September 2009

Late August and early September have been very busy. I received two new postmates, an education volunteer in Okoyong, Gloria, and a business volunteer here in mamfe, Stanson. Most of my days were filled with shopping, for mattresses, buckets, kitchen supplies, you name it. I don’t mind at all though. I am lucky to know places in town. Lauren did the same for me when I arrived.
Doesn’t it figure, that the week after Kevin left, my computer broke. I had to find a technician to fix it for me, and paid a lot of money. Luckily, I have it now.
Food has been scarce here in Mamfe. All of our vegetables come from Bamenda, and the roads are really bad now. We are having a terrible rainy season, so all of the roads have turned to mud. All of the large trucks that transport our food are unable to pass on the roads. Light has also been scarce, and with that, water. Its been a difficult month.
School began on September 7. My program for school changed this year. I am now working part time in a village, Afab, about an hour away, and part time here in mamfe. GSS Afab is a form 3 school, so they only have forms 1, 2, and 3, but they have 350 students. They were really struggling for teachers, because no one wants to work in the bush, so I wanted to help them. I am teaching form 1 computer, biology, and math, and form 2 computer. Needless to say, it keeps me busy. The other teachers are really nice, but I struggle with these students. They have had a sketchy school beginning, so their knowledge is all over the place. My form 2 computer class never took form 1 computer, so im starting from scratch. Out of all my computer students, only 1 has ever seen a computer. Its difficult to teach there. Also, there are not enough classrooms in the school. They have a wood partition down the center, so 2 classes share the room. You can hear everything in the other class, and it really disturbs. I have a room at the community hall in Afab, but that is a struggle bc there are no kitchen facilities, and the bathroom is down the hall. I’m taking it all in stride, and it doesn’t bother me too much. I try to spend most of my time with Cameroonians, and they are trying to teach me the dialect, Ejagham. It is nothing like any language I’ve ever learned, but I’m trying.
I am still teaching at GBHS Mamfe. I’m teaching form 2 biology again, and I love it. I really like the kids at this age, and it can be fun. Mostly I try to scare them with crazy facts, but it only works sometimes. They are active and they never shut up, but it makes the class a bit more fun. Coming back to mamfe after being in Afab is like a little taste of heaven, and mamfe finally feels like home. I cant imagine what it will feel like to go back to the US. Lauren is preparing for her departure in December, and I am the next one to leave. Soon, I’ll be returning to my real home, and missing all of these crazy things here.