Photos

Cameroon 1

Cameroon 1

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaycemobley/Cameroon1?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjMwtHtpr2JzgE&feat=directlink


Cameroon 2

Cameroon 2

http://picasaweb.google.com/kaycemobley/Cameroon2?authkey=Gv1sRgCOmC1d2a4Y2vlgE&feat=directlink

Home

Last night I made it back to Georgia, exhausted but in one piece. My sister picked me up from the Atlanta airport, and I will be here for a few days until my parents can come get me on Wednesday to take me back to Brunswick. I have many, many stories to tell from my 30-hour traveling saga, so be sure to ask me about them when you see me.

Seeing as how I am now back in the US, I suppose that this is my last blog entry. At the moment, I don't have any deep or insightful reflections on my time spent in Cameroon, but hopefully those will come with time. For you Brunswickians, I am told that I will be speaking at my church about my adventures sometime in the coming weeks, if you're interested in hearing more and seeing more pictures.

For the moment, I am just very glad to be back with my family, both blood-related and "extended." With every new experience I gain, I realize how lucky I am to have such wonderful people in my life.


Love you all,
Kayce




"Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

-Isaiah 40:27-31

Malaria

Out of 17 students, of course I would be the one to get malaria. I should have realized as much when my mosquito bites starting leaving scars.

So, a week ago Monday (March 30), the night took a turn for the worse when I became very ill in several different ways. I'll spare you the details. By morning, anyways, I was severely dehydrated and unable to effectively remedy that situation, so I phoned our homestay coordinator and promptly went to the hospital. After waiting (lying on a bench outside) for the doctor to show up for an hour, I was finally taken inside for my consultation.

(From time to time, I'm going to interrupt my narrative to say a few words about Cameroon in general and how my story really isn't that dramatic in the grand scheme of things. Here I'll mention that at least 30 or so Cameroonians were waiting ahead of me at the hospital, but that I'm almost positive I was seen first. As our Academic Director told us during Orientation, Westerners, especially those with white skin, receive many perks here that they do not deserve. I could go on and on about this, but it suffices to say that the doctors probably assumed, because of my skin color, that I could pay for treatment and would be willing to do so. When I briefly left the hospital the next day, to be explained in a moment, at least 30 or 40 Cameroonians were still waiting outside.)

During Orientation, we were assured that an English-speaking doctor would be available wherever we travelled. Throw that one out the window. In the tiny hospital in Ngaoundere, no one spoke any English, so I had to rely on my own (vastly improved, but still ultimately dismal) French skills and the translation supplied by our homestay coordinator, who, as I now know, doesn't know a whole lot about medicine.

When non-natives visit Cameroonian hospitals with symptoms like mine, the doctors generally assume that the patient has malaria, and for good reason - it's incredibly common here. The climate of Cameroon is perfect for mosquitoes. After getting me hooked up to an IV to solve the dehydration problem, the doctors analyzed my blood for the malaria parasite. Sure enough, there it was. That, really, was no surprise - by now, probably everyone in our group has the malaria parasite. The rest of the group hasn't gotten malaria because their anti-malaria medication, which really only keeps the symptoms of the disease at bay instead of preventing it, is apparently working better than mine did. (I took the medication faithfully and, for that matter, slept under my mosquito net faithfully, but I just seemed to have drawn the short straw.) For good measure, the doctors also tested me for typhoid, but that was a negative.

(One of the major differences between American hospitals and Cameroonian hospitals is that, in Cameroon, you are responsible for supplying everything yourself - and I mean everything. The doctors or the orderlies give you a list, and you, or hopefully a proxy, purchases everything before you can be treated. IV bags, needles, all the medication, the little tube that runs from the IV to your arm, etc.)

The hospital in Ngaoundere was small enough that there weren't any real rooms, but only small areas partitioned off by curtains and bookshelves. Also, there were no beds, but only the examining tables that are found in any doctor's office in the U.S. (Believe me, sleeping on one of those things for three days is no picnic.) There aren't any pillows either, but the big kicker was that there were no mosquito nets. Here I am, being treated for malaria in a hospital, and I'm getting bitten by mosquitoes. Irony? Or just a cruel since of humor? Luckily, one of my friends brought me a mosquito net and a pillow within the first few hours, both of which made the experience more tolerable.

(That first night, I asked Bo-Bo, our office manager, about the lack of mosquito nets in the hospital. He sighed, and then his voice showed exasperation as he began a sentence by commenting on the large amounts of money poured into the Ministry of Health.)

On the second day, when it was clear that I still needed more treatment, the news was broken that I would need more money. I had spent all that I had brought the day before, and so now I had to make a trip to the ATM. I would have sent one of my friends, but all of the other students were in class. So, they unhooked me from my IV, I wobbled my way to the car with Nathalie (our homestay coordinator), and the driver took us to the nearest large bank, about 15 minutes away. I returned with money, and they returned the IV to my arm.

(From my parents' reports, this is the detail that, so far anyways, has the most people back home talking. I wasn't really surprised by the situation, but that could be because I've culturally adapted a bit. One of my friends here is an EMT back home and is completing her independent study on emergency medicine in Cameroon. From earlier conversations with her, I had expected to have to pay up front for everything in the hospital. Not very practical for emergencies, I know, but that's how the system works when most of the country can't afford to pay medical bills.)

On this second day, I had many visitors. Some of my friends brought a laptop and all six Star Wars films, so we escaped into a galaxy far, far away for nearly two hours. My homestay parents in Ngaoundere also visited, reinforcing my impression that they were incredibly sweet people. We had difficulty communicating at times, given that French was everyone's second language, but we all got along really well.

I ended up staying in the hospital for one more night (the longest hospital stay of my life thus far, and let's hope that it stays that way) before being released to my homestay on Thursday afternoon. This is the point in the story where the craziness of quinine begins.

As I learned in my Forestry in the Developing World class last semester (shout-out to Professor Lentile), quinine is an alkaloid originally derived from the cinchona tree that has been used to treat malaria for hundreds of years. (Now, like most other drugs discovered in the rain forest, it is synthesized in labs.) What I didn't remember learning about last semester (we very well may have discussed it, though), were the awful, awful side effects. In my experience, at least, quinine can cause:

-headache
-dizziness
-nausea
-ringing in the ears
-loss of balance
-trippy visions and dreams
-fatigue
-extreme mood swings
-loss of appetite.

(Of course, some of that could be attributed to the malaria itself or the antibiotic that I am now taking, but I choose to blame the quinine.)

So, for four days and three nights, I laid in bed in my homestay, wishing that I could click my heels three times and go home. The quinine really was awful. Luckily, I was done taking it on Monday, and by that time we were back in Yaounde, the capital, having taken the overnight train back again.

Since finishing the quinine on Monday, though, I still am not feeling up to par. The quinine takes a few days to work out of your system, for one, and two, I think my body is just plain tired and run-down after the week and a half that it's had. I've spent the vast majority of every day this week either sleeping or laying in bed, and I'm still rather fatigued. The dizziness is almost gone, but it comes back when I stay standing for too long. I feel like I need to sleep for a month. (Well, not really, but I know that I need to rest a lot and take it easy for the next couple of weeks.)

So, with all of this and the realities of life here in Cameroon in mind, I have decided to cut my semester short and head home for the United States. My flight leaves on Saturday (tomorrow), and I will be back in the U.S. on Sunday. I completed three of my four courses here, and so I will receive credit for them, while I will simply withdraw from my Independent Study Project (ISP). I will miss the last four and a half weeks of the program, but I think that I need to get myself home to fully recuperate.

But, to allay all fears, let me point out a few things to try and keep everyone from further freaking out:
1) I am posting this ridiculously long blog, so I am indeed well enough to lay in bed and type (I'm currently staying at the SIT office, which has wireless internet.)
2) I feel confident in my abiliities to travel internationally alone, so I must be doing pretty ok.

Yes, I'm exhausted, and yes, I'm going to visit a doctor almost as soon as I get back, but I'm going to be fine. Please don't worry.

Oh, and please stop telling my parents that malaria stays in your blood forever. 1) That's not what they need to hear right now, and 2) in the case of the strand of malaria most common in Cameroon, it's not true. I could find a CDC webpage to prove it to you, but I'm going to ask you to trust me on this one.

Finally, a big thank-you goes to my parents, who kept me sane throughout this period by phoning me three times a day and running up an extremely large phone bill in the process.



Love you all,
Kayce



P.S. Instead of worrying about me, worry about the up to half a billion other people that contract malaria every year, most of whom live in the developing world. Malaria is easily treated, but only if you have the resources.

Safari!

Kribi

End of the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline at Kribi



Beach in Kribi

Outside of Dschang

Waterfall in Fongo Tongo

From about a month ago.

Ngaounderé

On Sunday night, our entire group piled onto the train in Yaoundé, and when we woke up in our bunkbeds on Monday morning, we were in Ngaounderé, a small city to the north. Northern Cameroon is mostly Muslim (entering the area near the Sahara), and so are our homestay families. We're not in the desert, but the heat here is indeed intense and dry.

In Cameroonian Muslim culture (like most of the traditional cultures of the over 250 ethnic groups of the country), girls often marry young. My homestay mom here is 21, like me, and she has two children - an 8-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl. I love them all already, though we have some challenges communicating - the first language here is Fufulde, and then kids learn French in school.

Today we Americans had a "Survival Fufulde" class. Here is a sample conversation for you:

Fufulde-speaking-person: Sanu!
Kayce: Sanu!
FSP: Jam na?
K: Jam.
FSP: Jam bandu na?
K: Jam koo dumi.
FSP: Noy inde ma?
K: Inde am Kayce.
FSP: Toy lesdi ma?
K: Lesdi am America.
FSP: Toy wurro ma?
K: Wurro am Brunswick.
FSP: Sey yesso!
K: Sey yesso!


Love you all,
Kayce

Make Way for the Pope

"...a backdrop of press reports that he had set up a fraudulent network to squeeze money out of Cameroonians in the name of preparations to welcome the Pope...

...all sites retained to host major events during the visit... would be tidied by the State."

http://allafrica.com/stories/200903021549.html


***


So, the Pope's coming to town. We heard about this within our first few days in the country, but we have begun to see the preparations over the past week.

When the G-8 was hosted in Glynn County when I was in high school, our roads were improved and lots of pretty new flowers were planted. Preparations here aren't like that.

Instead, parts of the city are being bulldozed and crumbled with sledgehammers. "Tidied by the state" is a euphemism for state police knocking down any market stalls or temporary buildings that they see unfit. They don't seem to give much warning, and crowds gather to watch the destruction. No one seems to be terribly upset, as if it was all inevitable.

Many roads have been closed already, and so the traffic is horrible. Next week we are leaving for Kribi for two days, and we will return on Thursday, the day of the open air mass - I can only imagine what the traffic and crowds will be like then.

When heads of state descended on my hometown several years ago, we prepared for riots. When the Pope comes to Yaounde, the people prepare for demolition. For all the obligatory talk of peace, an awful lot of tumult accompanies the travel of world leaders.


***


On a much cheerier note, Kribi is on the coast - so, in addition to visiting Baka pygmies, we're going to the beach. Yay!


Love you all,
Kayce

A Thoroughly American Day

Yesterday was a bit strange within the context of the rest of my time here - I went to three different places with air conditioning, spoke to other Americans, and ate fried apples.

The day started with French class, and then afterwards all of us SITers piled into the cars to travel to the World Bank office here. Not only was the building air-conditioned, but we were served cold soft drinks. I didn't get as much out of the meeting as I wish I had because the man speaking to us had a thick accent to his French, but I understood enough to know that he only wanted to speak about one topic - oil. Cameroon produces a bit of it (not as much as its neighbors), and the World Bank is trying to promote transparency in the industry. From talking with other Cameroonians from across the country, it seems as though no one here is a big fan of the organization, though. As they see it, the World Bank keeps giving money to the government, even though the government keeps misusing it. (That's the nice way to put it. Cameroon ranks among the most corrupt countries in the world.) People here seem frustrated that the WB either keeps expecting something different to happen or doesn't care about the embezzlement.

After lunch, we all had a meeting at the American Embassy. I kid you not, we all got a little misty-eyed when we saw the American flag. The real heart-stopper was when we heard an American accent for the first time - it was both utterly bizzare and wonderful. We met with our Ambassador to Cameroon and several other officials from the Embassy for a few hours. The Ambassador and her colleagues were very open, honest, and intelligent - everything you would hope for.

Afterwards, several of us went to a large supermarket downtown. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the largest one in the country, and it carries American-brand items and is air-conditioned, both of which are incredibly rare. Of course, this means it is also very expensive. I kid you not, I saw a $15 can of whipped cream. I tore myself away from the chocolate aisle, convincing myself that $6 is too much to pay for a bag of mini Snickers. I didn't end up buying anything, but it was nice to see that big box of Cheerios.

Finally, we headed back to the office because Thursday nights are Student Nights, meaning that we don't have to go back home until 8:30 instead of the usual 6:30. The extra time usually translates into cooking, and so I had already decided a few days before that I would make fried apples for my friends and myself. Remember, now, that none of the other students are from the South - they had no earthly idea what I was talking about. But I told them to trust me, and they're all glad that they did. I actually made someone cry tears of joy because they tasted so wonderful. No joke. Now everyone is calling them "Kayce apples" and asking what amazing treat I'll prepare next week. Who knew that brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter could be so powerful...

Food and Muckety-Mucks

A lesson learned in the U.S. and reaffirmed in Cameroon is that food is almost always good when VIPs are present. When in a foreign country, heed this advice well and be prepared to eat a lot at such events, since you'll want to savor the goodness while you can.

I shouldn't be so dramatic. The food here isn't actually that bad, but just like anywhere, it can become monotonous. The biggest adjustment that my friends and I have had to make is to consuming what seems like our weight in carbs and starches every day - bread, rice, plantains, corn, noodles, manioc (otherwise known as cassava, which actually is disgusting and has absolutely no nutritional value), etc. Luckily we do enough walking every day to make up for it. When we have meat, it is generally fish (bass or mackerel), but since we're not near the coast yet, it's not that great. No part of the fish is wasted, so I've eaten more fish heads than I care to remember. My grandfathers should be proud. Chicken and beef are good when you can get them, but I probably only eat one or the other once or twice a week. We're not supposed to eat raw vegetables for health reasons, and the cooked ones I come across are generally green beans or greens. Also, beans of all types are fairly common. That only leaves one category...

Fruit! I can safely say that I am in fruit heaven, and if you know me, you know that I am therefore a very happy camper. Pineapple, bananas, oranges, lemons, clementines, avocado, etc. And mango season is about to start. Mmmmmm... Word of caution: splitting a pineapple with a friend for lunch sounds like a great idea at first, but be wary of ingesting so much acid at once. But it's so tasty!

While we were in Dschang, we visited a chefferie about an hour's drive away and spoke with the chief for several hours. Throughout Cameroon, the traditional governments headed by chiefs are often maintained, though the chiefs themselves hold little political power anymore. The chief we visited was very progressive/liberal (after all, he wanted to take the time to speak with a bunch of American students), and he also had very good food.

The other dining highlight of the trip was in Bamenda, a city in the Anglophone region of Cameroon. While we were there we met with John Fru Ndi, the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the main opposition party in Cameroon. He has led the party for 17 years, only 10 years less than President Biya has been in power. Lots of good food and also lots of good stories - ask me when I'm back.

Closing thoughts: the cheap hole-in-the-wall places are generally where you can get the best food very quickly, and there is never a thing as too much fruit, as long as you consume a variety.


Love you all,
Kayce

Oh, and an addition to the blog about TV - the nightly news here comes on to "The Imperial Death March" (aka Darth Vader's theme song) from Star Wars. Don't ask me why - I really don't know.

Pictures, As Promised

Dschang


Now that I'm back in Yaounde, I can upload pictures. Or, seeing how slow this is, maybe at least one.

Mexican Soap Operas and Infrastructure

TV is interesting here. Cameroonians watch a lot of it, not unlike Americans, and the whole family generally gets involved. For the kids, the Disney Channel and Japanese anime are both imported and dubbed in French. For teenagers and young adults, music video stations are very popular, and the videos are about half American pop/hip hop and half French/African originals. You can also catch the occassional Dawson's Creek or 90210 in French. For adults, a number of American shows are imported (Walker, Texas Ranger, anyone?), but my homestay parents seem to like the African originals the best. That is, of course, except for the one television show that the entire country seems to be addicted to - drumroll, please - La Belle Mère ("The Mother-in-Law"), a really complicated, terrible Mexican soap opera about a very wealthy and extended Mexican family. Because it is dubbed in French, I have not yet deciphered the entire plot, but I am starting to follow the main stories. Will what's-his-face really go to jail for the crime he didn't commit? Will the guy who actually pushed the other guy off the boat ever be caught? Will the woman who looks like Stockard Channing ever stop look like Stockard Channing and reminding me of The West Wing? I could go on...

The other night, I was watching the show with my brother (age 20) and sister (age 21) here in Dschang when the power went out. This was not at all uncommon - the power here goes out at least once a day, from a few minutes to several hours at a time. My brother just sighed in the dark and said, "This is the problem of Africa."

And he's right. Goodness knows there are other problems as well, but infrastructure is a major one. For instance, my house here has a sink, a shower, and a toliet in the bathroom and two large sinks in the kitchen, but there's no running water in the house; every morning large containers are filled from the spigot in the back of the house. And Dschang is a fairly urban city - much smaller than Yaoundé, but not the typical "village" you might envision either. I could go on...


***


On Friday we're leaving Dschang for Bmenda, and then we will be back in Yaoundé on Tuesday. I promise to try to have more pictures soon - the electricity, computers, and internet in Dschang haven't been cooperating.


Love you all,
Kayce

Dschang

We arrived safely in Dschang on Saturday afternoon. Life here is much more laid-back than in the capital of Yaoundé, but the flip side is that the people here are less wealthy. My family here is both very nice and very big - I have 8 siblings ranging in age from 2 to 21. My homestay parents only speak French, so my skills are improving. If I get in a jam, though, my 18-year-old brother can help me out. (Kids here start taking English in elementary school.)

The SIT group is hiking to a nearby waterfall on Saturday, so I'm very excited. More soon.


Love,
Kayce

things not to be taken for granted in the US

(to be expanded throughout the semester, I'm sure)

posted prices
napkins
street signs, traffic lights, turn signals, traffic lanes... really, anything involving driving
raw vegetables (we're not supposed to eat vegetables unless they're cooked)
trash cans
public restrooms (should have learned to appreciate them when I was in Europe)
property rights
checks and balances
public education

etc.

One week down, thirteen to go. My friends and I have to keep reminding ourselves that we’ve only been here for a week, because it seems like much longer…

My homestay family is great. My homestay mom and dad are young – their oldest son is about six, and the younger one is nine months old. I can rarely understand the older one, Anno, because he speaks so quickly and doesn’t care much for enunciation, but I think he likes me. The Frisbee that I brought for him certainly was a big hit. I know that the baby, Jo-Jo, likes me because he likes anybody that plays with him. Luckily for me (or unluckily, depending your viewpoint), my homestay parents both speak decent Enlish. Great for making my needs and thoughts known, but not as great for learning French. Because I speak the language so slowly at this point, they often finish my sentences for me in one language or the other. But, despite that, I think my capacity for speaking and understanding my second (spoken) language has grown tremendously in the past week. Still lots and lots of work to go, though.

Yesterday morning I went with my homestay family to Mass – they are Catholic, and very devout. Many of the songs were the same, as they originate from Bach and the like, but of course the lyrics were different. I had trouble understanding the sermon (which was in French, like everything else), but I can attest that the priest was very charismatic and dedicated to reaching his audience, which at that particular Mass was the youth.

Monday through Friday, I attend classes with my American counterparts at the SIT office, about a 25-minute walk from my house. I could take a taxi if I wanted, but I like the walk, and I make it with three or four of my classmates that live in the same area. While we make our trek every morning, the schoolchildren of the city are doing the same. They run, giggle, and chatter like any other kids, and they always respond with big smiles when we greet them.

Generally, every school day runs from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. We study French for approximately four hours each day, and the rest of the time is devoted to development, social change, and research methods. On Fridays we have cultural lessons, so last Friday was African dancing and drumming. Lots of fun, though I can imagine that we probably looked ridiculous and my fingers are still sore. No matter.

This schedule will slowly give way to having more free time, though, as we will need more time for research as the semester progresses. Also, we will travel a great deal this semester to other parts of the country. At the end of this week, we will leave for Bmenda for two weeks.

Every day brings both great challenges and pleasures. All is well, no need to worry.

Love you all,

Kayce

Bonjour! After over 30 hours of travel and maybe an hour of sleep, my group and I made it to Yaounde. We've been staying at a monastery for the past few days for Orientation, but we are all moving in with our homestay families tonight. The capital of Cameroon is very urban and exciting, and all of the people have been incredibly nice. I am only beginning to really comprehend the reality of being in Africa - it's hard to believe that I'm actually here. At the moment my fellow students and I are sitting in our headquarters, watching a soccer match on TV and working on our first papers. Classes start tomorrow, and I'm very excited. This is going to be a great semester - challenging, but absolutely wonderful.







Monastery and Yaounde


Love you all,
Kayce


P.S.

My address:

Kayce Mobley
c/o SIT
BP 33241
Yaounde, Cameroon, Central Africa

Brunswick to Atlanta to New York City to Paris to Yaoundé.

In less than one week I will board a plane, and my luggage and I will ultimately be destined for Cameroon.

For all those prone to worry: I have received more vaccinations than I care to remember, begun taking my malaria medication, packed my book entitled "Africa: Healthy Travel," consulted with my friends who have traveled in similar places, read countless articles and books on the area, and been blessed by not one, but two pastors. And I've got my Sewanee Angel to boot. I'm going to be fine.

For all those who want to live vicariously through me: I don't blame you. : ) I'm going to be more than fine - I'm going to be positively wonderful, because I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.


I love you all, and I'll be thinking of you over the coming months. Check here periodically for updates and pictures, and I'll see you in May.




Information about Cameroon:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cm.html

Information about my study abroad program:
http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/ssa_cmr.htm

Tentative Itinerary:
Segment One: A week of orientation in Yaoundé.
Segment Two: Two weeks of Development and Social Change seminars, Field Study seminars, French classes and Homestay in Yaoundé.
Segment Three: Two weeks in the cities of Dschang and Bamenda (DSC, French and FSS classes).
Segment Four: 10 days in Yaoundé visiting local and International Organizations and NGOs and looking at their efficiencies, activities and challenges, and doing preliminary ISP research and identifying contacts.
Segment Five: Excursion in Kribi with a field visit to the pipeline project or the pygmies.
Segment Six: Two weeks in Ngaoundere looking at the social change of traditional powers and the impact and consequences of Islam and Fulbe domination and colonization. Students also finalize their ISP proposal.
Segment Seven Independent Study Project.
Segment Eight: Presentation of ISP, evaluation of the program.