Yesterday the SIT-ers went to visit the American Embassy in Yaounde. It was a really strange (yet really nice) experience. Driving up to the embassy, it was amazing how American the building looked in comparison to the rest of the neighborhood. Top it off with the outrageous amounts of security we went through, and it felt just like we were back in the states.
We met the ambassador, who's from Boston, as well as a few other staff members. It was great talking with other Americans who were actually familiar with places that I know. For example, did you know that Salem Hospital (where I was born) donates some of Cameroon's only dialysis machines?
On the way out after our meeting, I stopped for a bathroom break with some other girls. We were absoilutely AMAZED to find soap and toilet paper, and could barely contain our excitement when we realized that the toilets were automatic.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
On the Road Again
These past few days have been really busy, so here's what I've been up to:
Thursday:
The SITers travelled to Batoufam (around 2 hours from Dschang)to meet the chef superieure, an important chief in the area. He showed us around his palace, which was decoratd with a lot of really cool traditional artwork, and told us about his duties as a chief. He also gave us a great lunch which included goat, wine, and champagne mixed with coffee syrup (a great combination).
Friday:
I packed up my things and headed to Bamenda for the weekend. This city is in an anglophone province, so everyone spoke English. However, the accents are very strong and a lot of Pidgin is spoken, so a lot of the time it was easier to understand French than English. Later in the day we met with members of the SCNC, an organzation that wants independence for anglophone Cameroon. The government doesn't like the SCNC (the people we talked to had been arrested a few days before) so the meeting was very last-minute so as to not tip off the wrong people.
Saturday:
Free day! I went shopping for crafts and generally wandering around the city with a few friends. We ate at the Obama restaurant for lunch-slow service, but the name made up for it-and watched pirated Disney movies that some other people had bought in the evening.
Sunday:
We met with John Fru Ndi, the leader of the main oppostion party in Cameroon. After answering our questions he took us to meet a local fon (a chief) at a celebration that his supporters were holding for him. It was cool to meet the chief and to see traditional dancers there, but I definitely got the sense that Fru Ndi really wanted the American students to enhnce his rep.
Monday:
8 hour drive back to Yaoundé-I had forgotten how hot it is here!
A guide to the pictures:
1. The Waterfall at Mamy Wata, near Dschang
2. Neighbors/cousins of my family in Yaoundé
3. My Yaoundé sister Flore and me
4. A view of Yaoundé from the SIT office
5. My room in Yaoundé
Monday, February 23, 2009
Twins, Basil!
Please disregard the Austin Powers reference in this post's title that probably only Beth will appreciate. It's fitting, though, bcause I've decided to study twins for my final research project! The Bamilike, an ethnic group located around Dschang, have a lot of respect for twins and have special ceremonies/titles/etc, so in April I'll be looking into the details and the cause of this cultural significance. It feels nice to finally have a topic for my research; that's one less thing to worry about, at least for the time being.
Now for an update on my weekend:
Saturday was really busy. In the morning all the SIT kids visited a waterfall and some caves. The waterfall was really cool. We hiked through a sacred forest to get to it, and it was really big despite the fact that it's the dry season here. Next we hiked to two caves, a "male" cave and a "female cave." The male cave was more impressive: it as deep with a large, low overhanging ceiling.
After the hikes we all went to our respctive homes to get ready for a night at a club and hotel. We had to get to the hotel by 6:30, and we almost didn't make it because my friends and I ran into a bunch of random people on the way who wanted to talk to us. There was an older guy at a local bar who insisted we hang out for a bit; two students who wanted us to help them practice for the TOEFL; a bar full of friendly older men who wanted to talk to us; and an old woman in the market who kept hoping that God blessed us. Finally we made it to the hotel, where the 17 of us shared 3 rooms (mine had 7 people and only 1 bed!)
We had a great dinner, then headed to a nearby club. Ity was a lot nicer than I was expecting, but we were the youngest people there! The power would occassionally go off, and when it didn't com back on after another outage we figured that it was time to leave.
The ext day we hung around the hotel a bit before heading back to our host families. We found some American TV (The Daily Show!) and it was great to watch something familiar for a change.
I'll be leaving Dschang on Friday, then spending 4 days in Bamenda before returning to Yaounde. We're staying in hotels in Bamenda so it should be a great chance to hang out with the rest of the kids on the program.
Now for an update on my weekend:
Saturday was really busy. In the morning all the SIT kids visited a waterfall and some caves. The waterfall was really cool. We hiked through a sacred forest to get to it, and it was really big despite the fact that it's the dry season here. Next we hiked to two caves, a "male" cave and a "female cave." The male cave was more impressive: it as deep with a large, low overhanging ceiling.
After the hikes we all went to our respctive homes to get ready for a night at a club and hotel. We had to get to the hotel by 6:30, and we almost didn't make it because my friends and I ran into a bunch of random people on the way who wanted to talk to us. There was an older guy at a local bar who insisted we hang out for a bit; two students who wanted us to help them practice for the TOEFL; a bar full of friendly older men who wanted to talk to us; and an old woman in the market who kept hoping that God blessed us. Finally we made it to the hotel, where the 17 of us shared 3 rooms (mine had 7 people and only 1 bed!)
We had a great dinner, then headed to a nearby club. Ity was a lot nicer than I was expecting, but we were the youngest people there! The power would occassionally go off, and when it didn't com back on after another outage we figured that it was time to leave.
The ext day we hung around the hotel a bit before heading back to our host families. We found some American TV (The Daily Show!) and it was great to watch something familiar for a change.
I'll be leaving Dschang on Friday, then spending 4 days in Bamenda before returning to Yaounde. We're staying in hotels in Bamenda so it should be a great chance to hang out with the rest of the kids on the program.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Greetings from Dschang!
This is my third full day in Dschang, a university town in western Cameroon. So far really like it here: it's a lot smaller and more peaceful than Yaounde, plus it's nice to be back on a campus (classes are held at the University of Dschang).
The trip here was fun but long. It was a 6 hour bus ride, with a few stops at some markets along the way. It almost felt like a scene from some movie, driving through the Cameroon countryside with African pop music blaring from the bus's speakers. When the bus stopped for gas, we were surrounded by vendors who sold us fruit through the windows.
My host family here is nice, but a lot different than in Yaounde. I'm living with an empty-nester couple, and two of their grownup granddaughters are visiting. At first I thought the granddaughters were being really rude, since they would only speak in pidgin English around me (it's MUCH different than regular English). Then I realized that the girls were Anglophone, and that Pidgin was the only language that they shared with their grandfather. They're actually really nice: the older girl has been living in MN for around 4 years and is fluent in English. I feel like I'm cheating on the program when I talk to her, though, because I'm not using French!
The trip here was fun but long. It was a 6 hour bus ride, with a few stops at some markets along the way. It almost felt like a scene from some movie, driving through the Cameroon countryside with African pop music blaring from the bus's speakers. When the bus stopped for gas, we were surrounded by vendors who sold us fruit through the windows.
My host family here is nice, but a lot different than in Yaounde. I'm living with an empty-nester couple, and two of their grownup granddaughters are visiting. At first I thought the granddaughters were being really rude, since they would only speak in pidgin English around me (it's MUCH different than regular English). Then I realized that the girls were Anglophone, and that Pidgin was the only language that they shared with their grandfather. They're actually really nice: the older girl has been living in MN for around 4 years and is fluent in English. I feel like I'm cheating on the program when I talk to her, though, because I'm not using French!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
This weekend was the first (and last) that I'll be spending with my Yaounde host family for a while. On Saturday morning I walked around the Palais de Congres with my sister. It's a huge building that's located on a hill practically across the street from out house, and from it we could see great views of the city. Yaounde is HUGE: it went on as far as the eye could see. It's also pretty because the city is made up of a lot of different hills; it's called the City of Seven Hills but there are actually more than that. While my sister and I were walking around a Cameroonian guy joined us. He pointed out certain sites in the city, and then when we parted he didn't qsk for my phone number! This was my first interaction with a Cameroonian guy who didn't want my number or for me to take him to America, and it blew my mind.
Later that day I hung out with my host sister and some of her cousins/neighbors. Among them was a set of twins who were cute but wild. They really liked my hqir and I thought they'd tear it out when I let them braid it. Later we all played with my frisbee. Apparently they don't hqve frisbees in Cameroon, but they really liked it!
Sunday morning I did some research for possible independent study projects. We have to have two possibilities by next week, and right now I'm thinking of studying either traditional music or Cameroonian Jews (they do exist!) Later that day I went with my sister to a birthday party for an older family friend. All of the little kids there really liked me, and it was fun playing with them. I had a lot of trouble understanding them, though, and sometimes I needed my sister to translate their French into more comprehensible French for me.
Tomorrow is La Journee nationelle de la jeunesse, and the SIT students are all going downtown to watch the parade. Then we're going to the zoo after class. We're travelling to out second homestay at the university town of Dschang on Saturday. All of the Cameroonians say it's really cold there, and while their opinions mqy be subjective I would definitely love a bit of colder weather for a change.
Later that day I hung out with my host sister and some of her cousins/neighbors. Among them was a set of twins who were cute but wild. They really liked my hqir and I thought they'd tear it out when I let them braid it. Later we all played with my frisbee. Apparently they don't hqve frisbees in Cameroon, but they really liked it!
Sunday morning I did some research for possible independent study projects. We have to have two possibilities by next week, and right now I'm thinking of studying either traditional music or Cameroonian Jews (they do exist!) Later that day I went with my sister to a birthday party for an older family friend. All of the little kids there really liked me, and it was fun playing with them. I had a lot of trouble understanding them, though, and sometimes I needed my sister to translate their French into more comprehensible French for me.
Tomorrow is La Journee nationelle de la jeunesse, and the SIT students are all going downtown to watch the parade. Then we're going to the zoo after class. We're travelling to out second homestay at the university town of Dschang on Saturday. All of the Cameroonians say it's really cold there, and while their opinions mqy be subjective I would definitely love a bit of colder weather for a change.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
An update on the past few days:
I moved in with my host family on Sunday. They're really nice and all is well so far. I have 3 siblings: a 5 year old brother who lives in another city to attend school; a 20 year old brother zho goes to the University of Yaounde (I onlysee him a bit in the morning and a bit at night) and a cool 13 year old sister. My house is a bit small comparatively-some of the other students are living in mansions-but it's fine. The bathroom is a separate building outside, but fortunately no bucket showers!
Classas started yesterday and so far they're pretty good. I have class from 8-3:30 with breaks in between and for lunch. Tomorrow I'm going to the mqrket with my French class, it should be fun.
On a side note, I've discovered that I don't like avocado or plantains, which are featuredin nearly every meal. Oh well...
I moved in with my host family on Sunday. They're really nice and all is well so far. I have 3 siblings: a 5 year old brother who lives in another city to attend school; a 20 year old brother zho goes to the University of Yaounde (I onlysee him a bit in the morning and a bit at night) and a cool 13 year old sister. My house is a bit small comparatively-some of the other students are living in mansions-but it's fine. The bathroom is a separate building outside, but fortunately no bucket showers!
Classas started yesterday and so far they're pretty good. I have class from 8-3:30 with breaks in between and for lunch. Tomorrow I'm going to the mqrket with my French class, it should be fun.
On a side note, I've discovered that I don't like avocado or plantains, which are featuredin nearly every meal. Oh well...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Greetings from Cameroon!
Hello all! I've been in Cameroon for a few days now, so I thought I'd fill you all in on what I've been doing.
The trip here was long but really not too bad. I had aroud a 6 hour flight from NYC to Paris, then a 5 hour layover before the flight to Cameroon. I didn't get to see the Eiffel Tower, but did order a really good croissant from an airport cafe. Then came a 6 hour flight to Douala, a bit of a layover on the plane, and then the final hop to Yaoundé. We landed around 8 qt night, so I couldn't see much of the city. It was really dark but there were a TON of people out, walking to different snack bars that lined the streets.
I stayed in a church- or monastery-run compound for orientation. My room was right next to the chapel, so I'd wake up to singing during services each morning. We were pretty secluded the whole time, except for the last day (yesterday), when we did a "dropoff" in the city. We were divided into groups and dropped off in random locations throughout Yaoundé with only a list of different places to find. My group decided to eqrch for the US Embassy first, and that was pretty much all we did-we couldn't find it and no one knew where it was, so we just walked around the city for a few hours. We got really far, and it was cool to just take in the sights. The guys in Cameroon are pretty extroverted, so wherever we went we were followed by "bonjour les blanches" and "mes cheries, comment allez-vous?"
Today we went to the SIT office; right now I'm at an internet cafe nearby. We're meeting our host families later. I hope they're nice!
For anyone who's interested (ie mom, dad, and grandma): I was accepted for an internship with the Boston Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights!
The trip here was long but really not too bad. I had aroud a 6 hour flight from NYC to Paris, then a 5 hour layover before the flight to Cameroon. I didn't get to see the Eiffel Tower, but did order a really good croissant from an airport cafe. Then came a 6 hour flight to Douala, a bit of a layover on the plane, and then the final hop to Yaoundé. We landed around 8 qt night, so I couldn't see much of the city. It was really dark but there were a TON of people out, walking to different snack bars that lined the streets.
I stayed in a church- or monastery-run compound for orientation. My room was right next to the chapel, so I'd wake up to singing during services each morning. We were pretty secluded the whole time, except for the last day (yesterday), when we did a "dropoff" in the city. We were divided into groups and dropped off in random locations throughout Yaoundé with only a list of different places to find. My group decided to eqrch for the US Embassy first, and that was pretty much all we did-we couldn't find it and no one knew where it was, so we just walked around the city for a few hours. We got really far, and it was cool to just take in the sights. The guys in Cameroon are pretty extroverted, so wherever we went we were followed by "bonjour les blanches" and "mes cheries, comment allez-vous?"
Today we went to the SIT office; right now I'm at an internet cafe nearby. We're meeting our host families later. I hope they're nice!
For anyone who's interested (ie mom, dad, and grandma): I was accepted for an internship with the Boston Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights!
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