The blog has been rather neglected the last 2 or 3 weeks - general burn-out as classes accelerated to a close. But a lot has happened - by Mbingo standards at least!
For the past 2 weeks, each morning in chapel time, 3 departments or wards have been responsible to sing. People put a lot of thought and effort into their songs, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it all - carols, African songs, and all topped off yesterday morning by Administration singing "Amazing Grace". Theatre's turn came a week last Friday, and my students and I were invited to join the nurses and anaesthetists to sing "Go tell it on the mountain" and "We three kings", conducted by the orthopedic surgeon who is a local fellow, and much liked. My two women students and I were the only women in the group of about 25 - so those big, rich men's voices, many of them very good, made quite a wonderful sound. We practiced a lot and I think sounded pretty good - and it was really a special thing for me to be in the middle of all that group on the platform. I think that day I was the only white person in chapel, in about 300 people - and that somehow made it even more special that they had let me sing with them. A highlight of the season.
Last Monday Richard was here to cook - the bread had thankfully just about finished baking when the gas bottle went dry. He called to get more - but no gas - none expected til Wednesday. I called when I got home - true, no gas, because no money to buy it - cash flow is a constant problem for the hospital. But I could get gas in Bello, 10 km up the road. If they could find someone to go, and I would pay the taxi (40 cents each way, so do-able!), they could get my gas from there - but it might be hard to find someone....... Fortunately, Gideon had not yet left for the day, so he took the gas bottle (after I figured out how to undo it without any pliers or wrench - Gideon has never used gas so had no clue), and was back in about 1/2 hour. My friend Kara Beth had her gas run out on Sunday this week - but now there is no gas in Bello either - Christmas rush I guess. I'm not sure how she is managing - she may be staying over Christmas with the surgeon and his family as they are good friends. Nothing here is straight-forward!
The students got away last Wednesday. They did their exam first - we headed for our classroom, only to find that Julius, the one local student (who lives a 45 minute walk away) had forgotten the key to the classroom, and of course there is no known 2nd key anywhere. This is most uncharacteristic of Julius and probably showed how tired we all were. So they came and wrote the exam at the dining room table in my house, and I encouraged them with pamplemousse juice and candies. The four from north caught a taxi as soon as we were done, and all are safely home and working, so the finances will improve for a little while at least. It has been a very good term, and we are all very, very grateful for how
With their departure, I attacked the anaesthesia section of the OR storeroom. Oh my goodness. Stuff gets
Because it is Christmas, the hospital butchered some cattle and allowed everyone to order beef up to 2 kg each if they wished. I went down to the "beef house" on Thursday since that was my pick-up day. What a crazy scene. Many people waiting, no apparent order. I was with Mbah Lovely, the wife of our head anaesthetist, and Botay who is one of the senior OR nurses was also there. They decided I must not stand in the sun since I am more allergic to sun than they are, and they somehow got my cut of beef immediately - it was thrown over the crowd from the beef house window; one chunk unfortunately hit the ground before getting to my bag, but it came home for a thorough washing and will be VERY well cooked!! Lovely never did get her meat that day, along with a lot of other very annoyed people. I felt bad, because she had gone out of her way to help me. By Saturday, there were MANY annoyed people - the hospital ended up butchering again yesterday, and I hope everyone got what they wanted. Pigs were also butchered and we could order - I went yesterday to pick up my 1 kg at the Deaf School kitchen - much more organized, I guess because not many people here eat pork. My piece had a little piece of paper stuck to it that said "Dr. Chrity 1 kg". The people did not know who Dr. Chrity was, so were glad when I came along and made myself
On Saturday, there was a wedding here, of the junior brother of one of our anaesthetists, and a young woman who works in the provisions store which I frequent at least once a week. In dress, and general format, it was really very western. But the invitation said 12 o'clock - I arrived at 5 to 12 expecting to be early, and indeed, I was the first guest. So I sat down and just watched everything. People drifted in from about 12:20 on - and at 10 to 1, the ceremony started, still with the chapel only 1/3 full. The ceremony went on until about 15 to 3 - nothing goes quickly here! - and people were still coming in til 2:30. So by the time the service finished, the place was full! The reception program followed right on in the chapel - cake cutting - and then gift-giving which was neat. Everyone with a gift forms a line and "dances" and sings down the aisle to the couple at the front of the church, where one gives the gift and greets the couple at the same time - receiving line and gifts all in one, very efficient! I didn't stay for the food, but was told that it was abundant. A wedding is usually the responsibility of the groom's family here, and a huge undertaking for them. I saw the groom's father the day before the wedding, and he was really quite burdened by the size of his social responsibility, poor man.
And finally Christmas itself. Last night, Christmas Eve, the surgeon's family had the expats for clam chowder - delicious!! Then four of us went for the church service. The church is right at the bottom of a steep hill, and at night the cold air just flows down the hill becoming a cold breeze through the church windows. I had worn a fleece shirt and my down vest, and knee-high sox under my long skirt, but I though I was going to freeze before the service finally ended about quarter to 10. Memorable! This is the coldest time of year - the nights are down in the 50's F. Once the sun is up over the hills though, the days are uncomfortably hot - just like the desert.
Today has been an absolutely lovely Christmas. Started out with good Cameroonian coffee, fresh pineapple and papaya, and pancakes, then sitting out in the sun to read. I was invited to my friends' home (Thom and Ellen's) for dinner at 12, so on my way, I greeted the OR fellows on call, and Julius who is working every single day of his holiday on surgical ward. Thom and Ellen had a feast - a very large tender chicken with stuffing, and all the trimmings just like in the west, even peas and salad from their garden. They had invited Gladys who is their househelp, a lovely young woman with 4 cute kids as well as a 12 year old who lives with her to do babysitting, - Margaret who runs the guest house, and her 15 year old daughter, - and 3 single men involved in administration here who would have been alone for the day. All delightful people. Margaret and Gladys are my "aerobics buddies" so I know them well. And the kids made it all much more fun. It was a great meal, full of laughter. I stayed along with Gladys and the kids and Thom put on part 2 of The Gods Must be Crazy, which added more laughter. The children had seen it before and remembered almost everything - they find school hard, but Ellen was pointing out how well they learn visually, and how much she'd like to see the teaching change (it is still the old British way of lecturing even 6 year olds, and not very effective in this culture) I have been "on call" since 2pm, but it is almost time for David, who is really on call, to return from his home up the hill to the hospital, and I've done nothing workwise.
So that's Christmas. I feel very, very blessed. In addition to good friends here, there have been lots of great email letters from home and elsewhere, and they have been delightful to read, and reread (thank you so much to all of you who have written!) And the next few days are Holiday! The crickets are chirping, people are chatting as they go past on the path behind my house, the full moon is rising, Orion has risen in the east and will make his way straight overhead to set in the west before morning, when I'll be able to see the Big Dipper in the northern sky over Mbingo Hill, and the Southern Cross in the southern sky. I guess it comes of having lived in both hemispheres, because this always fascinates me. And I am living in a close-knit community that is doing useful work......what a happy Christmas.
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited for supper to the home of Ngoh Richard, who comes twice a week to cook for me. An American couple were here for a month - an interesting pair in their 50s who first came to Mbingo in 1977 as Peace Corps volunteers. Dennis was a primary school teacher then, and Karen a radiology tech who trained the first 5 techs here at the hospital. Dennis then went into medicine, and they have been back 6 or 7 times over the years, living here for a spell with their kids several times. On at least one of these longer stays, Richard was their cook, so they are good friends with Richard and his family, and it was really because of them being here that I had the chance to visit as well. The neatest thing about Dennis was that he speaks terrific pidgen - he was an inspiration to me, but I'll never be able to match him!
Richard started to work on the compound here as a young boy in the 1970's, saved his money, and has been able to buy little pieces of land from neighbours until now he has a farm of 4 or 5 acres - huge here. He grows all sorts of things - papaya, pineapple, plantain, yams, sugar cane, coffee, bananas - and sells in the market at least one day a week.
He is married to Charity, and they have 5 lovely kids. Their house is mud brick, with a zinc sheet roof. He would like to expand the house from its 3 rooms, but the price of zinc sheeting has risen terribly, so it is likely an impossibility (especially with 5 youngsters to educate). The inside walls are covered with paper - and the floor is dirt. But they have furniture, and it is the homiest little place you can imagine. They cooked a feast - chicken, fufu, njammajamma, corn, carrots and beans, yams. And the children were so good, and so pleasant. It was a wonderful evening. We walked over part of the farm, but in my break, I will walk down to their place again (it is about an hour's walk) and see the rest of the farm which Richard says is better developed.
All this as background to the photos of the visit.......
What a different December this is compared to home! First, I am learning lots about dry season, and it's not all positive - although it is a treat to have the clothes dry on the line in one day, instead of the 2 or 3 or more it took during the rains. The harmattan has moved in - it is a bit like fog, hanging in the valley below us - the very fine dust from the Sahara that blows from the north and northeast all the way down here from mid-November until mid-March. It is not as bad as in Niger of course (where visibility was often only about half a block), but it is here, and it will get worse as the season progresses. Last week I developed a terrible bronchitis, coughing my boots up. I felt quite tight-chested and short of breath, and as the only doc here that I trust was away, was a bit apprehensive. However I do seem to be improving so it was probably at least partly viral, and hopefully isn't from the dust and going to last until March. I soon heard various Cameroonians with the same terrible cough, so it seems to be afflicting lots of us.
It is also malaria season. I assumed that the mosquitoes would be abundant in rainy season - but not so. With the daily downpours, any standing water was always being renewed. But now that rain has stopped, any water standing has become a perfect breeding ground for the mosquitoes, and quite a few people have been down with malaria. This will go on until things really dry up. I've also got all sorts of bites - black flies maybe - also a new problem since the rain stopped. The poor cat is getting bitten on his ears which then bleed. The plus for him though is that rodents seem to be more abundant than before. He is always bringing home his trophies, and I feed him very little now - and he is still prospering.
Our beautiful garden is no longer well. Looks like a fungus has almost killed the cucumbers, and is doing bad things to the squash and zucchini plants. It also began to go after the tomatoes, so with that Gideon was off to see the agri-technician. He returned saying he had been to school. The technician actually made a house (or garden) call - and now we have new fertilizer, and something (I don't want to know) to spray on the plants that is supposed to cure them after 3 days. We have spent enough money on the garden to have bought in the market for at least 2 seasons! But it is the pleasure of working on it and getting some produce that counts!
It is also COLD in the mornings. A couple of mornings ago it hit the lowest yet, 60 degrees F. I put this in to make all of you at home laugh and laugh. But the Cameroonians find it very cool, and I am already acclimatized enough to feel it too - always have my fleece on when I leave the house at 20 to 7. By 9 or so, the sun is high, and then the day becomes really quite hot. There is also heavy dew overnight, which is probably part of the garden's problem.
School is almost done for the term. My gang and I are all very tired. But we have covered such a lot, and grown close, and had so much fun. They are all doing spinals now with a reasonable amount of skill, and caring for their patients with excellent vigilence and thought. After Christmas we will begin to think about learning some skills for doing general anaesthetics. Of course they all have to go home by public transport, and at this time of year so many people are traveling. So they will get away next Wednesday afternoon. Stephen will have at least a 12 hour journey by taxi, provided the vehicle doesn't break down - and there's no accident. Travel here is terribly dangerous. A month or so ago, two buses collided further south (at night I think) and then several other vehicles ploughed into them, all at high speed. Something like 31 people were killed at the scene. When people here wish you journeying mercies, or ask for prayer for their travel and then give thanks to God for a safe return, it is a lot more than idle words.
There really isn't much to make me think of Christmas, although last Saturday in market, a seller of clothing was shouting out "Christmas special!! Trousers, 300 francs!!" That is 60 cents, so I guess it was special - and there was a man obviously who has learned the commercial spirit of the western Christmas! This week began the "Christmas carol festival" at the hospital. Each morning during chapel time, 2 or 3 wards or departments are scheduled to present a carol. It has been great - obviously people go to some effort to present well, and there has been a lot of variety and creativity. Tomorrow is the OR staff's turn. All our staff are men, including anaesthetists and nurses and aides. So a woman from the treatment room next door, and two of my students and I are the only women in the group of 25 or so. We have practiced intensively the last two mornings! We'll sing "Go tell it on the mountain" as we go up on the platform, and then "We three kings". Today I was standing in the middle of the group, with men in front of me and behind me. They almost all have wonderful rich strong voices (with some terrific bass ones), and most are pretty good with harmony - and it was quite overwhelming to be in the middle of that grand sound, - and to look at them too and realize how fond I've become of them over the last three months. Hope we can sing well in the morning
This morning Richard killed and prepared two chickens that I got from Thom who had bought 10 to help a fellow out with his business. Thank goodness for Richard. This is the first chicken I have had here, and it sure tasted good for supper - but I would be going chicken-less if I had to kill the bird myself! (farm upbringing or not).
More once I'm "on holiday"......
Dry season really is here. No rain now for 10 days, and hot during the day. Mbingo Hill isn't nearly as green as it used to be. It is going to be interesting seeing the contrast from rainy season. Certainly the garden, and the flowers around the house, are looking a lot better. Hard to believe this is December 1 and only 3 weeks to Christmas - I am picking cucs every day from the garden, and swiss chard - the corn is heading out - and there are small tomatoes forming. Gideon went home today with his sachel bulging with cucumbers. He is thrilled with his garden - and so am I.
For weeks after I came, I never saw the stars because of the continuous haze. But now, although there is a lot of dust visible lower in the sky, the sky overhead is as clear as in Saskatchewan - and I finally found Orion, lying on his side, straight up as I guess he should be, right at the equator. Somewhere I should be able to find the Southern Cross, but may have to get off the compound - there are too many lights here to see well.
Tis the season of grasshoppers - they tend to come to the yard lights in the evening, and this past week there were people out til well after midnight catching them. The compound is usually silent after about 8pm so it was most unusual to have all the racket. Everyone was talking about how "sweet" the grasshoppers taste when they are fried up. Some of the expats have been eating them and love them - I am still going to give them a miss.
Last night I was out with 3 other expats for supper with a Cameroonian family. They were telling us about the (only) 3 crimes at Mbingo in the last few years. All were armed robberies - and all were very complex and dramatic stories. The man telling us had been the victim of one theft. People at the hospital were expecting him to arrive from his home, so knew something was amiss - so security put out the call and I guess every able-bodied man (maybe woman too - I'm not sure) was out in no time, surrounding the compound with weapons of all sorts - sticks, guns, cultasses - and coming to rescue the victims. Our friend thought though that the rescue party was the thieves returning so he leaped into the bush and ran / rolled down the hill toward the hospital. Then he realized his danger, because someone shot at him, thinking he was the thief. He arrived at the bottom of the hill yelling out his name - and found himself in the grip of a very substantially built assistant administrator who still wasn't taking any chances. The other stories were even wilder - jungle justice reigns out here, I think. I had heard stories before from an expat who had seen bodies on the street of a town in this general area, thieves who had been caught by the mob. No mercy. I won't be trying theft.
Had a little outing this week - I actually took the morning off from my students, who seemed to cope just fine without me! I went with the leprosy team to New Hope village, just a few miles down the road from the hospital. It was started at least 40 years ago for leprosy patients, who at that time were thrown out of their villages and families. They were not even able to buy food, because nobody would touch their money. It was a terrible affliction in the pre-drug days. The population is very small now, all old people who have been there for years, all without fingers and toes or even feet. They are very sweet and very happy to see visitors - it was a delightful visit. The pastor is part of the visiting team each week and gave a short talk; the 15 or so old people sang out strongly "I am so glad that Jesus love me!" - and one realizes what it means to truly be thankful, and how little I have to complain about.
Microfinance is an integral part of life out here. I have just taken on another employee - Blessing, a 17 year old girl who is housegirl for one of my Cameroonian friends. She will clean for me 2 mornings a week. For this she will earn $8 a month, which seemed to please her very much. Oh my. Finances are a huge issue for almost everyone here. There would not be a worker at the hospital who is not supporting many other family members, on salaries miniscule by our standards. One single woman was tellling me that she is caring for 6 children - 4 were kids her brother had taken in from someone else, and then he also died, leaving them to this sister. This week I became involved in two "businesses" - Ben is going to buy 50 baby chickens along with feed and other necessary items, and we hope his chickens will grow so he can sell eggs and also some chickens for meat. There has been much consulting by both Ben and by me with our expat friend Thom who is actually a builder, but is interested in finding micro ways for people here to earn some income other than by farming - so with his advice, the chicken business should be launched next week! And Comfort has started a chinchin business. Chinchin is a fried dough, a bit like a cross between donut and pretzel. She and friends packaged small pieces in little plastic bags and someone is going to sell for her in market, and she hopes to realize a few francs - and if it works, she'll be buying a whole bag of flour and of sugar, and will expand. We are all living in hope!
A friend sent me quarterly scores of the GreyCup - unfortunately I was sleeping! but it was terrific to wake up at 5:15am and find the score on the internet (at 10pm your time). The only sad thing was that there were no other Canadians to celebrate with, let alone Sask folks. Americans don't get it!! One might say there is double culture shock out here. I live with Cameroonians - and Americans. Definite differences both ways!
To conclude - here are some photos from market today......All for this week.....
A week ago, about 10 buses of school kids from the bilingual government primary school in Bamenda came out here on an excursion. There were a huge number of kids swarming the place, looking all neat and tidy and handsome in their school uniforms. A couple of the buses were parked in the approach to my house - and when I came home on break, I found kids returning to the buses and dumping all their garbage from their snacks on the ground. I was SO irritated. It is very typical to see garbage dumped everywhere here, and it does seem such a pity that the teachers allowed it from the kids - in this beautiful country. Environmental preservation isn't high on the priority list here. But I realized with my wild annoyance that I was definitely into the culture shock phase, and that probably it would just be best to go in the house and sit down!
We are in the OR everyday now for at least 5 hours, so with some teaching time as well, my days seem really full. My gang are doing really well though, and are so keen. They are a joy to teach, and lots of fun too. They are trying to teach me to talk pidgen which is the common language here, but say they will charge me school fees for it. I guess considering the fees they have to pay for their course, even though I as their only teacher am free, it seems fair!
I have been invited to the homes of a couple of families from Mbingo. Comfort, a friend who lives just behind me here on the compound, had a lunch a couple of weeks ago. She lives in 2 tiny rooms with her 3 children (her husband is away at seminary) but the food was put out on the veranda of the house, and many, many people came. One man had his guitar and everyone was singing - there were at least a dozen little kids wandering around - everyone was visiting. It was really fun.
In the next week I'm invited out a couple more times for country chop (ie food) so I will be getting used to it. Can't say as it is a natural for me - and the portions overwhelm me, but I am having lots of chance to get used to it!
As well, I just got an invitation to a wedding on Dec 22 here at Mbingo. The bride is a cute little girl who works in the "store" where I get many of my "groceries", and the groom is junior brother to one of our anaesthetists. I am told that it will be a huge wedding with everyone from Mbingo hospital there, so I am so lucky to be here to experience it.
I had a Cameroonian outfit sewed by the sewing workshop (started to train the disabled in a trade) here at the hospital. A skirt, a top, 3 yards of cloth which wraps around one's middle over the skirt, and a headtie. Cost $14.40 - for fabric and work! I wonder why I packed any clothes from home! When I wore it to church last Sunday, my women friends all said "You are becoming a real African woman!" I'm afraid it takes more than the clothes, but I'm trying!
It is hard to think of it being winter at home, and people getting excited about Christmas. Today I had the first cucumber from the garden, and Gideon took half a dozen with him when he went home for the weekend. The garden looks just wonderful. It is right beside the main pathway, so people stop and look and ask Gideon questions, especially about the zucchini which nobody here seems to know. We do live a very simple life here!
Dry season has probably at last come. There has been only a tiny shower in the last 4 days, and it is cooler at night and hotter by day. In rainy season, the temp stays between 65 and 75 degrees F. all the time, because of the constant cover of cloud. Now I'm told, days may go up to 90. But the nights really cool off, so it's great, rather like summer at home. The harmattan dust from the Sahara is already here - quite a haze as we look toward the hills across the valley - and it will definitely get worse. People also will start to burn off the long grass - it
Tonight I am wishing there was some way I could watch the Grey Cup! Go Riders! I may be in Cameroon but I'm still cheering for them!
It is also season of grasshoppers. They are big guys - although thankfully there aren't many around yet. They are a delicacy here - you catch them when they come out at night - and then fry them up in oil. Delicious I'm told. I am willing to accept others' word for it.
Wind and electrical storms are a bit wilder in transition season. Last Saturday we had quite the electrical storm. In my house, there was a sudden big flash of light - not sure if it came from the light, or from my fuse box - but the breaker flipped, and could only be reset if I turned off the water heater. The element in it had been burned out by the power surge. Several houses had the same thing happen. But my friends Thom and Ellen took the biggest hit. The lightning struck a lamppost near their house, came through the ground, made a little hole in the concrete wall, and knocked the mouse right out of Thom's hand, cooking his laptop - and also their TV, satellite dish, and portable phone base. Thom had quite a zap up his arm but was fine. But TOO close. It had been such a quiet week, I was wondering what I'd put on the blog - but something usually seems to happen!
Ellen has started an aerobics class three days a week. It is quite the workout - and I am thoroughly enjoying the 8 or 10 African women who are coming. They are just the jolliest, most delightful people. This week, a couple from the US, who have been here many times (he is a doc) returned for a month. They first came here 30 years ago, so the women were commenting on how young they looked, considering that. Mrs. Ngam, whose husband is administrator here, began to explain why.....she has travelled overseas, so was telling all the things that western women have to do their work for them. It was absolutely delightful - I wish I could have recorded it, because every western woman should hear it!! Especially the description of a dishwasher!
I still haven't been in to Bamenda, so have to do all my "shopping" for food here in the market on Saturday. It is really a great deal of fun. I think I'm the only white woman who goes, so am quite recognizable, and people are getting to know me. I took the camera this week. Asked one man who was selling fish if I could take a photo - there is the usual "will you give me" but once we got past that and I explained I wanted to send it to show market to my family in Canada, he grabbed his friend saying "Come, get in the photo, we're going to Canada!" Much laughter from all the stalls around - and they made a great photo. Next I wanted a picture of the MTN (cell phone card) booth. It has a grass roof so I asked the man how he made it (it is grass woven into a bamboo frame - quite ingenious). He was delighted that I had an interest in "natural things" so asked me to sit down and sign his guest book. I was number 94; the previous person was from the Netherlands. I guess he just has the oddities sign!
We are now working in the OR from 7 til around 10:30 each day - me with 2 students each day, learning to do spinals. They have worked so hard and learned such a lot in 7 weeks. They are all great people, and we do have a lot of fun as well as hard work.
Morning will come very early - so time to end and crawl into bed (hopefully without any creechies.......)
All for now.
Last week I discovered a really nice path that goes up behind Mbingo hill, on the opposite side to the highway, and makes a much more pleasant walk. With a good climb, one reaches the antenna for the cell phone network, so of course it is right on top of a hill, with grand views north to the next couple of towns up the road, as well as west.
Everyone here has a cell phone. I have just been loaned one by the mission office, a nice treat. My students taught me how to use it. And John Mbah, the OR head nurse, took me to buy a card. I will have to take a picture of the "shop". There are MTN signs all over - the Mbingo salesman has a little hut with a grass roof down on the highway by the market. Here he is, in this so-typical African hut, selling cell phone cards and setting up your phone for you. It is just so much the essence of modern rural Africa.
There were a couple of things that I forgot to mention about the trip to Kumbo. We saw so many people jogging on the road. This is really hilly country, but none of them looked all that tired or sweaty. I always associated jogging with the affluent society; certainly in Niger, a man who jogged would have been considered deranged, because everyone expended all their energy on survival. But here, I guess it is quite a sport. It is probably a good thing. Obesity is an increasingly common problem, along with hypertension and diabetes. We have donated some not very positive things out here - the sedentary lifestyle, TV with plenty of junk, which kids go home and watch endlessly as soon as school is out, and even lotteries (on English horse-racing no less). If only the really good things were so easy to import!
Another interesting sight were the road blocks. These consisted of a rope with bits of cloth tied around it, held by either police or just folks in regular dress, sitting by the roadside. We never actually were stopped, but the rope would be held up as you approached, to make you slow down, and then be dropped for the vehicle to drive over. I don't know what it was all about.
Last Thursday I came home from work to find that Richard who had come for the day to cook, hadn't done half of what I'd asked. This is most unusual; I always leave him a note, but it must have blown off the counter as the morning had been wet and windy - it shows the problems of communication, as I'd been home late in the morning, but he hadn't asked me what he was to do - the poor man probably only understands half of what I say, because I can't speak pidgeon which is the real language here. After work I was rushing because one of the other expat women was starting an aerobics class that day - but of course I'm crazy to be rushing on Canadian time - we started 45 minutes late when the African girls finally came!! (the classes are 3x a week and are great fun- about 8 African women coming each time, and we are getting more punctual!). So I got home late and had to make supper. Opened the macaroni package - and it was full of weevils. Little black guys, but almost all dead. It was the only package I had - and I did live in Niger for 2 years where the flour was sometimes more weevils than flour - so I cleaned out all I could see and cooked the stuff anyway - and it made great macaroni and cheese. Probably a good idea since meat is hard for me to get.
Friday evening when I went to do the dishes, there were some ants in the sink - and then on the counter. I have a very ant-y house, with various sizes and shapes, but almost always individual and on the floor, and easily dispatched with a fast foot. These guys were bigger - so I opened the cupboard under the sink to see if there was some spray in there - and there were THOUSANDS of ants in there. They came tumbling out unto the kitchen floor and began to spread at a most alarming rate. There WAS no spray, and I had a very brief panic attack before i grabbed the trusty flyswatter and began to beat them back as hard as I could. Then I remembered that I had bleach - so a good quantity of that poured on the floor began to slow them down, and I was able to sweep them out of the cupboard into the bleach. Got that batch cleaned up and finished the dishes - but when I went to put the pots and pans away - yikes - there were even more in another cupboard. More beatings, more bleach, much sweeping, and after about 90 minutes, no more ants.
On Sat. I inquired of Gideon about them. They were driver ants, and at the start of dry season, which is where we are now, the ants go on the march. He says they go into houses searching for any bugs, and once they have eaten all of them, will move on. However, he said, if they get on you, they want to kill you too. How comforting. I have a big can of bug spray now. You do quite often see lines of ants marching across the roads - about an inch wide, with millions of ants just rolling along (makes me think of the orcs in Lord of the Rings). Guess their march must have brought them to some crack in the wall of my house.
As one of my African friends says - Dat the way it be! Or there's the expression that the expats in Rwanda use, told me by Angela - TAB! - That's Africa, Baby!! And that IS the way it be!
The adventure part was going and coming. Kumbo is at over 6000 feet, not far from Mt. Oku which is the 2nd highest mountain in Cameroon (over 3000 meters, - Mt Cameroon further south on the coast is highest at over 13.000 ft). Enroute, you travel down from Mbingo, then up over one range of hills, down to a plain which is flat and wet and where rice is grown, then up another big range of hills, and then up and down into Kumbo. The road is paved perhaps 1/3 of the way - and then intermittently, mainly on the really steep hills which I guess were kill-awful in the pre-pavement days - not hard to imagine. The red soil here is real clay, extremely slippery when wet. When we hit the dirt road, the fellows all said "Now we're in Africa!" We've had so much rain the last week, so the potholes and deep ruts and pools of water were quite something!
We went in a hospital landrover, with a hospital driver who is used to the road, and although he lay on the horn plenty, he was cautious. Four anaesthetists went, plus one of my students who wanted to visit friends in Banso. And coming back, we brought another anaesthetist from another hospital. So there we were, 7 going and 8 returning, packed in like sardines. They told me to keep my computer in its bag at my feet where I could cushion it - and there is a certain advantage in being so packed in as you can't joggle around quite so much. It was pretty exciting although there were only a couple of times I just couldn't look - and calculations as to the landrover's center of gravity did keep going through my brain. We had rain going, and at the top of the highest hills, drove into really dense fog - coming home today was much better weather, so more relaxed.
As on the trip up here, it was sensory overload. A whole range of scenery and foliage - from evergreens to palms to bamboo to areas that are mainly hills and tall grass. There are always lots of people (all ages down to the very young) walking along the road, usually with some sort of load, or pushing a cart of goods. Also many folks on bicycles, something we don't see around here. And motorcycles. Today I saw one carrying two people and a big load of long sugarcane across the bike, sticking out 3 feet on each side. The taxis are packed, with big loads on top or in the trunck. That must be some ride! Travel here is not for the faint of heart, or the claustrophobic. I haven't seen this, but was told today of seeing a taxi with one person actually sitting underneath the driver on his seat. The best back bumper slogan that I've seen so far on a taxi is "Togetherness". Indeed!
Along the way I saw the "Survival snack bar", the "Bit by bit eating place", and in Kumbo "The Alaska snack stop". We stopped in one village where people were selling dried fish on sticks, okra, palm nuts, and a few other things, and all the guys bought snacks. I refrained!
There were also a number of big trucks stalled on the road, without any people around. Here the danger markers are tree branches or bunches of grass or leaves put on the road for a ways on each side of the vehicle to warn oncoming traffic. At least we were always able to get around the trucks - sometimes it's not possible. I had been concerned about meeting vehicles on the wrong side of the road. Well, on that road there is no right side. You drive whereever the ruts and holes are least. And since the maximum speed is 30 - 40 km/hr, the danger of hitting someone (other than goats, chickens, pigs, and small children) is somewhat reduced. And of course the horn helps!
We left Kumbo this morning at 6:30 so were home by 10am, to recover! A fun trip! It was good to get away, even for a meeting. And I was given royal hospitality by two nurses who teach in the training school at Banso Hospital - so the visit was a pleasure too.
Life is pretty quiet out here in the country, but let me tell you what a day holds.
The day starts at 5:30am - kinda like work days at home! Daylight comes just before 6am and is over just after 6pm, so I guess it makes sense that Africans are early risers, to make use of light. There are a number of things I'd forgotten from the other times in Africa, that have come back vividly - one is how lovely early morning is here. There's something about the quiet, the light, and the feel of the air just before the sun comes up that is quite different from home.
There is chapel at 6:40am. It's compulsory for staff, so there are probably 200 or more people there, with a maximum of 5 white faces (there are only 7 expats here plus 3 kids). The singing is just wonderful - deep, rich voices, with harmony and improvisations, and no accompaniment except sometimes drums. It is a nice way to start the day. When that ends at 7am, everyone heads for work, and we head for our classroom. We have been doing "lectures" on the heavier topics for 1 - 2 hours first off, then the students do reading with study questions. We take a break from 10 - 11 as they haven't eaten before they come to class - and I find that I'm ready for my lunch by then too. Then we meet again from 11 til about 1, when we've been going to the OR (2 or 3 of them, with me) to see pre-op patients for the next day. So I finish by 3 or 3:30 - and by then, I'm ready to be finished! Things will have to change some when we start actually working in the OR, but I don't have that figured out yet. This is all figure it out as you go!
The rains continue, although they should soon be getting less. They can come at any time of day, but often in afternoon. It makes it hard to get out for any exercise, but when it doesn't look too threatening, I've been going for a walk up the highway for maybe 1 - 2 km. The grade is 12% so that makes me work a bit. I keep my wits about me - you never quite know where cars will be as they come up or down that hill - right, left, center. There is also the danger of motorcycles which invariably come down the hill with the motor off to save petrol (some cars do too) - but I know their sound now.
Life has improved a lot since Richard started to come on Mon and Thurs to cook for me. Now all I need is a source of meat. At least I don't have to figure out what to make for supper when I get home. The evening goes to prep for the next day, making up the weekly quiz, - and emails. And I'm usually tired and ready for bed early.
We are really fortunate here on the compound, because even though we are on public power, we have a generator - the mains go off at least 1 out of 3 nights, but we just have a 5 minute darkness while the generator is powered up - and we're fine. Two of my students live off compound; before the first week ended, Evert had got a kerosene lantern, because she'd been having to study by candlelight.
We also have hot running water - a huge luxury. We had only cold water in Niger and Nigeria - and that would be pretty miserable for the shower on the cool mornings here. This is the 3rd mission compound I've lived on, and the houses are all similar - stucco walls, bare cement floors (although in this house there is tile on the kitchen, dining room and living room floor - elegant), dark wood furniture made by the compound workshop. It's practical and functional. Cleaning remains my one domestic issue. Here where cobwebs grow at x per hour rather than x per week or month at home, I am not doing very well at keeping up. Maybe I'll get yet another employee.
Weekends give a wee bit of variety! I haven't been teaching on Sat. as the gang and I all need a break. Market here at Mbingo is held Sat. with lots of people selling down by the highway at the hospital entrance. That's where the market photos were taken. It is really quite fun. Yesterday I met Christian, one of my students, and he helped me find things and haggle over price. I got tomatoes, green beans, dried kidney beans, garlic, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, potatoes (called Irish here to distinguish from yam), bananas, oranges, papaya, plantain, tea, sugar, and soap - and maybe I've missed some things - and it cost I think about $8.50 Canadian. You'll be arguing over 100 or 150 francs, and I think - Good grief, this is about 20 or 30 cents! One dollar is 500 francs, so numbers are deceiving!
Last Sunday I went to church down in the valley at "Mbingo 2". People are very friendly and welcoming. It was a special service of "thanksgiving" although no relation to ours in Canada. About 1/4 of the people in the church (of maybe 150 people) had brought goods that would be sold - and it was a real celebration. They paraded through the little church building several times carrying wood, long stalks of sugar cane (I was sitting at the entrance where they had to make a sharp right turn, and was afraid I'd get wacked with either a tree branch or a sugar cane!), big pans of yam, baskets of corn (they have woven baskets that function like a backpack, for things that don't carry easily on top of the head), even chickens in little woven baskets. The veges were decorated with leaves, or poinsettias which grow wild. And with this there was much singing and dancing, and of course the drums. The volume of it all is considerable - my ears hurt all afternoon, and I wonder what it does to the hearing of everyone present! It was a neat experience - kind of puts things in perspective that they can celebrate with so much joy over things that we would tend to consider mundane, and rather insignificant.
Today Grace and Evert, the girls in my class, came to see my house and greet me. Evert brought Caleb, her youngest who is here in Mbingo with her. I'll add his photo. All African babies are beautiful, and he certainly is no exception!
All for this time.......
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