I'm back!!!

hey-o! I'm back in Chicago. Home sweet, sweet home.

Where did all the posts go from April until now? They're yet to be written. (Kind of like a reverse, Benjamin Button sort of thing.)

I will keep on updating, if not more now because I am back. There is more steady internet and plus it will be a way for me to reflect and remember that I experienced for the past 9 months. Wow. Let me just say it once more: I made it back safely!

But right now, I feel like home has never been sweeter. It's not like I haven't enjoyed my time in Cameroon, but it was the first time I've been away overseas for so long. I appreciated the wave of familiarity when I saw the Chicago skyline. I basked in luxurious little comforts like A/C that was too cold, sticking leftovers in the fridge and of course seeing family & friends.... the latter making my home-coming so awesome. Of course, other things helped like taking a piping hot shower, opening my laptop to wi-fi, sleeping in my own bed, fruit smoothies, and driving on a 4-lane paved road. Home, how I've missed you!

My family was glad I was back, well, my dad sure was since he kinda blew the cover of a 'surprise' welcome back party on Sunday.

Coming back from the airport:

Dad: What about the party?

Mom: SSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

hahaha. At least I knew enough to try and look nice by wearing my African-print dress that I got made in Yaounde. Thanks!

This weekend I was one of the happiest girls alive. And when my stomach could hold some substantial food again...

...pho.

the circle of life

Here, death is a celebration. There is a "cry-die" where people openly cry and mourn for a day, but then the rest is a celebration, complete with singing, dancing, drumming, eating and drinking. In the Northwest, gunshots are fired into the air to signify that someone has passed away. The celebration is a way for family and friends to move on... almost like, "What is the point in being sad?" There is a better place in the afterlife...

and i'm back

Hey all back home and from all different places. Thanks for all the care and concern. Cameroon has not been affected by any violence or unrest, and it remains peaceful here.

* * *

Second semester here at school has been on full force, and that is partly why I have been away from this blog. My apologies. I've started English courses for technical students from the Higher Technical Teacher's Training College (HTTTC). Last semester, I assisted in English courses for the general teaching school, the Higher Teacher's Training College (HTTC), most of whom were Anglophone students who study English literature. So nowadays I have English courses with 2 different colleges on the same campus and my time is split between Francophone and Anglophone students.

I enjoy these technical English courses a lot more since Francophone students make up the majority of the technical school and they desire to learn English. They study Economics, Management, Computer Science, Accounting, Civil, Electrical & Power Engineering etc. They are committed, they want to soak up every aspect, and they pour over the grammar like crazy. They want to learn how to master English, how to use English in their field and expand on their vocabulary. They are detail-oriented and succinct by nature. On the other hand, teaching grammar to English Lit majors is received with a different attitude, and it's slightly more tough. It's two different ways of teaching too, like apples and oranges. Ah well so it is :) I wanted to work with this niche of francophone students from the start, and the opportunity has finally come this semester.

On a sweet side note: It is MANGO SEASON!!! oh yes. A mango a day keeps the doctor away. If only they'd ripen faster, I would make this my personal motto.

* * *

A snapshot of daily life here... in a conversation:
(I was in a small store and just bought a large bottle of water to drink)

Store owner: "You look so tasty."
Me: "Pardon me, sir?"
Owner: "You're very tasty!!"
Me: "...." (confused. not sure how to respond.)
Owner: "The way you're drinking that water you must be tasty."
Me: "Ahh, yes, yes. I am very thirsty!"

A little misunderstanding that we can chuckle about, and also my reminder for me not to take things too seriously. There is something I can find everyday to laugh about.

* * *

Another recent highlight was an AIESEC seminar held at the National Polytechnic School in Bambui. I was invovled in AIESEC at U of I, so I was stoked that it was found here in Cameroon. It's an international student-based organization focused on internship exchanges and leadership development. More info can be found here http://www.aiesec.org/

The AIESEC chapter in Bamenda is still growing and decided to host their first event, a seminar called "Entrepreneurship and the Future for Young Cameroonians." It was two days long over a Friday and Saturday April 1 & 2. Participants who attend the entire thing receive a certificate of completion at the end. I was able to present a short power-point on discovering one's own entrepreneurial skills. woot!

I don't know why we've all posed with our arms like that... but here's a picture with some Board of Advisers, an AIESEC national staff member and the local community president (first on the left in white).

One of my favorite parts of the conference, hanging out with a lil @iesecer who also happened to be my sidekick!

@iesec gala night with winners of the Mr. and Miss @iesec competition

birthday breakfast

March 2nd has come and gone. Maintenant, j'ai 23 ans. Incredibly strange, this growing up thing, but full speed ahead! Thanks to Jacqueline who baked me this surprise lovely cake (butterscotch/chocolate/peanuts combo) for my birthday. Regardez, the cake's a beauty. J's got skill, to concoct something like that in the spur of the moment, in a dutch oven. I even had a Swedish birthday song. Voila, I fine-dined that morning.

Happy Women's Day

Tuesday, March 8th was International Women's Day. It was my first Women's Day celebration and apparently outside of the U.S., it's a pretty big event. I wore a dress made from this year's Women's Day fabric and the color choices were pink or green. I marched with the ladies of the University of Bamenda on Commercial Avenue, in front of the grand stands where the governor was sitting along with other VIPs. They get to sit in chairs nicely in the shade(!) while the sun was beating down on all the women waiting to march. I got to hold the sign board and I was lucky enough to have marched with my group early, so I could grab lunch at a local bar (grilled fish with manioc sticks, fresh carrots & onion with pepe sauce) and head out of town before all the restaurants and streets would be filled with beaming women ready to celebrate. And celebration in Cameroon is DEFINED by food and drink, so you can imagine....

It was hot, chaotic, and the MTN phone network was so backed up that calls/texts wouldn't go through. Apparently there was a promotion of 500 francs and unlimited calls for the whole day. Anyways, we were only a small group of women from UniBa. Earlier that day I asked a female student at school if she was going to celebrate, and she emphasized that "only WOMEN only celebrate, I am still a girl." Aren't we women? I asked her but she said that it was for women with husbands, children and families. hmm... In the future, I can envision an event that unites women (especially women in academia and in education) and will be a bigger platform for discussion (of not only this year's theme of 'gender equality for girls in science and technology) but for many other topics, issues, round tables, conferences etc. In general, it was a day for dialogue and pride and oh, it has so much potential for later years to come. There was a women from the SWAA (Society for Women and AIDS in Africa) organization who was giving out female condoms and doing demonstrations. I looked up their org, here it is: http://www.iwhc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=137&Itemid=70 That was pretty neat because it represented women's empowerment, freedom, education and choice- which is what this day is all about. So... happy belated Women's Day! (It should happen more often, yea?)

i'll make it up in pictures...

A little yoga by the lake... I felt like Wai Lana, the yoga guru who twists into poses next to beautiful landscapes. There is this narraw rock with a steps to the top. A breathtaking view, really.

In the Adamawa region, about to climb Mt. Ngaoundere....I climbed boulders to reach the summit.

"PINNNED YA!!!" Think Simba and Nala. Puppies playing in the yard by my house.

whizzzing by. Meera and I on a moto in Ngaoundere visiting Lake Tison with Krystina. This is after one tire puncture, getting lost for 40 minutes, lunching with some village women and being driven around by two frustrated moto drivers. As you can imagine, the driver in the back (with me & Meera) was more angry at the one up front (with Krystina), but in the end they ended up becoming semi-friends. I guess a visit to a gorgeous volcanic crate lake will do that to you.

Taxis

I always enjoy taxi rides, especially from Bambili to Bamenda which takes about 40 minutes (for loading and unloading of passengers) to head into town. The ride usually costs 300cfa and if you don’t have exact change, you need to tell the driver before getting in the car so he will know to have change ready. To signal for a taxi, you extend your pointer finger in front of you and just wait on the side of the road. A passing taxi will slow down enough to hear you announce your destination and if he’s going in that direction, he’ll honk the horn for you to board. If not, he’ll just drive away without saying anything. No offense taken. Make sure to greet the passengers to be courteous when you board. It’s usually a simple “morning” “afternoon,” or “evening.”

There is something neat about sitting in a car and briefly sharing someone’s company, then parting for different destinations. I look out at the mountainous landscape (it is all downhill from Bambili) at the people on the side of the road, selling oranges, dozing off at MTN call-boxes, pushing a wagon or carrying rice bags bursting of produce. Friends greet each other with a hearty handshake. People are skewering the day’s soya to grill. Mommies are frying beignets or arranging tomatoes to sell. Small children in bright uniforms are walking to school, the older ones holding the hands of their younger siblings. Each time I head into town, I notice something new. Plus, it’s a chance to listen in on the latest gossip in a mix of English, local dialect but mostly pidgin.

Besides looking outside, it’s very entertaining to observe how a taxi’s interior is decorated. It is fun enough to be squeezed inside a car with four people in the back, and three people in front (with babies and small children the number can be up to 10 )… but crazy decorations are even better. I’ve seen stuffed animals hanging from the rearview mirror, fake flowers carefully placed on a furry spread on the dashboard, dangling second-hand Happy Meal toys, and lacey cloth covering the ceiling. I’ve also seen a plastic skull as the stick-shift knob, and a sticker of Spiderman by the speedometer. There are also stickers on windows ranging from “I love Cameroon” to “Jesus Carries Me” to a smiling Malaysian girl with quotes about friendship to angry-looking green bulldogs. Nearly all taxis have flashing colorful lights in the evening and I’m absolutely positive that no two taxis in Cameroon that are the same.

While I am riding in a taxi, I also read what is written on the bumpers of other taxis while they zip past or cut us off. Taxi-drivers personalize and “jazz up” their vehicles by painting sayings like “Praise Be To God” on their bumper. I’ve come up with a tentative list of the ones I’ve seen:

“Love”
“Les Beaux Sont Tous Rares”
“Shame to Mr. and Mrs. Wicked”
“Plan with God”
“There’s Time for Everything”
“Active Boy”
“Chop with Long Spoon”
“Thanks be to God”
"Bishop"
Well Done
New York City
Even Ballam Cannot Reverse God's Blessing
Baby Take Care
Victory Only Comes from God
Jesus is Lord
The Young Shall Grow
Cover Me with the Blood of Jesus

... so anyone can get their daily dose of advice or philosophical thought from the back of a taxi!

I’ve had to take time to learn and ask the prices to certain locations. Sure, several times the taxi I was in nearly collided head-on with oncoming traffic but … the driver was swerving to avoid the enormous pothole. One time I was in a slow-moving traffic jam and the front right wheel of my taxi fell off, and all the passengers had to continue walking to find another taxi. While this was happening a herd of cattle was coming down the road towards me, making the traffic jam worse. Thank God the wheel fell off when the taxi was moving slowly. All the passengers including me, boarded the same empty taxi up ahead. Oh how taxi rides are an unpredictable adventure.