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