A Glimpse of Egypt

“The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page… The traveler is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep.”

Cairo is a beautiful mixture of the old and new. Smells invade your senses, one minute it is the aroma of sheesha, then a strong whiff of vendor’s spices, then the exotic scent of street food and sometimes a rancid smell of trash. Next to an expressway will be a mosque from long before cars were even a thought in Henry Ford’s head. A sky scrapper will tower over a market that was once a spot were slaves were sold.

I believe that you could spend a week in Cairo and not see everything that you should. In our short time in Egypt, Kristin and I filled our time with as much as possible. In Cairo we saw the Citadel and its huge mosque, the Khan al-Khalili market, Islamic Cairo, the Egyptian Museum and the Nile. We also took a few side trips; the first included seeing the pyramids of Giza, the Pyramid and Temple of Saqqara and the ancient site of Memphis. The second was a full day trip to Luxor in Upper Egypt. We also made time to eat fabulous seafood in Alexandria. Egyptian food is fabulous and anyone who goes there should eat the local food without question. Our favorite meals ended up being Egyptian flat bread with hummus and other assortments of spreads and vegetables. Down the street from our hostel was another place that sold a dish that consisted of rice, chick peas, beans and a few other things. It was a great meal and only cost about 6 Egyptian pounds (roughly one US dollar).

The pyramids of Giza are extraordinary. The immense size is over whelming and it is impossible not to be moved when you remember that no machinery was used to make them. I did not realize that there are actually nine pyramids in Giza. The three large pyramids are for grandfather, son and grandson. The six smaller ones are for four wives and two children. Our tour of the pyramids and sphinx was atop a very large, smelly camel. I am glad that I experienced riding a camel but have absolutely no interest in doing it again! The Sphinx was beautiful but I have to admit somewhat of a letdown, I truly thought she would have been larger. It kind of reminded me of seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time. It is disappointing when something that you’ve built up seeing your whole life ends up being smaller than you thought or just somehow not as great. Saqqara (called a step pyramid) was beautiful and it was interesting to learn that it is the oldest pyramid in Egypt. Although Memphis was once the capital of Egypt, after the pharaoh Narmer unified Upper and Lower Egypt, there is almost nothing left of this once great place. There are still a few statues left and another sphinx. The best part of this site was seeing the huge statue of Ramses II that is laying flat in an enclosed space. It is the largest known statue of the famous Pharaoh.

Luxor is amazing and if there was one thing I could change about our trip, it would be to spend more time here. Kristin and I arrived in Luxor around 8 in the morning and immediately began our full day of site seeing. Our first stop was Valley of Kings on the West Bank. In all some 62 tombs have been excavated but only a few are open for viewing. We went into three and after almost sweating to death opted not to pay the additional fee to see King Tut’s tomb. The tombs are built differently based on the pharaoh’s preference. Some are a short distance down while others are much deeper with more space and ornate designs. The hieroglyphics were beautiful and unbelievable at the same time considering that the color has remained after all these years. The Valley of Queens was very similar but not quite as large. There were not nearly as many people, which was refreshing after patiently waiting in lines at the Valley of Kings. Unfortunately photographs are not allowed at either site. We also visited the Temple of Hatshepsut, which was carved out of the side of a mountain and is extremely impressive. Lastly we visited the Temple of Karnak and this was easily my favorite place of the entire trip. This site is spectacular and I do not think I can come close to describing its beauty in a way it deserves. The columns are colossal and the etching magnificent. If you look up you can still find some color left on the underside of the stone. There are also two striking obelisks found there and one that is lying on the ground that was not finished. If you ever go to Egypt – this is a must see! To finish the day we drove to the Temple of Luxor which is a straight shot from the Temple of Karnak. All you have to do is follow the Avenue of Sphinxes (some of which are still being uncovered but will take time due to the houses that were built over them!).

I could ramble on forever about how amazing Egypt is but I will say that to truly understand what I mean, you must go and see it for yourself. I promise that you will not regret it! Oh, just to entice you even more – at the Egyptian Museum you can see mummies! Some even still have hair!

September 18, 2010

“Educate a boy and you educate an individual. Educate a girl and you educate a community” African Proverb
In the United States it is expected that every child has the opportunity to go to school. Public education is free and available to everyone thanks to taxes. After high school there are many opportunities for scholarships, grants and loans so that someone can move on and continue learning at an institute of higher education. In Cameroon it is just not that way. Some of you may remember that in an earlier blog I spoke about a scholarship that I was helping to get off the ground in the North West and that almost 20 girls were benefiting from it. On Friday morning I went to Government Bali High School and Self Reliance Comprehensive High School to deliver the four scholarships to the girls that had been chosen. The girls were embarrassed when made to come in front of the entire school (GBHS has over 1,000 students) but you could also see the pride in their faces. When I glanced to the other students you could almost see determination set in when it was explained that the scholarships were merit based. I hope that watching these girls receive such aide will give other students the drive to work hard in school. I wanted to thank everyone who donated to A2Empowerment but especially to my Aunt Michele, you are a very special lady and I am so thankful to have you in my life!
Following visiting the two high schools, I made my way to the grand stand at the center of town. The Bali Education Ladies had planned another scholarship ceremony for that day. Thanks to my family, best friends and some members of Greer First Presbyterian and the women of the Education group, we were able to give 28 primary school girls partial scholarships for the 2010/2011 school year. The entire day was extremely moving and would not have been possible without the aid from the States. I wanted to share with those who donated that you have a place in Bali if ever you make it to Cameroon. The community, parents, principals and teacher are ever so grateful. During the ceremony a group of children sang a song that was talking about being a light. They changed it every chorus but during a part of it they sang that I was a light to them and that I should keep shining. It was extremely moving and I wanted you all to know that I could not have been a light for them without you. Thank you so much for understanding the importance of education and of helping those less fortunate than you.

August 15, 2010

You know those random seconds in life when you can close your eyes and just at that moment you are taken back to a specific memory? You actually feel that you are in that time and place because your eyes see every little detail; your nose can smell everything and your skin remembers every texture it has touched. These moments usually leave me smiling or with a tear slipping out of my eye; sometimes even both.

The other night the power was being especially finicky. I finally just gave up trying to accomplish anything. I decided to lie on my couch, accept the moment and enjoy the quiet. It was then that I had one of these moments. I have to admit that it is only because I forget to pick up candles or I would have been reading. I closed my eyes and all I could hear were the crickets, beetles and other assortment of African insects that give the night its music. All of the sudden I was laying on a bunk at the camp, I could feel the well worn sheets beneath me all the way down to the little bit of sand at my feet. I could feel the rust from the top bunk lightly falling on me as whoever was above me shifted in their sleep; it fell on my exposed limbs and stuck readily to my damp skin which was invariably expected from the humidity of a lowcountry summer night. There is something about the right mixture of sounds that were sure to put me to sleep and they were always faithful at the camp. It was a symphony of my father’s snoring (which could be heard all the way from the front porch); the different insect’s buzzing, chirping and gentle hums; the distant waves breaking on the nearby beach or the gentle lapping of water on the floating dock; the wind through the water oaks and palmetto trees; and occasionally there would be rain, which I adored on the tin roof. The smells would change depending on what had been cooked for dinner, but for this memory it was fried fish and shrimp. The mouth watering aroma of dinner mixed with the regular smell of kerosene, old wood and the salt that lingers in the air when you are close to the water.

I opened my eyes with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye, the smile was for all of the happiness that came from my time on that little island and the tear because there is no more camp. It is not something that can be replaced and it will forever remain in my recollection or at least on this page. So although I am across the ocean from my beloved lowcountry, I am never more than a memory away.

August 12, 2010

Before coming to Africa I rarely thought much about the color of my skin. If I did, it was to an extent of thoughts such as follows: “Crap, there’s another freckle”; “I really need to work on my tan this summer”; or most recently, “I should really start wearing sunscreen regularly – I’ve got to keep this skin for a long time”. I hardly ever thought about my skin in the context of race. I think that this says something of how I was raised. I was taught to decide a person’s character based on how they treat others, who they are on the inside, is what is important not what is on the outside.
Living in Africa these past 15 months has taught me to be grateful of living in the United States of America, where a person will be judged on who they are not by the color of their skin. I realize that it wasn’t always like this. Our nation was formed by men who wanted equal rights for everyone and over the years “everyone” has evolved to include people of any color and women through the struggles, trials and triumphs of many people. Our country has seen a lot of racial issues from slavery to internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. We are still dealing with it to this day in the form of immigration issues for Mexicans all the way to people from the Middle East. Since the end of slavery, integration in the school system and so on we have come far but the process is not yet finished. I know that to keep our nation strong we must continue to be an accepting people and that we should always remember our country was formed because those who came before us wanted to practice religious freedom. Everyone that came to the United States to help settle was once foreign, it is what makes our nation such a unique one, we are the proverbially ‘melting pot’.
In Africa my skin tells everything there is to know about me, at least that is what Cameroonian’s seem to think. Because I have white skin I am automatically smart, well educated and wealthy. What they don’t realize is that I am an average American (at least that is how I see myself). I went to a state supported college that I struggled to graduate from because of my lack of direction. I do realize that I am extremely lucky, even in comparison to other American’s but I am no more special than the person next to me. One of my goals since coming to Cameroon is trying to educate Cameroonians that American’s are all different. In America we have a very diverse population, we range in education levels from high school diplomas to PhDs; in religious beliefs from being Atheists to Muslims to Christians to Jews; our family trees show that some are first generation, some are Daughters of the American Revolution and some are descendants of slaves from the Ivory Coast; people are free to choose who they want to love and it does not matter their skin color, sex or where they came from.
It is hard being a white face amongst many blacks but to me it seems that it is even harder to be an African American volunteer in Cameroon and I am very proud to know those who are serving with me. They struggle with this ten times more than I do but by them being here it helps sensitize other’s to understanding that American’s come in every color, shape and size. What was that bible school song we sang as children?
“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white they are precious in his sight; Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

July 20, 2010

I have been tarred (as in tarred and feathered), but I promise there were no feathers involved. At the end of a volunteers service there generally is a party held for you in your community as a thanks for your time and effort, you will be missed sort of thing. Courtney, the volunteer in Bamenda, is leaving this week and had her going away a couple of weekends ago. The road that her apartment is on was being paved – not something we thought too much about. When we were heading to her party the rain was pouring and had started to make the tar run all over the place, by the time we reached the party there was tar everywhere (feet, legs, and clothes)! We then progressed to trailing it into the party with all of the Cameroonians staring as we completely ruined the floor. It took a while but with some kerosene, soap and water we returned to a somewhat normal state. I have a tiny bit left on one toe and when I get the first opportunity I will purchase some kerosene to get it finally gone!
I spent my Fourth of July this year at the United States Embassy eating hamburgers, potato salad and ice cream. We had to pay for the food but the beer was free, so I am sure you can imagine how the volunteers were all trying to think of reasons to come into Yaoundé. Lucky for me I had to be there for Peer Support Network and Regional Representative Meetings. We had a great time during the day and then a few of us stayed to hang out at the Marine’s house. It was nice to meet new people and refreshing to have some new conversations. The best part about the night was that I met a girl from Greenville that attended Bob Jones University and knew Chris Dunlap. The world is so small sometimes it makes me feel like I am not that far from home.
The summer is flying by and it is hard to believe that I am nearing the end of my 14th month of service. I have so much that I want accomplish and are starting to get nervous that I won’t have time to get it all done! I finished my business class and will be beginning a new one in September. My list keeps growing and includes completing two World Map Projects at Bali Primary School, starting an Environmental Club at Adolice Primary School, assisting one PLWHA group with income generating activities and another with implementing their goals and action plans. There also is monitoring the girls who received the A2Empowerment Scholarship and helping plan the ceremony for the girls receiving scholarships through the Bali Education Women’s Group. Amongst my work I have planned a trip to Egypt in September and am now planning on going home to the states for Christmas. I am starting to realize that if I don’t plan ahead for the rest of the year I will not get to climb Mount Cameroon or visit the North. So as you can see – there is so much to do and just not enough time to do it in.
Before signing off (Kristin and I are running up the road to get omelets), I just wanted to once again thank everyone for their constant thoughts and prayers. It is so reassuring to know that I am thought about and prayed for on a daily basis and I wanted to make sure that you know how grateful I am.

June 25, 2010

The World Cup is here! The new trainees arrived June 4th! I completed my 1st business class! 16 girls from the North West Province were awarded scholarships from A2Empowerment! Camp Batibo was a success! As you can tell a lot of positive things have happened since I last wrote…
It does seem that all African teams have been getting their butts kicked in the World Cup, especially Cameroon. What I have enjoyed watching the most is that even when Cameroon or the US is not playing, Cameroonian’s are still glued to the television watching different matches. Having the World Cup in Africa has brought a since of pride to African’s that I believe is long overdue. It is just a pity that then African teams aren’t doing that well. Despite this, there is still a sense of togetherness and camaraderie amongst the Cameroonian’s as they watch the games. Without a doubt soccer is a global sport and a great way to integrate with your community. A good many volunteers headed down to South Africa to catch some games and I have to admit I am quite jealous. The last I heard the Peace Corps Country Director of South Africa was expecting a total of 116 volunteers from other Peace Corps countries. He/she definitely will have her hands full…
Renee and I greeted the new trainees in Yaoundé Friday, June 4th and then stayed with them until they left for the training site on Tuesday. The group has 43 trainees who, after completing training, will be posted different places around the country. There are five education and two small enterprise development volunteers being posted in the North West and it will be interesting to see how our regions dynamics change when they get here. I am also helping with training throughout the summer. I am teaching a total of nine sessions which include Marketing, Leadership, Working with Community Groups, NGO’s, Accounting and a few others. It feels very weird to be on this side of training but at the same time it is really gratifying.
My first business class is officially over and I am already planning when to begin the next. Ma Patience, Ma Theresia and Ma Bri will come to my house in July to receive their certificates, take some pictures, and take refreshments with me. It really has been a pleasure getting to know them over these past couple of months. They are all extremely hard working, bright women who only want to better their lives and took the time every week to come listen to me. I just hope they actually got something out of it.
Just last week I found out that all of our hard work paid off and the North West girls were receiving 16 scholarships from A2Empowerment, three of which will remain in Bali. We turned in 43 applications from nine different villages. It is a great project and extremely gratifying knowing that 16 girls are getting to continue their education because of the volunteers and people in the states that recognize the importance of education in developing countries.
The North West volunteers came together the week of June 14-18 to put on a summer camp for an orphanage in Batibo. The week turned out extremely successful and definitely made my heart a little warmer. Tim, Carl and Austin taught some farming and environment sessions; Gabe taught the older students basic computer skills, Stefanie taught Health and HIV/AIDS awareness; Carl taught English; and we all partook in playing sports (which mainly consisted of kickball) and arts & crafts. It was a good week but the most important thing was that the kids got to spend time with us and us with them.
During this time my Nana had her 90th birthday and all of my family gathered to celebrate with her at my parent’s house in Greer. I was lucky enough to get to speak with almost everyone for a minute or two on Skype. During a conversation with my cousin Ginny, she asked me if I thought I was taking in all of my experiences or if I thought it would affect me more when I got home. To tell the truth, I am not entirely sure. But after completing a year in a third world country, I know that I will never take for granted my family, my health and for that matter my wealth (which is very small in comparison to a lot of US citizen’s but is huge when compared with people living in poverty). I realize that I still like the finer things in life and that I will probably always want them but that I can live without them. I also know deep down that waking up every morning with a purpose is much more important than going to a job that I hate so that I can buy the next new thing. I without a doubt think that this experience will continue to affect me during the next year and throughout my life. So Ginny, I guess it’s best to say that my eyes have been opened and some has registered but I believe that there are still many more layers of my rose-tinted glasses to be removed (don’t worry this hasn’t made me a pessimist but I am definitely more of a realist).

April 16, 2010

I want to first start by saying that I am not becoming a cat lady, but as I write this post I have a tiny kitten asleep on my chest. While in Bamenda Thursday night, Thryn and I heard this really sad crying out side of the house, upon closer inspection we found a tiny kitten. She is absolutely precious and probably around 5-6weeks of age. She is white with black spots that kind of make her look like a figurine cow. For me it was love at first sight, for her it was the complete opposite. She was filthy from being outsdte for who knows how long, so I quickly dunked in a pot for a bath. It took forever to get most of the fleas off of her but she was definitely a shade lighter when she dried. I have decided to call her Lela, which is the name of the annual festival held in Bali. It also means, “night” in Swahili. The real test will be when I take her home to meet Pockets. If it does not go well I will ask around for another home for her, but I am thinking Pockets will enjoy the company (once she warms to the idea). The best part of the story is that we believe she is Linus’s (Thyrn’s cat) daughter. She has similar markings, down to the black spots under her feet, to the same mannerisms. We’re assuming the mother dropped her off on the door step as a screw you buddy, I mean who on earth would let a man get away with that these days???
This week has been crazy busy which is great but extremely exhausting. I spent all day today at a workshop on project writing with the Nkumu Fed Fed ladies. I arrived at 7 (for a meeting the lady didn’t show up for, whatdyaknow?) and didn’t get back to the transit house until close to 8 o’clock. I will post another blog once the entire weekend is completed with more details. Unfortunately I am missing a wedding in Njinikom because of the Annual General Meeting. Oh well, I hope to get to see one some day!
Pictures to come soon!