The End is Near

28/11/11

So, Stage is almost done, and everything I’ve known having to do with Peace Corps is about to change dramatically: no more rigid schedule, no more curfew, no more John the money man delivering envelopes full of money, no more people cooking meals for me, no more being surrounded by people who come from the same background. Peace Corps is about to get a whole lot more challenging, and Cameroon is about to feel a lot more real. This is what I came for: the real challenges and growing experiences are about to begin.

So, what have I been up to lately? Eating. A lot. And yes, I’m totally serious, that’s definitely been the bulk of my life outside of class-type stuff. Not so long ago, we made a delicious, American style brunch with chocolate chip pancakes, fruit salad, homemade hashbrowns, omelet, and avocado salad. I think that was the first time that I really had hope for good eats in Cameroon.

We also hosted ourselves a really nice Thanksgiving lunch/dinner in Bokito (the village where the Health kids have their Stage.) All of us contributed an item that we made ourselves, and it was possibly the most delicious day of my life. For those carnivorous folks, there was chicken (some of which was purchased from my host family), and for us veggies, we had homemade tofu. There was also guacamole, garlic bread (my contribution), red bean hummus, green beans, 3 different types of mashed potatoes, bruschetta, etc. etc. etc. Even more excitingly: desserts! Brownies, cakes, fruit salads, pineapple deliciousness, and pumpkin pie. I’m not sure that I’ve ever had such a thorough food coma, so clearly Thanksgiving was a big success.

Peace Corps hosted Cameroonian/American Diversity Day for us, as well, which, among talent shows, skits, Cameroonian proverbs, and music, included delicious Cameroonian food. If you assumed that Peace Corps membership came with a dramatic weight loss, you were definitely wrong, my friends. But, the food is good, people continue to be fantastic, and all in all, I’m living just the kind of life that I’ve wanted. Things with my host family have calmed down considerably, and all in all, I’m feeling pretty acclimated to life in Bafia, which means that it’s definitely time to move on to Batouri.

Over the next ten days, things are going to stay roughly the same: class continues on and on and on, and we continue to play massive amounts of volleyball to kill the time. But, when Stage ends, we have a big Swearing-In ceremony that the Embassy attends, as well as all of us and our host families. Every program has matching clothing, too, in clear Cameroonian style. Afterwards, curfew is finally over, so we can go back to feeling like independent people for one whole night. Hooooooooooooooooooooo buddy!

And, that’s it for now. Stay safe, all!

"People who live in glass houses..."

16-11-11

…shouldn’t get dressed during the day. This “traditional American proverb” provided by the English Club of the Lycee Classique in Bafia. Your life is changed forever now, I know. How I survived this long without that word of wisdom, I’m just unsure.

Cultural misunderstandings and awkward dinner party stories abound here, I may never run out of fuel for lags in conversation in America ever again… that is, if I remember to tell these stories in English, which is increasingly becoming a problem. I’ve just started learning Fulfulde (a language predominant amongst the Muslim Fulani people of Nigeria and Cameroon), but interestingly, these lessons are taught in French. Franfulglais: coming to you compliments of your United States Peace Corps volunteers. Nonetheless, I did have a conversation with my Community Partner on the phone in French and I think we both understood each other pretty decently—SCORE! More and more I’m having moments where I feel like I sound like an intelligent human being in French (or, at least, one who has completed primary school.) I have a long way to go, but it’s always encouraging to feel like you’re making progress J

Dry season (or hot season, depending who you talk to and what region they’re from) has hit Cameroon, and it’s hitting hard. Oddly, it’s cold at night and in the morning but blazing hot the rest of the day—more than once I’ve woken up with goose bumps. Mosquitos are suddenly far more awful than they’ve been this entire time, and the Moot Moots are even worse (they leave these horribly itchy bites that bleed and are shaped like archery targets.) Thanks Camps Ledgewood, Whip-Poor-Will, and Libbey for preparing me for the awful-ness of having a million bites at all time.

We swear-in on December 8, and that can’t come soon enough. Peace Corps is all about the waiting and the patience-building, but in general, I think that’s a good thing… I’m just feeling ready to do something useful. Plus, I mostly just want to get started on making my house livable. Can we just skip the school work and whatnot and fast-forward? Plus side/side-note: I dropped off new fabric today to the tailor to get a dress made for Swearing-In… I absolutely adore my tailor, she might just be the cutest person I’ve ever met in my life. I hope that I can find a tailor in Batouri who is as fantastic. Double side-note: tie-dyed fabric, I want some. They sell it in Bertoua…yet another reason to be excited to move-in.

I can’t believe how long I’ve already been here. It is insane how much I learn in a day and how many new things I experience. I don’t know another time in my life recently where anything has so fully absorbed me; it’s like being five again because everything’s new all the time. Also, fun fact, I was literally punished for not bringing home my host mother a present from Batouri—good thing I am a pro at washing dishes quickly/effectively Cameroonian style, otherwise I might have felt bad. Anyhow, the living situation with a family and being surrounded by all the volunteers who are clearly so much more knowledgeable than us definitely adds to that whole five year old effect.

Quick other updates: 1) I have finally seen the mouse that abides in my room and, if you so please, I could give you a detailed list of the things he does and doesn’t like to eat. 2) Our cat, Minette, ran away and I’ve been without cuddle time with the cat ever since. 3) We’ve all discovered a frozen yogurt treat near to the school that’s helping us to survive the awful heat, and, thankfully, frozen yogurt exists in Batouri, as well. 4) I have become a pro at hailing taxis and motorcycles, but unfortunately, not a pro at avoiding stereotypical Stephanie bad luck—hopefully that’s next. 5) Thanksgiving: what I wouldn’t give to eat delicious amounts of that food.

Miss you all, love you, and hope you’re all staying safe. Drink some apple cider for me, lay under a warm blanket in flannel PJ pants, and watch a couple episodes of obnoxiously bad TV.

How Far Will You Go?

"I want to warn anyone who sees the Peace Corps as an alternative to the draft that life may well be easier at Fort Dix or at a post in Germany than it will be with us." Sargeant Shriver

"Life is calling, how far will you go?" US Peace Corps Slogan

Last time I wrote, I told you that I was posted in Batouri, but I definitely know a lot more now than I did last week, so consider this part 2 of that first post. Being the person that writes definitely has it's perks, and in this respect, it's definitely getting to choose to ramble on and on and on about my awesome assignment.

POP QUIZ: Where am I posted? What region am I in? If you said Batouri in the East region, on are rocking at your knowledge of Stephanie Gasior... either that or you paid close attention to that first sentence and then did a google search, in which case I applaud your dedication.

Okay, anywho, this week was site visit, meaning that we left for Bertoua on Saturday, left for Batouri early on Wednesday morning with my post-mate, and then returned to Bertoua today. Bertoua has been fantastic, but because that's not my post, I'm not going to go into great depth about it except to say that it has the best fish and best pasteries I've ever had in my life--it is definitely a city to expect more from in the future.

On to the important things: BATOURI! Mike and I arrived Wednesday around 10, and I don't know what I expected to find, but it definitely wasn't what I found. Batouri is pretty moderately sized, but has a ton of government agencies, religious organizations, and private organizations. Unlike Bafia, it's also pretty clean, which was delightful. I don't know where to begin describing Batouri, but I will say that it's spread out, has a lot of different ethnic/linguistic/cultural influences, and is environmentally beautiful. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know the little nuances and finding the intriguing nooks once I return for good in December. It's definitely going to take awhile to get acclimated, but I'm up for the challenge and ready for anything/everything that's about to be sent my way. Getting out of Bafia was definitely the kind of motivation that I needed, and I know a lot of others feel the same way. Plus, it was nice to drink a real cup of coffee and have some freedom to feel like an adult again.

So, while in Batouri, I got to see my house (100% empty, but it has electricity and running water once I pay for the counters for those), visit a logging company, see my host institution (Centre pour la Promotion de la Femme et la Famille), learn about a large number of potential projects (including one with the UN Development Project [fingers crossed]), eat lots of delicious local foods, meet my two post-mates, and generally start to acclimate myself. I'm feeling much more amped about Batouri now that I've had the opportunity to see it, I'm genuinely feeling like it's the right place for me at this point in my life: lots of challenge, lots of opportunity for personal growth, lots of opportunity for community growth (I hope.) So, thanks Program Manager Amadou for not listening to my requests, I think you made an excellent decision on my behalf :)

I am definitely looking forward to having a comfortable home of my own that I can cook food in, although I recognize that it's going to take some time before I hit that point. On that note, I would gladly accept any maps, photos, hand-drawn pictures, post-cards, decorations, etc. that you want to send my direction. Most any of that could fit in a simple envelope, and it'll make a huge difference in making my empty house feel like a home. And, yes, that was a shame-less plug, but I'm assuming that you love me enough to look past that!

I'm also just genuinely looking forward to being done with stage and creating a life for myself: deciding my daily schedule, choosing friends to associate with, grocery shopping, designing projects. All of those tiny things that I took for granted in the States are definitely what I'm most excited for now, although I clearly never rode motorcycles as my main form of transportation in the US. It is wonderful to know that there are so many opportunities ahead of me, it's just unfortunate that I need to go back to a highly scheduled life and living with a family again for the next month. But, if there's one thing that I've learned from the Peace Corps so far, it's patience. A month is a short time, and soon I'll be at post missing the structure and missing the organization.

Much love,
Steph

POST-It Note

2-11-11

Background information: Cameroon is divided into 10 regions, each of which has a very specific culture and set of stereotypes. The Grand North (Adamaoua, North, Extreme North) is seen as your backwards, Muslim region, the West (N. West, West, S. West) are Anglophone and hence not represented well by the mainstream, the Grand South (South, Littoral, Centre, East) is a hodgepodge (East being the most backwards of all because it’s an isolated rainforest, Centre being the most developed because of Yaounde.)  There are volunteers in all 10 regions (the most are in the Northwest and the fewest number are in the Centre), but Youth Development is only going to four regions: Extreme North, Adamaoua, Southwest, and East.

Actual Exciting News: I KNOW MY POST!!!! I’m going to be a volunteer in Batouri, which is a city in the East. Is it what I wanted? No. Is it what I was expecting? Definitely not. Is it going to kick major butt? ABSOLUTELY. I’m excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and genuinely drained of emotion—it has been a crazy day of processing this unexpected news.

There are currently two volunteers in Batouri, and there’s another two of us going in my class (the other being Mike, an Agroforestry volunteer.) In addition to me, there are three other YDs, one Agro, and four Health PCTs headed to the East. From the description I received, “Batouri is the administrative headquarters of the Kadey Division in the East Region. It is located approximately 90kms from Bertoua. [I]t is a cosmopolitan city… The predominant religion is Christianity.” I’ll predominately be working with out-of-school girls (again, something I said I didn’t want) and with these organizations that work with youth to reinforce their capacities because the vast majority of organizations in Batouri are fairly inactive.

So having wanted/expected the Extreme North, why am I so amped about the East? Excellent question:

·         Having three post-mates! It’s going to be incredible, Mike’s a great guy and the volunteer I called on the phone today (Janelle) is so stoked that we’re coming. She sounds so motivated and apparently has a lot of potential projects lined-up for me. She also found me a fantastic community host (an employee of the Catholic health center) who is amped to have someone to be there and work specifically with the youth community. I’ll meet my community host tomorrow (aka: today, by the time you read this) at the Community Health Workshop.

·         There are so many organizations to work with that are actually active: AMAZONE Literacy Center (works predominately with Muslim girls and women), Esperance Sare Jeunes de Batouri (associated with the Catholic mission but does Income Generating Activities with youth, recreational activities, reproductive health, etc.), a woman’s center, the Tripano Center (works with handicapped people), and Youth Enterprise Without Borders. Apparently all these contacts are stoked, as well, and have lists of possibilities of things that I can help them work on.

·         I’ve been informed by the PCVs that are here this week as well as by my Program Manager that although this is exactly what I said that I didn’t want, I’m going to really rock in Batouri. Because I trust Amadou and YD is his baby, I’m going with it. Having had time to process, I can definitely see that I have a lot of experience in the right areas to succeed here. It’ll challenge me in the right ways, but it’s going to be awesome and I think I’ll have a great support system there.

·         By the end of this, I’m going to be a rock star at French, which is going to be awesome. I’ve put in far too much work and improved too much to not get to use it. Who’s excited to be multi-lingual? THIS GIRL.

·         I can keep wearing pants: that’s acceptable in the East (thank God.) I wasn’t excited about wearing dresses and skirts every day for the next two years up North. And, in general, there’s way more freedom for women in the East. Fun fact: I never thought I’d be excited to get to wear pants, my life is so ridiculous.

·         I can run in a city without the awkwardness of being judged for exposing too much skin. I’m so excited to start being physically active again.

·         Food variety. I’m in the middle of the rainforest, for God’s sake. I am, however, not excited about the bush meat. The East is the bush meat capital of the country, and fish is probably not going to be easily accessible.

·         I’ll be the first to live in my house, which means I can stock it full of awesome things. But, I should also be able to get things from the PCVs that are there. PLUS, since it’s a city, it’s going to (hopefully) be stocked full of things. And, apparently my house is super nice. I’m pumped to see what my market is like. I’ll let you know next time what my accommodations are going to be like, but I have high hopes J

So, we have Community Host Workshop Thursday and Friday, and then the journey starts on Saturday. I’ll be taking a bus from Bafia to Yaounde (two hours), a second bus from Yaounde to Bertoua (five hours), stay overnight at the Peace Corps house in Bertoua, and then take another bus the next day to Batouri (three hours): all this to get through a country that’s the size of California. Be thankful for your highway infrastructure in the States, friends and family. I’ll be in my community for four or five days, I think, which’ll be plenty of time to really acclimate myself to this new, crazy idea of living in the East of Cameroon. [Update: banking situation is ridiculous, so I now will be there Sunday and Monday, take a bus back to Bertoua on Tuesday maybe spending another night at the case before going back, and then leave for good on Friday to get back to Bafia on Saturday. Be REALL Y thankful for your infrastructure in the US, guys!]

On a general level, things in Bafia are fantastic, but we’re all pumped to get out for awhile… having class six days a week and living with people on top of that isn’t always the easiest. Everything in my program continues to be amazing, I’m blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing group. I’m definitely looking forward to the next two years of life in Cameroon!

Keep checking here for updates, I’ll definitely have a million things to say about site visit soon. There are new photos headed to facebook of general life in Bafia (like Halloween where I was a mosquito) and of site reveal. Coming up for the future, I think we have another field trip out of Bafia on the docket and then we swear in the 8^th of December.

Miss you all, love you all, and I hope nobody was too miserable during that snowstorm that hit PA.

ADDENDUM 3-11-11

My community host, Denise, is possibly the coolest person ever—she’s a nurse at the local Catholic health center and is super sassy. She also happened to show up in a dress that, like mine that I happened to wear today, is lime green. We were clearly meant to be together J Everything she’s said about Batouri sounds incredible, so I’m super hopeful.

Life Lessons from the Field

22-10-11

So, by the time this is posted, I will have been in Cameroon for 1 complete month—I can’t even believe it’s been this long already! Reflecting upon this month, I’ve compiled a list of Dos and Don’ts for your viewing pleasure.

DON’T: Be too jealous of everyone else’s field trips, you’re in Youth Development—the world is your class room! And, more importantly, you’ll have the run of Bafia and of the training center. Who needs curfew extensions and crappy hotels anyways?
DO: Eat chocolate “sandwiches” at every possible opportunity. There’s protein in the chocolate spread, right?

DON’T: Miss an opportunity to break those irritating 10,000 CFA notes. Maybe this time the boutique can finally break it…. No? Better luck next time!

DO: Pile those extra five people in the car: the more the merrier. Ideally, rock out to hard-core gangster rap and raunchy American pop in the process, your drivers don’t speak English anyways. Make sure to reaffirm that stereotype of Americans being awful dancers, that’s very important.

DON’T: Forget to insert a peut-être into every possible statement. Couple it with a couple of “J’ai blaig, j’ai blaig!” every couple of sentences and your language trainers will clearly think you’re following French Immersion.

DO: Play Catchphrase at every possible opportunity. Even better: play Bowls at the boutique and watch the Cameroonians laugh hysterically at the crazy Americans. And, once again, appreciate the fact that because they don’t speak American English, you’re safe describing the wonders of Paul Biya.

DON’T: Forget about that stupid chicken that hangs out at the boutique, it’ll come after your head not once, not twice, but three times.

DO: Be careful as you rummage around your bag for paper in public, you do have a number of fantastically awkward items in your bag compliments of the classes you’ve had this week on teaching Sex Ed and HIV/AIDs awareness.

DON’T: Do Zumba after eating a sandwich with lots of Piment. Heartburn city, folks. Also, don’t be too concerned about the other Stagiares taking photos of all of you pouring sweat and attempting ridiculous Zumba moves, facebook always allows for detags J

DO: Visit your buddies in Bokito and admire their digs—a shower, running water, fridge, and stove? Live in the lap of luxury for those three hours of your visit, and enjoy not wearing shoes.

DON’T: Forget to look around, you ARE in Africa after all.

DO: Be a part of the Dazzling Dozen, and be adorably close all the time. Playing games for class, massage trains, Zumba classes with Charla, team lunch, free hugs: why would you ever want to be with anyone else?

In all seriousness, now, I am so thankful to be where I am and with such incredible people. Things just feel so REAL here—the extraordinary moments and the times where things are genuinely rough. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so consistently challenged and rewarded, and I’m not even at post yet. Given that we’re all in the same situation (new language, new culture, new people, new information, etc. etc. etc. etc,) I’m finding such an uncommonly supportive community here. There’s always a shoulder for a hug, a hand to work out that awful knot in the shoulder from the lumpy bed, a person to try to explain the vocabulary term, and someone else to give advice about what to do about that awful comment someone made about you. I don’t know that I’d trade this group and this experience of Stage for anything, and I am a little nervous about what’s going to happen once we’re all scattered to the wind. But, we’re taking everything one day at a time and not rushing a thing, life here is just too fantastic to try to push forward too much.

Photos of my life are on facebook so that you get a better idea of what I’m up to, there aren’t a lot, the internet is too slow and I’m too bad at remembering to take photos (an indication of just how present I’ve been since getting here.) ALSO: I just wanted to reassure you all that I’m safe and sound—the elections are totally over now (Paul Biya was reelected for the next 7 years) and things have been much more calm than I could have ever expected.

Miss you all, and I hope you’re all having a wonderful fall full of hiking, foliage, apple cider, Halloween parties, and caramel corn.

I've Got the Magic in Me

15-10-11

They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but what about a woman’s? Food is central to life, and America uniquely appreciates diversity of food. It says a lot about America that food-wise, we rely so much on other cultures to color our cuisine. We’ve shrunk down the full world into the bits and pieces of tastes that fit our palate, and it’s one of the things I love the most about America: there is always room for something new at the table (literally and figuratively.)

Before coming to Cameroon, I heard that Cameroonian food wasn’t good—too starchy, too tasteless, too repetitive. Some days, or really for long stretches of days, I’m inclined to agree: it’s easy to complain about food you didn’t grow up with and that just doesn’t hit your need for comfort. After a long, frustrating day, there’s nothing I want more than tomato soup, grilled cheese, and a giant bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream. Despite that, since being here, I’ve found there are those days where the food is nothing less than magical: perfectly spicy, packed with just the right combination of vegetables, and makes you feel positive about life. Tonight was one of those nights, and this is my ode to Poisson Feu.

So, why do I always find myself writing about food in every entry? Probably because food is so indicative of life-style: how and what you eat tells a story about who you are. When you actually think about it, it’s pretty amazing. I’m in Cameroon, eating Cameroonian dishes—heck, eating papayas that come from a tree in my front yard and eggs that come from the hen house just in front of the papaya tree in my front yard. No matter how hard I tried to do so in the US, it just wasn’t possible to eat this fresh and organic. Even though I’m living my dream (food-wise), I still find myself whining about this food, that food, and the other—a metaphor for my life at large in Cameroon. I’m hitting a point with Cameroon where I’m viewing it for what it is, instead of what I want it to be or what I think it should be: the rose-tinted glasses are becoming more transparent.

There are lots of things that are imperfect about Cameroon, just as there are lots of things that are imperfect about every country in our beautifully diverse and mystical world. I’m not an expert, and I’m not in the place to tell you everything that’s wrong with Cameroon—I would never venture that on the US, either. What I can say, though, is that my experiences in Cameroon have plenty of imperfections as well, little things that just don’t fit my desires. Our electricity has been off since the election, meaning that there’s no such thing as a cold drink anywhere (and after playing soccer or studying French, that’s all any of us want) and I’m literally getting dressed in the dark every morning. It’s frustrating to feel like the Captain Obvious of language, I’d love to have a personality and to be able to crack jokes in French. Having little siblings that want to touch everything, and don’t want to let you stir your own hot chocolate. The flip side to that reality, though, are those truly magical moments… just like the moment when you first taste Poisson Feu. Moments I see ducks bathing in the giant puddles in the road, chickens wandering around the backyard of the Peace Corps Training Center, teach my siblings what Rock/Paper/Scissors is, seeing the unbelievably clear night sky, finding within my training group another camp counselor who knows the same hand claps I do, doing laundry while grooving to American music. These magical moments are everywhere in Cameroon as long as I choose to see them, and with Poisson Feu at my side, why shouldn’t I?

PS. Update—electricity came back on today (the 16th.) What an excellent birthday present J

A Day in the Life

5-10-11

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! Hope you enjoyed the presents that I left for you at home and that you were surprised by the message on your voicemail J

So, it’s been a week since my last post. Similar to camp, time here seems to move in the weirdest ways—days seem so long but I feel so accomplished when I accomplish the smallest things (ex: buying phone credit.) There isn’t exactly an average day here, but there are definitely trends. Since I have you as a captive audience, here’s my approximate daily schedule:

--Wake up at 6:25. I eat a chunk of bread, fried egg with tomato and onion, and drink instant coffee. Supposedly, coffee here is strong—I beg to differ, it takes like water flavored with ginger and lemon. I usually add powdered milk to it to make it more palatable. Still, it’s awesome that my family feeds me legit food every morning.

--Walk to class and arrive around 7:30. Given that we’re ending rainy season here, I’m hopping about a million puddles along the way and usually by the time I get to class, my poor shoes are a muddy mess… and then the crazy heat starts and school is transpiration central. I try to arrive to class early enough to savor some English speaking and have enough time to hear everybody’s stories from the night before, sometimes hysterical (like the time I chipped my tooth on freakin’ couscous [no worries, it’s not noticeable unless you’re me, and it’s just another reason to hate couscous]) sometimes serious (someone talking about the beatings their host siblings get.) In another week and a half, we start Immersion, which means that outside of Tech classes, there is to be NO ENGLISH—even on our lunch break. Once Immersion starts, mornings’ll get a lot more rough.

--Language/Tech Classes/Cross-Culture/Safety/Health 8a-4:30p. Each day is a different combination of everything, some days it’s one session of each, other days, like today, each session is French. I recently moved down a language level because I felt like I was struggling so much, and I’m feeling so much better in the Intermediate-Mid Level. My class has 4 of us, and we work a lot with vocabulary. Tomorrow we’re going to the Grand Marché to get more confident on the vocab/grammar involved in purchasing stuff. Tech classes are the practical ones for Youth Development, and I love them. We use a lot of public speaking, discussion, and group work, so ultimately, not insanely different than Allegheny. Our homework for this week was to observe a teacher at a local primary school and write a report on it, and it was the BEST experience—the kids were ADORABLE. Sometimes we have guest speakers like current Peace Corps volunteers that do some kind of work with kids (rare) or government officials from the Ministry of Women and Family or the Ministry of Youth Development.

--FREE-TIME 4:30-7p. We’re free after class until curfew at 7p, so most of the time we go to the boutique down the street and get bread/cheese or bread/tartina (a Nutella-like substance but made with peanuts instead) and something to drink. Other times I go home early for some decompressing time with American music and books in English. I would like to be able to work out, but I’m not sure how to make that work yet. Plenty of time to figure it out, I guess, and I need to because all these starches aren’t health-friendly.

--Dinner Prep/Dinner 7:30p+. We eat so much freaking couscous. On good days, there’s papaya, plantains, fish, eggs, and delicious sauces. But, since my Mom works so much and is so active in the election that’s in a couple of days and Cameroonian culture is such that men don’t deign to cook, we eat a lot of things that don’t take effort—like left-over couscous and manioc (which is also pretty tasteless.)

--Post-Dinner. Sometimes I’ll watch TV with the fam, other times I’ll study in the living room while they watch TV. Some days we eat so late or I’m so French-ed out that I shower and go straight to bed. Literally, it’s not uncommon for me to be in bed before 9:30. I am lame-sauce here in Bafia, but it’s the only way I can deal with being up so early in the morning. What I wouldn’t give to be a morning person.

If you’re a rational person, you’re probably saying something to the effect of “Well, at least you have all weekend to recover and hang out!” Unfortunately, you, the rational person, are incorrect because I have class on Saturdays until 1p still. It’s not bad, though, they turn the internet on after class on Saturdays, which is fantastic. This weekend, I really want to go into town and buy fabric to get clothes made. It needs to happen—my clothes are just too long and too heavy for the heat we have here. Sundays are pretty much reserved for Mass (a 2-3 hour affair totally in French) with the family and doing laundry (another hour-long plus exploit.) I also study and do my homework on Sundays.

So, basically, that’s my life as of right now. I hope that gives you a better idea of what I’m up to/will be up to through the beginning of December.

In other news, I finally have a functioning phone! I don’t know the country code (you’ll need to look that up if you’re ever ambitious enough to call me,) but my number is 74 05 79 85. Please remember that I am 5 hours ahead of you and am an old person that goes to bed early.  Also, I would looooooooooooooove mail… just throwing that out there. Once I find Bafia’s post office on Saturday, I have some to send out, too J

Love you all!

PS. What’s happening in the US? I feel so disconnected—I haven’t heard ANY news about the US since arriving in Cameroon. (Edit: Except Steve Jobs’ death… that news hit us today [the 6^th])

In Cameroon!

29-9-11

Bonjour, mes amis et ma famille biologique! Je te manque BEAUCOUP. Je suis un peau fatiguée de parler le français maintenant et, ensuite, je suis enthosiaste pour écrire ce lettre. But, for real, my brain hurts from all of the French since arriving in Cameroon, so please excuse any and all spelling/grammar errors.

So much has happened since my last post: I successfully traveled to Philadelphia on my own, made it to Yaoundé and later to Bafia without any major disasters, saw my first Cameroonian dance performance, met the US’ ambassador to Cameroon, learned more about what it means to be part of the Youth Development program, felt the success of conversing with my host siblings (and helping them with their reading in French!), felt the failure of being unable to understand my host parents, and took my first bucket baths. For both better and for worse, my experience as a Peace Corps trainee so far is full of adventures and I’m learning lots of new things each day. There are 53 other Peace Corps Trainees in Cameroon split somewhat evenly between Bafia (where I am) and Bokito (where all 22 Health volunteers are) right now; we’re all having entirely different experiences, but it’s awesome to be a part of a collective whole that is so diverse and interesting. Never before have I ever actually been so excited to get up in the morning.

In an effort to keep this blog readable and focused, everything else is going to be in list format, so don’t freak out about the length of this entry.

Things I am most excited about and that are super awesome:

·         Most Cameroonian cooking! It’s so fresh and the fruits are delicious! PLUS, it looks like I’m not allergic to the oranges in Cameroon! SUCCESS. I’m enjoying the lack of processed crap.

·         Cooking with my host mother each night. I’m definitely learning some dishes that I want to bring home.

·         My younger host siblings. They usually run to me after I get home from school and pummel me with hugs/attention. They’re teaching me lots of vocabulary, and they are way more patient with my French than my host parents are. Plus, it’s just genuinely cool to have little siblings.

·         Learning more about the regions of the country, and seeing more! Cameroon is called Africa in Miniature and it’s amazing how different everything looks from city to city.

·         My staging group, and, in particular, the Dazzling (Dirty) Dozen of Youth Development and our WONDERFUL Program Manager Amadou. We always get in a good laugh, but everyone is always so thoughtful. There’s also a lot of awesome experience within the group and I think that as we continue to grow and learn, we can accomplish awesome things.

·         The crazy muscles I’m going to get from lugging around my bedans (giant jugs of water.) Watch out world, even if I gain a ton of weight from all the carbs, I am going to have impressive arm muscles without even trying.

Things I’m not liking so much:

·         Couscous. It’s not like in the US—it’s served in giant blocks that look kind of like spam. It’s tasteless and has the weirdest consistency. I think I may have accidentally asserted too much to my mother that I “liked” it and I’m fairly certainly it’ll be served for a million years, or at least everyday until December 8. Do not want.

·         Being called “nassara” and “La Blanche!” all the time. It gets tiring. I hear it from people in the market, people I pass as I go to school, my host family.

o   ALSO: kissing noises to attract my attention. That’s just a no. DOUBLE ALSO: Rob, turns out people here try to get my attention with that awful “Tsssst” noise you make. DISLIKE.

·         The crazy heavy accent my host family has that makes it so difficult for me to understand them and them to understand me. I am so NOT used to being incapable of speaking my mind all the time. Unfortunately, I now know how it must feel to be a ESL foreigner in the USA—it’s SO irritating that they speak a sentence louder when I say I don’t understand rather than rephrasing.

·         The crazy disease lectures we get. Mildly (okay, severely,) terrifying. Plus side, we’re well taken care of and I’ve gotten so many series of expensive shots for free—thanks tax payers of America!

·         The commonality of child abuse and domestic abuse, as well as animal abuse. Way more heartbreaking than any disease—I am very thankful for the upbringing I’ve had in the US. In an effort to rationalize it, I tell myself that it will give me motivation to work my butt off at my job as a Youth Development Coordinator.

Things you should send me because you love me so much:

·         Bar soap—I would really like to wash my hands for real on a consistent basis. There’s probably something at the market, but I’m at class during most of the day when the two markets are in session. SUCK.

·         Germex—In case you have some weird aversion to bar soap.

·         Letters/Photos/Post Cards

·         Book of crosswords or Sudoku or something else that I can DO

·         Good, strong perfume.

·         Anything else you’d want me to have, I can’t think of anything else at this moment. I will keep you updated.

My address is labeled on the side of the page, don’t feel obligated to send anything, it’s just that a lot of you asked beforehand what I would want in a package. Please insure any package you send me!!! ALSO, the most important thing: I HAVE A CELL PHONE! Unfortunately, it’s currently broken. Be on the look-out for my number soon, as a group of us are going to the MTN store today for SIM Card repairs.

A bientôt! Miss you and love you!

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

"But if we learn to think of it as anticipation, as learning, as growing, if we think of the time we spend waiting for the big things of life as an opportunity instead of a passing of time, what wonderful horizons open out!" Anna Neagle

I hope these blogs aren't getting too dull/repetitive. The problem with waiting, is that you tend to wait for a long time without much real activity. The good stuff will be coming soon, though, because I'M ONE WEEK AWAY FROM DEPARTURE!

For all the time where waiting seemed to drag out forever, I'm now amazed that it's FINALLY almost time to go. If I had to pick one word to summarize my experience so far, that word would be growth. Although this process has been far from easy, it has been worth it. A Stephanie Gasior waiting patiently with composure for something huge and rationally handling change? Never thought I'd see the day. But, yet, here I am. I'd say that my bags are packed and I'm totally ready to go, but I haven't even started that yet. Some things never change, and apparently my hatred of packing is one of them. Who's going to be packing down to the last second? This girl. Still, life is good. Maybe even a little beyond that: life is fantastically awesome.

There are so many thoughts going through my mind right now that I am going to end this post right here. My mind is too much of a jumbled mess of excitement for anything else to make sense to anyone who isn't here right now. Thanks to all of you who've shown me so much support throughout this entire process, I am such a lucky girl to have so many incredible friends and family members. This journey has had ups and downs that have competed with the fiercest roller coaster, and you've all helped me to grow in patience, composure, and rationality. As the journey continues from Cameroon, I know that I've got the best cheering section anyone could ever ask for.

I love you all, and I'll see you on the flip side!

Two Weeks Left?

"A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it's better than no inspiration at all." Rita Mae Brown

Two Weeks. Two weeks. Two weeks. Two weeks.

The pressure is on. With just two short weeks left of life in the US (at least for this chapter of my life,) I'm remembering just how much I love waiting til the last second to do everything. Problematic? Maybe a bit. Who says you can't master French, finish shopping for necessary supplies, pack up two years worth of stuff, say a million "see you later"s, and still have time left to spend with the family?Apparently, not me. Challenge accepted.

So, having just come back from a refreshing and beautiful trip to Oregon for my cousin's wedding, I am feeling empowered and ready for this next adventure to begin. The hardest part of the wait is over, and now I'm just overcome by adrenaline. Watching everyone move forward with their lives as they start their new jobs, new years of school, or entirely new schools these past few weeks has been exciting, but now it's my turn.

Wait up world, I'm coming--just let me finish out my packing first!

The Wait

College: Complete.
Camp: Complete.
Awkward Wait Between Camp and Peace Corps: In Progress. Still.

The wait before leaving in September is awful. Maybe it's just because I've known about my post since the end of May, but I'm going stir-crazy and over-analyzing all of the details that I don't know/won't know until I arrive (or, later, even.) Is it September 21st yet? I wish.



On the plus side, I have accomplished a lot of useful things: booking my flights, visiting friends, working on buying everything, and sorting out the 22 years of my life in my bedroom. It's been lovely actually being at home with the family for more than a day. I am making progress toward being ready, and everyday, Staging comes closer by another day.

What's next? More packing, more cleaning, more buying stuff, a wedding in Oregon, a visit to Allegheny, and more waiting. Lots and lots of waiting.

The Beginning

A month and five days: that's what separates me from beginning my stint as a Youth Development Coordinator in Cameroon. How's it feeling right now? Overwhelming. Exciting. Terrifying. Empowering. That's the thing with this, there are a million unknowns and a million emotions that go along with every little bit of this. And, you know, I'm okay with it. That's the way life is supposed to be, or so I hope.

So, what's the preparation actually like? Just like with the rest of the application process, there are times where there are millions of pieces of paperwork and other times where you hear absolutely nothing. Theoretically all of us are supposed to be spending our time studying French. Luckily, I've managed to borrow a copy of Harry Potter in French from a friend, which makes studying a million times more interesting. Plus, unlike Allegheny, NO ESSAYS! Besides that, there's a lot of packing and shopping. I feel like I am single-handedly backing the recent economic growth (you're welcome!)

September 21 is the big day. All of us in my class of volunteers will be flown out to Philly for staging (Peace Corps orientation, if you will.) We get our millions of vaccines and medications, do a host of crazy team-building activities, and then we all fly out to Yaounde (the nation's capital) and later Bafia together. Training is two and a half months long, once it's over, we'll get matched with a site somewhere in the country and move out to actually start our jobs mid-December. Youth Development is a sector that's totally new to Cameroon, so there are way more unknowns associated with my job than there are for most volunteers. Guess I'm just going to have to get reeeeeeally good at being go-with-the-flow and not all micromanage-y.

So, that's my Peace Corps life right now: full of preparation, unknowns, and lots of excitement. As the time comes closer to leave, there'll be another post. And, more importantly, once I arrive hopefully I'll be able to post often.

Take care!