rice and stew

My friend Veronique loves to cook for other people, lucky me! She was making a "stew" sauce that's eaten with rice, and it's basically a blend of chopped vegetables, tomato paste, minced tomatoes and green spices (basil, parsley, celery), garlic and hot peppers mashed into a thick paste. Also, we can't forget the Maggi cubes that flavor everything.

This is the grinding stone. Vero's cousin was helping to make the paste and a neighbor came to help make the other dishes. The countless people I've seen cooking here make the preparation seem effortless... though it might actually take several hours or half the morning. The toil and pace that goes into food is fascinating, and the slow food movement is catching on because people are reverting back to the old, slower-paced methods of cooking and eating.

Plantains, boiled or fried, are delicious. I've never eaten so many plantains in my life. They are a staple food in the Northwest Region. When they're boiled, they are very starchy and heavy, and fill up the stomach very quickly. It's a good thing I love carbs. The process involved peeling, slicing, smoothing out the outer layer, rinsing them in water and then boiling.

The end result..... rice, plantains and vegetable stew.

My friend with one of the biggest hearts ever, Vero.

There isn't a fancy name to the dish, just "rice and stew." This case was with plantains but on the streets, you can order a bowl of "rice and stew" for around 400 cfa (under a dollar) and a typical bowl would come with a piece of meat. The stew would be a thick red tomato sauce without other vegetables. / Thanks team! The meal was delicious and dude, I miss the food.

A Cake Story

(This post is dedicated to my grandma, who just celebrated her 83^rd birthday.)

So, we bought this cake for my grandma’s birthday dinner. It was a lovely, colorful, sprinkle-y ice cream cake. It was delicious, but I won’t say where it’s from and you’ll see why. My older cousins are at that point where they’re all having kids, so all the toddlers LOVED the tiny fake plastic balloons that bedecked the heavily frosted surface. My grandma was beaming from being surrounded by so many great grandkids (which is suk in Cantonese).

It was very lucky that all the babies and my paw paw cannot read English because “grandma” was misspelled on the cake. Instead, it said “Gradma.” Really?? In my mind, people could have rioted during the “Happy Birthday” song. It was hilarious. But actually, no one really noticed... the fancy cake decorations/candles stole the show.

According to my mother, anything could have been written on the cake, in French, and it wouldn’t have really mattered. But, apparently the one downfall was the fact that the writing was done in blue which is associated with sadness, death and mourning instead of lucky, festive red. Otherwise, it was pretty great, yea?

As her gift, I got my paw paw a mural of three villagers hand-painted on fabric from Cameroon that I bought from the Extreme North Region, in Maroua.

Oh family and gigantic dinner gatherings… how I’ve missed you. People have asked me, "Are you going back to Africa soon?" To be honest I have no idea, I would love to go visit another country in the near future but for now I'm relishing in the fact that I'm home. A year can feel really long without the birthdays, the family traditions, the holiday celebrations. Anyways, I've been back for two weeks now. I wouldn't want to miss moments like these for anything. To a birthdays that make everyone smile, and many more.

Happy Birthday g-r-a-n-d-m-a!

saying goodbye is never easy

Kribi beaches

There's a place called Kribi, in the South region of Cameroon where "all your dreams come true." Literally. Just ask Meera and Kiran, my fellow ETA and her younger sister and they'll vouch for me.

There were white-sand beaches, perfect waves, fresh shrimp to eat caught from Lobe Falls, a waterfall that drops directly into the ocean, which was a 10-minute walk from our hotel.

It was the kind of vacation where one lies on the beach all day with a dictionary-sized beach read, sans probleme. It was not crowded at all because while it was a touristy area, there were minimal tourists during the off season. There area was isolated and a good distance from the center of town. There was plenty of sun and 'twas the perfect way to wrap up our academic year, to celebrate our success (we survived!) and in a way, to commemorate our final region visited in Cameroon (we visited all ten!).

There's a bustling fish market in town where you can choose your own fish for grilling, and there were plenty of 'fish mommies' waving you come sit at an empty table in their area. We stuffed ourselves with grilled fish and gambas (gigantic, fresh prawns) complete with red piment, green sauce, mayonnaise, baton de manioc, plantain chips, frites and 'fruit de pain' chips. The market, and eating/grilling area are side-by-side on a dock overlooking the water. [Insert a very satisfied sigh here.]

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