Work in Progress

Its taken about 2 months to feel settled in after returning from the states but I now feel comfortable and happy again here in Cameroon. Work has been going really well and I am learning a lot everyday. I can tell I am getting situated into village life because after some time I found myself sweeping my dirt yard because I know my neighbors would judge me-weird, yes but so it the amount of work/money we put into grass lawns in the United States. I also have to sharpen my machete everyday because I am working in the field on my project and the villagers always make fun of my if my machete is not sharp enough…. This is when I realized I starting to get jungle weird and I’ve been away from electricity and Internet too long and I come to the capital, Yaounde.

This week Peace Corps Cameroon is celebrating our 50^th year here in Cameroon and are having a huge ceremony to commemorate it. It is open to the public and the US ambassador will be there as well as Chantal Biya- the first lady! I am excited to present my work and be with all the other volunteers.

Right now in Messamena I am working on some large scale projects with UNICEF- Repairing a forage in one village, constructing desks for schools , putting together a parade for World Aids day and starting 5 pretty large school gardens. The school gardens are my main focus right now. I’ve always wanted to do a project like this but I always imagined it to be with inner city youth but here I am working with inner jungle youth. The project is really important though, because malnutrition is a big set back in the development of youth here. Most of their diets consists of carbs, such as rice, cassava and macabo with little to no proteins or greens. So, I got a grant from UNICEF to design this project and I am working close with the parents of the kids to do sessions on nutrition and work together to build these gardens. To do so, we had to clear through thick jungle brush in order to make room for the vegetables! I split my time up between 4 villages that I usually have to ride my bike 8-12 miles through jungle paths to get to then work out in the sun with my machete. The communities are really impressed to see my commitment so they themselves have put in a ton of effort to get this project going. At the end of each day my hands are bloody, scrapped and blistered and I’m completely exhausted, but I feel great! Its nice that my dog follows me everywhere. She usually runs about 20 feet behind my bike as a ride but one time she went running ahead of me and barking and I saw that she chased off a 4 foot viper snake that I would have come into contact with. Its nice to have here around but villages aren’t used to someone having  a domestic dog like that here so they laugh (and laugh about everything else I do)

The gardens are HUGE. Way bigger then I expected. I told the communities it was up to them what size they wanted to make it and I will try to supply the seeds for it. One of the gardens is about 400 feet by 600 feet! We are focusing on planting soy for protein and moringa trees for vitamins. Moringa is this miracle tree that when you eat the leaves it provides incredible amounts of vitamins and minerals and is used in many countries as a form of medication. I found a few seeds and divided them up for the gardens. We are also planting a variety of vegetables and greens… Green Pepper, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Basil, Onions, Celery, Carrots, Garlic and whatever other seeds I can get my hands on. I tried hard to avoid buying seeds distributed by Monsanto… but that wasn’t happening. Its cool to do this project- I am learning so much! It’s weird that I am doing a farming project in a small village when I’m a city guy who is used to going to clubs and dancing. Ha- it’s a nice break and change from that for a few months.

It’s an awesome experience working out in the jungle with people of the forest. I have learned so many things about traditional medicines and alternative forms of healing from the people in the communities I work in- there have been some really interesting home remedies that they use. Most of the remedies are in the form of a moonshine they drink and it’s a big part of their culture. I am constantly trying to avoid drinking it, but when local chief offer you a glass, its really disrespectful. So you drink it- even if it is 7 am. The villages have been really kind too- they know I came back to Cameroon to work after my mother passed away and they have all been really supportive. One village said they were going to dedicate the garden to my mom and another held a mass for her and they invited me- it was the first time I went to a service here and man, was it a hoot. There were drums made out of carved out logs paired up with non-stop singing and dancing. The service itself was in their local language and I couldn’t understand anything besides the fact they kept mentioning Barack Obama. It’s been really great to work closely with all the local chiefs in the villages and the parents of the students.

UNICEF has given me a ton of supplies to give to the schools I am working with- I am trying to split it up and not give everything out at once so once I week I’ll show up to the schools and if I see they are working towards making the classroom a priority- I’ll distribute some of the materials. I feel like I’m the Santa Clause of Messamena right now- I’m making it rain with gifts. While I don’t really like the idea of hand-outs as a form of development work, I have to say that if there wasn’t hand outs available to me in terms of scholarships for college, I never would be where I am today. So, I’m trying to give out these handouts in a sustainable way and teaching everyone how to save the materials to use again and profit from. Well see how that goes. It’s nice that I still have another year to follow these projects to see how they carry out.

So I got another year in the village. Village life is quite interesting- there is so much small talk and gossip, its really humorous. One time the police office invited me to the police station to have a beer with him because he is asking me to try to get him a computer from the states- word got out that I am trying to get people arrested because I am friends with police. Haha. When 4 beautiful Peace Corps volunteers came to visit me a few weeks ago word got out that they were all my wife’s so now all the guys think I’m a big pimp and are trying to get a piece my girls. Haha, oh small talk. I’m using it to promote my gardens in the villages and it’s actually working really well. The jungle is beautiful. I get to see crazy wildlife like toucans, strange birds, weird insect, snakes and endless varieties of plants and trees. Its really cool and I’m enjoying it a lot- until I get my ass back to San Francisco.                                                                                               

The Health Club at the High School I am working with for the World AIDS day Fair

The Green House- protected area for the new seeds in Messamena Village. Here inn the picture are the Chief of the village, the director of the school and president of the water committee.

Children planting Moringa seeds in Polipods so the are protected and will be later transplanted

Planting Soy in Blondjock

Planting Soy with Parents, Chiefs and Kids in Koum

Beginning of Garden in Blondjock

Planting soy in Koum the woman on the left is almost 80 and still working in the fields everyday and dances at church every Sunday

Students preparing the land for planting

The massive garden of Messamena Village

Students planting seeds in Messamena Village

Babysitting my neighbors cute and bad kids

Students clearing land in Messamena- check out those machetes

Parent teacher meetings in Messamena Village

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Saying Goodbye

August came and I was getting ready for my trip back to the United States- a trip that I had bought the ticket for in January. In March of this year I found out my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Unless something dramatically changed with her health, my trip was still in order for August to visit her. I had just completed a pretty intense bike trip thru the jungle as part of a Peace Corps collaboration project in which I had no cell phone service the entire time. We made it to the end of the trip, which left us at the Atlantic Ocean, on the beach. I was getting ready to go back to the capital to prepare for my trip home when I got a call from my sister- my mom was in the hospital again, but this time it was very serious and the doctors said she only had a few hours to live. The call hit me like a punch in the face and I couldn’t function. I called Peace Corps Administrator’s cell phones at 10pm on a Sunday night and they, as well as the other amazing volunteers I was with at the time, immediately started to help me get to Cleveland as fast as possible. I was sent home on an emergency leave that was covered in full by Peace Corps and had full support for the time off. Within 24 hours of that call I was out of the Cameroon and within 40 I was back in Cleveland. It was by far the longest 40 hours of my life as I was trying to beat the clock to have the chance to see my mom once again…. And on top of that my sister was going into labor with her first child. Luckily I made it. I walked into the ICU and saw what a toll the last year has had on my mother from when I left for the Peace Corps. She was weak, but really happy to see me. I did my best to hold back the tsunami of tears and return look of happiness to her.

       I spent the next 3 days up at the hospital visiting with my family and luckily she got to see her new grandson after he was born. It was so hard to see her this way in the hospital and she herself hated being seen this way. She was so weak but fighting so hard. On Friday we got the call that things once again took a turn for the worse. She had aspirated and was unconscious. At this point she had signed a DNR. My entire family rushed to the hospital and had to sit down with her doctor and hear the news that this was it.

      I’ve never seen anyone die, but seeing your mom die in your arms is really emotional. She was such a dear friend to me, she brought me so much happiness in my life that I am so grateful for. The next few days were a rollercoaster of emotions- I felt so guilty for not coming home sooner, I was so angry at the way she was treated by the medical professionals, I felt such sorrow for the pain she went through, I felt grief for the fact I’ll never be able to laugh and tell jokes or taste her lasagna again. As the days continued, I was happy for all great memories that I have shared with her. Her wake and funeral were really beautiful- just as she deserved. So many people came and it really warmed my heart to see how much love people had for her. My sisters and I did the eulogy and the whole service really helped me with the grieving process.

     As if the Peace Corps isn’t enough of a test of character, loosing your mother is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to come to terms with. I've learned to never take for granted the time you have with your loved ones. I wish I could have had another 10 or 20 years with her, she was only 62. But, she will stay alive and live on through her children who have all grown up to be such strong and bold individuals. She will always remain close to my heart. It has been a little over a month and I don’t think a day has gone by where I haven’t shed a few tears- I went through a whole pack of tissues just writing this post. But, life goes on. I’m so grateful for everything she has brought to my life and that I got to spend those last few days with her.

     I spent another month in the states and it was great to be there with my all my family and friends. I got to enjoy life in the states and make it out to California to see old friends and renew my love for San Francisco… coming back to Cameroon has been difficult as well as saying goodbye again to everyone. It was really nice to be greeted by my Peace Corps friends here when I arrived and my friend Joe  helped me get settled back in my house (which was taken over by spiders, mice, plants and I think a snake-but I haven’t found that yet) It is good to be back in Cameroon but hard to keep talking about loosing my mother. How am I? I’m as good as I can be, all things considered. It’s painful and difficult, but life goes on. I’m trying to stay positive- like my mom always told me to do.

 Rest in Peace Mom… I already miss you terribly

Walking my mom down the isle at my sister's wedding, Cleveland 2010

Taking my mom for a ride on my motorcycle, San Diego 2008

Our sense of humor- Xmas 2010

      

On The Go

Since my last post I have been to the extreme frontiers of this country in a whirlwind of travel- it has been amazing to see the diversity this country has to offer! .



Students and teachers in the program

  

Border Crossing into the Congo







 

One day I got the chance to walk along the border of the Congo and see the route the smugglers use to import and export goods in and out of Cameroon. For 20 cents I was able to take a boat across the river into the Congo to see the villages there. It was so cool to see that part of the country and work on the project.. it wasn’t all easy though. I had to deal with prostitutes literally throwing themselves at me, explaining to men that Im really NOT interested and that yes, it is illegal in the U.S. It also wasn’t easy not being in control of preparing my own food- in Messamena I have my own kitchen and get to control that… there in the jungle I didn’t have much choice but to eat what was served.. which was often porcupine, pangolin and other types of bushmeat- not always appetizing!





I’m happy to be back in Bertoua and head back to Messamena. 2 weeks left until I leave for Paris and the U.S… I can’t wait to see everyone!





Sitting in a Baobob Tree









Amanda's Community Soy Garden Project



My friends Chocolate farm



Housing in the North

Mogode

Rhumsiki

Water Source in Messamena

Top od Mount Ngaoundere



Waza National Park



Maroua Craft Market





Breaking it Down in Village while working with UNICEF

 

Baka Encampment

In Messamena before I left, I got the chance to invite the Ministry of Technology  of Cameroon to the projects I am working on to do an assessment  and give us the details of what is needed for the construction and repair of wells and forages in Messamena- After their visit I found out I am working on a $35,000USD project… it’s going to be a lot of work in the next year- hopefully I can manage to pull it off.

Training of Trainers in Bertoua

After leaving Messamena, I started to head north to visit some of the schools where UNICEF has built latrines and forages and took a few vacation days to visit and explore the north of Cameroon- it was AMAZING! The north is extremely different from anywhere else I’ve been so far! For one, the people in the north are SO calm and polite- I am used to the east were the average conversation includes at least 3 violent out lashes or harassing comments- in the north its totally tranquil. I got to stop at my friend Amanda’s post in Dir and see her awesome community soy garden, in Ngaoundere for a few days and hike to the top of Mt Ngaoundere, then to Garoua, then to visit  Sean’s post in Pitoua to walk through and old Baobab grove, up to Maroua, to Suzie’s Post in Magode, visit Rhumsiki and celebrate our friend Joe’s birthday over an amazing home cooked meal and watch the sunrise over the valley,  then to Tina’s post in Mokolo, Up to a safari in Waza to hang out with a bunch of giraffes, then down to Yaounde to celebrate the 4^th of July with other PCV’s then finally to Messamena. It was such an awesome trip and it was great to be able to see all my Peace Corps friends along the way. This whole experience has been such an adventure!



Traveling through the jungle on motorcycles





My bungalow where I stayed



Nguilili School, right in the jungle



Soon after (One day later) I was back in Bertoua to attend a teacher training program that I was contracted by Unicef to supervise. After the training I traveled with the teachers to Moloundo, the fartherst southeast corner of Cameroon on the border of the Congo. I was stationed there for 2 weeks to follow their program that Unicef is conducting. They created a summer session primary school for children aged 5 that couldn’t afford schooling to prepare them for the upcoming school year. The program is targeted primarily at the Baka pygmie tribes here in the region, a group of people who live deep in the jungle and are hunters and gatherers. They are a very vulnerable population as their land they inhabit is quickly being depleted by logging and being paid with liquor to cut down the forest which has been their home for centuries. The chance to be educated can help the Baka avoid being taken advantage of by these companies coming in and stripping their homes from valuable resources.





 

Congo



Baka Housing

The road to the bungalow where I stayed

It was so interesting to work in these conditions. This part of Cameroon holds the largest stretch of untouched rainforest outside of the Amazon. I was DEEP in the jungle and got to see so many different types of trees, plants, wildlife… and weird insects. Toucans, parrots and monkeys were a common sight as we traveled to the Baka encampments were clothing wasn’t really an option for these peoples as they do not follow a very capitalist lifestyle many of us are used to, their houses are made out of sticks and leaves and once they have lived of the fruits of the land, they move to their next encampment.  The Baka have an average height of 4.5ft and culturally sharpen their teeth to help them eat such types of bushmeat as, monkey, porcupine, gorilla, elephant and a few other animals not native to anywhere but here. I had the privilege to meet the chief of the baka tribes, who was smoking and interesting substance the entire conversation we had with him, to discuss t he importance of the program. I really couldn’t believe my eyes or ears most of the time- driving through the jungle on the back of a motorcycle and seeing valleys of small villages of mud huts, going to sleep with the howling of monkeys or the singing of the toucans, walking through swarms of vibrant butterflies and seeing the skulls of elephants scattered throughout.



  





 

One day I got the chance to walk along the border of the Congo and see the route the smugglers use to import and export goods in and out of Cameroon. For 20 cents I was able to take a boat across the river into the Congo to see the villages there. It was so cool to see that part of the country and work on the project.. it wasn’t all easy though. I had to deal with prostitutes literally throwing themselves at me, explaining to men that Im really NOT interested and that yes, it is illegal in the U.S. It also wasn’t easy not being in control of preparing my own food- in Messamena I have my own kitchen and get to control that… there in the jungle I didn’t have much choice but to eat what was served.. which was often porcupine, pangolin and other types of bushmeat- not always appetizing!





I’m happy to be back in Bertoua and head back to Messamena. 2 weeks left until I leave for Paris and the U.S… I can’t wait to see everyone!



Life in the Central African Rainforest

One huge tree

April turned out to be a hard month for me. After hearing bad news from back home I really began to question being here and whether or not I was enjoying living out in the jungle. I constantly get harassed, the conditions are rough and I am far from home. The culture of the people living out east in Cameroon is tough and aggressive. Everyone is constantly yelling at each other for every transaction- you seriously have to get in someone’s face to buy tomatoes in the market. It’s intense and has definitely made me more direct and upfront when I think someone has done me wrong, but damn when you’re having a bad day you don’t want to deal with some drunk local asking you to buy them a beer when they’re clearly wasted and their children are starving- sometimes you have to freak out and talk back. It gets frustrating being seen only as a symbol of money and having people try to forge fake friendships just to then demand that I pay for that friendship.. yeah.. no.

But.. as hard as it is, at the end of the day I realize how lucky I am for this experience and how happy I am with the other Peace Corps Volunteers. They are all becoming such close friends. I am so grateful for all the experiences I’ve encountered. My work has really taken off- in April my counterpart and I traveled together to a Water and Sanitation conference and learned the processes necessary to build forage and working wells to provide safe drinking water to the community who is currently suffering from a horrible condition where there is blood in the diarrhea because of the parasites. It’s a huge deal and I am excited to work with him and the village and creating a water committee to help fund this project thru governmental and non-governmental grants.

Views on the river

Hanging out with friends at the river

My work with UNICEF is going great. I just recently did a partnership program with international students who study in the capital to visit Messamena to conduct a hygiene education program as well as water quality testing to then work on constructing bio-sand filters and eco-friendly latrines. The visit went well and the Chief of Education for UNICEF Cameroon came out and took part in the event as well. I am excited to see how this will all develop in the next year and a half. Who knows, I might have a job with them after Peace Corps. They are currently funding me to carry out hygiene education programs, build school gardens and survey new schools where vulnerable populations are not getting basic access to education. This upcoming week I will be working with a member from the Ministry of Technology to do a survey of what needs to be done to repair 2 forages and one well in the Messamena school district. I can’t wait to learn more about it.

I am a member of the Health Steering Committee for Peace Corps Cameroon. With 8 other volunteers and our Program Manager, we get to discuss and design the training classes for future volunteers, how those lessons are conducted and what topics we should focus on in terms of our health program. It’s been a great experience. I was also chosen to be a member of the Diversity committee- it’s a committee that provides support to other volunteers who deal with complex issues here in Cameroon because of a variety of things, being a (independent) woman, older,  gay, asian, jewish, atheist, left handed- haha you name it. The committee is there to help volunteers hold on to what makes them diverse because sometimes when you are overseas in village you tend to hide those things that make up who you are because you are already seen as so different so you try to just fit in as much as you can sometime, pushing an important part of you aside. So.. Im happy to be one of those supporters for volunteers. But with these committees are always meetings in the capital so in the last month I think I’ve spent more time in Yaounde rather than in Messamena!

Going down the river

Jackie Chien, Captain of my boat

Messamena has been great, my house continues to develop to my home- there was an awesome porch built and we adorned it with bamboo siding and my neighbor gave me a ton of plants for landscaping. I adopted a puppy- her name is Jackie Chien. She’s been so great. I take her for walks around town, on my bike to the river, swimming, on my pirougue and she helps keep my house guarded. I now have 2 chickens that should be starting to lay eggs any day now, my garden is getting a lot bigger and my banana trees are growing quick. I should have fresh pineapple and papaya in another month or so. I also planted a few Moringa trees that I will be using at the school gardens because they offer a crazy high amount of nutrients to any sauce dish that is prepared so I am trying to pass it along to the communities here.  Joe and Suzy, other Peace Corps volunteers came to visit me this past month and it was so great to show them around my village. We got to go on crazy hikes to visit baka pygmies tribe, take a 25 mile bike ride through the jungle, go canoeing down the river and they helped me with my UNICEF visit. It was so great to have visitors!

Bake tribes

A baka tribe in one of the villages where I work

Mural Project at the Koum school with UNICEF

Teacher's education conference

Tough girl

Next month I am taking a trip to the north of Cameroon and going to visit other volunteers. At one point we are going on a safari to go see giraffes. I’m so stoked for this! My time in Cameroon is starting to go by fast now that I have my own schedule going and a routine. These two years are going to be over before I know it… unfortunately. I want to make the time last!