Arrived in Yaounde around 7 last night... I think I traveled for 2 days? (and please pardon the lack of punctuation, misspelling etc...just took me about 5 minutes to locate the question mark and figure out how to use it!) Flight from Zurich to Douala (largest city in Cameroon) to Yaounde was fantastic. Flew over the Sahara for about 2 hours in broad daylight- looking out the window was 3/4 bright hot sun, 1/4 just a cream colored expanse- really beautiful. Flying into Douala looked like it was straight out of Heart of Darkness, especially with all the mist (it is rainy season here until November)- lots and lots of bright green vegetation with fat blackish brown river systems cutting through. I looked for Kurtz, Kels, but no luck.
Flew into Yaounde where Bobo, one of the program managers, picked us up. Split up into a couple of cars and drove to a monestary where we are staying for the next few days until we move in with the host family. Lots of people out selling things at 10pm- and the Cameroonians are crazy drivers (but also extreemly talented...I have no idea how we didnt get in an accident) Had my first African feast of spicy chicken, rice, fruit (the best pineapple of my life).
Already lots and lots of French practice...pretty overwhelming but everyone has been incredibly patient and kind. Spent the day touring around Yaounde...tried a guava (extreemly tough shells- you use your teeth to get rid of the shell by biting off little bits-the shell tastes like lime...got a little nervous about the teeth situation but Dr Nelson is a champ - so far so good!)
Internet time just about up...time for a nap and lunch ( were all incredibly jetlagged;;;)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteaks & the Ponte Vecchio
Ask my mom or dad if you are interested in the origin of this title... I can't even begin to explain. Tomorrow at this time I will be 5,874 .7 miles away. What? Almost done packing...found out to my horror today that my mosquito net lacks a floor. The notes from last year's students comfortingly reminding us that "YOU NEED A FLOOR ON THE MOSQUITO NET. keeps the cockroaches out." Sid is a genius. She will be sewing a cotton sheet "floor" to the netting in the AM. I'm a lucky kid.
Stay far, far away cockroaches.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Party in the U.S.A.
How fitting that Party in the U.S.A. would shuffle onto my iPod as I begin the first entry in my Cameroonian blogging series. I'm wondering how many people actually reading this blog will know the song (shout out mom!...it's a surprise track I added to one of the classroom CDs for the 7th graders...major cool points coming your way). As tempting as Miley makes this party sound, I'm definitely ready to go. My wardrobe has officially aged 20 years, I have 12 new drugs in my body, I've ended the quest for the perfect host-family gifts, and Party in the U.S.A. no longer makes me want to go to a party, in the U.S.A. I'm ready for the party in Yaounde? Um...probably not. Regardless, I'm ready!
Highlight and most interesting part of my day = hands down the trip to Five Below (wish you were there Kelsey and Marge). First of all "Africa" by Toto was playing when I walked in. Seriously?? I'm walking around looking for little gifts and trinkets for kids. Walk by the book section... tons of African picture books (not a normal amount...a very very large amount and variety). I go and look for hairthings/jewelry... and I find an "African Jewelry"section with rasta colors (some of the earrings even had Bob Marley on them...questionable.) It was crazy how difficult it was to find a non-violent coloring book (even though most are for ages 4+, sad). In any event, it was by far the most bizarre and entertaining trip to Five Below yet.
Most interesting thing I learned today: In one of my pre-trip books which I'm racing through... the concept of "cocoa-colonization"... basically for the first time in history, the number of people worldwide who are bother overweight and malnourished (about 1.1 billion) are equal to eachother. Kind of crazy to think about. There is an obesity epidemic going on in several developing nations (this article cited Kosrae, an island in Micronesia, with 85% of people 45-65 were obese)... This obesity is leading to all types of diabetes/heart disease, etc., thus lowering life expectancy. (Another example= Republic of Nauru in the South Pacific... one of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes on the planet due to the "worst of the American 50s cuisine...they love their spam. Life expectancy in Nauru= 55). I'm not sure if it is proper blog etiquette to go off on tangents such as this...I most likely will not in the future but I found this ridiculously interesting.
One last thing, in the 1998 annual report Coca-Cola described Africa as "a land of opportunity." It's a scary though...could what happened in Micronesia spread through the modernization of Africa? All of this just reminded me of the immense trickle down effects of Western decisions...and probably got me a little too excited about the academic portion of my semester.
This makes me very very happy, thank you World Travel guide.
"While referring to Cameroon as ‘Africa in miniature' has become a bit of a cliché, this statement certainly rings true: everything you would expect from the African continent seems to be consolidated in this diverse slice of land. The south boasts tropical rainforests and deserted golden beaches; the northern parts are awash with great expanses of desert, lakes and Savannah; volcanic mountains dominate the southwest and northwest, and game-viewing areas scattered throughout the country offer ample opportunity to observe impressive wildlife, including elephants and lions."
Second to last night in my own bed!
Highlight and most interesting part of my day = hands down the trip to Five Below (wish you were there Kelsey and Marge). First of all "Africa" by Toto was playing when I walked in. Seriously?? I'm walking around looking for little gifts and trinkets for kids. Walk by the book section... tons of African picture books (not a normal amount...a very very large amount and variety). I go and look for hairthings/jewelry... and I find an "African Jewelry"section with rasta colors (some of the earrings even had Bob Marley on them...questionable.) It was crazy how difficult it was to find a non-violent coloring book (even though most are for ages 4+, sad). In any event, it was by far the most bizarre and entertaining trip to Five Below yet.
Most interesting thing I learned today: In one of my pre-trip books which I'm racing through... the concept of "cocoa-colonization"... basically for the first time in history, the number of people worldwide who are bother overweight and malnourished (about 1.1 billion) are equal to eachother. Kind of crazy to think about. There is an obesity epidemic going on in several developing nations (this article cited Kosrae, an island in Micronesia, with 85% of people 45-65 were obese)... This obesity is leading to all types of diabetes/heart disease, etc., thus lowering life expectancy. (Another example= Republic of Nauru in the South Pacific... one of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes on the planet due to the "worst of the American 50s cuisine...they love their spam. Life expectancy in Nauru= 55). I'm not sure if it is proper blog etiquette to go off on tangents such as this...I most likely will not in the future but I found this ridiculously interesting.
One last thing, in the 1998 annual report Coca-Cola described Africa as "a land of opportunity." It's a scary though...could what happened in Micronesia spread through the modernization of Africa? All of this just reminded me of the immense trickle down effects of Western decisions...and probably got me a little too excited about the academic portion of my semester.
This makes me very very happy, thank you World Travel guide.
"While referring to Cameroon as ‘Africa in miniature' has become a bit of a cliché, this statement certainly rings true: everything you would expect from the African continent seems to be consolidated in this diverse slice of land. The south boasts tropical rainforests and deserted golden beaches; the northern parts are awash with great expanses of desert, lakes and Savannah; volcanic mountains dominate the southwest and northwest, and game-viewing areas scattered throughout the country offer ample opportunity to observe impressive wildlife, including elephants and lions."
Second to last night in my own bed!
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