C'est la vie!

19/10/11

I have been learning an insane amount of information during these past two weeks, mostly regarding the cultural differences between Americans and Cameroonians. It amazes me how different and yet very similar we are in many ways, like how the Cameroonian youth is SO in tuned to Western media and entertainment, and what they see greatly influences their lives in both positive and negative ways (like American youth?). There are so many things that we take for granted, myself especially. Here are a few examples I’d like to share with you that have stuck out in my mind this past week:
1. Sunday was laundry day. This is the second time I’ve done my laundry since I’ve been in country Surprising? I have enough clothes to last me AT LEAST 2 weeks, I’d say 3 at max. If I had known what I know now, I would not have over packed. Anyways, so after only doing my laundry twice BY HAND, I’m already ready to pay someone to do it for me. Doing laundry by hand is not an easy task by any means, and I praise all who have been doing this their whole lives. It’s especially difficult when you’re washing two weeks’ worth of clothing that includes two pairs of jeans and a towel. It took me 30 minutes just to ring out those three items alone. I couldn’t feel my hands afterwards. You really never think how painstaking it is to hand wash clothes when you have a machine to do it for you. I challenge you to wash one pair of jeans by hand…thoroughly…and you will feel my pain…literally. This time I didn’t get scabs on my knuckles.
2. My grandma was using olive oil as lotion (I saw her rubbing it on her legs…I’m assuming it was for moisturizing or maybe she had more remedial purposes for it?). I asked my other older sister, Constantia (this is my youngest sister’s mother who is visiting for two weeks) if olive oil was expensive since I haven’t seen them use it for cooking (they use palm oil for EVERYTHING). She said it costs 5,000CFA which I believe is about $11 for a tiny bottle. Apparently only the wealthy use olive oil to cook with over here.
3. Cameroonians are pretty ignorant concerning the rest of the world (which is true among so many in Africa in general). Just like in the U.S, many Cameroonians have never left their country, let alone their own city/region. Constantia was changing the time zone on her cell phone when she pointed out where she thought the U.S was located on her world map on her phone. She pointed to Europe. This is a common misconception everywhere in Cameroon (I’m sure in many other African countries as well). I had to explain (in French) where the U.S was, the difference between North and South America, and how States are not countries, that all countries are separate of each other and have their own governments/presidents, and basically explain the differences between all the continents. Constantia is educated, mind you. She is going to school for medicine. This just shows you how different our education systems are, and how we are so fortunate to have this knowledge that is so simple to attain. Many people here rely on t.v or hearsay, and what they do learn in school really isn’t properly applied. I also had to explain to her why ninja’s weren’t real.
4. I use less than a full bucket of water to bathe, less when I don’t wash my hair. If I could guess, it might be 3 gallons of water. Since water is so scarce, people don’t have the luxury of taking showers here. Do you know how much you use? Google it. I’m sure it’s an insane amount.
5. I didn’t have electricity for 4 days straight, and there were only 2 kerosene lamps and a few flashlights to use between 7 people. This is normal.
6. The majority of men in Cameroon do not see woman as equals, and women do not have as merely as many opportunities that we do in the U.S. Polygamy is legal here, but the law only applies to men. I’ll elaborate on separate post in the future, but I wanted to share that gender roles and its differences are very visible in Cameroonian society. This reigns especially true among the youth as well. My youngest brother, Jeannot, says that having 5 girlfriends is better than one because you get more out of 5 different girls than you would by just one (one for money, one that’s pretty, one “just for kissing”, one who’s popular, and one who will do his homework) Sounds like a typical answer from a 15 year old…but he wasn’t kidding. It will interesting to see how well I can integrate into my community at post as a woman, especially since I’m “une blanche” (white). Ahhh, I can’t wait! 

I’m going to go ahead and stop there, but I could probably write a book about the cultural differences between the U.S and Cameroon, and I’ve only been here for 4 weeks. I’m going to wrap this up with some highlights of my week:

1. I played soccer with some locals and volunteers
2. I did a Zumba class (one of the stageieres in YD is a certified instructor!)
3. I had my final interview with my Program Manager (PM) on where I would like to be posted after stage. I find out my post in two weeks I believe, and I actually visit my post for a week in November (Nov 7-11…the week of my birthday!). I basically told him that I’m open to go anywhere. There are one or two people in YD that will end up without easy access to water, electricity and internet, and I have a gut feeling I might be one of them. We’ll see!
4. I have my second Language Placement Interview (LPI) today! My French has improved SO much, so hopefully I’ll be able to move up a level (I’m in Intermediate Mid now, so maybe I’ll move to “High”).
5. I got my first marriage proposal

Cameroon Fact of the Week: Paul Biya won this years’ election in Cameroon, he has been in power for 29 years, and now he’ll be in office for another 7 years!

That’ all for now, folks!

A day in the life of a PCT

Hello friends! Just forewarning you…this is a long one!

Since it’s been a while since I’ve posted, I thought I would summarize my week by sharing my daily routine to give you an idea of what I’ve been up to. I also want to start adding some cultural facts about Cameroon in every post, which I have yet to come up with a clever title for, but for now I’ll call it “Cameroon Fact of the Week”. ..I know…so original.

So anyways…

6:30am: I wake up. Sometimes my siblings like to wake me up between 6:15-6:30am, but my alarm clock wakes me up at 6:30. Me? Wake up at 6:30am…every morning? Trust me, I can’t believe it myself.

6:45am: After collecting water from the well, I take a bath. It’s cold, but feels so good after sweating all night in this heat!

7:15am: Eat breakfast which consists of bread with a chocolate spread, like the Cameroonian version of Nutella. It’s delicious. I wash it down with some hot chocolate that is supposed to have some nutritional value. I eat this EVERY morning. I guess the only way I will eat something different is if I wake up and make it…but I can barely get out of bed at 6:30 as it is…let’s be real.

7:45am: I head off to training! It’s about a 5 minute walk to our “bas” (base).

8:00-10:00am: My training typically starts off with language class. My class is comprised of 3 people, one other PCT, myself, and our “formatrice” (language trainer). I am not a morning person, so speaking French for the first two hours of my day is not exactly ideal, but I manage. By the way, my French is improving. It’s amazing how a one-on-one French classes has seriously helped my ability to actually retain all of the information.

10-10:20am: A much needed coffee break. A cup of coffee with cream and sugar costs 300CFA, which in U.S $ is about 75 cents. (The currency rate is 475 CFA=$1.00).

10:20-12:20pm: Normally during this block I have Cross-Cultural training or Technical Training. We’ve been learning A LOT in Tech, most of the information we’ve covered so far has been pretty eye opening. I’ve decided to dedicate a page about Youth Development in Cameroon (I’ll post it as a new tab). Since it is a brand new program here, there’s a lot to share. The statistics are mind blowing and the social problems here regarding women and children have revealed how important this program is going to be in Cameroon. The question is, how successful is my work going to be while I’m here, despite the corruption and various cultural customs? I’ll keep you posted J

12:20-1:30pm: LUNCH! My favorite part of the day. Fortunately we get hot lunch brought to us at our training site every day. The menu usually consists of a combination of these assorted foods: fish (cooked in some kind of way), chicken, goat, stomach (not quite sure from what animal, I haven’t tried it yet), rice, red beans, plantains…fried or boiled, potatoes, and lots of manioc (it’s a root that they eat and make with everything here). Lunch costs between 500-1500CFA depending on if you get vegetarian or meat, and a soda (that’s about $3 for a full plate of delicious food and a drink).

1:30-3:00pm: More training.

3:00-3:15pm: Short break

3:15-4:30: Language training and then we’re done!! We usually have language twice a day. Yesterday we had a change in schedule and had language ALL day. But, there’s nothing like a nice, cold Cameroonian beer to relax my brain with J My favorite is called “33” or “Trent Trois”. Cameroonians drink 32 oz. beers, I rarely see anyone drinking anything less. Yes people, PCVs/PCTS are allowed to drink, however we are limited to only two beers. I’m not quite sure the parameters of these “two beers”, but I think that means two “normal” sized beers, and one 32 oz. I stick with the 32 J

So this brings me to my first “Cameroon Fact of the Week”: Apparently Cameroon is the 3^rd largest manufacturer and exporter of Guinness in the world, right behind the U.S and Ireland…who would’ve thought!

Actually, I have two facts.

My second is Cameroon is having its presidential elections this weekend! This is pretty cool for us PCTs/PCVs to be in country for this event because I do not believe elections happen too often. The president, Paul Biya, has been in power for about 29 years and is up for re-election, and I’m getting the sense that he isn’t going anywhere. I’ll save politics for another post, but I thought I would share that tid-bit with you.

After training, I usually spend an hour or two with PCTs at the local “boutique” (corner store/bar), and then head home.

8:00-8:45pm: I pray with my family every night at this time. I wouldn’t say I actually pray with them, but I participate by sitting, and clapping to their songs, and following their readings in the Bible. It’s a part of my cultural integration and integration into my family.

8:45-9:15pm: I normally eat a small dinner. Fish is a common dish, as well as rice, plantains, maniac…basically all the same things I had for lunch, depending on the day. Don’t get me wrong, all this food is amazing, but a girl could use a cheeseburger once and while.

9:30pm: I’m usually in bed, or getting ready for bed.

And that’s a typical day!!

Here are the top 4 most exciting things that have happened to me this week:

1. 1. I went to church with my family last Sunday (just a reminder, they are Protestant). I’m guessing about 75 people, adults and children, sat in a little “church” that was made up of wooden planks and a tin ceiling. If it weren’t for the lively music and singing, I would have fallen asleep. They read the Bible and pray in French, however they sing their hymns in Bafia, their native dialogue here in Bafia (fact #3). According to other PCTs, the Catholic Church does the same. Obviously I had no clue what was being said/sung, so it was a little hard to stay focused...or awake. Overall, it was a great experience and I plan on going again in the future.

2. 2. I bought “le pagne”. This is the fabric that Cameroonian women use to make their pretty clothes with. I bought about 6 yards for 4,000 CFA (about $8), and had a dress and skirt tailored for 5,000 CFA (about $10). So in total I paid 9,000 CFA, no tax plus labor, all for less than $20. Not too shabby. My sister, Dany, helped negotiate prices for me. She took me to a good tailor in town as well, so hopefully I got my money’s worth. I’m picking them up TODAY, so I’ll have pictures up soon! J

3. 3. Youth Development is working closely with the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Women and Families, the National Youth Council (so excited about…which I’ll elaborate more on in my YD page), community leaders as well as other NGOs. During tech this week, we met delegates from these ministries and organizations, including the church, and received a great deal of information on the problems and challenges of youth in Cameroon. Overall, I was relieved to finally get some concrete, factual information on what’s going on here. I now have a good grasp on what I’m here for and the potential that I have to really make a difference. More info to come!!

4. 4. I taught my brothers how to dougie (youtube this for reference).

That’s all folks! Until next time…au revoir! <3