February 2012
2 posts
"L'argent du blanche n'est jamais fini"
Something happened this past trip to the Bush that got under my skin and I need to work out with words (which my mom will be sure to tell you is my number one way to process stuff). So bear with me. I promise my other posts will be more positive/less heavy.
While eating at a “restaurant” (I use that word loosely- restaurants in the Bush are really shacks of straw where you can feed 10...
January 2012
13 posts
Kamtok →
In addition to rapidly learn French and Fulfulde, I’ve also been picking up “Kamtok” or Pidgin English from my researchers. The link above explains more about it for people who are language nerds like me, but for the rest of you, Kamtok is basically a mixture of English and the local languages of Cameroon. It’s spoken mostly in the southern part of the country but can be...
I like Coca-Cola but not Kola
Sorry for the lack of updates recently. It seems that the past week and a half I’ve been either getting ready to leave to go out on a road trip or just returning from one. Nothing makes one appreciate a nice, semi-warm shower like spending a few days in the hot and dusty Bush.
Interesting new foods tried update: I learned on my trip to Garoua/Ngoundere that I am not a fan of kola nuts. A...
Busy, busy!
This week is turning out to be quite the busy week. Dr. R, a veterinarian from my lab group at OSU, arrived on Sunday and yesterday (Monday) I got to tag along with her and S for some meetings with important people around town. I can now say that I’ve met personally with the head director of the department of forestry of the Far North Region. Pretty cool. Plus, my French is getting better. I...
That was *SO* not public health....but it was...
My interest in public health (with some luck I’ll be heading off to get my master’s in public health at OSU in the fall) has led me to be keenly aware of how many things are NOT conducive to public health in Cameroon. For example, one of the things I noticed right away driving from Chad to Cameroon is just how much trash is constantly present everywhere. Food is bought on the roadside...
Things that I have done so far in Cameroon
1. Killed my first African roach so I didn’t have to compete with him for the shower. Suck it!
2. Played soccer two consecutive nights in a row. People from all over come to watch “la Blanche” (what people usually refer to me as) play with all the kids. S even made a video of tonight’s match.
3. Saw a little bit more of Maroua, which seems to be just as busy as Kousseri...
I am so not in Kansas anymore....
I knew that Africa was going to be awesome. But I was totally unprepared for just how visually intoxicating it would be. I did managed to limp my way through customs with the little French I know (it took a minute and some hand motions to explain that I was not staying in Chad but that I had a friend taking me to Cameroon) and find S. (I’m just going to refer to any people I meet here by...
My last stop Stateside
As I sit waiting to board the plane to Addis Ababa, I still can’t really believe that I am getting on a plane to A.F.R.I.C.A. Not sure when reality will set in but in the meantime, I’ve been able to do some thinking about what I want to get out of this trip/my game plan for the next ten weeks. (In no particular order of importance, just stream of consciousness)
1. Collect meaningful...
And the adventure begins!
United Agent: Passport?
Me: Yup (slides passport across counter)
Agent: (looking at me, at my boarding passes, then back at me) you're not our usual Addis customer are you?!
Me: Uh, no?
Agent: Op, well I guess you're actually going to Na-Naja-Najamana, where ever that is....
December 2011
1 post
