Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving, and I hope that all of you reading this have a wonderful day, full of loved ones and gratefulness! We are all together in Garoua preparing a massive feast. It won't be filled with Turkey, but there are chickens (for all the non-vegetarians), stuffing, stuffed tomatoes, deviled eggs, and some other African delicacies, such as fresh pineapples. The chickens are being roasted over a fire. It still, of course doesn't feel so much like Thanksgiving, because of the weather, so it feels more like a celebration of another sorts, maybe for the close of training/stage. It's hard to believe it's been below freezing in the states. Stephen here has commenced the playing of Christmas music on the computer though, so I guess that's the same! I love you guys and miss you.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Soccer Game--Jeff you'll enjoy this one....
Sunday we went to a soccer game in Garoua. It was the final (second game) of Africa's equivalent to the Champions League in Europe. Garoua has the best team in Cameroon, called Cotton Sport (supported by SODECOTON), and thus they made it to the championship for the Afrian Cup (I think). They were playing against Cairo/Egypt. The first game was in Cairo, and the way the championship works is that it there is an away and home game. So the first game in Cairo ended as 2-0 Cairo, meaning that for Garoua to win, they needed at least 3 more goals than Cairo. It was a big game. I felt so blessed to get to be there! So many different things from stadiums in the states. No lights, so all games have to be played in the day (heralding back to William and Mary football games pre 2005?). The seats were cement, soooo hot, so you bring along a thick book to sit on. And then something to shade you. I rested my bottle of water on next to me in the shade, but after 10 minutes, the heat of the cement warms it up to bathwater temperature. But even warm water is good, when you're thirsty. It was so crowded, the crowd 95% men at least, and we stood out a bit, not only because we were the only non-African looking ones in our section, but also because we were sporting bright yellow t shirts that MTN (phone company here) gave us, so that there'd be a patch of yellow in the stadium.
There was a little bit of waiting before the game started, and then many officials arrived, including the countries Prime Minister (second below Paul Biya); all the officials arrived in nice cars that sped around the track surrounding the field. Quite an entrance!
The game itself was very exciting and full of energy: I think Garoua went up 1-0 and then Cairo scored, and then Garoua again but finally a PK given to Cairo sealed the deal at 2-2 near the end of the second half. So Cairo took the cup. My favorite guy was a crazy Cameroonian who ran around with a wand of cotton like a baton, cheering and running up and down the stands. Michael also had a moment ofame. We wanted to start the wave, so we did it as a small section of trainees, but wanted to get the rest of the fans involved. So Mike got down and ran to the end of our section, shouting in broken French "Est-ce que vous etes Pretes? Ou nous pouvons." But the third attempt it made it all the around the stadium. It was amazing and all the Cameroonians in our section were way enthousiastic and loved Mike. He kept sitting down to take a rest and they would tell him to get up again and start the wave again. He ended up on national television too.
It was so interesting watching the players, imagining their lives, seeing the Egyptians and thinking about how they traveled across the continent to play here, how they're lives in Cairo are completely different, and how I wanted to go there so much last year (and still do!) to work. Lives are so different and transect in so many ways. It's something. But I was really happy to be there.
I happen to have started reading "How Soccer Explains the World: an unlikely theory of globalization," which is pretty fun too. It's nice to be in such a soccer-crazed country.
There was a little bit of waiting before the game started, and then many officials arrived, including the countries Prime Minister (second below Paul Biya); all the officials arrived in nice cars that sped around the track surrounding the field. Quite an entrance!
The game itself was very exciting and full of energy: I think Garoua went up 1-0 and then Cairo scored, and then Garoua again but finally a PK given to Cairo sealed the deal at 2-2 near the end of the second half. So Cairo took the cup. My favorite guy was a crazy Cameroonian who ran around with a wand of cotton like a baton, cheering and running up and down the stands. Michael also had a moment ofame. We wanted to start the wave, so we did it as a small section of trainees, but wanted to get the rest of the fans involved. So Mike got down and ran to the end of our section, shouting in broken French "Est-ce que vous etes Pretes? Ou nous pouvons." But the third attempt it made it all the around the stadium. It was amazing and all the Cameroonians in our section were way enthousiastic and loved Mike. He kept sitting down to take a rest and they would tell him to get up again and start the wave again. He ended up on national television too.
It was so interesting watching the players, imagining their lives, seeing the Egyptians and thinking about how they traveled across the continent to play here, how they're lives in Cairo are completely different, and how I wanted to go there so much last year (and still do!) to work. Lives are so different and transect in so many ways. It's something. But I was really happy to be there.
I happen to have started reading "How Soccer Explains the World: an unlikely theory of globalization," which is pretty fun too. It's nice to be in such a soccer-crazed country.
November 7th, Friday--Francoise Mbango
Today we saw Francoise Mbango at the post office. Actually it wasn't as "everyday" as that. Jessie and I were walking to open up post office boxes and as we approached the post office. In front were tents, a stage, and music playing. As we got nearer, there werw signs saying "Bienvenue a Garoua, Francoises Mbango" et "Elle vaut de l'or".
Francoise is an Olympica athelete from Cameroon, in track and field. She won the gold medal in triple jump in 2004 and again this year in 2008. I didn't get to see her winning jump on TV this year but I think I remember my dad telling me abuot her, and also my friend Kailee emailing me a news article when she got the gold medal, saying "yay cameroon!"
So Jessie and I decided to stay, and Mike joined up with us. In typical African fashion, she was supposed to arrive around 1:00pm. We got there around 1:30 and I think it wasn't till 2:30 perhaps that she finallly rolled up, with the Governor. Meanwhile, everyone waited, as the grands slowly trickled in and live music played, and cold drinks were served (yes, cold drinks, what privilege).
The reason for her appearance was that she was doing a country-wide tour, which started in October 15. going till Nov 15, to talk to kids and present her medals. I'm not sure which province she was from, but she mentioned in her speech that one of her first meets or championships was in Garoua, so that's where she got her track start.
There were many school groups there and it was nice to see them all get a chance to see and listen to an Olympic athelet and to see such pride in her being Cameroonian. The lamido mentioned, that if anyone happens to break her record in the future, may they also be a young Cameroonian. After speeches form the grands, she gave a small speech and walked around shaking some hands. I really liked her. Jessie and I were feet from her but couldn't bring ourselves to push through. There was more music of course, and dancing.
We both agreed that it was such fantastic luck to run into that, that it was well worth the wait, and that was the closest we had ever been to an Olympic athelet. The music on the other hand, was another story, and you'll have to ask me about that later!
Francoise is an Olympica athelete from Cameroon, in track and field. She won the gold medal in triple jump in 2004 and again this year in 2008. I didn't get to see her winning jump on TV this year but I think I remember my dad telling me abuot her, and also my friend Kailee emailing me a news article when she got the gold medal, saying "yay cameroon!"
So Jessie and I decided to stay, and Mike joined up with us. In typical African fashion, she was supposed to arrive around 1:00pm. We got there around 1:30 and I think it wasn't till 2:30 perhaps that she finallly rolled up, with the Governor. Meanwhile, everyone waited, as the grands slowly trickled in and live music played, and cold drinks were served (yes, cold drinks, what privilege).
The reason for her appearance was that she was doing a country-wide tour, which started in October 15. going till Nov 15, to talk to kids and present her medals. I'm not sure which province she was from, but she mentioned in her speech that one of her first meets or championships was in Garoua, so that's where she got her track start.
There were many school groups there and it was nice to see them all get a chance to see and listen to an Olympic athelet and to see such pride in her being Cameroonian. The lamido mentioned, that if anyone happens to break her record in the future, may they also be a young Cameroonian. After speeches form the grands, she gave a small speech and walked around shaking some hands. I really liked her. Jessie and I were feet from her but couldn't bring ourselves to push through. There was more music of course, and dancing.
We both agreed that it was such fantastic luck to run into that, that it was well worth the wait, and that was the closest we had ever been to an Olympic athelet. The music on the other hand, was another story, and you'll have to ask me about that later!
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Health Agroforestry Combination
Agro and Health volunteers go through stage/training together, while Ed and SED (small enterprise development) volunteers have their training combined in June/April (I believe) here in PC Cameroon. This combination is particularly relevent for us, as there are many joint projects and overlapping of sectors between Agro and Health workers, three of which I will highlight.
Moringa
Moringa oliefera is a multipurpse tree that grows here. It does not grow very fast necessarily, or very big, however the leaves are edible and people here make a sauce out of the leaves to eat with couscous, which is delicious. The leaves themselves are very nutritious, containing high levels of protein, calcium, and potassium. In addition, the powder of ground up moringa seeds can be used to purify water.Thus it is a tree that is promoted for nutrition and agroforestry. Because it is a slight and delicate tree, people can be encouraged to plant one in their concession, where it won't take up much space, and will be readily available for cooking needs. It also coppices fairly well, meaning it can be cut off to a smaller height and regrow from there, growing more outward instead of too tall, making leaves easier to harvest. Other projects have worked to promote it at health centers. In health centers and hospitals here, including the big hospital in Garoua, when someone is sick and staying in the hospital, they have a bed, and care, however no food is provided. Family members come and stay outside, setting up cap, to cook for their sick one, and stay with them. Thus promoting moringa at health centers means you have a ready audience of people to learn about the benefits (complemented by classes or animations), you can use open space to demonstrate the trees, and families who are there can use the trees for their cooking during the hospital stay.
One interesting thing is that culturally, most Muslim families do have a moringa tree in their concession, but not a lot of Christian families, just due to traditional cooking. So introduction to Haako Kona (Moringa sauce) might be successful in non-Muslim cartiers.
Fruit Trees
Similarly, is the promotion of fruit trees, both at health centers and in family concessions, for the same reasons of nutrition, as eating more fruit can greatly improved the vitamin deficiency in a lot of children here. (In addition, growing fruit tends to be a pretty lucrative endeavor, as once the tree is grown, the inputs are few and the amount of fruit produced exceeds what is eaten, and excess can be sold) People keep their water here in great big ceramic urns. An ingenious container for water in hot places--as water evaporates from the "canerie" the temperature and water inside is chilled. Indeed, it is the refrigerator for volunteers without electricity, because you can stick food in plastic bags and throw them in the water and they will stay much colder! As it is though, a lot of water does leak out. So a simple thing is to encourage people to plant a tree right next to their canerie...a fruit tree or moringa perhaps. (Papayas grow and start producing in 2 years, and their root systems are not extensive, so they can grow right in a small concession) That way, you don't even have to water your tree as it grows. The lost water from the canerie does it. I'm planning on planting a papaya next to my canerie as soon as I get to post, and also some moringa in the concession as well.
Soy
Nutrition again, mixed with agriculture. As agroforesters, our aim is two fold: to get people to plant trees (for all sorts of needs--reforestation, amelioration of the soil, fruit, economic benefit, anti-erosion, etc) and also to improve the environment/soil and agriculture. Soy is a legume meaning that it fixes nitrogen back into the soil. Where other crops, like corn, millet, and above all, cotton, take a lot of nutrients out of the soil and tire it out, soy, peanuts, beans, all work to improve the soil. Thus we like to promote it as another alternative crop. Simultaneously, adding a little soy to diets here can go a long way to improve nutrition, especially for children. Sarah and Ryan, two previous Health and Agro workers in Bibemi, had a nice successful program, promoting soy on the equal parts of farmers and mothers. Ryan worked to promote it to farmers, talking about the benefit to their land, etc, and Sarah worked to promote it to mothers, encouraging them to put a little in "Bouille" (a flour drink served frequently) or other sauces to give a little more protein. Thus they created the market for it by working together. I would love to be involved in such a project...simple but effective.
Water
Finally, there are all issues with water. Water, a necessity for growing trees, here where it rains for 3 months out of the year. Water, which is such an integral part of health, where so many diseases are spread due to lack of good water quality. Working on well projects and education is something almost all health and agro volunteers are involved with at some point.
I think it is a wonderful thing to collaborate across sectors, and hope there will be a Health Volunteer near me at my post.
Moringa
Moringa oliefera is a multipurpse tree that grows here. It does not grow very fast necessarily, or very big, however the leaves are edible and people here make a sauce out of the leaves to eat with couscous, which is delicious. The leaves themselves are very nutritious, containing high levels of protein, calcium, and potassium. In addition, the powder of ground up moringa seeds can be used to purify water.Thus it is a tree that is promoted for nutrition and agroforestry. Because it is a slight and delicate tree, people can be encouraged to plant one in their concession, where it won't take up much space, and will be readily available for cooking needs. It also coppices fairly well, meaning it can be cut off to a smaller height and regrow from there, growing more outward instead of too tall, making leaves easier to harvest. Other projects have worked to promote it at health centers. In health centers and hospitals here, including the big hospital in Garoua, when someone is sick and staying in the hospital, they have a bed, and care, however no food is provided. Family members come and stay outside, setting up cap, to cook for their sick one, and stay with them. Thus promoting moringa at health centers means you have a ready audience of people to learn about the benefits (complemented by classes or animations), you can use open space to demonstrate the trees, and families who are there can use the trees for their cooking during the hospital stay.
One interesting thing is that culturally, most Muslim families do have a moringa tree in their concession, but not a lot of Christian families, just due to traditional cooking. So introduction to Haako Kona (Moringa sauce) might be successful in non-Muslim cartiers.
Fruit Trees
Similarly, is the promotion of fruit trees, both at health centers and in family concessions, for the same reasons of nutrition, as eating more fruit can greatly improved the vitamin deficiency in a lot of children here. (In addition, growing fruit tends to be a pretty lucrative endeavor, as once the tree is grown, the inputs are few and the amount of fruit produced exceeds what is eaten, and excess can be sold) People keep their water here in great big ceramic urns. An ingenious container for water in hot places--as water evaporates from the "canerie" the temperature and water inside is chilled. Indeed, it is the refrigerator for volunteers without electricity, because you can stick food in plastic bags and throw them in the water and they will stay much colder! As it is though, a lot of water does leak out. So a simple thing is to encourage people to plant a tree right next to their canerie...a fruit tree or moringa perhaps. (Papayas grow and start producing in 2 years, and their root systems are not extensive, so they can grow right in a small concession) That way, you don't even have to water your tree as it grows. The lost water from the canerie does it. I'm planning on planting a papaya next to my canerie as soon as I get to post, and also some moringa in the concession as well.
Soy
Nutrition again, mixed with agriculture. As agroforesters, our aim is two fold: to get people to plant trees (for all sorts of needs--reforestation, amelioration of the soil, fruit, economic benefit, anti-erosion, etc) and also to improve the environment/soil and agriculture. Soy is a legume meaning that it fixes nitrogen back into the soil. Where other crops, like corn, millet, and above all, cotton, take a lot of nutrients out of the soil and tire it out, soy, peanuts, beans, all work to improve the soil. Thus we like to promote it as another alternative crop. Simultaneously, adding a little soy to diets here can go a long way to improve nutrition, especially for children. Sarah and Ryan, two previous Health and Agro workers in Bibemi, had a nice successful program, promoting soy on the equal parts of farmers and mothers. Ryan worked to promote it to farmers, talking about the benefit to their land, etc, and Sarah worked to promote it to mothers, encouraging them to put a little in "Bouille" (a flour drink served frequently) or other sauces to give a little more protein. Thus they created the market for it by working together. I would love to be involved in such a project...simple but effective.
Water
Finally, there are all issues with water. Water, a necessity for growing trees, here where it rains for 3 months out of the year. Water, which is such an integral part of health, where so many diseases are spread due to lack of good water quality. Working on well projects and education is something almost all health and agro volunteers are involved with at some point.
I think it is a wonderful thing to collaborate across sectors, and hope there will be a Health Volunteer near me at my post.
phone number
I meant to post earlier that I do indeed have a cell phone number. As I dont want to post it online, if you want to know it (as sending text messages across the ocean seems to work pretty well, as well as calls using a cheap calling card or skype) please send me an email, and ill email it to you. Of course I would loooove to hear from people!!
New posts
Yesterday we received our new posts, and today we met our counterparts.
Counterparts are local Cameroonians, for us in most cases farmers, who live or work in our villages and will be partnering with us in our work. It was certainly an exciting time for all the stageaires, to find out where we will be living for the next two years of our lives! My village is called Mafa-Kilda and is right on the main road between Garoua and Ngoundere, but only 30 km from Garoua. This is so close to Nassarao, where we have been training, which I am happy about, because I look forward to visiting my homestay family, and now will have real means to do so as I wont be far at all. Over half of our group will be posted in the Extreme North, some very close to the border with Nigeria, in the mountains, some near Waza National Park, which should be cool to visit!
I will be opening a post, which means that I will be the first Peace Corps volunteer the community has had and in fact I believe there are six or seven of us opening posts. Peace Corps agroforestry system is set up somewhat to go in an eight year rotation (if needed). A volunteer opens in a communty, and if things go well and the communty wants to continue the work, that volunteer will be replaced after two years. This can continue up to eight years, when, ideally the work is done. Because of course the goal is to work ourselves out of a job. That is to say that the purpose is not to always have volunteers in a community, but to train community members to do the work, to become leaders so the community has no need for volunteers. There are also posts who convert from agroforestry to health, or vice versa, so we have some trainees who will be the first agroforestry volunteer in the community, but not hte first Peace Corps volunteer.
We will be visiting our posts Sunday for the week, to see our houses, meet people and see the communty, set up post office boxes and bank accounts, etc. (While I will get a new mailing address, I can keep the old, and Ill see which one tends to get mail quicker-but dont worry about if you send something to the old one--it will get to me)
Counterparts are local Cameroonians, for us in most cases farmers, who live or work in our villages and will be partnering with us in our work. It was certainly an exciting time for all the stageaires, to find out where we will be living for the next two years of our lives! My village is called Mafa-Kilda and is right on the main road between Garoua and Ngoundere, but only 30 km from Garoua. This is so close to Nassarao, where we have been training, which I am happy about, because I look forward to visiting my homestay family, and now will have real means to do so as I wont be far at all. Over half of our group will be posted in the Extreme North, some very close to the border with Nigeria, in the mountains, some near Waza National Park, which should be cool to visit!
I will be opening a post, which means that I will be the first Peace Corps volunteer the community has had and in fact I believe there are six or seven of us opening posts. Peace Corps agroforestry system is set up somewhat to go in an eight year rotation (if needed). A volunteer opens in a communty, and if things go well and the communty wants to continue the work, that volunteer will be replaced after two years. This can continue up to eight years, when, ideally the work is done. Because of course the goal is to work ourselves out of a job. That is to say that the purpose is not to always have volunteers in a community, but to train community members to do the work, to become leaders so the community has no need for volunteers. There are also posts who convert from agroforestry to health, or vice versa, so we have some trainees who will be the first agroforestry volunteer in the community, but not hte first Peace Corps volunteer.
We will be visiting our posts Sunday for the week, to see our houses, meet people and see the communty, set up post office boxes and bank accounts, etc. (While I will get a new mailing address, I can keep the old, and Ill see which one tends to get mail quicker-but dont worry about if you send something to the old one--it will get to me)
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