May 31, 2009
31 May 2009 - Bamenda
Power is finally on! It’s 6:26 PM and we just saw the first sign of electricity for the day. Jane and I were warned that Sundays were often power-less all day, but this is definitely the longest we’ve gone without electricity (we’ve been pretty lucky, it seems). The really awful part about no electricity here is that it also means no water. Thank goodness we’re well-stocked with bottled water!
We spent most of the day reading. I dropped ‘The Greatest Benefit to Mankind’ (not too interesting…) and am most of the way through ‘Influencer.’ I suppose I like the latter better, but I would definitely appreciate a little more organization and focus in my reading.
Power outages: 43
Posted by ajvandeu at 03:12 AM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2009
30 May 2009 - Bamenda
Today marks our last weekend in Bamenda – next weekend Jane and I will be relaxing on the beach in Limbe. We started the morning by taking a very long walk to Commercial Avenue (we’ve never walked there before – we always take a taxi!) with our housekeeper, Evelyn. Evelyn helped us buy fabric and then took us to a seamstress. I’m getting a messenger bag made and I can’t wait for it to be ready! In the fabric store, we met a huge group of volunteers from Hope College. Most of them were there with “Engineers Without Borders,” and had been working in Kumbu (about 3 hours north of Bamenda). They were leaving for home today! It was incredible to meet some fellow Michiganders!
We also went back to Presscraft to get a few souvenir-ish gifts. We finally gave in and took a taxi home after visiting the supermarket. After relaxing for a few hours at the flat, we proceeded to Uncle Sam’s restaurant for dinner. It’s become pretty standard that I get chicken when we go out – I really should diversify my palette.
Power outages: 39
Posted by ajvandeu at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2009
29 May 2009 - Bamenda
I was finally able to conquer a major chunk of my research project (or, at least, of the tasks left to do in Cameroon) – going to the market. Jane and I traveled with Charlie to the market and I wrote down the names and prices of as many foods as possible. I currently have a list of over 70 items! From this list, I will hopefully determine a cost-effective diet for HIV/AIDS patients.
After the market, we went to the Delegation of Public Health for the Northwest Province. We intended to meet the Delegate of Public Health, but he was out of the office. The venture wasn’t a total failure, though – we found a poster of several natural medicines and plants native to the tropics that indicated their uses (i.e., to relieve AIDS suffering, to cure conjunctivitis). We copied down the ones that seemed pertinent.
Back at the clinic, we attended a presentation on grant writing, led by Steve. It was actually pretty interesting – very direct and allowed for a ton of group participation - and a nice way to end the week.
As it was our last Friday night in Bamenda, we finally made it to the International Hotel for dinner and drinks with several of the other out-of-towners in the area. We conversed in great length with Sarah and Kristyn, two German volunteers who were about our age (we’re usually 5-10 years younger than all of the other volunteers).
Despite this being the end of my third week in Bamenda, I’m still getting used to the “going out” schedule. In the US, we usually leave to go out around 10 or 11 PM, arriving home at 2 or 3 AM. Here, we go out around 5 or 6 PM and are generally done by 10 PM. I guess this makes sense, as we generally go to bed around 8 or 9 PM here, but I still find it odd when we call it a night at 10:15.
Power outages: 38
Posted by ajvandeu at 01:38 PM | Comments (0)
May 28, 2009
29 May 2009 - Bamenda
More office work today and not much to report. Jane and I got invited to the “Therapeutic Committee Meeting” at the clinic this afternoon. This committee reviews the files of HIV/AIDS patients who have recently had major changes in their status (big drop in CD4 count, weight loss, etc.) to determine the best alteration to treatment. Unfortunately, the room got pretty loud with noise from outside and Cameroonians tend to talk rather softly, so I didn’t get to hear much of the meeting. We did, however, find out that we would be making our final presentations a week from today. I can’t believe we only have a week left of work (and then a few days in Limbe, 24 hours of traveling, and we’re back in the States!).
Power outage count: 34
Posted by ajvandeu at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)
May 27, 2009
27 May 2009 - Bamenda
A rather vanilla day compared to our exciting days at Akum. Jane and I worked in the office. Jane later went on a solo adventure to Bamessing to go to a traditional healer’s meeting (she also got to meet the Fon’s son….unfortunately, she also got proposed to several times). I stayed in the office, content with my time sheet progress.
Later in the night, Jane and I went to a “bar” across the street to watch the football game – Manchester United vs. Barcelona. The bar was pretty crowded, but we were able to see the small screen fairly well. Everyone in the bar went crazy when Samuel Eto’o of Barcelona scored the first goal (Eto’o is a Cameroon native) – one guy even opened a bottle of beer with his teeth. Jane and I had to head back to our flat at the half so we could get home before the clinic’s gates closed, but we’re assuming Barcelona won as we could hear much yelling for the next hour.
Power outages: 31
Posted by ajvandeu at 03:43 AM | Comments (0)
May 26, 2009
26 May 2009 – Bamenda, Akum
The morning started off a little slow with a COPAAP meeting. I presented my “time sheet” system to hopefully improve the times when employees arrive/leave, but I still have some more work to do. Who would have known knowing how to write computer programs in Excel would be so useful?
Jane and I headed back up to Akum (another full capacity taxi ride of 8 people…I think they can fit 9 though, I’m just waiting to experience it). As soon as we got there, we were led into the OR to watch the remainder of an appendectomy. For me, the surgery was a success – I got very lightheaded and had to sit down, but I remained in the OR for all of the surgery! I’m gradually conditioning myself to be comfortable with surgery and I’m determined to make it through a full surgery, standing, before applying to medical school. The surgery itself was also a success, so that’s good news.
Jane and I grabbed a few crackers to re-fuel and she headed back to the OR to watch a biopsy retrieval while I went to the Holy Family Nutrition Unit to talk to their advisors about the dietary regulations of HIV patients. Luckily, there wasn’t too great of a language barrier between their Pidgin English and my “American” English and I was able to get a decent list of foods they offer to their patients.
As Jane and I were leaving Holy Family, we stopped by a street-side fruit stand to browse their wares. We ended up buying a watermelon and were very proud of ourselves for haggling the price down from 1200 CFA to 1000 CFA (about $2 USD). Once we got in the taxi, however, we talked to a woman who told us we only should have paid 500-700 CFA. Oh well, it was our first time attempting to haggle.
We had our deliciously expensive watermelon and some Ramen for dinner.
Power outages: 26
Posted by ajvandeu at 03:03 AM | Comments (0)
May 25, 2009
25 May 2009 - Akum, Bamenda
Jane and I had a very exciting and independent day. We started by traveling up to Akum (by ourselves!) to visit the Holy Family Health Centre. The taxi ride up was our “closest” yet – 8 people in the cab (the taxis here are also smaller than Chevy Metros). We made it there safe and sound and met up with Dr. Bakia. He showed us to Sister Virginia, the matron of the health centre, who gave us a tour. I was astounded by the number of patients Holy Family had – about 60% of the beds were filled.
After the tour, Jane and I got to sit in on consultation all day with Dr. Bakia. We saw tons of different cases – really unique and interesting stuff (although I don’t know how much I can disclose due to confidentiality). During the afternoon, we got to see an ultrasound. I had to duck out early as the warm ultrasound room, combined with our very meek diet was making me somewhat lightheaded (contrarily, Jane hypothesizes that the thought of babies makes me want to pass out). With fresh air, a few crackers, and some water, I was back in business soon enough. We saw a few more patients, but Dr. Bakia was so efficient that the lab was not able to keep up with his consultations and he had to stop consult for a while.
Also joining us in consultation was Charlotte, a medical student from Holland. Charlotte, and her travel companion, Yasmine, are also with ASHIA! It was awesome to meet them, especially since ASHIA is based out of Holland. Both Charlotte and Yasmine were actual medical interns at Holy Family and were doing the work as part of their curriculum for medical school.
Jane and I departed from Holy Family to get back to Bamenda, where we went grocery shopping for the essentials – peanut butter, Ramen, and toilet paper. We also called home! During errand-running we took a break to get a solid meal at Dreamland. We were very proud of ourselves for making it back to Bamenda on our own (without getting mugged) and also for running errands without VSO-volunteer supervision (again without getting mugged). We’re turning into regular Cameroonians.
Back at the flat, we enjoyed some watermelon and relished in our successful day. Tomorrow we will head back to Akum to see a biopsy retrieval and I will hopefully get to talk to their staff about nutrition for HIV patients.
Power outages: 21
Posted by ajvandeu at 03:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2009
24 May 2009 - Bamenda
This weekend has primarily been about relaxation. Not that Jane or I had particularly stressful weeks; we just didn’t really have much to do either Saturday or Sunday. Jane spent most of her time working on her Personal Statement for med school and I read a significant portion from The Greatest Benefit to Mankind – A Medical History of Humanity. I’ve been reading about medicine from Mesopotamia to Greece to the Dark Ages – so many fascinating techniques! Unfortunately, I’m not finding the author’s style of reporting very interesting – he mainly reports on the different figures in medical history and their works, rather than talking in depth about how those works affected the populations in which they existed or how they affected the future of medicine. “Chinese medicine” is the next chapter.
We’ve been seeing all kinds of wildlife around the flat lately – a wall gecko even got in the door last night! Some of the lizards that bask in the sun are amazing – about 10 different, vibrant colors and very big fans of bobbing their heads. Pictures coming upon arrival in the US.
Power outage count: 21
Posted by ajvandeu at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2009
22 May 2009 - Bamenda
Not a very eventful day – Jane and I worked in the office all day, and then went to the supermarket. We bought Mars candy bars for ourselves for an after-dinner dessert; unfortunately neither of us had ever eaten a Mars bar before and didn’t realize that they aren’t really that tasty.
With little else to report, here are some halfway point reflections (today marks the mid-point of our work in Cameroon, although we are not quite halfway done with our entire stay):
-I’ve progressed to the sleeping schedule of a retiree. Here, we go to bed around 7 or 8 PM and wake up around 5:30 or 6 AM. I actually enjoy this schedule, but I know it’s going to wreck havoc on me when I return to the U.S. (it’s as though I’m currently going to bed at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and waking shortly after midnight). Another positive note is the amount of sleep I get – around 9 hours every night. Nevertheless, I still feel tired most of the day.
-I find it odd that I wake up each day and part of my morning ritual is putting on sunscreen and bug spray.
-The weather here is outstanding and I wish we could transport it to the U.S. The days are very hot, but they would be completely bearable if we had air-conditioned buildings and transportation. The nights are perfect – not too cold, and often full of thunderstorms.
-I really wish my camera wouldn’t have run out of batteries so early! Although my charger is in the mail (though whether it gets here before I leave is yet to be determined) and we’re using Jane’s camera often, I feel cheated when I can’t take pictures of this beautiful city and its surroundings. (Note: pictures will be put up on Flickr after we return….I have yet to find a way to post pictures on mblog.)
-Jane and I are very lucky so far. We haven’t had any money or belongings stolen and have had relatively little trouble during our stay. Maybe it’s because we’ve only been here two weeks, but I am thankful for our safe journey up to this point.
Power outage count: 20
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:24 AM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2009
21 May 2009 - Bamenda
Last night held a remarkable way to fall asleep – fireworks (or something that sounds similar to fireworks) and an incredible thunderstorm. It was incredible the way the roar of the thunder blended with the booming of the fireworks so I couldn’t tell the difference between celebration and climate.
The 21st of May could be one of the most fun days I’ve spent in Bamenda thus far. Jane and I traveled with the VSO volunteers to St. Frederick’s, a secondary school in town. Here, Ryan gave a presentation on HIV to the students and then two local schools competed in their debate finals. Jane and I have never been to any type of debate before, yet we somehow became actively involved; Jane as the debate moderator and me as one of the judges. The debate topic was “Men make better leaders than women.” Both teams surprised me with their knowledge and talent, but the “positive” side won. As we were cleaning up, a student from one of the schools that was competing came up to Jane and me to ask about the University of Michigan – could there be a future wolverine coming from Cameroon?
Power outages: 16
Posted by ajvandeu at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2009
20 May 2009 – Bamenda – Cameroon National Day!
Happy National Day! Today Cameroon celebrates the Anglophone and Francophone sections coming together to form the wonderful nation that now exists. But they really celebrate by taking three days off work.
Charlie, Ryan, and Carson met us at the clinic before we departed for the march down Commercial Avenue. Ryan and Carson (other VSO volunteers) avidly checked their e-mail on the clinics computers because they live and work in villages with no Internet connection (ah! I couldn’t do it).
We went down to Commercial Avenue, but were too late to get seats in the grandstands. Our view was slightly compromised, but we could still see most of the action. The ceremony began and there was a great deal of talking and one guy who was yelling (I have no idea what he was saying….just kind of screaming). Then, the divisions of military and police marched by us. Everyone in the grandstands hooted and hollered for their marching, but everyone on the street (including us) was not applauding. Apparently standing in the hot sun makes you exempt from cheering. I was really impressed that there was a marching band! Needless to say, they sounded….well…let’s just say I’m glad that we don’t sound like that.
After the forces marched, all of the children in the local schools (including technical colleges) marched – there were TONS of kids; followed by the political parties in the area (we found out later that there are roughly 228 political parties in Cameroon – wow!). For this portion of the parade, we went to a restaurant and sat on their balcony to watch (out of the sun!). Unfortunately, some VSO volunteers who were at the restaurant before us got their cameras, money, and ID’s stolen by a man claiming to be in the military. He told them they were taking pictures of the march because they were spies and confiscated their items. Thankfully, we didn’t take out our cameras so Jane and I were safe. Despite help from real police and the restaurant manager, I don’t think they’ll be seeing their things again.
We proceeded to lunch, made short calls home, and then went on to the Yaba Hotel. Here, Ryan, Charlie, Jane, and I sat by the pool and enjoyed the relaxing environment. We kept moving to Gerard’s bar (I’ll reiterate that Gerard is outstanding), where we met his 7-week old daughter who is “100% Cameroonian.” I tried Castel beer (still not as good as Mützig, but not bad). The four of us also tried “Pepe soup,” which contains goat, plantains and lots of pepe (very hot spice) – it was pretty good! We continued further to Thermometre for a dinner of grilled fish (probably Jane’s favorite Cameroonian dish).
The power keeps going in and out – very frustrating. Right now all of our power is out, but for some reason, the outlet in which my laptop is plugged is working, so I guess I can’t complain too much.
Power outages: 14
Posted by ajvandeu at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2009
19 May 2009 – Bamenda
The morning began with consult and rounds with Dr. Njinjoh. I really enjoyed Dr. Njinjoh’s consultation – he walked through his consult routine with Jane and me while visiting patients. I liked the way he interacted with his patients – he was lighthearted and jovial, while still maintaining an air of confidence and authority during the examination. He also explained to us his view on reproductive organs (“they have two uses: reproduction and killing the owner”).
After rounds I finished some monthly report forms for COPAAP and began work on time sheets. Hopefully, the time sheets will be able to minimize tardy work arrivals of the staff at the clinic.
Tomorrow is National Day! That means no work…and we’re going down to Commercial Avenue to see a march.
Power outage count: 11
Posted by ajvandeu at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2009
18 May 2009 - Bamenda, Bamessing
18 May 2009 – Bamenda/Bamessing
I missed my first official day of blogging while in Cameroon…mostly because Sundays are fairly uneventful, consisting mainly of Jane and me reading on the balcony (Note: this extreme form of leisure has been relatively unknown to me over the last 3 years and I am thinking I will greatly enjoy Sundays here). Another positive aspect of Sunday was that we only had 2 very short power outages (we were thinking we wouldn’t have power all day).
Today Jane and I traveled to Bamessing to meet with a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. The journey was long (almost as long as to Ndop), but thankfully, no student protesters this time. I hope this means that the students were able to negotiate higher security for themselves.
The support group meeting took place in the home of one of the village’s volunteers, Raymond. Raymond is a very personable, genuine man and I was glad to see him leading these people struggling with their disease. The meeting itself was brief and after it was over, I helped Jane with her project by interviewing those in attendance about their experience with HIV treatment and their participation in traditional medicine. We were offered food at the meeting, but Jane’s day-long stomachache and my always-weak stomach weren’t able to taken in too much.
Power outage count (since arrival): 8
Posted by ajvandeu at 02:37 PM | Comments (2)
May 16, 2009
16 May 2009 - Bamenda
Today was a relaxing, yet productive day – and our first real day off. Jane and I spent the morning taking advantage of the empty clinic (with available Internet), then went down to Commercial Avenue to meet Charlie and Ryan (a VSO volunteer who lives in Ndop) for lunch. It seems we will be getting to know VSO volunteers quite well. We went to Dreamland for lunch – a restaurant specifically catered to out-of-towners. We got a table on the balcony with a great view.
Jane called her parents after lunch – only 900 CFA ($1.75 USD) to call home! If Skype doesn’t work for me tomorrow, I’ll be trying that option. We proceeded down to PressShop, an African craft store. I got a cool mug and painted cloth. We kept moving to the main market where Jane and I successfully completed our Cameroon mission (buying soccer jerseys) and also got some necessary household items.
Dropped off newly purchased items and accompanied Charlie to Steve’s house for a VSO party. Charlie and Steve are next door neighbors and both of them have incredibly large houses. Our living situation is definitely not bad, but I also wouldn’t mind living in their places (I suppose our location vastly beats there’s though). It was interesting to meet some of the other volunteers.
Two more power outages while getting ready for bed. We’ve heard we likely won’t have power for most of the day tomorrow. Yikes.
Posted by ajvandeu at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2009
15 May 2009 - Bamenda, Ndop
15 May 2009 – Bamenda, Ndop
A late night out and an early morning wake-up…5:15 AM! We got up early so we could make the trip to Ndop, a village about 45 minutes away. Charlie came to greet us at the clinic and we took a taxi to meet Ibraham, the guy in charge of VSO (Volunteer Services Overseas), the program from which most of the international volunteers here come. Ibraham took us in his fancy VSO car out of town.
And what was waiting for us on our way to Ndop? A protest, of course (this is the Northwest after all – center of political opposition in Cameroon). Students from a university in the nearby city of Bambui were protesting because thieves had broken into 80 of their rooms the previous night and robbed them. When they tried to call the police, they didn’t get enough response it seems. So the students had made multiple roadblocks on the way out of Bamenda. At first it was more annoying, as we were stuck in traffic for so long. Later, we passed the first roadblock (which was taken down after negations with a truck-load of very well armed police), and things became more serious. We saw tons of tear gas billowing into the air ahead of us and shortly after saw tons of students running past our car. The negotiations at the second road block seemed to take a little more force. Despite all of the danger and insanity, I felt very safe in the car, with Ibraham (a very diplomatic native Cameroonian) and Charlie (who has been in Cameroon for over 8 months now).
We arrived at Ndop after 3 hours in the car (which is insane, as that usually gets me from Marysville to Grand Rapids and we had only traveled about 30 miles). Fortunately for us, we ended up being right on (Cameroonian) time. The next 4 hours was spent in a workshop with the local council on organizational development. Charlie helped some of the other local VSO volunteers as they led the workshop. It was great to see adults performing similar Icebreakers and team-building activities to those I have done at leadership camps in high school. The adults were so much more enthusiastic, and quite a bit more competitive.
One of the nurses who had attended the workshop, Gwendoline, then took Jane and me to see the hospital in town, followed by a local clinic. The hospital was severely depressing – maybe because of the sheer number of patients. Everywhere we visited so far has been rather sparse on patients, including Mezam, so I haven’t been able to see what mass pain really looks like. The nurse who brought us to the hospital insisted we take pictures to bring back to show others in America. The local clinic that we visited next, on the other hand, was completely empty.
After a short meeting with the delegation office of Ndop, we waited outside of his office for Ibraham to come pick us up. Ibraham was outstanding and drove us all the way back to Mezam. He even took a detour to test us on our survey knowledge of Bamenda so far. Back at the flat, Jane and I spent a short time reading outside before eating dinner and calling it a night.
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:29 AM | Comments (0)
May 14, 2009
14 May 2009
14 May 2009 – Bamenda
Life in Cameroon can be unpredictable, to say the least. Today Jane and I were supposed to be shadowing in the HIV Treatment Centre, but there was only one patient over the course of a couple of hours, so we ended up just going up to the COPAAP office to work (okay, maybe life is predictable, since this has happened to us more than once now). I finished my database by lunchtime. Also, I should note that our breakfast this morning was a spaghetti omelet. Yes, that’s correct, an omelet with spaghetti noodles in it (along with carrots, green beans, and onions).
With a lunch of beans & rice in our bellies, Jane & I headed back to the office. In the afternoon I worked on revising forms of monthly reports from the villages. Riveting work, no? Lucky for me, my love affair with Microsoft Excel doesn’t seem to be losing any of its zest, so I still enjoy working with it, no matter the task.
With work done for the day, we received a call from Charlie inviting us to come join him in the city. Jane and I took our first taxi alone in Cameroon, an activity at which we failed. We told the driver “Commercial Avenue” and then “the roundabout;” however, we were supposed to be meeting Charlie at the Junction. After standing at the roundabout for about 5 minutes with no sign of Charlie, we called him again, realized our confusion, and took another taxi (this time successfully) to the junction. I have already commented on the taxi system (and their efficiency of allowing multiple parties to ride at the same time), but there is another point I should make about them. Taxis do not charge by the distance or time it takes to arrive at a destination, but rather by the passenger (I assume it increases more over great distances, but seems to remain constant within the inner confines of the city). Each ride costs about 100 CFA/rider (about 25 cents in US currency).
We met up with Charlie and visited one of his artist friends, whose name I don’t think we ever learned. He was definitely an “intellectual.” He explained to us his thoughts on the design of flags, both American and Cameroonian:
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‘The American flag has a very good and appropriate design. We have stars in the Northwest corner of our flag, which demonstrates “In God We Trust,” because North resembles religion and West symbolizes politics. The longer stripes of our flag are at the bottom, which means we have a strong military, as the south represents military power. Lastly all of our stripes end in the East, which means we are financially successful because the East symbolizes economy. Cameroon, on the other hand, has a red and a yellow stripe next to each other, and two primary colors should not be next to each other, as they conflict (which represents the conflict between English and French Cameroon). Also, Cameroon’s flag contains one star that is intended to represent unity, but stars can never represent unity as they are not equally balanced.’
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I don’t know how much of his explanation was based on fact, or what he came up with himself, but it was very interesting. He also showed us some his artwork and explained the great detail in his pieces.
Next, we proceeded to our first official “Bamenda Bar-Hop.” We first got beers and grilled fish (complete with heads still attached) at “Temperature.” The fish was actually very good and the sun was setting, so I could easily ignore the fish head, despite literally picking the meat off the bones with my hands. We then proceeded to “Uncle Sam’s,” where we met some other international volunteers, including an Australian and a Canadian.
We rounded out the venture with “Foma,” where we had gone a few nights before with Charlie. And what was waiting for us on the table we joined at Foma? PIZZA! I was really grateful to get a slice of pizza. Although I have only been here for a week, my lack of international travel has made me long for the foods of the West within this short time.
Observation: Cameroonians love Celine Dion. We have heard 3 Celine Dion songs since we’ve been here. I suppose it makes sense, as she’s French Canadian (thus a little French, a little English, just like Cameroon). We’ve actually heard quite a bit of American music, including 50 Cent, Rhianna, and Ja Rule.
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:21 AM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2009
13 May 2009 - Bamenda
My first ever blog written by flashlight! There is a large storm in Bamenda right now and the power is out – although I don’t know if the power outage is due to the storm, or simply the unreliable power in Cameroon. Either way, I don’t plan on getting power back on any time tonight. Also, this storm is AMAZING.
Today Jane and I got to go on our first ever rounds! Unfortunately, there was only one patient in the ward, so rounds lasted about 15 minutes. We were debriefed on the patient in Dr. Njinjoh’s office and then went to visit her. Dr. Njinjoh talked very rapidly about the patient’s history and recent condition as Jane and I attempted to take notes. We luckily weren’t asked any questions when we visited the patient, because I don’t think Jane nor I have the clinical expertise to sound intelligent during rounds yet. Dr. Njinjoh later invited us to join him on rounds again when he has more patients.
The remainder of the work day was pretty standard office work. I spent most of my day developing a database for the COPAAP volunteers within the different villages. I can’t believe I’m actually able to help this program with my basic database knowledge! My advisors, Charlie and Sylvestre, seemed very pleased with my pathetic attempt at an Excel database (no Access here…too bad), however I still have a few bugs to work out before I submit it to them.
After work, Charlie and Sylvestre took Jane and me out for drinks at a “bar” across the street. I can’t believe how often Cameroonians drink! I tried a “33 Export” and Jane got adventurous and ordered a Mützig. Charlie and Sylvestre spoke of the laid back Cameroonian lifestyle and how everyone leads a simple life, but everyone is also pretty happy. Charlie told us that we shouldn’t be disappointed if we can’t make a huge impact here in Bamenda – as he put it, “you’re here to share the skills you have, not change their lives completely.”
Jane has been very nervous about bugs and crawling creatures (lizards, geckos) for most of the trip, but she was brave tonight and did not scream as we walked by the wall gecko that hangs out near the door to our flat. Still, she threatens to ask the guard to teach her how to use a bow & arrow so she can kill it.
Posted by ajvandeu at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)
May 12, 2009
12 May 2009 - Akum/Bamenda
Side note #1: The mouse is gone from the kitchen. One of the hospital workers apparently scared it out of our apartment. We hope she’s not just telling us that to make us feel better.
Jane and I thought we would be visiting the Bamenda Provincial Hospital today and were all packed up and in the car when we were told that today we would instead be traveling to Akum, a nearby village. Here, we would look at two small mills and then visit the local clinic.
We first stopped at the mills, which were located inside a “container,” much like a storage garage in the U.S. The mills were put in place in order to generate income (one of the many “IGA’s” – Income Generating Activities – of COPAAP). Unfortunately, the mills were not operative, and had not been since they were installed over a year ago. After talking to representatives from the village, we learned that the managing committee had failed to initiate much start-up.
Our next stop was the clinic, but the clinic was located at the top of a high, bumpy hill. This seemingly inopportune distance turned out to be an amazing stroke of luck – Jane and I got to ride motorbikes! We each boarded motorbike taxis (driver seated ahead of us and someone else behind us) and rode up to the clinic. The drivers went really fast and I’m sure my mother would kill me if she saw me riding a motorcycle with no helmet, speeding down a paved road, and then up a very jarring hill, but I had an incredible time.
At the clinic, we met with the chief of the clinic. He explained to us that he sees very few patients each day, but he and his staff seemed happy with their work. We looked at the pharmacy, which was much better stocked than I had expected. I was pleased to see the clinic was doing such a great job of keeping records – including records of pharmaceuticals, finances, and patients. Their patient records were blunt, but seemed effective. I was very impressed with the chief’s use of primary keys to identify his patients, even in his ratty patient ledger. What a help it will be to have unique identifiers if his records ever become electronic!
We traveled back to the Mezam Polyclinic and had lunch. After lunch, we split up in the clinic. I reviewed proposals of local villages who had applied for funding from COPAAP for their HIV/AIDS programs. Some of them were very impressive; I really enjoyed reading about one village that wanted to start a “piggery farm” to raise funds to support their local HIV/AIDS program.
We have been meeting several women named “Evelyn,” including our housekeeper, the daytime guard at the clinic, and a few nurses at Akum clinic. Apparently it’s a very popular woman’s name!
The taxi system here is very efficient. Not only are taxis running pretty much all the time and are very accessible from most locations, taxi drivers are not afraid to pick up more than one passenger or group at a time. On the way back to the clinic today, there were 6 of us in the small taxi, in addition to the driver (which includes four separate parties)! Although I don’t really enjoy the stuffy rides, I can completely see the benefit in picking up several riders at once.
Posted by ajvandeu at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2009
11 May 2009 - Bamenda (continued)
As Jane and I were posting to our blogs, Charlie cam into the COPAAP office and asked if we’d like to join him to see Commercial Avenue. After being in the clinic all day, we eagerly said yes. We took a cab down to the food market and walked between the stalls. The fare was beautiful and I was surprised to see familiar foods, like watermelon and mango (njama njama looks familiar too because it resembles spinach so much). We visited one of Charlie’s friends, Gerard, who was born in Cameroon, schooled in the U.S., and has lived in Germany for over 15 years. We had some drinks (I tried an outstanding Lager called Mützig) on a beautiful patio of his mid-construction bar/motel he intends to call “Bamenda Gästehaus” – German for “Bamenda Guest House.” Gerard was hilarious and a real citizen of the world.
Next, we proceeded to a restaurant owned by one of Charlie’s friends, Michael. There we spoke with both Michael and Nick, Cameroonians who had lived in America for a while, about the sorry state of Michigan athletics and their favorite U.S. television shows (which include “The Twilight Zone” and “The Young and the Restless”). Nick spoke in depth about his work providing electronic record-keeping systems to a hospital in Limbe and the desperate condition in which Cameroon currently resides. He was very upset with the lack of opportunity for his people. Still, his hopeful attitude for his country was encouraging to me. He seemed grateful that Jane and I were in Cameroon and mentioned that we should return to Cameroon when we are full-fledged doctors.
This entry would have stopped in the previous paragraph; however, I feel I should note that we just found a mouse in our flat. It’s currently shut in the kitchen.
Posted by ajvandeu at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
11 May 2009
11 May 2009 – Bamenda
Ah….mornings in Bamenda. It seems everyone in Bamenda gets an early start to their days here. I was woken up by very loud bells at 5 AM that lasted several minutes. Luckily, I fell back to sleep pretty quickly and got a couple more hours in before waking up at 7 to go to the clinic.
We knew that everything moved at a slower pace in Cameroon and that people generally don’t arrive to appointments on time, however I was stunned to discover that our 8 AM meeting didn’t start until roughly 9:15. I will definitely be practicing my patience over the next 4 weeks. While we were waiting for the meeting to start, Dr. Achu mentioned to Charlie, a VSO volunteer with COPAAP (see next paragraph), that they should institute some sort of time scheduling system. Charlie mentioned a time card punch, but Dr. Achu turned down the idea, with the point that so many mechanical items in Cameroon break too quickly.
We began the morning with an orientation to COPAAP (Community Partnership Against AIDS Program). Dr. Achu is the CEO of COPAAP and several of the VSO (Volunteer Services Overseas) volunteers here work with COPAAP. The program seems outstanding and I was pleased to see it was able to secure grants fairly successfully, including a grant from the Clinton foundation.
For lunch our housekeeper, Evelyn, made us fruit salad (mangoes, watermelon, paw paw, and pineapple) along with chicken and spaghetti. The spaghetti sauce was delicious and very different from marinara. This sauce was pretty spicy with green peppers and curry. Evelyn also bought me some sandals in the market – they’re outstanding (they have the Liverpool football club logo on them)!
After lunch we headed back to the clinic for a COPAAP administrative meeting. Here, we learned more about the work that COPAAP is currently pursuing. They are working on a development program where they hire motorbike taxi drivers to work in Bamenda, wearing COPAAP uniforms to help spread the word about the program and HIV awareness. They also mentioned that the drivers would be wearing helmets to promote safe motor-biking. Additionally, they are using grant money to help provide medical kits to volunteers who are working in local villages.
Towards the end of our meetings, Jane and I worked out more details of our projects while we’re here. Jane will be speaking with patients about their HIV/AIDS treatments to see how they incorporate the care at the clinic with other treatments. I will be observing and assessing the flow of patients in the clinic and HIV Treatment Center to determine inefficiencies and hopefully improve the process for patients.
We are very grateful for a sound Internet connection here in the clinic. This means we will not have to travel to Internet cafes (or pay money!) to get connected.
The weather here has been great. Yesterday was pretty hot, but as long as we’re inside during the hottest hours of the day (from about 11 AM – 4 PM), we don’t notice the heat too much. It even gets a little cold at night!
I find the fashion in Bamenda very interesting. Some people wear what seems to be traditional African clothing (or at least what Westerners perceive as traditional) – dresses and shirts with bright patterns and unique headwear. Still, others wear very Western clothing – jeans, t-shirts, sports jerseys. There doesn’t seem to be any distinction between socioeconomic status and clothing choice – citizens of both styles mix with each other and an individual’s job does not seem to dictate style of dress. I also have been intrigued by women carrying items on their heads – pots, trays, stacks of clothing. I thought this act was an extremely Westernized portrayal of African life, but the women (and some men) here really do that.
Posted by ajvandeu at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2009
10 May 2009 - Bamenda, Bafut
Last night I went to bed, overjoyed with the joy that I would be able to sleep in the following morning. Oddly enough, I only slept in until about 8:30 AM. Still, since I went to bed at 10 PM the night before, I got a solid amount of sleep.
Jane and I walked next door to the clinic and met Dr. Melissa in her TB lab. She was very gracious in helping us set up my laptop so I could get a wireless signal in the clinic.
Dr. Achu came to visit us at the apartment and talked for about an hour about how the Mezam Polyclinic came to be and how its AIDS clinic was formed. He was very proud of the fact that he named his clinic the “Mezam Polyclinic” (Mezam is the name of the local region; that is, Mezam is to Bamenda as Washtenaw is to Ann Arbor) because then no one else could name his clinic the same name.
Jane and I walked around the city and had lunch at a small restaurant – very spicy white beans and plantains. Although everything tasted pretty good, the beans were just a little too much for me to handle. We walked further down the road to buy soap and toilet paper and Jane got a SIM card for her phone (I lucked out and AT&T apparently relates to one of the major local networks, MTN Cameroon, so I can make – very expensive – calls to home).
We met up with Dr. Achu & Dr. Melissa and Dr. Achu drove us to Bafut, where we met his son, who is at boarding school there. The schools in the area are very competitive with one another because their students’ test scores are publicly posted. Dr. Melissa explained that Cameroon uses the English system of schooling, where students take exams at different levels to prove proficiency. Dr. Achu’s son, Gustav, was preparing for his “A” levels and then would take his “O” levels. I didn’t really know the English did it this way, but it did remind me of Harry Potter taking his “O.W.L.S.” and “N.E.W.T.S.”
Leaving Gustav to his studies, the four of us then drove to Savanna Botanical Gardens shortly down the road. The Gardens were beautiful – they were started by a botanist who was very passionate about saving the environment. We ate dinner in the Gardens – chicken, fries, and spinach-like vegetables. I tried one of the local spirits, Gordon’s Spark, a mixture of gin and fruit flavoring. Although I still prefer my Whisky Sours, the Gordon’s Spark was pretty good.
We drove back to the clinic. I took a shower via the sink because the shower’s hot water wasn’t working. Later, Jane started screaming from the bathroom – apparently the hot water had started flowing and it was scalding hot. The hot water wouldn’t turn off – the knob was broken and we had to push it back into its socket so the water would only trickle out instead of pouring out of the shower head. Jane called Dr. Achu as I held the knob in place. With the help of the night watch, a nurse from the clinic, and Dr. Achu himself (who drove in from home just to help us), the shower finally turned off. The cause is still unknown.
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:16 PM | Comments (1)
May 09, 2009
9 May 2009 - Bamenda
We woke up early this morning to get breakfast and head to the bus. Finding a bus was crazy, but made easier by the wisdom of Anicestus. Around 9:30 AM, we boarded the bus to Bamenda. After sitting for an hour and a half, the stuffy, muggy bus departed at 11 AM.
During the bus ride, I met a very interesting man named Marcel. He worked as a welder in a shipyard in Douala, but was traveling home to see his family in Bamenda. He talked of many things, including his love for Barack Obama, his hatred for the French, and his belief that global warming is an imaginary concept.
The scenery on the bus ride was gorgeous – so much greenery! The landscape was covered in trees and many mountains. I would have taken pictures, bus as Jane and I stuck out pretty greatly, I didn’t want to draw any more attention to us. As we drove, we passed through several small towns where children would sometimes get on the bus and try to sell us food items. I was surprised by their persistence, but more surprised by how many people bought goods from the children – I guess the children knew their market! Also, on the way, I saw a girl in a University of Michigan jersey as well as a guy with a shirt that said “Canada, Eh?”
Eight hours after we had boarded the bus, we finally arrived in Bamenda. With very stiff legs and a very full bladder, I got off the bus with Jane and we met Sylvester, who works at the clinic. Sylvester took us to meet Dr. Achu (our boss), Dr. Achu (another one…this one is a pharmacist), and Dr. Melissa (who is from Colorado!) for dinner. We kept dinner brief as the doctors could see Jane and I falling asleep at the table.
After dinner, Dr. Achu showed us to our quarters – a small apartment behind the clinic. Jane and I settled in, assembled our mosquito tents, and studied briefly before calling it quits early to catch up on some rest.
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:15 PM | Comments (1)
May 08, 2009
8 May 2009 – Douala – Madiba Hotel
We arrived! …sort of. Jane and I finally made it to Cameroon. We are staying one night in Douala, the largest city in Cameroon and home to its largest airport. Tomorrow we will continue our journey by taking an extremely length bus ride to Bamenda, where we will be spending most of our time.
The flights were good, although there was much back and forth loading/unloading on our plane from Paris to Douala, as the plane was having mechanical problems. Still, we took off, only 2 hours late.
When we arrived in the Douala airport, we got in line for our vaccination cards to be checked. As we were waiting in line, a man tried to steal our cards. He had mine in his hand and would have taken it had I not pulled it away.
After passing customs, “Airport Security Guards” came to “help” us with our luggage. After one found mine, he demanded I pay him for it. I insisted I didn’t have any money, but he kept asking for payment. I finally grabbed my bag from him and told him I was taking my luggage. We got Jane’s luggage without their assistance.
Luggage in hand, we tried to pass through to exit. We had been warned that guards may try to search our bags and chare us for certain items. As we tried to leave, we were incessantly pestered by other “guards” who said they could get us through faster and without our bags being checked. I thought we’d be there all night but after about 15 minutes a saint of a security guard (a real one this time) let us through without checking our bags.
Outside we fought through a boisterous crowd and found our driver – Anicestus Takwi. He got us away safely and quickly and brought us to a delicious restaurant called “The Oasis.” We shoveled in some chicken, rice, and potatoes, and departed for the hotel.
On the drive to the hotel, we saw flashlights beaming on the road ahead of us. Anicestus had to pull the small car to the side of the road. The night patrol came to the window and examined his licenses and our passports. I was pretty nervous that we’d have to pay off the patrolmen, but we were confirmed legitimate and allowed to pass.
Before we went to the hotel, we stopped to meet Dr. Achu’s (our future boss) junior brother, Bob, who is an architect in the city. Bob Achu spoke to Jane and me briefly. We saw a project he was currently designing – luxury homes in a nearby city. I found it interesting that his office used Windows Vista – everyone seems to hate it in the U.S.!
Finally, we made our way to the hotel. Jane and I were given separate room; both are very nice and I am looking forward to sleeping soon.
I can’t believe we’re all this – it’s an incredibly fascinating world in Cameroon – I can’t wait to see what the scenery looks like in the daylight! Although I found so much of the mayhem in Cameroon somewhat dangerous and intimidating, Jane assured me that it is not too unusual for international travel. As if the Canadian customs officers weren’t tough enough….
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:14 PM | Comments (1)
May 06, 2009
Test Entry
This is my test entry for my Cameroon travel blog.
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)