Il a plu

While it may not sound like much to you, it was rather exciting for me. Dressed and ready to go into the bank this morning I was momentarily delayed….because it started to rain! After months without, all I could do was sit on my front porch and watch as it poured down. In other words, I pulled a Rich Cook. :)
I’ve had a few emailed questions roll in. Answers below:
1. What is a King Rat?
A large rat approximately the size beaver or raccoon commonly found in the bush around Cameroon.
2. What was it doing in the glove box?
Hah! C’est très normale! Animals are everywhere here, and I mean everywhere. Pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens wander all over neighborhoods, get strapped to the top of bush taxis, take the place of a passenger on the back of a moto, show up at the bar dead, or alive, have been known to show at your bank in the same fashion, women carry them on market day like you would your favorite tote, and on special occasions…they’re on your dinner table.
3. What are two or three elements of daily life in Cameroon most like daily life in the US?
While this certainly depends on the volunteer and their respective post, for me I would have to say
1. My schedule. It’s like being in college all over again, minus the late nights of course. From the moment I get up, the program for the day is whatever I decide to make it. Sure I have responsibilities but will I really be held accountable for not doing them. Probably not. I’m a volunteer after all. That being said, like making the grades in school, you’ll only get something out of these two years if you actually put something in.
2. Technology. Given that the nearest reliable Internet is 30km away by no means would I consider myself “connected”. Printing is time consuming and expensive and the last time I check my cell phone plan even in country was anything put cheap. Still, just having my computer equals major efficiency. When researching for projects, writing exams, or preparing emails/blogs, I don’t have to pay at a Cyber. My external hardrive allows me to share movies with other volunteers (Blockbuster after all isn’t an option), which is major for all the time spent chez moi past 7pm. Most importantly, it makes me feel at home.
3. Business hours. While this one is kind of a stretch (even Cameroonians will tell you they never respect time) it is somewhat similar. I hear moto traffic starting around 6am, market “mommies” and commerçants between 6am-7am, and the kids on their way to school between 7am-8am. Several of my neighbors start preparing beignets (friend donuts) around 5am so for me it’s like living next to Krispy cream. While all shops remain open, there’s usually a lull from 12pm-2pm from the intense heat. At 3:30pm the last of the kids are on their way home from school. Around 6:30-7:00pm the mommies are packing up their unsold produce and most stores are closing their doors. While by 8pm most villages would be dead outside of the local bar, my post is New York City. Honestly, this town never sleeps! If I head in to town past 7pm I can find a number of “pot ladies” selling anything from chicken, to brochettes, omelettes with French fries, poisson braissie, etc., etc. Every night there are between 30-40 bars open for service and one “club”.
4. What is the scenery like?
The West is very diverse. If you’re standing in one spot depending on the direction you’re looking you could see mountains, rolling hills, flat lands, cultivated farmland, or scorched earth. The main road is nicely paved and runs directly through town, past the center market and many magasins. Outlying all this are hundreds of unorganized “quartiers”, neighborhoods. All roads are unpaved and because there is no system of garbage collection trash is everywhere. In fact as environmentally unfriendly as this is, mine is thrown in a small dugout hole in front of my house. The kids have usually picked through it within an hour. Many volunteers choose to have a “compost pile”. My method is chucking everything out my kitchen window. Le Meme chose when I know the goats are just going to eat it anyways.
5. Do I find the landscape pretty?
Absolutely. Everything is so natural. On days when I take the back route to my house I find myself smirking every time. Off in the distance on the right is a massive home even by US standards. White pillars and everything the house no joke belongs in Beverly Hills. To my left are my neighbor’s houses and countless of others. Small, dilapidated, lacking any formal architecture, and certainly without paved driveways or manicured lawns they sit amongst rolling hills with the nearby mountains in the background. It’s an innately beautiful scene and I’m glad that when the road splits, I turn left.