First day in Cameroon!

And here starts my tale of living Cameroon:

Already, I’m in deep and feel the excitement and love of African culture that captures my passion and reassures me of why I chose to come here. I arrived safely in Yaounde last night and was welcomed by six Cameroonians, including the principal of the school I will be working for. My first impression was my surprise at how smoothly the airport process went. No Cameroonians grabbing my bag or hassling me for a taxi. No hectic customs. I didn’t even have to wait in line (although this was facilitated by a former AIESEC member who now works at the airport)! Off to a good start.

Last night I stayed at another AIESECer’s apartment right near campus. She is out of town for the week, but once she returns I will most likely be staying with her for another month. I’m interested to see how this goes considering her apartment is really just a room that fits a bed and a teeny bathroom (toilet+shower), no exaggeration. For the moment I am perfectly content with my living situation.

I visited the school where I will be working. Now that I am here I have a much better idea of what is going on. The school is private, and mostly run by the principal, my contact David. As a private school it is organized under the auspice of the NGO, Fondation des Femmes Actives pour la Promotion de l’Education de la Femme et de l’Enfant (FAPEFE). They are delighted to have me join them because of the publicity it will garner and hopefully encourage more students to register at the school. I will be teaching computer classes. How with only 3 computers (of questionable workability)? Of this I am unsure. I may be teaching some English and even French…Oh la la. On top of this David has complete confidence that I will be able to tell them how to run their school better; I have been promoted to “manager of the school” in one day! And then the grand challenge: finding American sponsors/foundations to help support student fees so that those in need can be educated in the school. All in a days work. So the plan tomorrow is to roll up my sleeves and get cracking.

Observations:

Climate – Can you believe that I wore a sweatshirt today?!? Yup, my random fear was confirmed…I barely packed any “cool weather” clothes and it was 70 degrees. Perhaps I shouldn’t get too worked up since it is the rainy season and there is at least one sprinkle a day. Which leads me to the landscape: looking good. The terrain and vegetation is much more how I imagined “wild Africa” to be like (before being completely thrown off in Senegal). Yaounde is set in rolling hills very close to each other: all you mountain bikers would have a field day with these crazy climbs. And green is everywhere. Despite the million plus people living here, Africa fights back with its overgrowth of trees and plants. The rich red clay dirt is a drastic contrast to the lush green and is often completely rutted out on unpaved roads, creating quite the obstacle course in a car. In my opinion, everything is much nicer to look at [than in Senegal].

People – Starting with my initial experience at the airport, I am drawing the conclusion that Cameroonians are much less pushy and in-your-face than Senegalese. This is not to say the downtown boutique sellers don’t love a good round of bartering, but it is rather nice to not feel quite so confronted by everyone passing you by. I do however miss the formalities of small talk before starting any conversation; most people just stick to a quick “bonjour” and head nod while I have the urge to say “asalaah maalekum. Nanga def?” every time I have an interaction with someone. Weird how my French is so intertwined with this exchange.

Food – Last night I got my first taste of Cameroonian cuisine: grilled fish. MMM yum, I can live with this! I dug into my whole fish (yeah, head, eyeballs, spine, tail, the WHOLE thing) with gusto. As my AIESEC people asked how it was I replied with “I’m going to eat this every day!” I got laughs all around as they explained that, “good thing, since that’s all anyone eats!” Their goal for me by the end of my stay: eat the entire fish except the spinal cord. Yup, that means crunching down on the head, not to mention the very present eyeballs…Katie, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it. Breakfast is still the same: instant coffee with lots of powdered milk and sugar, and a baguette. Today I had more fish only with a delicious sauce (a little less heavy on the oil than in Senegal) and fried plantains (and I forgot to mention the cassava I ate with the fish last night).

Hope that gives you all an idea of what things are like for me. I am safe and sound and ready for what lies ahead. Sending my love across the ocean, I can feel your thoughts and prayers, Thanks.