Yaounde again

I am in the country capital again, this time for Mid Service, which is made up mainly of medical exams complete with running to the lab across town with a paper bag concealing a cup of certain substances, as well as meeting with various administration members to talk about concerns, progress, etc one year into service. This trip I did not really want to come down here. I didn't want to leave post, and I didn't want to spend time in Yaounde. We finished up our duties on Wednesday and now I'm hoping to escape to Kribi for the weekend (if i can find other volunteers to go with me!) and come back on Monday for a Best Practices presentation, before heading back up north Monday night. I haven't yet decided where I will be spending Christmas, Ngoundere, Maroua and my village being the options. I hope you all are well and enjoying the cold weather. Ngoundere was COLD!

My foulbe ladde friends come to visit me at the house

What a beautiful surprise...when 9 girls and 2 boys come knocking on your gate and traipsing on in with singsong voices, talking to the dog, asking for your papayas, walking in your house, asking for more photos more photos more photos, crowding around to look at the screen, pushing, shoving, laughing, giggling, scolding, etc. Always brings me such joy!

The Schoolchildren helping me to protect my trees

On a Friday when the students have manual labor in the morning (yes this is a weekly "class", and usually they sweep up the school grounds, protect trees, etc) the older students, school director and a couple teachers came with me to my field to help me protect my trees. With 50 students working the job was done in record time, and it was fun to all be together, on an "outing". They especially loved the camera with pictures! Altogether about 50 trees of my 120 were protected, a necessary chore as the goats are being let loose soon. They are staked through the farming season but once the rains stop and most people have harvested they are let loose to roam again. And they will eat everything, everything in their path.

Cassia siamea trees in the foreground

searching for more stalks in the neighboring cornfield, already harvested

These boys are protecting a Leucaena tree. The one on the right is my neighbor.

The whole group photo! I wish you could see closer up to their faces, but it was a large group! The school director is on the right in the tan suit.

Birthday

view of morning painting site

Thank you to everyone for all the birthday wishes. In the morning I went to Garoua and chose a spot after the bridge with a good view of the Benoue river and hills behind it for a painting session. It was the first time I got to use my oil paints I got in Yaounde and on a canvas a friend here made for me, and that 1 and 1/2 hours of painting was so wonderful. I would have forced myself to stay longer and keep at it, but it was getting too hot. So next time. In the afternoon attempted to climb a big mountain we always passed between Nassarao and Pitoa. I think we would have made it to the top (we were soooo close!) but a thunderstorm came up on all sides and had to sit crouched in an alcove for an hour for it to stop, and then get down the mountain again before it got dark. Next time...After the hike, just too tuckered out to go out on the town dancing. think I went to bed at 7:30? Miss everyone at home though, and would have loved to have my birthday there!

after the rain storm. we were high up there!!! that mountain range across the way is where my village is, behind some of those mountains. Garoua is to the right out of the photo.

New Puppy "Papaya Treefrog"

A couple of weeks ago, I got a new puppy, named Papaya. Here's the only two photos I have of her so far. Evidence of Second Child Syndrome. I got her as a sore-covered, fleabitten, worm and tick infested scrawny thing, but she's doing pretty well now and is pretty barky, a little too barky for me, but Cameroonians appreciate that as a quality of a good guard dog. She's sweet though.

Peanuts

The past week I have been working hard in my field, harvesting peanuts. I had a good harvest originally, however after they were pulled up i had trouble finding help, other workers, and they sat in the field for a week calling insects far and wide. On top of that this past week it has rained every day. More rain in October than in any other month during the rainy season and last year the last rain was the 10th or 15th. This meant that I was in a race to get my peanuts to the house before the insects ate them and the rain rotted them. Have you ever seen the movie Girl of the Limberlost? There's a scene that kept playing in my head when there is a rainstorm and the mother is out in the rain shoveling her corn into a car (?) trying to save the harvest. that's about how I felt, fighting against the insects and time. They were crawling with beetles. The difference is that my livelihood is not dependent on it. Even if every single peanut was ruined, eaten, I could survived. However, it is still depressing and stressful watching the hard work of three-four months get consumed quickly before your eyes. Working against time. Finally all the peanuts are at the house, put out to dry in the sun (and put back up in sacks at night in case of rain). I must say that I am a tired person now, after all of the digging, plucking, sitting in the sun and carrying back to the house. Next week I will start sorting out the peanuts and see how many are empty shells (because the insects bored into them and sucked out the oils) and how many are good. Then I will know how much harvest I actually have. And also will start the soy harvesting next week. I will be glad when all is at the house and I can rest!!!

Voila behold my peanuts, drying in the sun. Lots of them yes.

Hey Claire,

when i was talking to you on the phone and said i was climbing a mountain (last week, not yesterday) this is where I was. The little buildings down there are my village. You can see my house and my field of peanuts and soy, but the photo is too small. Love you!