Cameroon: Week Two

My life in Cameroon has come to a grinding halt.

I expected to be largely on my own here – this time prepared for the “trial by fire” induction I had received in Uganda.  However, it had been negotiated that Celestine would clear her calendar for me during my first few weeks to get me up to speed on CEFASE and introduce me to the key players in the rural education projects.

After a productive start in the villages, Celestine came back and quickly went on a four-day prayer binge.  That meant attending church from the mid-afternoon to well after I ensconced myself in my new private bedroom (recently vacated by Kate).  But that is not all.  This time of holy reverie requires fasting, which left Celestine both crippled by headaches….and cranky.

Since returning to Yaounde, I have had but three-hours with her in which to discuss the founding of CEFASE, membership structure and project history.  We have yet to cover the rural outreach strategy, current financial processes or fundraising priorities – ya know, the things I was supposed to learn here so I can better do my job.

I am now utterly and painfully bored. 

My sole accomplishments in the past nine days include:

·         Reading seven books.  Literary value ranges from Oscar Wilde, to John Irving, to classic African apartheid literature, to Stephen Hawking’s book on quantum physics and the creation of the universe, to trashy book about girls “making it in their professional AND love lives” in the big NEW YORK CITY.  Don’t judge me – it was on the shelf.

·         Jumping rope for 30-45 mins a day.  This may sound mildly impressive, but when you consider that my longest streak without messing up has been 65 – a number I am very proud of, thank you – that takes the actual physical activity level down quite a bit. 

·         Countless crunches, pull-ups and other calisthenics, including the creative use of various bottles of water as weights.  Simply put – it is something to do.

·         Eating an entire one pound bag of m&ms(thanks mom!) and about 15 fluffy crepes – thus cancelling out all aforementioned physical activity

·         Spending 2 1/2 hours washing my laundry  by hand, only to slip while hanging something on the astronomically high clothesline and sliding down the muddy hill on my ass while wearing my last clean (and thus not wet) pair of clothes

·         Sorting beans for two hours, sifting corn flower for another hour and peeling two pound s of potatoes with a knife.  Yes…these activities were the high point of their days.

·         Flossing.  Hey, can you say that?

·         Discovering that the mice are not confined to the ceiling, but in fact feel perfectly at home crawling around IN MY BED while I am in it.  When I alerted Celestine, she unceremoniously scooped it out, threw it on the floor and squished it with her foot.  I am not sure which has traumatized me more.

·         Fastidiously organizing my music (featuring new contributions from John and Kate!) and compiling a multitude of new playlists to suit pretty much every mood or activity imaginable.  Cleaning?  Driving on a sunny day? Hitting the slopes?  I have a mix for you!

·         Sifting through the thousands of photos I have taken to date, and embarking on the arduous process of selecting and editing a handful for later printing

·         Napping.  Because honestly…what else do I have to do. 

Other highlights include the unexpected arrival of Romeo, Celestine’s brother.  He turned up one afternoon when I was home alone, speaking no English.  Uncertain that he was in fact who he said he was, we had a rather uncomfortable stand-off in the living room.  I simultaneously refused to let him out of my sight or come within arms distance of me…which is a challenge in our tiny living quarters.

Before Kate left, we did visit the local shopping market in Yaounde.  It was a small lot with about 20-30 different stalls, all largely selling the same compilation of African handicrafts.  The merchants here are much more aggressive and shopping can get a bit overwhelming.  Despite that, none of us left empty-handed.  Merry Christmas family – here’s some shit that was probably made in China.

The prayer-fest ends on Saturday, but then there is regular church from 8-3 on Sunday.  I am hopeful that Monday morning will bring renewed vigor to get to work. 

Otherwise, I might lose it.