All my post from the past weeks

Here they all are now cause I ain't got barely any internet or electricity:

9/22/10

Sorry it has taken me this long to update my blog but the internet and electricity situation in Cameroon is intermittent at best. Right now, I am writing in the dark while sitting on my footlocker next to my mosquito net covered bed, listening to the roosters crow and wondering when I should be getting my bucket water from the well for my morning bath. That’s right, I have learned to not only how to wash myself by ladling water but also how to draw from the well next to my door. Its aweseome!

I am definitely in my honeymoon phase with this country and what it has to offer. I am still well but with anticipation for my body to reject the cous-cous de mais and bush-meat gumbo I have been splurging on . The town I have been put in is called Lable and it is a small village of a larger town called Bafia. I am living with a 70 year old man named Monsieur Zacherie and his grand-son Patrice. I call him gramps and we have been having blast playing cards, uno, and generally teaching each other our perspective languages (english and french). I showed him pictures of my family and he spent 20 minutes explaining to me how my mom and dad were brother and sister while I argued that this was definitely not correct (a confusing cultural difference in reference terms). He is a proffesor/carpenter and I could not have asked for a more patient and welcoming host. He told me that he built all the furniture in the house and most of the surrounding villages so I might hit him up if I get a post near here.

Cameroon is gorgeous and I basically live in the jungle. Whenever I am taking my bath, I look out into the forest and see the amazing beauty. I can not believe I am blessed to be able to have this amazing experience. I will try to keep my blog more updated but it depends on how much rain central Cameroon gets and the generosity of the government in order to power the electricity.
A bientot!

9/25/10
Training so far has been a little bit draining. I have about 3 to 4 hours a day of French and another 3 to four hours of technical and cultural training. However, my french has been improving immensely not really due to the classes yet but because I am talking to Gramps about anything and everything.

All the men of the village of Lable have definitely been interested in anything and everything about me and America. They are always around trying to practice they’re English and teaching me some French. It would be a fantastic experience if they weren’t all drunk most of the time, forgetting what I told them minutes after an exchange and forcing me to repeat myself a thousand times. However, everyone is extremely welcoming and I have been enjoying the beignets and tomato omelettes I’ve been eating lately. Gramps is going to teach me how to cook some authentic Cameroonian soup de poisson and bargain with the merchants like a native!
A demain!

9/30/10
So it has officially been two weeks since I left the states and I am still amazed at how happy my situation is here. There was a night a few nights ago where Gramps and I were sitting on the porch having one of our heart to hearts about Zimbabwe politics (at least that what I think we were talking about) while watching a downpour and I remember thinking that there was absolutely no other place I would rather be. Cameroun is a gorgeous place with some of the most gracious people I have ever met. The entire village of Lable considers me one of their sons and, therefore, my family has just expanded by at least 10 times. All greet me with a bon jour and are extremely excited when I give a wyumbey back (hello in the local bafia language). The village chief welcomed all of us with a big speech and a legitimate Camerounaise dance-athon, which I will try to post below. I joined in but if you think my dancing is bad in America…

The past week has been difficult though: one trainee decided to leave, another went to the hospital and yet another was assaulted. There are definitely complex and dangerous things to deal with here but that was one of the reason I came: the Peace Corps is a test like none other. It is not just a month’s humanitarian or mission trip. It’s a commitment to fully integrate and engross yourself in a society so very different from your own, with so many challenges that will make you question why you chose to be here. But I know it is going to be worth it to stick it out. We have heard speech after to speech from various volunteers that it is very hard at the beginning and these hardships never truly let up. However,, by facing them head on, you grow as a individual and accomplish things you never thought possible.

Thanks for all the prayer and support and I will try to stay in better contact but my village has no internet, barely any phone service, and very spotty electricity. Oh, and I am still good on the health front so cross your fingers.

Also, some phrases you only hear in Peace Corps Africa: “How are your legs doing this morning?”, “I would go out tonight but my family is afraid of malaria”, and my favorite: “I would love to grab a beer but I have to go home and make water.”