost two hours before we found someone to break into the room. By the time he was “rescued” he was fast asleep and seem to have forgotten everything that happened. Hopefully he learned his lesson (which I doubt). Below are a few pictures of my visit to Manwi, enjoy.
On Sunday, my day started at 5am. I made a quick call to the U.S. as it was only 11pm there. After that, it was time to work on my fitness. We rain for thirty minutes as the sun started to rise. Next week, I am going to bring my camera because it is a beautiful sight.
I have been in Ngaoundere for over a month now and I am enjoying it very much. I live close enough to school that I can walk and far enough that my students do not know where I live. I am sure that some of them know that I live close by while others believe that I live in town and commute to work every day. Even though everything is seems great, it is not. I am a fan of routine and that is not at the university. Classes are often canceled or start remarkably late and this throws me off guard. I am so used to having my schedule and sticking to it. I guess flexibility is key here. I guess, I’ll have to suck it up because 9 months is a long time to complain about things not starting on time or happening at all.
This week I worked very hard. I had classes everyday and even translated documents for the head of research and geography department. I even started Fulfide lessons with Rose’s nephew. Learning Fulfide is one of my priorities. People ask, what is the point of learning a national language when the official languages are English and French? My previous experience in an African country taught me that learning the local language closes the gap between you and the local community and that is what I seek to do here. In Cameroon, there are more than 250 languages so of course I cannot learn them all but Fulfide is the main one here in Ngaoundere so that’s a start. I have set a goal for myself to learn 10 languages in my life time. I already know 5, so I am half way there.
The weekend was filled with adventure. On Friday, I had no electricity. This is not a first but it is the first time it has happened in my apartment. There was a technical glitch and we were left in the dark. So I cooked in the dark and ate in the dark. You should try it to “see” how it feels. On Saturday, I went to Dr. Wirba’s house to visit his family. I did not go last week so I knew they were expecting me. I took a taxi to Manwi, his village. This was the first time I ventured to Manwi all by myself. I thought I knew where I was going until; I realized I had given the taxi-man the wrong directions. Luckily, I realized that the house was just a block away and I made it in one piece. They were actually surprised to see me but it was all good. I played with the kids, talked to their mom and just relaxed. I got the inside scoop on certain issues and just enjoyed their company.
The Wirba’s are actually building a new house on their compound. The new house shows a contrast between modern houses and traditional houses in Cameroon. Madame Wirba gave me a tour of the new house, which is beautiful. After the tour was done, we began to walk towards the exit when we realized that one of the rooms was closed. That was weird because all the doors were open and the keys were sticking out of each key hole when we entered. Madame Wirba’s two-year-old son had locked himself in a room. At first everyone was calm because we figured that in five minutes everything would be alright. That was not the case. Ahmid started to scream and cried after he tried endlessly to open the door. We tried to coach him on how to at least take out the key and shove it under the door and that did not work. The poor boy cried and panicked himself to sleep. He was in the room for almost two hours before we found someone to break into the room. By the time he was “rescued” he was fast asleep and seem to have forgotten everything that happened. Hopefully he learned his lesson (which I doubt). Below are a few pictures of my visit to Manwi, enjoy.
On Sunday, my day started at 5am. I made a quick call to the U.S. as it was only 11pm there. After that, it was time to work on my fitness. We rain for thirty minutes as the sun started to rise. Next week, I am going to bring my camera because it is a beautiful sight.
Now that I have a schedule, I have developed a routine. I wake up at 5am, work out, sweep and mop, wash clothes, and then get ready for my first class at 8 or 10am. I have tried to sleep in but when I do, I wake up at 7am at the latest. Compared to the life I had back home, this routine is new for me. Everything is done by hand, including mopping. I am so used to putting everything in a washer and letting maintenance mop the apartment. However, I am getting used to it. Once I see that my floor looks a hot mess, I must mop. This week I was not as consistent with washing my clothes. I have been washing clothes for more than a week and I am still not done. I deserve a break, don’t ya think? I only have my jeans and a few white clothes to wash so I am hoping to finish by Sunday.
I am starting to frequent the kitchen a bit more often. Sidonie and I prepared fish with vegetable sauce and rice. I am sure that after two more tries I can do it all by myself. I did clean and cut the fish without any help. My mom is very proud that I am finally getting my act together. I must say it is very tiring to go to work, come back and cook and still find time to prepare for the next day.
My French has truly improved after a month of being here. Speaking of which, I cannot believe that I have been her for six weeks already. Time is flying by. Next month, I will only work for two-weeks before Christmas Break and then January is the end of the first semester. Enough about that; in other news, I went to Honorable’s 3rd year history class and I was not a fan. For some reason, his students tend to be very noisy and obnoxious. As soon as I walked in, they started hooting and hollering; such a warm welcome. It was hard to get them to settle down but once I told them that they can leave if they wanted to talk, they knew I meant business. I spoke for an hour but it felt like the longest hour ever. Once I was done, I walked to the back of the class to find a seat. The males gestured for me to sit next to them even when there wasn’t any space. I just shook my head and proceeded to the back, where I had a whole bench to myself. I really do not know how I feel about this class.
On Wednesday, the English remedial course for faculty and staff had a great turnout. I gave them a practice error identification test which consisted of 65 questions to be completed in 40 minutes. The vast majority of them could not finish the test but the main purpose was to get them familiar with TOEFL questions. I received a lot of positive feedback from them after the class and they are looking forward to next week.
Well, that is all for this week. I hope everything is going well in Scranton. I do not even want to ask how cold it is. Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to keeping you posted on my Cameroonian adventure.
This week was filled with rain, rain, and more rain. By now, the rainy season should have finished but that is not the case. It rains every afternoon. Luckily, the faculty and staff in my department are kind enough to take me home. I started the week with my Arabic students. In this class, I have them complete many dictation exercises and we work a lot on conversational English. I thoroughly enjoy this class because it is small and allows me to interact with the students than in my other classes where I can have more than 100 students. Here, we get to laugh, discuss, and argue about certain topics. On Wednesday, I had my first English class with the faculty and staff of my college. I was very nervous because I have never taught adults. However, the course went very well. They seemed pleased with the prospects of speaking better English. We agreed that next week, we will work on the TOEFL. TOEFL is an exam non-native speakers of English must take to study in the United States. With this test, international students cannot study in the U.S. I’ll let you know how it goes. On Thursday, I taught 3rd year geography students. I enjoy this class because the students are very respectful and inquisitive. We have great discussions and they seem very eager to learn. Today, they were a little shaky at the beginning because I told them that we were going to do a dictation exercise. They looked at me as though they had seen a ghost. One student even blurted out “Madame, if it is important, we should photocopy it.” I told him that it is just an exercise to test how well you can understand and spell in English. The exercise was very successful. We learned a bit about Virginia and corrected the assignment as a class. Once that was over, we played Geography Trivia. As geography students, I assumed that they had sufficient knowledge of the geography of the world; boy was I mistaken. I was shocked by the lack of knowledge they had on the geography of their own continent. I also quizzed them on European capital cities. I asked “what is the capital of France?” One student wrote, France. Teaching these students the states/countries and their capital is definitely on my agenda.
On Saturday, Marlyse came to visit me. Marlyse was my neighbor at the Norwegian Camp. She spent the day with me, here in Dang. We walked to the University and I showed her where my classes are held and where my office is located. Of course I had to snap a lot of pictures so below are a few for you.
After our tour, we went to a restaurant to eat. The food was very good and cheap. We talked a lot about goals and aspirations and about how different our lives are. People her make it seem like life in America is easy when that is not the case. I do understand that there are more opportunities in the U.S. but these opportunities are not just handed to you, you must work for it. I enjoyed her visit and look forward to stopping by the camp sometime next week to visit the family.
Overall, this week was filled with great events and hopefully next week will be the same.
Today was a very interesting day. I woke up at 8am to meet with Sidonie to buy some groceries. Of course she was not ready when I arrived, working on the Cameroonian time. We bought some condiments to compliment the eggs and plantains I had at home. We came back to my place and made pasta and eggs. She also cleaned for me. Next time around I will do it all by myself. Here, there is no such thing as a mop like in the US. You buy a mop but it is not the same. I’ll have to take a picture to show you. In the living room, the floor must be scrubbed. You can either do it with your feet or with your hands. The gross part about it is when you see how brown and dirt the water is and you have to wring out the rag. I’ll be here for 8 more months so I better get use to it.
After lunch we just hung out and talked. Sidonie has definitely been a blessing to have around. She helps me out, brings me food, and is just nice to have around. Dr. Wirba came to the apartment to pick me up and take me chez lui. When I arrived, the kids greeted me like they knew me for 50 years. The all came up and gave me big hugs, especially Boy (Amid). Another family was also there. I felt bad because I was not counting on more than 3 kids so the 2 girls did not get jump ropes, but they shared.
I had Fufu corn with vegetables and koke. These are two Cameroonian dishes which I never had before. I am still trying to get use to the big servings but I don’t think it is going to happen. Fufu corn is a big ball of ground corn. You dip the Fufu into the vegetable sauce and fish. This is done by using your hands only. Fufu has an acquired taste but it is edible. I tried to eat everything that was on my plate but it was impossible. I sat there bloated and full like no other. The family friend told me she can eat 2 balls of Fufu corn, I couldn’t even finish one!!! After an hour break, I tried the Koke but it was not working. I do not like it at all. I so miss rice and ceebu jen. Central Africa needs to get it together lol!
After eating, I played with Boy and the kids. I gave them their gifts and Boy just wanted me to read to him. So we read a book about cars as he repeated everything I said. Can you picture a 2 year old reading? It was so cute. Then all the kids wanted to read too, so it turned into a read aloud. We also jumped rope. Aisha was crying because everyone could jump except her. We all taught her how to jump until she finally got it. Ashraf is an interesting 5 year old. I have this thing about 5 year olds, they are a hot mess. If there was any age I would skip, it would be age 5.
After playing, we started taking pictures. This was the first time I actually had the opportunity to take pictures of kids, families, and myself. We took both candid and posed pictures. They had a kick out of the candid ones. When it was time to leave, it started to pour. I am not a fan of the rain here. The rainy season is about to end and I cannot wait. Because I detest the rain, I decide to spend the night. I forgot to bring my malaria medication but, I did not get bitten by anything throughout the night. I enjoyed my stay and look forward to my future visits.
Today I attended my first French service. It was very difficult for me to understand the Father because he had a very strong accent. He is Indian and learned French here in Cameroon. I guess I am just going to have to cope with his accent and hopefully with time, I will understand. After mass, I ventured out to town to spend the day with a wonderful woman who works in the geography department. Every Sunday, her family has a big lunch. The reason behind it is that throughout the week, everyone is busy with school and work and Sunday is the only day they can come together as a family to talk and share events which occurred throughout the week. I had my favorite type of fish, capitaine with a lot of plantains, salad, and beignets. I do not if I can continue to eat this way every weekend. Of course it’s a nice change from what I am used to eating throughout the week but the quantity is just too much. If you do not eat a lot, the host finds it disrespectful because it is the equivalent of you saying that the food is not tasteful. It is really nice to feel as if you have a family away from home.
I woke up at around 7:30am to the sound of birds chirping and roosters crowing. I know I’m leaving to my new apartment either today or tomorrow. I am trying to get used to this element of not knowing, but it is very hard. I chalked up the nerve to ask Jemen to run and buy me bread and butter which only costs 150 cfa which is about .30 cents. She ran back with my change and breakfast in hand. I can’t wait for when I go home and bring back some clothes for her and the rest of her family. As I ate breakfast, we talked about the tasks for today. The weekly market was in full swing and Betty wanted to go. I told her that I would go just to see and not buy anything because they will give me the American price. She laughed but knew it was true. If you do not speak Fulfide in the market, you will get jipped no ifs and or buts about it. I put on some shoes and off we went to the market.
It was only 10:30am and the sun beamed as if it were noon. We walked down to the market in the scorching heat. When we got to the market, Betty and Jemen started digging through used clothes to buy. I cannot recall how I felt as they dug and dug to find something presentable to buy. Jemen got 2 pairs of jeans and a shirt. Betty bought a few things for baby Djiana. I had totally forgotten how massive and intricate African markets were. Everywhere you turned, more vendors were at your disposable selling anything from fruits to fake coach wallets. If you want it, you can find it at the market. When we passed the fish and meat section, it was not a pleasant sight. Flies swarmed uncooked meat up for grabs. The fish was dried and looked like it was dead for years; no thanks. Overall, I enjoyed my first visit to the market.
We walked back to the camp sweaty and tired while Djiana slept on her mom’s back peacefully. As soon as we got back, I jumped on the other bed and just chilled. The heat can really do things to you. I took a nice cold shower and started playing with the kids. I finally took some pictures of them for my memory book. At around 1:30pm, Jemen gave me a plate of food. Unlike in Yaounde, here in Ngaoundere fish is not easy to come by and it is more expensive. Most of the dishes here have meat and so did my meal today. I ate the yams but did not touch the meat. This vegetarian thing is starting to get harder and harder but hopefully when I am in my own apartment it will be better.
After dinner, I researched some possibly job placement opportunities abroad. I am really looking forward to applying for the assistantship in France. I can definitely perfect my French and it will allow me to do what I love to do. They have some placements in France and in overseas departments like French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Reunion. I would love to go to these overseas departments because they are very rich in culture and the demographics will be interesting to study. There is a lot of diversity and the weather is beautiful. Even though Europe has never really enticed me, I guess I should visit before judging. The main reason it never enticed me was because everyone goes there instead of traveling the path less traveled. Now that I have traveled the path less traveled, I can visit the places “everyone” goes to. It will also give me the opportunity to visit neighboring countries and therefore, I can be a globe trotter like everyone says.
Day 2 of teaching one of Dr. Wirba’s classes. This time the class size was small because they are 3rd year students in the geography department. Before I started speaking, Dr. Wirba briefed them on what I am here and not here to do. I am not here to look for a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband. I am here for academic purposes only. The class laughed at this and so did I. Once that was out of the way I started my introduction like yesterday. I found out that they were not very familiar with the geography of the U.S. so I tested them on the geography of Africa. They went around naming African countries. We only forgot a few but besides that, everything went well. They surprised me with the magnitude of their questions. Questions ranged from affirmative action to women in America to segregation. I enjoyed these questions thoroughly and also prompted me to do more research on my own country. Because the class is very small, I will love to frequent more often and get to know the students.
After class, I wondered around campus until the bus. Unfortunately for me, I did not know where the bathrooms were located so I nearly pissed my pants until I gathered the nerve to ask the secretary in the President’s office if there was a bathroom nearby. I guess she realized that I was a foreigner and let me use the bathroom. I have never felt so relieved in my life. After that, I could literally conquer the world lol. I took the bus to town, ate at coffee shop and went home. Played with the kids and learned more Fulfilde. Djiana still has yet to grow fond of me but we are getting there. I shared my peanuts with them as we talked.
Woke up early to make it to campus at 7:30am was not fun. When I heard my alarm go off at 6a.m. I was not pleased. I have not gotten used to waking up so early; the time difference doesn’t help either. When I wake up at 6 here, it’s only 1am back home. I took a moto taxi to the taxi station. The taxi man crammed 6 passengers in his car; definitely not fun. Especially when the person sitting next to you reeked. I do not understand how you can smell so early in the morning. The fare to campus was 300 cfa, which is less than a dollar.
I got here at 7:25am and to my surprise, no one was here. I forgot that punctuality here does not exist. My main contact arrived at 7:40am. He told me that the class is scheduled for 7:45am but if we got there on time the class would be empty. Students complain about the distance they travel to come to school and so forth and so on. Mind you, there is a school bus that goes to town to pick up students and arrives here at 7:35am the latest. Also, the area surrounding the university is filled with student apartments so there is no excuse for lateness except pure laziness.
We made to the 2nd year engineering class which was held in an amphitheater. I thought the class was big but not as big as I expected. The students were a bit rowdy but had a lot of questions. I introduced myself and had them guess where I was from, artist that lived in New York and other introductory questions. A lot of them were shy so I had them write their questions and if they weren’t shy they can read it out loud. A lot of the questions were about life in America, how to get there, studying in the U.S. etc. Of course some of the questions were inappropriate like how old are you, are you looking for a husband, can you take me to America. . I only spoke for an hour. As I walked out of class the guys whistled and hollered. A mess, I know. I waited forever for Dr. Wirba to finish up the class. I waited in the geography department. There, I was given a magazine on African literature. I wrote down a few titles that enticed me. Hopefully, downloading books from Barnes and Noble will not cause a problem.
I waited around campus until 1pm when the faculty bus arrived to take professors back to the city. This service is very convenient but I doubt I will use it a lot once I move closer to the university. When I got to the Norwegian camp, the kids patiently awaited my arrival so we can play memory and jump rope. I have started to grow fond of my neighbors. Too bad I have so many roaches and crickets or else I would have stayed.
Today I had the day of and decided to leave the Norwegian compound and venture out all by myself. I figured the city/town is not very big and getting lost will be difficult. So of course I did not wait until the sun went down, I went at noon. Yea I know, very smart. I passed taxis and walked 30 minutes in the scorching heat. By the time I arrived at a boutique to buy some water, I was dripping wet. As I relaxed in the shade, I felt the sweat dripping down my chin. I know, gross. I also bought some credit for my phone. Phones here are pre-paid so once your minutes are up, you must buy more credit or just hope that someone calls you. Unlike in the US, you do not pay for incoming calls or texts, the sender does.
I walked around aimlessly, stopping into pharmacies to ask for Ambesol or Oragel to no avail. I guess I’ll just wait until the canker sore leaves on its own accord. Places started to look familiar as I got closer and closer to the heart of the city. I called Nafissa, one of the women from my train ride up here. She invited me to her house and off I went. I hailed a moto-taxi and said “lycee Bamyanga” and off we went. This was the 1st time I ridden a moto-taxi. I gripped to him for dear life and on arrival he said in French “next time you need to hold on to the handles on the bike, not my handles.” Lesson learned. I thought Nafissa lived in town but she did not. As I gripped for dear life, I was hoping the taxi driver was not going to try anything stupid. I’m not going to lie; I was a bit scared because he was litteraly driving through nowhere. I got to see the wonderful view of Mt. Ngaoundere. Boulders were incorporated into everyday life. Too bad I couldn’t take pictures this time, but I am sure the time will come.
I made it to Bamyanga in one piece. I sat and talked with Nafissa and her cousin who came to visit from Yaounde. I enjoyed myself and was proud of my venturing out!! Unfortunately, it started raining like crazy. It rain so much that the light when out. There was no electricity for almost an hour. I was getting worried because I did not think I would be able to get back home. Luckily for me, Mr. Hamidou drove me home in the pouring rain.
Have to get ready for my 1st class tomorrow October 14th. Wish me luck.
Bit more about Ngaoundere
Upon my arrival, the university faculty have treated me like a star. I have eaten out frequently and have eaten lunch and dinner at the Dean’s and Dr. Wirba’s home.
After being introduced to faculty and staff all day, the Dean took me to the Lamidou’s Palace. The Lamidou is the chief or head hancho in a village. Each Friday, tours are conducted for tourists at the palace. Today was a special day because members of the community were inducted to selected position for the council in Adamawa. One of the faculty members (proud to say she’s a woman) was inducted. A lot of chiefs, officials, and powerful people attended. Too bad I could not take pictures to show you.
Saturday was very eventful. The Dean picked me up with his wife around noon and we went to their home. The Dean is an extraordinary man. He built and preaches at his church. He also built a bilingual private school which contains pre-k up to high school. His wife is the director of the school. I was impressed at what one person can do in order to give back to his/her community. My mind is in a million places, trying to figure out if I too can make such a significant impact in my community; on vera, we will see. We then went to the Coffee Shop which is by far my favorite restaurant here. I normally get fillet du capitaine avec du plantain frites (fish and plantains). It is really cheap too so I think I know where my grant money will go!! I also visited Restaurant La Concord I definitely was not a fan. It was like a hang out spot for men. I felt a bit uncomfortable and the food was not good. Coffee Shop is where it is at!!
After lunch, they dropped me off back home where I waited for Dr. Wirba to pick me up. He picked me up in his motor-bike. I was a bit nervous, but I knew he was not going to drive recklessly. Upon arrival, I had to prepare myself physically because I knew that I was going to eat again. I ate rice, fish, plantains, and salad. It was very hard to eat everything because of the large portions. I kept on hearing “do you not like the food? You must keep on eating! This is how we eat in Cameroon” So I must get used to the Cameroonian way of eating, which is A LOT!!! Dr. Wirba’s 3 kids entertained me while we watched the Cameroonian Lions stomp the Hawks of Togo during a qualification match for the world cup. I thoroughly enjoyed myself today and am looking forward to my stay in Ngaoundere.
On Sunday, I went to the Cathedral for mass. I have yet attended such a colorful mass in my life. A majority of the congregation wore their traditional outfits, filled with bright and colorful patterns. The hymns were jubilant and resonated in one’s ear even when the drummers stopped playing. The homily definitely could have been cut short but besides that, I enjoyed it. The fact that there are guards that walk around to make sure everyone is fully alert and not sleeping is pretty funny. After mass, I stayed home reading, while listening to the downpour.
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