BONJOUR de Cameroon!!!
First thoughts, 'it's so good!'
I embarked on this adventure from Philadelphia-- sort of. Our 'Staging' event was based in Philadelphia where I was in the lap of luxury at a lovely hotel in downtown. Unfortunately could not find the time to grab a Roast Pork sandwich from Tommy DiNics-- the line was mediocrely long and the services was painfully slow-- worse than Dunkin Dounuts in the South. So I settled for the best cheese steak I've ever had in my life yet, complete with broccoli rabe! Bonus!
Our actual staging meeting was nice-- simple talk about anxieties and aspirations, Peace Corps information coupled with glorious ice-breakers where my soon to be colleagues continually left me under the bus feeling like a ravishly outspoken clown. But, soon enough I would come to find they too are a bit worried about the heat and excessive sweating. Haa! Felt soo good to fecisciously thank them for standing in solidarity with me while I made a blatant fool of myself. Onward!
Plane rides-- eh. Simple. American carriers tend to be in so many vast ways so incredibly inferior to European carriers. I'd like to take a moment to not only thank, but applaud, the cultural and business customs of the entire country of Belguim. Merci beaucoup.
Arrival-- landing, deplaning, gathering, customs clearing, bag grabbing, bag moving, bus loading-- was easy as smiling-- and there was a LOT of smiling! This whole process was actually shockingly easy-- to our delight! Thank you, Peace Corps.
Yaounde! (I may sometimes refer to it as YaoTown-- though nobody else does).
Driving through Yaoudne was an experience to say the absolute least. Our first vistas from the airport's front window was spectacularly green-- absolutely beautiful. So incredibly lush and full with high full peaks in the near distances. The sun is even lazily setting to add to the pictureque atmosphere. Tres’ jolle!
As the 45 volunteers piled into the mini busses, four at a time, cab drivers jostled to talk to the Peace Corps directors assure they'd cut them good deals. Bienvienue a Cameroun! It all begins.
As we quickly ascended and descended the small hills towards Yaounde proper we enter Cameroon. This is Africa. Where people live along side mini highways in shanty town like huts, clay roads climbing the steepest of hills connect communities while children traverse barefoot, tiny wooden stands selling anything and everything from cell phone credit to whiskey in a bag, the nearly ridiculously outrageous unsavory driving that would leave even the most native New York driver a bit anxious for the return trip home. I'm in love.
This is raw. No sidewalks, no blanc's, no orderly 'order' is appearant (though of course there is a serious ebb and tide to this chaos), taxis and motorbikes and foot traffic EVERYWHERE. I'm intimiated.
Street vendors with shoes on top their heads indicating they're selling Cameroon's latest fashionable shoes. Stares, peering stares right into our bus's open windows unpuzzled, unnerved and quite honestly, uninterested. I'm amazed, slightly confused and certainly enchanted.
Staging!
This is the portion of Peace Corps that puts our ducks in order. It officially started in Philadelphia as mentioned above and carried over into Cameroon. Paper work, French crash-courses, proficiency tests, interviews, indoor hotel lockdown, collecting money, giving us money, buying us our necessities and questions-- lots and lots of questions. This is also where I begin to truly learn my fellow PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees)--I'm not a volunteer yet. It seems we've a great group. There were ten folks actually here already who were pilot testers for a new 'French immersion' program. Everybody's 10's all around. We share laughs, questions, concerns and sweat. Speaking of sweat! During our initial meeting in Philadelphia we, in groups, were to draw out in picture style our aspirations and anxieties. Obviously I said one of my anxieties was sweating profusely. At which point I enthusiastically ask the group-- 'Who else is worried about the heat and sweating?!"Crickets. Absolute crickets. 'Is this thing on?!', I think to myself.
Once we all reach Cameroon and realize it is, presently, quite cool (!!) (It's rainy season) many MANY volunteers, matter of fact maybe even ALL of them, at ONE POINT or ANOTHER, came up to me and agreed that they too were worried about the heat and sweat. PUNKS! Leaving me underneath the bus infront of everybody?! Come on, people. So, for this--I'd like to thank the ENTIRE Cameroon September Staging Crew (## to be determined).....So, again, thank you: Sarah, Laura, Eric, Joe, John, Lesley, Samantha, Emily, Kate, Stephanie, Jeff, Kyle, Reilly, Sean, Krystal, Alissa, Sophia, Mildred, Suzie, Amanda, Chisten, Mike, Luke, Lauren, Penny, Cynthia, Abagail, Brian, Ryan, Ryan, Sharon, Emily, Katie, Will, Laura, Chris, Ryan, Katie, Sarah, Andy, Laura, Shonna, Molly and Georgia. I believe I may be missing a few--do let me know.
So, more on this 'lock-down' here in Cameroon. Unfortunately none of us are permitted to leave our hotel during these first few days. Safety is of paramount importance to the Peace Corps, rightfully so. This is not to say our area of YaoTown is necessarily more 'rough' than other parts-- it more a matter of our exposure. We know little to nothing of Cameroonian culture, social mores, market talk (or any talk for that matter), we have no cell phones and (by and large) we're simply a bunch of blanc's (whites). (Though we all know I am not white, but Pale-- that'll be for another evening). Normally, I'd be chomping at the bits to get out. I haven't felt too trapped by this all. I'm taking this experience as it comes, moment by moment.
Cameroon Dancing and Wedding!
After dinner yesterday evening's (September 24) dinner we were treated to an amazing ensemble of dancers accompanied by drummers. So amazing. I literally cannot begin to describe how entranced we were by their performance. I shot some videos on my FlipCam, hopefully I will find fast enough internet to upload them. Stunningly beautiful, fun and invigorating. WOW! Toward the end a select few of us were pulled into the circle to have mini dance-off's. Luckily my New Jersey battle dancing skills were sharpend this past summer-- I did quite well.
We heard, as incoming PCTs, that a Cameroonian wedding is an event not to be missed! Coincidently there was one last night only two floors down from where we are staying. It was an all-night affairs-- literally. 8:00PM-5:00AM. Awesome! Quite late, as a few of us stragglers we retiring to our room we were invited by two enthusiastic young men who spoke little English to the wedding. Phenomenal. I ran upstairs, put on my best outfit and trucked right on into the wedding dance party. We need to create a bold new word in the English language to encompass the audaciously jubilant atmosphere of weddings here. Fun is pathetic word to describe this dance floor crowd. Upon entering we blanc's were received by smalls bursts of cheers, clapping and laughter. Smiles and high-fives were at an all time high. After dancing for about ten minutes a middle aged man approached me jumping up and down to the music with CFA (Cameroon's currency ((pronounced 'say-fa')) and stuck it to my forehead. This is a MASSIVE compliment and honor. This signifies that your dancing and presence is thoroughly enjoyed. It was a shame I didn't have many many CFA's on me to slap on everybody's forehead.
Training starts tomorrow. While my internet access may improve come Tuesday-- my days will become much more busy! But I should have a Cameroonian cell phone number up and running come tomorrow (Monday 26/9/2011).
Merci! Buon Nuitt! Nothing but love!
