Afab Send Off

On Wednesday May 26, 2010. there was a send-off for me in Afab. The school planned for it, since they were so happy that I brought water to the school. I arrived in Afab on that Tuesday night, to write out report cards, that I hadn’t yet finished. When I was done, I went to school to see my pipeline.. it was going so well! In just over 1 week, the pipeline was finished, and the bricklayer was working with cletus (my plumber) to finish the taps. There was a special church service for the students to go to, but I skipped it, so I could finish my work. Just when I had finished, Jessica and Gloria arrived. They came for the send off and the next day we were traveling to Buea
The send off was to begin at 12, which obviously didn’t happen. By 1pm we entered, but no one was there. We started around 1:30pm, to a very sparse crowd. People spoke about me, and thanked me for the water system at the school and for coming to teach. Quite a few people spoke, even a few that I didn’t know, but when I asked Bertha (my good teacher friend) to speak, she refused. She later told me that if she spoke, she would have cried. After the speakers, I became a village woman. The school bought me a traditional outfit, with lace blouse and a double wrapper. They even bought a canopy, which is a folded paper hat that looks kind of like a crown. Then I had to dance into the hall, to show everyone. At that point, I received certificates, like for my Ejagham language skills. I also had to count to everyone to show them that I know some of the language. My last certificate was for Mmon Nkim. This is an exclusive women’s dance group. In the old days, when women were circumsized, they would be kept secluded in the house for many weeks. During that time, some of the women were invited to become part of this group, so during their seclusion, they were given dance lessons. The dance tradition continues, but not the circumcision. Mmon Nkim literally means “child of circumcision.” Anyway, I was invited to be a part of it. I already knew, and had 2 previous lessons. I got dressed up in the traditional outfit (yellow/green shorts, red shirt, lots of cloth tied around me, bare feet), and danced in with two of my students that know how to dance that way. We did a few dances, and everyone got a kick out of it. Other students did the drumming for us.Gloria and Jessica took lots of pictures and videos, for everyone at home to see. When I was asked to join the group, I actually received a title. You can now refer to me as Mmon Nkim Melissa.
After the traditional dances, the big men and the principal left, and the DJ played some popular songs. The students were having so much fun dancing that I decided to join them. So did Jessica and Gloria. It felt like we were at a high school dance, but it was really fun. Eventually the students were sent home, and we went to Bertha’s to eat and hang out. To complete the night of tradition, we ate Afab’s traditional dish, eru and garri.