Preparing for Christmas Break

This week has been very busy, as I have been preparing to go to Kribi for a Peace Corps meeting. I will see all of the other volunteers, and spend some time on the beach. that should be fun.

So, last week was relatively uneventful, just busy with school. sunday, divine (my counterpart) invited me to go to a village meeting with him and his wife. many people that live here in the southwest province, are actually from the northwest. they get together to share their culture. i went to the meeting, and everyone was drinking their specialty, corn beer. ive tried it before, but i cant drink it. the taste isnt too bad, but it smells like fermented corn. it kind of grosses me out. the meeting was all in limbum, their dialect, so i couldnt understand anything. i had to introduce myself, and people were very friendly. after the meeting portion, they played some music, then we ate. they made the typical northwest fare, fufu corn and njama-njama. its a play-doh like substance, that you eat with green leaves. you have to eat it with your hands, or it doesnt taste as good. then came the dancing. there was a youth dance, a mens dance and a womens dance. i was warned that i would have to dance with the women. when it was time, they tied a 'loin' on me (a long cloth that you tie as a skirt), and i had to dance. it was not pretty, but they were so happy that i tried. after, there was more dancing with everyone. it was fun to watch, but i did not participate. im not much of a dancer.

monday, i went to divine's farm, with him, his wife, and a teacher from school and his wife. i was told to wear flip flops and insect repellent. we walked to the bush (jungle) here , then into the bush. then we kept walking.. and walking. finally we arrived at the edge of a cliff. divine said the men would harvest there, and the women should go into the valley. i neared the edge of the cliff that i had to walk down, and as someone told me to be careful, i slipped and fell. right on my butt. i also scraped up my elbow pretty bad. that may be exaggerating. i got two small cuts, but they bled a lot. then i broke my flip flop. finally i made it to the valley to harvest cocoyams. they are these tubers that grow underground, and have a huge slimy stalk. once you pull it out of the ground, you have to break off all of the small yams from the big huge piece you pull out. i was covered in mud and insect bites in no time. it was kind of fun though. then i had to carry a really heavy bag back to divines house. his wife gave me a bag to bring home, and it was much heavier than the one i carried from the bush. i cooked some of the food... delicious!

tuesday was a big day for me. i can now say that i am an african film star. i had a role in a film that they are shooting here in mamfe. its all about tribalism. its called 'my tradition'. basically, the chiefs son wants to marry a girl from another province, and none of the parents want to allow it. i counsel the mother of the girl. its about a 2 min part, that took 2 hours to film - lets just say im not the best actress in the world. the movie should be out in april, and i hope to bring a copy home.. that is, if they do not cut my part. we'll see what happens.

the rest of the week has just been filled with marking papers and filling grades. everything is done by hand, so it takes forever. someday, the school will become computerized, and will save hours of work. this is the holiday season here, but its kind of depressing for me. xmas is for family, which i obviously dont have here. there are no carols, no decorations, and no snow.. what is xmas without those things? i guess my silver lining is that when i go home, i will enjoy it that much more. anyway, thinking of everyone at home.. i leave tomorrow morning for kribi, so happy holidays!!