So, you know the nursery rhyme, “Rain, rain go away, come again another day”? I will never say those words again in my life. The dry season began in November and will continue through all of February. When I left my house yesterday, there was a huge thunderhead in the distance. I got so excited I almost did a dance in the middle of the road. Never in my life did I think I would be so happy about rain. I am beginning to understand how farmers feel in the middle of a drought (of course my life isn’t dependent on my crops). The cloud might as well have been a mirage because the few drops of rain that came from it was not even close to enough water to bring the dust down. The dust is now a couple of inches thick on the ground and I can’t step out of my house without my feet, ankles and legs becoming covered in a fine, red dirt. The atmosphere also seems affected; I have not seen the mountains clearly in weeks.
I would like to tell you that I have been working hard this month but unfortunately that would be a lie. I am still learning how Cameroonians (and I hear this is true of all Africans) work. I have been stood up multiple meetings in the past month and my patience is pretty much shot. My counterpart returned last week, which means hopefully things will begin to pick up. Bridget and I have gotten the business classes lined up and we will begin those in the middle of March.
So what do I do with all my spare time (this is what I imagine everyone at home is thinking)? And it is a great question. The truth is that I am learning a lot. I have read a ridiculous amount of books from Faulkner to Sophie Kinsella. I am working on my 30th book right now, which is one Mama sent me, Same Kind of Different as Me. I still have not finished War & Peace (good Lord, this is a boring book) but hope to sometime soon. For those of you who know me very well, you would be surprised to find out that only three of those books were trash novels! How about that?
I am also learning to cook. I have mastered a pretty bad ass banana bread. I also have made Dad’s meatloaf and gravy (Dad – you would have been so proud) a couple of times for other volunteers. This Tuesday we are having pizza night, I am going with an entire Italian theme. Making pizza from scratch isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
I have also been studying for the GRE’s which I will be taking in Yaoundé next Saturday. I will stay there for a couple of days to meet with Nkumu Fed Fed’s national president. She wants to discuss what I am doing and any ideas that I have for the NGO. She is a very impressive lady, who I am looking forward to sitting down with.
I also have been spending time with my friend Jane and her daughter Praise. Last night I got to teach Praise, Jane and Ma Bri how to play Twister. It was quite fun but I think I need to start yoga or something; I am not nearly as flexible as I used to be!
One Friday I went with my post mate, Carl, and his counterpart to visit a small village called Osham. We met the Fon and drank palm wine with him and then we were taken on a hike. The hike led us to these beautiful waterfalls; we later found out that we were the first Westerners to see them. I have to admit, that is a pretty neat feeling! The waterfalls are held as a sacred place for this specific tribe. They believe that their ancestors go there after they die. On the same note, last weekend I went with Kristin and her principal, Christopher, to see a lake in between Santa and Awing. The lake was beautiful and I had to suppress the urge to dive in, the cool water just looked so welcoming. The fact that the lake is the main water source for the entire area was a good reason not to. The lake also has religious meaning to the people of Awing; they believe that their ancestors go there after death while waiting to go to heaven. Kristin and I both drank some of the water, which we were told was special and would make us “strong and healthy”. Sick is more like it, I ended up with killer stomach pains for about three days after that! Good choice Cat! The highlight of that day for me was holding a baby goat, man was it cute!
I apologize for the gap between this entry and the last; I will try to be better! After I finished writing this, the sky opened and the rain fell! I was so happy, I wanted to go stand in it, but like the lake, I held myself in check.