Weekend in Limbe... on the beach!!!

So, for the long weekend, I jumped on the bus and headed to the South-West province, to the port town of Limbe. The journey, I have to say was rather long, as most travel in Cameroon is, but well worth it. We even left late, not for the normal reasons, but because there was this massive parade of people parading down the streets outside the bus station... walking to church with a giant cross! The journey: it was beautiful to see the landscape change from the green hills and deep red earth of the North-West to the rainforest and rock covered volcanic landscape of the South-West. We passed rows upon rows of banana trees, then papaya trees, then pineapples, then rows and rows and rows of palm trees... quite a sight really... all that while sitting quite squished on the sweaty and smelly bus... listening to grooving African tunes versus gospel music versus the guy behind me singing his own tune out of his head.... The bus is always full of adventures... we also listened to the bus passengers engage in some sort of intense argument I couldn’t quite understand but the words: church, God, baptism, baptism, baptism, death, crazy, and baptism were ‘religiously’ repeated throughout the argument... getting the whole bus all riled up. Then there was the “Superclean” salesman who came on for part of the ride and demonstrated his product’s quality cleaning abilities to us, three times of course... in Pidgin, English, then French... wouldn’t want to leave anyone out... there were many stops along the way, luggage piled high on the roof, and various fruits and snacks for munching. There was a spot along the way, where everything seemed to get a little quieter on that bus, even if just for a moment, as we descended quite a bit of altitude... the road was amazing... paved and even guard rails... and the view over the valley was quite spectacular, covered in lush green forest, with random metal roofs throughout the hills, reflecting the sun’s light.

Arriving in Limbe was almost like arriving on another planet! We could notice right away some of the differences between the two provinces, the cleanliness, the paved roads, sidewalks... (yes, there were actual sidewalks for people to walk on without dodging traffic!), benches along the coast to gaze out over the ocean... and best of all... the French food... I lived on baguettes, croissants, and chocolate all weekend... mmmm.... we wandered the town, visited the Wildlife Centre where many rescued chimpanzees, monkeys, and gorillas are living out their days. We admired the German colonial architecture, the oil refinery (yuck!), the Botanical gardens, visited the lava flows from the 1999 eruption of Mount Cameroon... you could see the trail of volcanic rock left behind through the mountain range, ending on the road, where a detour had to be built. It was also interesting to see the new plant life just starting to sprout again ten years later. Yup, really quite a sight... I was wandering the sandy beach, with my toes dipped in the warm waters of the Atlantic; Mount Cameroon towering behind me and out across the sea, I could see Bioko Island, basically another volcano that is part of Equatorial Guinea... amazing. In the evening, we would eat some fresh seafood, watching the fishermen pack up their gear, vacationers snap their photos on the beach, and the sun slowly set behind the clouds over the Atlantic... a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of life in Bamenda!

Juju Dancing and more...

Sunday March 29, 2009 I attended a death celebration. It's not a funeral, but a traditional death celebration. The grandparents of a friend's friend of mine, passed away five years ago. They were buried then, but celebrating now. It's a huge affair and costs a lot of money, taking some families even 10 or 15 years just to prepare for it. Each family member had to invite a community group linked to the grandparents, through work, church, or whatever... so many friends, relatives, and acquaintances of not only the grandparents but of the family and community were there... we're talking hundreds, maybe even over a thousand! Each group would present a dance, called Juju dancing. We took up a whole section of a neighbourhood and all the different groups were spread around. People were sitting and talking and eating and would go back and forth from the main area, where the dances took place, as well as visit the grave site or admire photos of the deceased. It started in the afternoon and I'm sure it lasted all night. The men and women were all dressed in their colourful, traditional regalia and each group matched each other. They would sing songs in various dialects and, at the end of the song or really... just randomly, the men would shoot hunting rifles into the air (with live ammunition!!!!). I jumped every time one went off... the children would go running, but the adults seemed to not even notice a dozen shots in the air in ten seconds! I was wondering whether the combination of rifles and drinking, dancing, and celebrating was really the safest tradition... but anyway, people were joyous and welcoming. It was a very interesting, ethnological experience. Cheers! Bang! Bang!

DUST

So, after a week of training with the other VSO volunteers on all topics relating to life in the North-West province, sampling the local delicacies, and even a little language learning in pidgin, we all headed out to our respective communities. The north-west province, where I’ll be spending most of my time, is home to the English speaking minority of the country as well as the lead opposition to the President, the Social Democratic Front. President Paul Biya of the Cameroon Social Democratic Movement has been presiding since 1982. He is up for re-election in 2011... making for interesting times in the region.


Getting settled into work and my new home... I had some shelving made for my kitchen... very nice, but huge and heavy wood... it took five people, to just lift them up the stairs into my house... but really, the most interesting part of that experience, was strapping them to the roof of a mini-taxi and holding on to them as we went up and down the bumpy roads of Bamenda... I can’t believe they made it safe and sound! Haha! Cameroon is a fascinating place and I’m feeling very welcomed!!! Although, my boss keeps saying he’s “going to be squeezing the juice out of me, like an orange, in no time”. I think that means I’ll be working very hard??






One thing you can’t help but notice in Bamenda and the North-West province is all the dust... it’s in the air and everywhere. I believe my feet are already stained a lovely shade of orange! In some parts, I’ve heard they even use snow tires to drive through it! The locals here are anxious for the arrival of the rainy season... preferring the mud over the dust! Whoa! It is beautiful here, with the lush and green rolling hills and fresh produce. The north-west is the food-basket for the country, so there is definitely plenty to eat! Just learning where to find it all does take time... as of course, there are no street signs or addresses... you just have to be told what a place is called and where it is... but don’t ask for directions... that’s just confusing... best to have someone show you the way... through the dust....

Bamenda to Bafut on International Women's Day!

Our first day in Bamenda was International Women’s Day, March 8, 2009, so there were many celebrations... all the women of the city were dressed in special, colourful, dresses and there was a parade down Commercial street, the main downtown core of Bamenda. The women marched the streets in different groups representing various community groups, while the men stood on the sidelines. I believe a lot of women didn’t do their usual cooking and cleaning of their households that day... so the coolest thing for me was to see all the women sitting in pubs along the roads later on, with giant beer bottles in their hands and their booties ‘a shak’n... yeah women’s empowerment!
After visiting the parade for a bit, we went to the Bafut Palace, the home of the Bafut Fon. In Cameroon, the Fon is a local chief. Each ethnic group or language has its own Fon. There are many Fondoms in the country, but only five are classified as first class Fondoms, under a 1974 law. Much to learn! They are local royalty and very well respected, greatly influencing the socio-cultural and political life of their communities. They have multiple wives and many, many children. So, there is much historical significance and we got a taste of the lifestyle in Bafut, as we toured the Palace with one of the Queen’s as our guide. Quite an interesting, community life... although I don’t think I’m quite convinced in being an additional Fon’s wife!

Travel Day

What a day! We were up early and packed and ready to go by 8:00am... slowly got organized (it’s important to start getting practice in waiting patiently...) and went to the bus station. We waited around for a little and just as we were getting on to the bus, they said they had given our seats away. Because we were late??? So, we had to wait for the next smelly 70-seater bus to fill up, until noon! Haha... I figured it was too smooth to be true.... just wandered around, bought some fresh, juicy pineapple and chatted with the locals. We finally left and it was a long, bumpy ride through the hills (and even a rainstorm with hail!)... only one rest stop and many random drops along the way. People outside the bus, would shove their goods in the windows, trying to sell coconuts, goat meat, cassava, pineapple, peanuts, and other random goodies. And, get this, we’re literally five minutes from the final destination in Bamenda and they pull into a gas station and fill up on gas... while we’re all still waiting “patiently” on the bus. (“Patience Express”... this image pretty much describes all transportation and travel in Cameroon!)

Arrival in Yaoundé, Cameroon!

When I stepped off the airplane... finally arriving in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon... it felt so good, like I had arrived home, the cool fresh air, the lush green hills covered in banana trees, and the persistent taxi-men... bargaining over who would take me! They say Cameroon is like a mini Africa... from thick jungle, to coastal beaches, to desert, to savannah, to Mount Cameroon (the highest peak in Central Africa)... it really is a place to explore.

I spent one week in the bustling city of Yaounde, getting used to the yellow taxis that fill the streets, checking out some local artwork, watching the thousands of bats that fly overhead, tasting the yummy plantain chips fried in so much oil, watching the huge clean-up operation in the main market in preparation for the arrival of the Pope... craziness, and... getting to know the other VSO volunteers from all parts of the world. A good introduction to the country I’ll call home for the next year.

Just pondering all the new challenges and experiences I will encounter, once again in Africa....

Hope you will enjoy following my blog and I look forward to feedback and comments and stories from you as well.