I decided that for my last month in Cameroon I would work at Mefou Wildlife Sanctuary (Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund) just outside Yaounde. I came here to visit during COS Conference, and it was really cool. It is a primate center, filled with mostly chimpanzees and gorillas, but also different kinds of monkeys, baboons, and guenons. Its located in the bush, outside Yaoundé. To get there, it is about a 30 min drive on paved roads, then about another 30 min on a one lane dirt road. The road is pretty rough, but not as bad as mamfe. It is also far enough away from the capital that there is no electricity or phone network.
I left mamfe after saying my goodbyes, and came directly here. I didn’t really know what to expect when I came, but since all of the animals are rescued in some way, I knew I was working for a good cause. After taking a tour, and learning my way around, I started work with the other 5 volunteers, from all over the world. The vet is from Israel, and other volunteers are from Belgium, Germany, Mexico, and the UK. Since then, we have had another volunteer arrive from Denmark and 2 from Australia. My first main job was to get to know the chimpanzee babies. There are 4 babies, under 1 ½ years that were rescued recently. Song (m.) lived at a construction site, where he was attacked by dogs and cats and never fed. The vet said he would have only lived for another week, if he had not come. Kazi (m.) was kept as a pet, and had a metal chain tied around his waist. Now and then the owners would feed him. As he grew, the chain did not, so it grew into his body. He had to have surgery when he first arrived. Mboke (f.) arrived in a cardboard box, malnourished and suffering. Bubbaleh (f.) was born on the reserve, but her mother was too young to care for her, and dragged her around by one leg. I became mother to Song and Kazi. The babies need full time care, including formula every 3 hours during the night. When I became a mother, the two moved in with me, and slept in baskets on the floor next to my bed. I took them everywhere with me (even the bathroom), and fed them throughout. They are so cute, I can understand why people want chimps as pets, but they are a lot of work. It’s very similar to being a real mother. I would wake up at 3am to babies crying and I would have to give them milk, and hold them until they fell asleep. The difference is that the chimps are much more active. its like having a baby and a toddler, all in one. it was a great experience though, and a lot of fun.
My next job was to work in the forest, with the older set of chimpanzee babies. These ones were between 1 ½ and 3 years. They are a lot bigger, a lot rougher, and a lot more active. They slept at night in a satellite cage (in case of a soldier ant attack), but during the day we played in the forest. it was really fun watching these babies climb trees and play together. it was not as fun, when they jumped from the trees onto my head, or pulled my hair. I have quite a few bites and scratches, and I’ve lost a significant amount of hair, but I would laugh at their antics. I worked with a Chadian man, Sanda, and we watched the babies and discussed many different things, all in French. I have lots of pictures of the babies playing. The best part was what we called the “chimp train” or “chimp chain”. (I still cant decide which I prefer). the babies form a little congo line and walk together. In nature, this signifies an attack, but in the baby chimps, its adorable to watch.
I have since left the reserve, and I’m on my way back to Mamfe, to visit one last time. I will be sure to show pictures when I get home!
For more information about the reserve, go to apeactionafrica.com
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Mamfe Send off
My Mamfe send – off party was planned for May 22, 2010. There was a lot of preparation involved, since there electricity has been terrible for a long time, and we are in the beginning of rainy season. A few weeks before the event, I made invitations and Jessica (my roommate) helped me disburse them. We also decided to get ashwabi (matching fabric to make clothing). This was not my idea, but I was all for it. For major occasions here, they usually wear matching outfits, so they look like a family. We decided on a fabric, which looked strangely Hawaiian. We also decided to have a pig roast, the same thing we did for Lauren’s send off back in December. It was such a hit with everyone, that we thought it would be a good idea. The few days before the send off were extremely busy, as I was just finishing up school, and trying to do everything myself. As the party approached, I had to delegate, big time.
The party was at Stanson’s house, as he has a huge veranda and a huge yard. My house was going to be a little too small for the 100+ guests invited. My neighbors were extremely helpful, and offered to do the cooking. The menu included pepe soup chicken, fufu corn and vegetable, dodo (fried plantains), geloff rice, and the pork meat. It was a very Cameroonian medley, but most of them don’t like American food anyway. We rented a canopy, in case of rain, and chairs. My friend George also helped a lot, and he arranged for a DJ to come. It was turning into a raging party, and every few minutes extra people asked if they could also come.
The day of the send-off, I had arranged for everything. I just had to do some last minute shopping. I was excited bc I thought I would have time to rest that day. I was definitely wrong. I ended up having to cook the rice, pick up extra plates for the party, pick up my dress, etc. I definitely did not have time to rest. All of the volunteers in the area came for the party, and we decided to get ridiculously African outfits made. Mine looked ore flamenco than anything, and I added satin. It was classy. Jessicas looked like an 80s prom dress, and Stanson had an up and down made (button down shirt and trouser). We looked awesome, and arrived at the party.
Unfortunately, there was no light in town, and there was a big football match. Eto’o Fils, the Cameroonian football player, plays on a European team, the same team that was playing the night of my send off. Many, many people came to the party, but since we didn’t have a generator, many of them left to watch the match. That was depressing. Soon after, I arranged for a generator, so we could have light. The food came out really well, and there was a lot of it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t roast the pig, as the head broke off, but we grilled it, and it was delicious. The party wasn’t bad. I didn’t have any time to sit down, as I was arranging things, and helping, so it was tiring, but good. Speeches were made, and I tried not to cry, and gave my own short speech. I basically thanked people for coming and for the great memories.
After the party, a group of us went to Peroza, the nightclub in Mamfe. We went with the owner, so he bought 2 bottles of whiskey for us, and told us that we could play some American music. We expected this, so we made a CD in advance. The club was really fun. We danced like crazy, and they let us in for free. We all wore our ashwabi, and we danced up a storm. We finally went home around 3am. Overall, the party was a success. I received gifts, and opened them the next morning. I received some clothing (mostly cabas – muumuu like dresses), some jewelry, and 2 ebony canes. The canes were a little random. Anyway, it was fun.
The party was at Stanson’s house, as he has a huge veranda and a huge yard. My house was going to be a little too small for the 100+ guests invited. My neighbors were extremely helpful, and offered to do the cooking. The menu included pepe soup chicken, fufu corn and vegetable, dodo (fried plantains), geloff rice, and the pork meat. It was a very Cameroonian medley, but most of them don’t like American food anyway. We rented a canopy, in case of rain, and chairs. My friend George also helped a lot, and he arranged for a DJ to come. It was turning into a raging party, and every few minutes extra people asked if they could also come.
The day of the send-off, I had arranged for everything. I just had to do some last minute shopping. I was excited bc I thought I would have time to rest that day. I was definitely wrong. I ended up having to cook the rice, pick up extra plates for the party, pick up my dress, etc. I definitely did not have time to rest. All of the volunteers in the area came for the party, and we decided to get ridiculously African outfits made. Mine looked ore flamenco than anything, and I added satin. It was classy. Jessicas looked like an 80s prom dress, and Stanson had an up and down made (button down shirt and trouser). We looked awesome, and arrived at the party.
Unfortunately, there was no light in town, and there was a big football match. Eto’o Fils, the Cameroonian football player, plays on a European team, the same team that was playing the night of my send off. Many, many people came to the party, but since we didn’t have a generator, many of them left to watch the match. That was depressing. Soon after, I arranged for a generator, so we could have light. The food came out really well, and there was a lot of it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t roast the pig, as the head broke off, but we grilled it, and it was delicious. The party wasn’t bad. I didn’t have any time to sit down, as I was arranging things, and helping, so it was tiring, but good. Speeches were made, and I tried not to cry, and gave my own short speech. I basically thanked people for coming and for the great memories.
After the party, a group of us went to Peroza, the nightclub in Mamfe. We went with the owner, so he bought 2 bottles of whiskey for us, and told us that we could play some American music. We expected this, so we made a CD in advance. The club was really fun. We danced like crazy, and they let us in for free. We all wore our ashwabi, and we danced up a storm. We finally went home around 3am. Overall, the party was a success. I received gifts, and opened them the next morning. I received some clothing (mostly cabas – muumuu like dresses), some jewelry, and 2 ebony canes. The canes were a little random. Anyway, it was fun.
NOTE: ALL FUTURE BLOGS OUT OF ORDER
Due to difficulties posting blogs, all of the next blogs will be out of order. I apologize for any confusion.
Friday, November 27, 2009
silly blog..
so, my last blog was a little bit silly. i know i dont actually live in the depression, but sometimes it feels like it.. things can be difficult, and i stretch my money as far as it will go. there are days that i feel like i live in another world, or at least another century.
i thought of a few other things i do here, that will make me sound crazy though. i should add these to the list.
- if i have moldy bread, i cut off the mold and eat the rest
- if we go to the farm, usually we end up wearing long dresses and goign barefoot
- people wear things until you cant wear them any more. i.e. flip flops . after the straps break, people still shuffle around on the plastic part, until there are holes and the flip flop is about half the size it was to begin with
ill keep adding to the list. hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving, and an enjoyable mall-filled black friday!
i thought of a few other things i do here, that will make me sound crazy though. i should add these to the list.
- if i have moldy bread, i cut off the mold and eat the rest
- if we go to the farm, usually we end up wearing long dresses and goign barefoot
- people wear things until you cant wear them any more. i.e. flip flops . after the straps break, people still shuffle around on the plastic part, until there are holes and the flip flop is about half the size it was to begin with
ill keep adding to the list. hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving, and an enjoyable mall-filled black friday!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Living in the Depression
Sometimes, when i talk to people at home, i joke that i'm living like people did during the depression. yes, sometimes im exaggerating, but let me explain why i say this.
- if we have rotten food, we cut out the bad parts, but eat the rest
- i wash out plastic bags and reuse them
- i use every little tiny bit of soap, instead of buying a new block of it
- i rinse out shampoo bottles, then use the soapy water to wash my hair
- if i find a button or something that looks useful on the street, i will pick it up and keep it
- i have a lot of broken things in the house.. i just keep them because i know they will be useful some day
- i keep old papers, so i can use the back of it for scrap.. i have thousands of pieces at this point
- i keep bits of scrap fabric, in case i need it someday
- i eat expired food - case in point: over the summer i bought a bottle of ketchup (expired already). i ate it then, did not refrigerate it, and now months later, ate some again. will it make me sick?? we will see.
anyway, this blog is ridiculous, but now you can see what i am talking about. either i live like someone during the depression, or like a crazy old cat lady. you decide.
- if we have rotten food, we cut out the bad parts, but eat the rest
- i wash out plastic bags and reuse them
- i use every little tiny bit of soap, instead of buying a new block of it
- i rinse out shampoo bottles, then use the soapy water to wash my hair
- if i find a button or something that looks useful on the street, i will pick it up and keep it
- i have a lot of broken things in the house.. i just keep them because i know they will be useful some day
- i keep old papers, so i can use the back of it for scrap.. i have thousands of pieces at this point
- i keep bits of scrap fabric, in case i need it someday
- i eat expired food - case in point: over the summer i bought a bottle of ketchup (expired already). i ate it then, did not refrigerate it, and now months later, ate some again. will it make me sick?? we will see.
anyway, this blog is ridiculous, but now you can see what i am talking about. either i live like someone during the depression, or like a crazy old cat lady. you decide.
November 2009
The month of November has been a strange month. I have had many different activities, and ive been really really busy. It all started when I ran into the germans. There are a bunch of german volunteers here in mamfe. They aren’t very friendly, so I don’t know them well. I was headed to afab on a Saturday, thinking about how I didn’t want to go. I had my backpack and was just waiting for a moto to take me to the motorpark. As I slowly crossed the street, one of the germans called me over and invited me to a party. I accepted to go that night and went back to the house. The party’s main event was a pig roast. They put the pig on a spit, and roasted it over a bonfire. The rest of the party was pretty lame, but it gave me an idea….
Lauren (my postmate) is preparing to go back to the US. Her two years are finished in December, so we wanted to give her a nice send off here in mamfe. She lives in a small village outside mamfe, but she is always doing work and visiting here. I decided that the main event should be a pig roast. It was a lot of work to plan everything.. I know a man that owns a piggerie (pig farm) in afab, so I bought the pig from him. He agreed to kill, clean and gut the pig, and to send it in a vehicle to mamfe. I picked up the pig from the motorpark, and carried it on a moto to my friend george’s house. We marinated it and carried it again on a bike to a cold store (frozen fish store) where my friend agreed to store it for the next day. The party was on a Friday, so Lauren, Felicia and I spent the morning cooking fufu and eru. George was preparing fried rice and eggrolls, and we would serve the pig. I raced off to go to school, where I collected a bagful of cockroaches as an extra credit project (I later released them into the wild). I hate cockroaches. From school, I raced into town to pick up last minute things, and raced to stanson’s house, where we were holding the party. I helped to spear the pig (it was not pretty shoving a metal rod up that pigs you know what), which was gross, and we started to cook it. I helped clear the grass in the yard and start the bonfire. We decided to make punch to drink, because there are no drinks in town. The roads are so bad here, that big trucks can not pass. That means, there is no beer in town, no soda, no flour, no cabbage, etc. we don’t have anything that is heavy, unless it was carried on a boat from Nigeria. Close to dark, Lauren and I decided to bathe and change clothes. Along the way, we also had to carry plastic chairs, and pick up the borrowed dishes. The party was a bit slow moving. There was no light, so we set up candles around the verandah. It was actually nice. I had battery operated speakers, so we had music, and there was lots of food. About 20 –25 people showed up to say goodbye to Lauren. We all went around and gave advice or said something nice about Lauren. It was my turn and halfway through talking I started to cry. It was super embarrassing (people here don’t ever cry, so don’t understand it if we do), so I cut my speech short. If I cried for Lauren, what will happen when I go?? I’ll cry every day. Anyway, her send-off party turned out really nice.
Pretty much every weekend this month, I have been working on my world map project. Lauren helped me to paint a world map on the side of my school. We are just finishing up, and it looks awesome. The students struggle, because there are few textbooks, and no maps. Some students draw them in their notebooks, but its not the same. This is an opportunity for them to learn where they are in the world, and to realize how much is out there that they could learn about it.
The rest of the month has been busy moving back and forth to afab. I have ejagham tutoring 2 or 3 days per week, plus lesson planning and teaching, and after that, im spent. The end of November will have our thanksgiving celebration, and Lauren leaving. For thanksgiving, we are having grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, garlic green beans, homemade stuffing, and im pretty sure george is bringing spaghetti and meatballs. That’s not quite a normal part of thanksgiving, but, the more the merrier. After dinner, ill head back to kembong with Lauren, to finish her packing, and then 1st of December, she is gone. Its an action packed month, just like December will be. I’m planning a trip to the extreme north, which should be fun.
Lauren (my postmate) is preparing to go back to the US. Her two years are finished in December, so we wanted to give her a nice send off here in mamfe. She lives in a small village outside mamfe, but she is always doing work and visiting here. I decided that the main event should be a pig roast. It was a lot of work to plan everything.. I know a man that owns a piggerie (pig farm) in afab, so I bought the pig from him. He agreed to kill, clean and gut the pig, and to send it in a vehicle to mamfe. I picked up the pig from the motorpark, and carried it on a moto to my friend george’s house. We marinated it and carried it again on a bike to a cold store (frozen fish store) where my friend agreed to store it for the next day. The party was on a Friday, so Lauren, Felicia and I spent the morning cooking fufu and eru. George was preparing fried rice and eggrolls, and we would serve the pig. I raced off to go to school, where I collected a bagful of cockroaches as an extra credit project (I later released them into the wild). I hate cockroaches. From school, I raced into town to pick up last minute things, and raced to stanson’s house, where we were holding the party. I helped to spear the pig (it was not pretty shoving a metal rod up that pigs you know what), which was gross, and we started to cook it. I helped clear the grass in the yard and start the bonfire. We decided to make punch to drink, because there are no drinks in town. The roads are so bad here, that big trucks can not pass. That means, there is no beer in town, no soda, no flour, no cabbage, etc. we don’t have anything that is heavy, unless it was carried on a boat from Nigeria. Close to dark, Lauren and I decided to bathe and change clothes. Along the way, we also had to carry plastic chairs, and pick up the borrowed dishes. The party was a bit slow moving. There was no light, so we set up candles around the verandah. It was actually nice. I had battery operated speakers, so we had music, and there was lots of food. About 20 –25 people showed up to say goodbye to Lauren. We all went around and gave advice or said something nice about Lauren. It was my turn and halfway through talking I started to cry. It was super embarrassing (people here don’t ever cry, so don’t understand it if we do), so I cut my speech short. If I cried for Lauren, what will happen when I go?? I’ll cry every day. Anyway, her send-off party turned out really nice.
Pretty much every weekend this month, I have been working on my world map project. Lauren helped me to paint a world map on the side of my school. We are just finishing up, and it looks awesome. The students struggle, because there are few textbooks, and no maps. Some students draw them in their notebooks, but its not the same. This is an opportunity for them to learn where they are in the world, and to realize how much is out there that they could learn about it.
The rest of the month has been busy moving back and forth to afab. I have ejagham tutoring 2 or 3 days per week, plus lesson planning and teaching, and after that, im spent. The end of November will have our thanksgiving celebration, and Lauren leaving. For thanksgiving, we are having grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, garlic green beans, homemade stuffing, and im pretty sure george is bringing spaghetti and meatballs. That’s not quite a normal part of thanksgiving, but, the more the merrier. After dinner, ill head back to kembong with Lauren, to finish her packing, and then 1st of December, she is gone. Its an action packed month, just like December will be. I’m planning a trip to the extreme north, which should be fun.
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