January was a great month for me personally, which unfortunately meant that the work-side of the Peace Corps experience took a bit of a hit.
The primary reason was Mid-Service Conference, a mandatory trip to the country capital to commemorate our half-way point at post. Normally, I prefer village life to the hustle and bustle of Yaounde, but this was one of the first times that I actually explored – and thus enjoyed - the city. And yes, I say this despite getting harassed on the street, pick-pocketed (no worries, they only got my phone), and spending more CFA than I intended! Yaounde has cold beverages [Milkshakes? Yes please!], a washing machine, reliable transportation options, pizza… And don’t even get me started on the Black Forest ice cream and strawberry tart I ate. Bapa has – well, let’s just say I’ve struggled on more than one occasion to find someone selling bread or eggs.
Mid-Service isn’t like the other training conferences. Sure, there is a day of Best Practices (ahem, they’re now calling it “Promising Practices”….perhaps to put less pressure on us?!) where everyone shares what they’re doing in their respective villages and towns. It makes for a long day, but it’s interesting hearing new ideas for projects and beginning to think about ways to implement them chez-nous. Basically though, Mid-Service amounts to a lot of running around for administrative and medical appointments (a physical from a Nigerian nurse, blood work, pooping in a few cups …you know, the usual). The cleaning we received at our dental appointment was a bit rough, but I’m proud to report I’m still cavity-free. I met with the Program Manager for the Health sector who called me a model volunteer because of my resiliency in the face of a challenging post. I think she is overstepping the truth a bit…
It was nice to see many of the other Health volunteers I trained with, to catch up and just let my hair down (metaphorically as well referring to the 3-day process of taking out all those braids)! A lot of us Santés got dressed up to enjoy Hilton Happy Hour and I got to wear a beautiful blue wrap dress made from a tailor who is a GENIUS with fabric. (Currently estimating just how many things I can afford to have made in the coming months.) Of course, it wouldn’t be a Peace Corps gathering if we weren’t a little villageois, demonstrated by pulling up to the swanky Hilton with 7 of us crammed in a taxi while a funny driver kept us entertained. Stumbling out of the car with the spider-webbed windshield and into the palatial foyer was like entering another world. It’s a nice hotel by American standards, let alone the mind trip of comparing it to my day-to-day life. The gorgeous views and plush furniture were great, but I still felt out of place. It was nice to go back to another little bar/shack afterwards and enjoy the casual dining that is street food.
Back in the West, I think I found my new favorite holiday to celebrate, courtesy of a party in the neighboring village. Kim is the closest volunteer to me and she wasn’t about to let being in Cameroon stop her from throwing her fourth annual MLK Jr Day party. Although it’s technically within walking distance (I’ve done it several times in a little less than an hour), I was grateful for a kind moto driver who passed by on the normally barren path. The bash was a perfect blend of good food and low-key relaxing. We listened to Motown music while enjoying a Southern food FEAST: garlic green beans, mashed potatoes, tofu, fried okra and eggplant, raw veggies, watermelon, cheesy biscuits, etc. I contributed two chocolate cakes (courtesy of a mix mom had sent for my birthday) with chocolate frosting - and one sprinkled with toasted flaked coconut. For the meat-eaters, chickens were killed and fried.
In keeping with the theme, we talked about “dreams” (les rêves) - not only those for the future but also crazy dreams we’ve had. And given that many of us take Mefloquin as our malaria prophylaxis (which is known to have hallucinatory side effects), it made for an interesting conversation. The next morning, instead of leaving early like most of us do after Peace Corps gatherings in order to return to our respective homes, many of us just hung out on her front porch, talking and playing Scrabble while making cinnamon rolls.
Perhaps you can see, then, why returning to village was a bit of a challenge. After such nice breaks, I became frustrated by minor setbacks. It was just easier to stay at home and feel somewhat productive than deal with people. Or I went to Bafoussam – the regional capital –to hang out with friends. Finding any reason to get out of village, I chose to escape rather than risk being disappointed. Sadly, I’ll admit that I was disengaged.
Fortunately, what has helped pull me out of it was booking tickets to Kenya and Ethiopia for March. Perhaps it was all mental, but I feel more motivated to put in a solid effort in the next few weeks before I indulge in vacation time. I made a real push this past week and a half and I have been rewarded with community members who also seem rejuvenated and excited to work together. I’m looking forward to seeing what February brings…
PS: Kitchen creations continue with a creamy soup made from a pumpkin-like gourd/squash they call melon, hash-browns, and roasted potats (basically a white sweet potato) and onions with chili-lime vinaigrette. So good!
