June 14, 2009
14 June 2009 - Ann Arbor
First….pictures (finally!): http://www.flickr.com/photos/avandeusen/sets/72157619743689114/
There aren’t too many as flickr doesn’t like to allow a whole bunch, but if Facebook ever cooperates with uploading new pictures I’ll post the link to those as well.
I officially made it home. Not wanting to leave everyone in the dark about our last few days in Limbe, here is a short recap of our adventure during the last few days in Cameroon:
We left Bamenda early Saturday morning, once again lucking out and riding with the Municipal Treasurer of a local village on his way back to the coast. The MT, Henry, was going to see his family briefly in Douala and then go to a meeting in Limbe, where he would drop us. It was a much shorter ride back to the coast than it was getting to Bamenda, as we weren’t on a bus! Once in Douala, we got to meet some of Henry’s family, including his wife and daughter. His wife ended up joining us on our way to Limbe.
Once we arrived in Limbe (after only about 7 hours of traveling), Jane and I checked into our hotel, the Holiday Inn Resort Hotel. Despite sounding like a very luxurious, Western hotel, this particular complex had no affiliation with the chain most of us Americans know. Still, it had air conditioning and a shower that briefly worked, so Jane and I were pretty much in heaven.
We spent the next few days relaxing in Limbe at Seme Beach and Mars Restauarant. We were both pretty exhausted and often opted for the wonderful air conditioned room rather than taking too many ventures out into the heat. We were picked up in Limbe on Tuesday morning by Anicestus, the same driver who originally picked us up from the airport. He drove us back to Douala for a not-so-brief dinner at Oasis (we hung around there for a little while to avoid getting to the airport too early), then dropped us off at Douala airport. There were far fewer harassers on the “departure” end, meaning Jane and got to go hang out in the halfway air-conditioned gate 21 boarding area.
After a very empty flight (literally less than half the plane was full), we arrived in Paris early Wednesday morning. I exchanged some traveler’s checks for Euros, bought a few souvenirs and tore into a very hearty breakfast of a chocolate croissant (I really wanted crepes, but I guess settling for croissants isn’t that bad). Jane and I spent the next several hours trying to stay busy, but mostly just falling asleep at various points around the terminal. I managed to get some great new sunglasses.
At 4:30 PM on Wednesday we finally landed back in Michigan. Jane and I had packed our traditional garments to wear for greeting our families in the airport and changed into them after making it through customs.
A great experience it was, but I am very glad to be home.
Posted by ajvandeu at 05:17 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2009
5 June 2009 - Bamenda
Today is our final day in Bamenda!
I wrote yesterday's entry, but will publish later (along with a more detailed version of today's).
Jane and I are heading to Limbe, Cameroon for a few days before we return home. We will be without Internet while we're there, so we won't be able to post entries until we return.
Please be on the look-out for updates (as well as pictures and maybe video) on 10 June or 11 June.
Posted by ajvandeu at 09:31 AM | Comments (2)
June 03, 2009
3 June 2009 - Bamenda
Last full day of office work – not much to report. We finished our final presentations and wrapped up loose ends of projects.
After work, we took our (probably) last trip to Vatican Supermarket to get bread and crackers for our final week. We proceeded to Dreamland, where we saw Steve! We eagerly joined his table (we weren’t really invited; we just kind of went and sat down…). Steve had just taught the staff at Dreamland how to make a steak sandwich (which will forever be called “Steve’s Steak Sandwich” there) so Jane and I ordered one as well. After an hour or so of waiting, we were able to try it. Job well done, Steve (and Dreamland) – it was one of our more satisfying meals here. Two other volunteers, Michael (from Uganda) and Ashley (from the US!) also joined us. The conversation was great and it was outstanding to spend one of our last nights in Bamenda with such a friendly, talkative group of individuals.
With T-minus one week until I am back in the States, I have a few things to which I’m looking forward. I feel like I can now “realistically” think about them as they are very close. I cannot wait for a real shower and sleeping in a bed without a mosquito net. We “wash up” here, but it’s never a "shower" and, although we’ll have a shower in Limbe, it won’t quite be the same until the shower is distinctly separated from the rest of the bathroom. Additionally, I am really looking forward to a balanced diet. I’m no fruits-and-veggies enthusiast, but as most fruits, vegetables, and meats here aren’t too safe to eat, we stick to mainly carbs, with some eggs or chicken occasionally (with the exception of the above-mentioned delicious steak sandwich). Lastly, I am excited to just feel comfortable and connected again. I don’t know if being somewhat closed off from the rest of the world makes me uncomfortable, but it definitely doesn’t help make me feel more at home.
I should also point out that I will miss a few things about Bamenda as well. I have really enjoyed working with COPAAP at Mezam Polyclinic. The work was interesting and I felt like I have been contributing to a worthwhile cause. Also, the people within COPAAP and Mezam are some of the most genuinely nice humans I’ve met (cliché, but true). Beyond that, I can’t imagine what stress feels like anymore and I know I will long for some lazy Cameroonian Sundays once next semester kicks in.
Power outages: 47
Posted by ajvandeu at 01:23 AM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2009
2 June 2009 - Bamenda
With our final presentations rapidly approaching, Jane and I spent the morning wrapping up loose ends at the office. I met with Dr. Achu to go over nutrition for HIV/AIDS patients. He stressed the most important need was to get patients to adhere to a diet where they receive the recommended nutrients for the general population, then focus on administering more B and C vitamins. He also spoke of a project COPAAP was trying to put together about soya bean production and conversion to good-tasting food.
Around noon, a circuit breaker on our floor of the clinic caught on fire, causing the power to go out. Luckily, it happened while the staff was there or the whole building could have been burned down. We were without power for most of the afternoon.
After work, our housekeeper delivered our garments that we had sewn by a seamstress in town. I got a vest and a messenger bag; Jane got a shirt and purse. They turned out really well! Before dinner, Jane and I made a video on her camera of our flat. It will hopefully be posted somewhere shortly after our return!
Power outages: 45
Posted by ajvandeu at 03:50 AM | Comments (1)
June 01, 2009
1 June 2009 - Bamenda
I can’t believe we started our final week of work – we have been here for over three weeks now! Nothing too exciting in the office today – COPAAP administrative meeting and then updating/fixing projects. We’ll be making our final presentations to the staff on Thursday.
After a grueling day of office work, Jane and I headed to Dreamland for our final attempt at getting hamburgers (Dreamland, and nearly every other “tourist”-y restaurant in town have hamburgers on the menu but no restaurants have ever had them available when we try to order one). Once again, our attempt was in vain. We settled for chicken (easily the safest meat to eat here).
With little else to do but read at night, Jane and I were getting rather bored during the evenings and weekends. Early on, we figured out that the pirated DVD’s sold here don’t work on the laptop, meaning we had very few sources of entertainment (we have a TV, but the one channel, CRTV, is very awful and often in French, so we can’t bear to watch it). After scouring through the laptop my dad lent me, we came across a video of a Michigan Marching Band rehearsal for our “Beach Boys” show. This 8 minute, 12 second film has been quite the life-saver. We’ve watched it on numerous occasions (shhh….don’t tell Jane, but I sometimes watch without her) including this evening.
Power outages: 44
Posted by ajvandeu at 04:21 AM | Comments (0)