Happy Thanksgiving!
The last few weeks have been fun and stressful. Fun because my friend that I worked with from camp 3 years ago in California came to Tourningal for 2.5 weeks. It was quite the experience to have a “post-mate” and to have another American live life in Tourningal. Angelina, or Aissatou in Tourningal, was an amazing guest. We complimented each other incredibly—she would prepare tasty meals and help me out doing presentations and cleaning the house.
The weeks were Stressful because I had to organize a seminar for HIV/AIDS for 15 health liaisons from surrounding villages. In addition, I organized activities for International AIDS day, December 1st. Being a community health education volunteer, I see International AIDS day as a pretty important platform to lance education. Planning events and seminars is frankly fatiguing. Running around and having to organize the venue, food and drink, presenters, transport, money issues, etc not including the overall context of what will be presenting, led to many nights of not-getting-as-much-sleep-as-I-normally-get-in-village. (ok…not getting a lot of sleep here is about 7 hours/night).
I felt like the seminar was a very pivotal event for organizing my last year in Tourningal. It entailed inviting all of the health liaisons from surrounding communities that serve as educators between Tournignal’s health center and their villages. UNICEF cut funding for the health-liason program that they used to finance, thus for the past year there have been no formations or tangible ways to “motivate” the health volunteers…always a point of contention. If the volunteers do not even get money for transport how can they do presentations in rural villages that are sometimes 20 km.away or even go to Tournignal to do follow-up? The program started by UNICEF was superb from a community health perspective—forming dynamic, over individuals in every community as relays. But like so many other initiatives lanced by NGOs, this one has also seen its’ doom. Thus, one of my counterparts’ and myself thought it necessary to organize this get-together to, simply put, motivate and re-energize the workers. We did such fun things as; action plans, ways to work together as health volunteers, problems and solutions that they face; as well as, HIV/AIDS reiteration, condom demonstrations, etc. Needless to say, it really does feel worthwhile to work with these village health care educators. I love it.
For World AIDS day I unfortunately will not be in village. However, I took a very optimistic approach and put the work onto some of my counterparts in village, hoping that they will indeed follow through with my orders. All of the students in my middle school have an essay contest that they can choose to partake in revolving around how their country, community and themselves personally can improve the state of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon. I hope they do the contest.
On non-work related terms, currently, I’m in Yaounde where I just finished my mid-service health exams. It was quite the memorable experience having to do routine fecal exams. Thankfully I do have latent TB, unlike one of my PC friends here who has to start a 9 month medical process.
Today is Thanksgiving, even here in Cameroon. It was interesting explaining to the Cameroonians the history behind Thanksgiving with their history of European exploration/colonization. We are invited to an ex-pat and ex-PCV’s house for grub and good times/watching football (do not miss). I want to quickly say my thanks to so many friends and family from back home that have kept in touch. I truly feel blessed to have had this eye-opening, learning experience and only hope that my second year is as worthwhile and happy as the first. I also feel blessed for all my friends and family back home in the USA and here in Cameroon.
Happy, happy Thanksgiving. Love, ali
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Election Galore
Happy Belated Election!!!!It has been a while since I’ve had a substantial blog post, mainly due to the lack of internet in Ngaoundere (my closest town). When internet is around, it is so slow that oftentimes I feel my life wasting away while starring at the blank computer screen in the cyber cafes. Needless to say, this can be a frustrating experience—sometimes technology can just be a headache.
Now I’m in Yaounde for a HIV/Gender Youth Development meeting. Two nights ago was a very exciting time here, for about 30 fellow peace corps volunteers and myself stayed up all night with our eyes glued to CNN international for the projections. It was an odd sensation to be up at 6:30 am with the sun shining while watching Obama’s Victory speech in the pitch dark of Chicago. Cameroonians have showed nothing but utterly zeal and passion for this election. Although I have not experienced many presidential elections in my lifetime, nor any others outside of the US, I can vouch to say that this year’s election will be hard to beat in terms of its African appeal. Even in my tiny village, most all news-following citizens were very in tuned to the election and stayed up as well to watch the outcome—as evidence by the dozens of text victory messages and updates I received throughout the evening. In sum, the US election and the Cameroonian interest in it, reiterated how small the world is and how events can touch even small villages thousands of miles away from the US.
Outside of the election, life in village has been great. I have been kept rather busy between my teaching, helping with vaccinations at the health center, and organizing/meeting with women’s groups. In addition to community work, is the everyday monotonous activities of cleaning the house, cooking (sometimes) and dealing with the neighborhood kids. I find myself rarely having time to read or rest. Privacy and alone time are not very valued in my village. After I eat my dinner at my “families” house they usually try to convince me to stay up and talk with them rather than me go home and relax. If I’m relaxing chez moi during the day, I am relaxing to the sounds of people knocking on my door to try to visit me. Resting thus entails having to bar my front door, if not, it is impossible.
Lately I have felt like a women’s day consultant. It is quite exciting to work with people that act like you are extremely valued. Usually when I go visit women’s groups the amount of applause and fanfare I get is sublime. The groups make me feel like I am a celebrity—a good confidence booster. Sometimes I question if the work I’m doing is helpful and sustainable, but I guess whatever the outcomes are at least the groups know there is some foreign influence that cares about them and wants to try to help them. Some of the work I do includes: reorganizing the structure of already existing groups, starting action plans, doing budgets, time-lines, health presentations, helping the groups form bank accounts, forming non-existent groups in new communities and neighborhoods, and helping them become legalized.
Life outside of work is going well. My village is as friendly as ever, I’m running every morning with the sunrise, the weather is now sunny and dry and I finally bought a short-wave radio so I can keep in-touch with international news. Hope this blog finds everyone happy and in bonne forme. Much peace and happiness, Ali
Now I’m in Yaounde for a HIV/Gender Youth Development meeting. Two nights ago was a very exciting time here, for about 30 fellow peace corps volunteers and myself stayed up all night with our eyes glued to CNN international for the projections. It was an odd sensation to be up at 6:30 am with the sun shining while watching Obama’s Victory speech in the pitch dark of Chicago. Cameroonians have showed nothing but utterly zeal and passion for this election. Although I have not experienced many presidential elections in my lifetime, nor any others outside of the US, I can vouch to say that this year’s election will be hard to beat in terms of its African appeal. Even in my tiny village, most all news-following citizens were very in tuned to the election and stayed up as well to watch the outcome—as evidence by the dozens of text victory messages and updates I received throughout the evening. In sum, the US election and the Cameroonian interest in it, reiterated how small the world is and how events can touch even small villages thousands of miles away from the US.
Outside of the election, life in village has been great. I have been kept rather busy between my teaching, helping with vaccinations at the health center, and organizing/meeting with women’s groups. In addition to community work, is the everyday monotonous activities of cleaning the house, cooking (sometimes) and dealing with the neighborhood kids. I find myself rarely having time to read or rest. Privacy and alone time are not very valued in my village. After I eat my dinner at my “families” house they usually try to convince me to stay up and talk with them rather than me go home and relax. If I’m relaxing chez moi during the day, I am relaxing to the sounds of people knocking on my door to try to visit me. Resting thus entails having to bar my front door, if not, it is impossible.
Lately I have felt like a women’s day consultant. It is quite exciting to work with people that act like you are extremely valued. Usually when I go visit women’s groups the amount of applause and fanfare I get is sublime. The groups make me feel like I am a celebrity—a good confidence booster. Sometimes I question if the work I’m doing is helpful and sustainable, but I guess whatever the outcomes are at least the groups know there is some foreign influence that cares about them and wants to try to help them. Some of the work I do includes: reorganizing the structure of already existing groups, starting action plans, doing budgets, time-lines, health presentations, helping the groups form bank accounts, forming non-existent groups in new communities and neighborhoods, and helping them become legalized.
Life outside of work is going well. My village is as friendly as ever, I’m running every morning with the sunrise, the weather is now sunny and dry and I finally bought a short-wave radio so I can keep in-touch with international news. Hope this blog finds everyone happy and in bonne forme. Much peace and happiness, Ali
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