Hiking through the forest nearby my house
Here is a map of Africa that shows where Cameroon is on the continent
This is a map of Cameroon- My town, Messamena, is not on the map because it is so small but it is in the East region (Est) near the town Abong Mbong if you can find it!
On Thursday we met our Community host Counterpart and had a 2 day workshop on Peace Corps expectations and plans of action- since Cameroon is a bilingual (officially, with over 230 other local languages), the workshop was both in English and French. My community host is Jean Bick, he is the Chief of a small nearby village of the Bikele tribe. He is awesome! He is a traditional healer and told me he wants to teach my about what the forest has to offer medicinally- I can’t wait! On Saturday morning we all left to visit our sites and travel with our community hosts. It was so beautiful driving across Cameroon- the East region is all dense rainforest It was intense to arrive in Messamena- knowing that this is where I will be living the next 2 years!
I spent three days in my village introducing myself to the Sous-Prefet (head of the town), the Mayor, the Head of Police, the Principals, the Doctor and staff I will be working with and as many people as I could meet in the town. It was so hard trying to explain why I was there in French (and nerve-wracking… think about it- being overseas from anything you are familiar with- in a new culture, a language you’ve only been learning for a month, and having to met all the head officials of the place you with will be living and working!) But- it was awesome! It was a lot to take in at first but the third day I really fell in love with my new village. Everyone was so nice and after meeting them, people would always say, “D’accord, nous sommes ensemble” –ok, we are together! So far 3 women have proposed to me and the officials of the town are telling me they are going to set me up with their daughters. Awkward.
So it’s hard to describe exactly what I will be doing- because I will be making my own schedule, but my position is to work closely with the Doctor Djeumbam (one of 2 doctors for over 30,000 people in the district) and the nurses to observe the Cameroonian health care system and create a system to establish emphasis on preventative care with all the 12 local health care centers to do community health programs with the locals. I will get to travel around the area a lot for the work- it will be really exciting- but hard to do emotionally. This area has alarming rates of HIV/AIDS, cholera, malaria and other water-borne illnesses. It will definitely be a reality of the severity of these issues.
Last Wednesday morning we all received the notice of where we would be working for the next two years- although I originally wanted to be placed close to the ocean… I was given a small village in the Eastern region of Cameroon. At first I was a little upset, but then I realized I can always visit the beach- no problem.. and I’ve had my fair share of luck with living by the ocean the past few years so I’m switching it up and heading to the jungle! I am opening up a new post so no volunteer (or any foreigner) has been there before. I am proud that my program manager gave me such a tough post- it shows that she has a lot of confidence in me!
By post is in Messamena, the East Region of Cameroon, 90 km away from the next town off a unpaved dirt path. In the rainy season it is almost impossible to travel through. There is no electricity or running water- it is considered one of the poorest regions of the country. I have to fetch water from a nearby well and if I want to use electricity, I will need to use a generator. I am 50 km from the Dja national reserve- home to Africa largest and best protect rainforest-90% untouch with over 107 mamals- Including gorillas, elephants, chimpanzees and others.( http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/407 ) I will be living among a few tribal groups- the pygmies, the Bikeles, and the Bioudouroas.
This is a map of Cameroon- My town, Messamena, is not on the map because it is so small but it is in the East region (Est) near the town Abong Mbong if you can find it!
On Thursday we met our Community host Counterpart and had a 2 day workshop on Peace Corps expectations and plans of action- since Cameroon is a bilingual (officially, with over 230 other local languages), the workshop was both in English and French. My community host is Jean Bick, he is the Chief of a small nearby village of the Bikele tribe. He is awesome! He is a traditional healer and told me he wants to teach my about what the forest has to offer medicinally- I can’t wait! On Saturday morning we all left to visit our sites and travel with our community hosts. It was so beautiful driving across Cameroon- the East region is all dense rainforest It was intense to arrive in Messamena- knowing that this is where I will be living the next 2 years!My community host and counterpart, Jean Bick and his sister in their village
I spent three days in my village introducing myself to the Sous-Prefet (head of the town), the Mayor, the Head of Police, the Principals, the Doctor and staff I will be working with and as many people as I could meet in the town. It was so hard trying to explain why I was there in French (and nerve-wracking… think about it- being overseas from anything you are familiar with- in a new culture, a language you’ve only been learning for a month, and having to met all the head officials of the place you with will be living and working!) But- it was awesome! It was a lot to take in at first but the third day I really fell in love with my new village. Everyone was so nice and after meeting them, people would always say, “D’accord, nous sommes ensemble” –ok, we are together! So far 3 women have proposed to me and the officials of the town are telling me they are going to set me up with their daughters. Awkward.
So it’s hard to describe exactly what I will be doing- because I will be making my own schedule, but my position is to work closely with the Doctor Djeumbam (one of 2 doctors for over 30,000 people in the district) and the nurses to observe the Cameroonian health care system and create a system to establish emphasis on preventative care with all the 12 local health care centers to do community health programs with the locals. I will get to travel around the area a lot for the work- it will be really exciting- but hard to do emotionally. This area has alarming rates of HIV/AIDS, cholera, malaria and other water-borne illnesses. It will definitely be a reality of the severity of these issues.The hospital where I will be working with the doctor and nurses
Right now I am in the Regional capital of the East Region, Bertoua. I will have to come here once a month for banking to receive my Peace Corps stipend. There is a Peace Corps office here where all the volunteers can come and meet and stay for a few days (with electricity and crazy fast internet connection- hence this update with pictures!) Visiting Messamena has totally boosted my spirits about the Peace Corps- I went from going with the flow and liking it… to loving it- I really think I am going to get a lot out of the experience!
