HELLLOOOOO

HELLLOOOOO
1) Sorry, I haven't written in what feels like a really, really long time.
2) Sorrier yet because I have A LOT to say now.
3) Not sorry at all that I get to use my post mate's computer and make this as long as I want to!

MWAHAHAHA
So…by this time I've left my family and already arrived in Ebolowa but we'll go back…

Training stories:
I gave my "cultural presentation" which consisted of me talking for 15 minutes about tourist sites in Cameroon and pointing at them on a map…talk about fun. I did however create a fabulous tourist bingo game and brought a bingo craze to my Cameroonian instructors. OK, not really…but my sister liked it.

Agro Forestry Trainees also took a trip to CIPCRE (an agro forestry organization) in the nearby big town of Baffousam, and instead of doing anything productive we went to the bakery, the grocery store, and the ice cream shop. I did however get a big branch of Rosemary (the herb, my fav) from a medicinal plant garden and I have subsequently dried it and am SO EXCITED to use it!

Lastly, we took a trip to Yaoundé for banking purposes. This consisted of groups of 20 Americans going into the bank and coming out dripping in all the money we will need for the next 3 months and then going to the bakery, the grocery store, and the pizza place, ahhh the things cities have. We had an exciting moment when a few of us got stranded a few miles from the PC house when President Biya (the Pres.of Cameroon) was in town, and then his convoy passed us and I SWEAR I saw him, ok maybe not. Do your research on this guy as I'm not allowed political statements (at least I don't think) but….wow interesting fellow (that's all you get). We also saw several white people in Yaoundé, and this is such a weird feeling, white people I don't know, walking around, doing things I don't know about…it just shouldn't happen. We have named them UIWP: Un-Identified White Person. All of the trainees got all excited every time we saw one and we felt we had a right to know what exactly he or she was doing in this country. We also had some hilarious cab rides where for example: we taught a cab driver the American expression "F*!$ the man" (don't blame me, I was not the one who brought this up. My French isn't good enough).

Family stories:
I grew green beans in our front yard for my training nursery and taught my sister how to eat them raw. She thought this was amazing and absolutely hated it at first, but kept at it and right before I left she told me they were really good. I thought it a little odd that they grow these beans all the time but have never eaten them raw?! My mother had her last meeting with my home stay coordinator and told her I was a "real woman" now…I'm not sure what this means…but eh, I'll take it. We had our family dinner for all the trainees and 3 members of each family. It was slightly awkward but our band played and I played with so much flair I banged a tambourine bruise onto each of my thighs that remains to this day.

I gave my family the gifts I had brought them from the states…and it was so nice, I have honestly never seen someone more excited over the things I gave them (even when I made all of you people in Madison a washcloth for Christmas last year…hahaha…right…:>). I gave them the most random, dollar store items (except for 2 of your CDs Uncle Steve which they really liked and listened to over and over again) and they were beyond thrilled, telling me how nice I was, hugging me, kissing me… over pencils, a bouncy ball, and some flimsy ol' calendars. My sisters then gave me 2 pairs of gaudy dangly earrings (they know me too well apparently), and a bracelet. And my brothers. Well…first we took pictures with the 3 of them and the neighbor boy carrying me around the house at the same time. Then my brother (the one who's in love with me) wrote me a song, he always wants me to sing after he heard me sing for the band that one time. It was about Bangangte and how I would miss my brothers. Then I left the room for a few minutes,…latter on in the day I open my book and out falls his song, upon which he wrote "I love you Kate Legner" and signed his name…(Love confirmed). THEN the shocker…my brother who I thought hated me gave me a red rose…awe :>). Later the next day as I was leaving I had(seriously) a ten minute conversation with the love brother about how much he would miss me, how nice I was, etc etc (self esteem booster, Iguess?!). Leaving the family was a little weird…exciting but slightly sad, and alot of the kids weren't around so I never really got to say goodbye.The night before I left my mother stood in my doorway repeating "this is not good Kate, this does not please me". She is currently saving her money to come to Ebolowa at the end of January for my birthday. I 'm sure I will see them many more times.We had our swearing in ceremony in the middle of town. We all dressed up in matching outfits we had made with the fabric of the BamilekePeople (the people who make up most of Bangangte's population), a lot of important people were there: Ambassadors to Japan, England, France,the US and one other I forgot. Then we took our official U.S. Government office oath and TA-DA we were volunteers.So as I write this now I have been a volunteer for 6 days and what have I done…NOTHING!!! Yeah.

All us "volunteers" stayed at a hotel in Bangangte, and (like always happened at the end of a college semester) my immune system went to hell and I started getting really sick…spare you the details I know…but MAN it was not a fun time. The next day we had to travel to Yaoundé and by the time I got there I felt like death…I went to the doctor, had a 103 fever, etc etc (all the things that go along with something like the stomach flu, extreme style) and had to go to a lab in the city to get tested for malaria (which I thankfully didn't have).The doctor stuck me wrong and I bled like a stuck pig for a bit. I ended up sleeping a really long time, and felt sort of better in the morning, so left for Ebolowa. I was apparently feeling well enough, since I had an hour long argument with some Cameroonian guys who decided to move our baggage without asking and demand to be paid for it. You know your truly integrated into Cameroonian culture when you argue for an hour about the amount of money equivalent to a US Dollar. As of now I've been in Ebolowa for 3 days, and it seems I may be living at my post mate’s indefinitely! I finally got a hold of my counterpart (he's appearing to be a little flaky…today we had a talk about the expression "j'arrive" which means "I'm coming" . He said this to me today and didn't appear until over an hour later, as I stood out on the street corner). Any who, he took me out to my house…and not a whole lot has changed since I saw it a month ago. No windows, the walls aren't finished, the septic tank isn't finished being dug, no water or electricity hooked up (which is fine, but they lied to me before LIARS!), etc. My counterpart tells me Saturday…thus I have a week of NOTHING to do, at all…which is interesting! With all those other considerations you wouldn't think my counterpart would care, but he brought up curtains and made me go around the house looking at all the window and doorframe sizes. I suggested bead curtains…just like the purple walls (they are lightgreen :>( ). Joke…I don't think he got it. Last story! I am becoming quite the bargainer (not that I wasn'tcheap in the states, ha-ha) but wow did I get a deal on some sheets. By the end of our good 15 minute bargaining session the sheet seller told me I was a very strong "tu es très forte" and asked if I would like to sell with him in the market. I kindly denied, but with a week of nothing to do, I may reconsider.
XXXXXOOOOO
Pick what you want!
LOVE YOU ALL