Grub from Grubs

Happy St. Patty's Day and Easter all…weird weird weird with every passing holiday!

First and foremost I HAVE RUNNING WATER IN MY HOUSE!!! Granted there are a few problems: toilet doesn't work, no bathroom sink, water is nasty brown color…but hey…I love it! SOOOO exciting to wash my face from a faucet instead of a cup, and I haven't yet used my shower (the water's been cut 2 of the 3 days I've had it) but am very very excited for my first non-bucket bath in my house! I'll be honest though I'm going to miss going to get water, it was always at least something to do and gave people a better opinion of me as the not so weak white girl. Plus I will miss the bonding time with my dear water buddy Michelle.

Secondly, I wanted to preface this post by saying that I am feeling sort of at a lack of stories. My life here has become just that, my life, not as interesting to myself as you all tell me it is and not something I myself always deem worth writing about…and although I've always been good for the telling of pointless stories, I don't want to be boring to all of you! Therefore I wanted to ask if you have any questions about stuff here. Things I haven't included that you've been wondering about, things you want to hear more about, etc…You can also tell me to stop repeating myself so often and that you are sick of stories about insects or whatever if you feel the need. :>) If so it'd be great if you could post them as a comment to this post, and I'll periodically check and progressively respond to them all. If you don't want to post it on here, email me: kate.legner@gmail.com.

Last weekend I spent a bit of time with the volunteer a bit north of me, we did some research for my soy presentation (which, by the way, has been postponed till next week….of course, but I made a pretty sweet poster and game) and I enjoyed my time with her as I always do. Her counterpart forced me to eat Fausse (not sure how to spell this)…which are grubs on a stick. Horrible horrible texture, to all those of you who say the texture of tofu is bad, eat a grub. Also horrible horrible texture when it gets stuck in your teeth and re-enjoyed 2 hours later…gross gross gross…definitely gave me credibility when I told my neighbors about it though and now they have offered to also prepare me crickets, because oh, I love eating bugs.

Here in Ebolowa, I've started taking Boulou classes with the counterpart of my postmate. I've had 2 now, and they are quite intense. I have difficulty with language always and taking a one on one class in French to learn Boulou is tricky tricky. I used my knowledge to tell my neighbors I was going into town and they were SOOOO happy, cheering, etc…but now they think they can speak to me in Boulou at all times, which causes some interesting conversations:

neighbor: "blah blee boulou blah"
me: "eh?! Ma ké sicolo." Translation: "what? I'm going to school"
neighbor: "Téké. Bleh bloo blah" Translation: "no. Bleh bloo blah"
me: "bye" Translation: "oh my gosh I don't understand anything you say ever I'm leaving"

Other things in village: I was forced into an hour long conversation with my landlady about Jehovah…I was honest with her and shared with her my feelings on things, etc…but she's still convinced she's going to change my mind and wants to sit down and read the bible with me…even though I told her several times I really didn't want to. This was even after I tried to buy her love and forgiveness by knitting her a potholder with a heart on it. Haha… I've also been cross stitching like a fiend, and still finding it awkward that within 5 minutes of me sitting out on my bench on my porch I have an entire gaggle of children standing around me just watching me with great interest. A few days ago though one kid brought over his own needle and thread and was fixing shoes on my porch with me… I have officially named the youth soccer team the Wisconsin Badgers, and my neighbor Billy is checking into getting jerseys made…that say "Wisconsin Badgers", though I forgot to tell him the appropriate colors, I requested one also. The Ngalane men's soccer team had their first game yesterday…I ended up going. It went something like this: little neighbor girl asks if I'm going, I say "sure, a soccer game, what the heck else do I have to do" (I say this in Boulou obviously, haha, JUST KIDDING), Michelle my water buddy screams, jumps up and down with this news, and then proceeds to be my constant companion all night, half the village piles into 2 vehicles, I clearly get the place of honor in the front of the car while about 30 people pile into one van…we go to a village a half hour north of Ebolowa, watch the game, I get mauled by mosquitos, the people who don't know me yell things at me, I back talk, we pile back in the 2 cars drive 3 minutes, get out, everyone gets handed pieces of sugar cane at some random house, I of course get an ENTIRE cane which is far taller than me, we go into the house, I have to sit in a chair, everyone gets a spoon and eats something out of a big pot, 2 minutes later we all run out, pile back in, and off we go!

It was pretty fantastic however since everyone we were with from my village did the utmost in protecting me and making sure I wasn't left behind…it was really really nice and I felt like not so much of an outsider…no matter what I looked like to the other village there. I had a similar feeling when I was coming through the village where the volunteer lives north of me on my way back from Yaounde a while ago. We had stopped at the barrier and I was in a big bus next to the window. I heard someone yelling my name over and over…and way up on a hill next to the road was one of the little girls in the village who always comes to talk with the other volunteer and I. It's such a good feeling to be known by name and recognized like that, instead of just always being the anonymous white girl.

The rainy season is in full swing, and this means power and water cuts constantly. Oddly enough, I have come to look forward to the power being cut around 7 most nights because this means no Cameroonian pop music blasting behind my bedroom until 2 AM and picking back up at 6 AM on the dot. I light my candle, read a book, then go to sleep to crickets instead…quite nice. The rain also means my running has taken a bit of a blow. Now my route choices are as follows 1)harassment on pavement into town or 2)scenic forest with 20 extra pounds of mud on my feet. So far I've chosen the mud, but almost killed myself sliding down hills, and have almost wanted to kill myself from the extra mud stress! Don't take that seriously. I also took a really muddy back road into town one day just because I had heard that that's where it went…I told Obam this and he thought it was hilarious that I would do something like that just because, and he himself had never been down this road (even though it is about 1/4 mile away from his office and right near his village)…I always think it's crazy how people here think I'm so crazy for doing things like: going for walks, finding things outside like cool rocks or whatever, and even reading…
Work has been as usual, I worked with the soy "group" on Wednesday and we finished clearing the field, and now will be planting this Wednesday. I have a meeting with an organization in Ngoulemakong (where the girl is north of me) this next Thursday and am really interested in what they do and hoping (with all my fingers, and toes if possible, crossed) that I'll get to work with them…they really have their stuff together and the woman I've been in contact with is Anglophone. Other than that, Obam's been getting a little bit too laid back about stuff in my opinion, and I created these calendars that I'm going to force him to sit down and fill up with ideas of things we can do…hoping this will spark some kind of work…

Thanks for reading as always and post me questions!!!

AHHH A swimming pool

It's been a relatively busy past week and a half! At home I've spent a lot of time waiting around for the plumbers and watching them tear up several of my walls and floor (I really wanted to do this part, they just went nuts with a big hammer). Sadly I just got stuck doing the clean up after the plumbers stole my only cleaning rag! But… I do not yet have water because the pipe to the bathroom sink is just a gapping hole…so in theory I could open the main valve and sprint to my bathroom to catch the spray from the pipe in a bucket, then sprint outside and turn it off…I'm almost thinking I just prefer the walk to the source! My neighbor flowerman has been in top form lately, I had flowers in every room of the house: kitchen, living room, bedroom AND bathroom! He also added another plant to my porch and told me his idea is to fill the ENTIRE porch with plants…he's got one side of the house down, 2 to go! I do however feel a bit guilty since he makes my little neighbor girls carry the water for all of these plants… My landlady found mushrooms somewhere at the market, huge delicious ones and gave me a lot…the second time I've gotten to eat them here, and this time not out of a can! Very very exciting. Lastly, house wise, I had my first mouse/rat entry. Somewhere between the hours of 8:00-9:00pm on Wednesday, March 6, I set foot in my kitchen simply to brush my teeth, little did I know there would be an enormous mouse/small rat (I haven't decided yet but definitely bigger than a mouse) freaking out when it saw me. I almost had a heart attack because obviously it scared me as much as I scared it, but I watched it from the safety of the doorway to see where it would go. In it's insanity it ran into the wall at top speed and did a backflip, which lightened the mood a bit, and then squeezed out under the crack under my door. He has not been back!

In the neighborhood, I decided I wouldn't put up with the random guys around yelling things at me. So I started yelling things at them, including the harsh insults like "You are impolite!" Due to this I made friends with a neighbor woman who was happy I said it because "that guy bothers everyone". My one neighbor man has enlisted my help with the naming of the town soccer team, he told me it should be something from my home, so yep, Wisconsin Badgers…eh, what else!? :>) Lastly under this topic of discussion, I was sitting on the steps of the small deli in town waiting for my postmate and friend, and a little girl (7 or 8) came up and handed me a coin. Now, these steps are usually where the poor/homeless people in town come to beg because it's considered one of the "white mans stores" (aka expensive)…but what?! Never so far in my life in this country has someone given ME money because they thought I was poor! It was the cutest thing…but I returned the money to her with lots of "Mercis".

Travel wise, I got to go to Yaounde Thursday thru Sunday and saw a LOT of people from my training group that I haven't gotten to see in far too long. We did amazing things like going swimming at the Hilton pool (which was incredible…just swimming period, but the place was soo soo nice), getting drinks at the Hilton happy hour roof top bar on the company tab of an old volunteer who was in Yaounde for business, going to a Rasta drumming show where I used my tambourine skills…it was all around a very excellent and real vacation!

Work wise, I have started working with my supervisor's nephew, who lives in a village a 45 min walk from my house. We had a meeting this past Monday, attended by 15 people (this is a TON) and then this Wednesday I met them in the field to help clear the land after it'd been burned (moving burned up sticks and grass clumps from ground to large pile for 2 hrs). We are going to be planting soy beans next Wednesday…so if anyone has any information on this, send it my way. I have no clue! I have to do some research. I also, next Wednesday, have to give a small training session to these people on soy, nutrition, usage…etc…and although I spent way too much time being excited about Tofu (you who know me know this to sadly be true) and eating it in all forms in the States, I don't know many concrete, easy to explain things about the soy bean itself. SOOO…this will be interesting, but I am really really excited (along with nervous) to give a presentation and feel like I accomplished some tangible thing. I like the nephew a lot, he's worked with several Peace Corps Volunteers and gets it when I try to explain how I'm thinking/feeling about something. On of his neighbor girls who worked with us was friendly, and my age, which together hasn't been common…so she now has my phone number and we are apparently planning her a birthday party in…November…?!

Missing everyone!

Pictures from Ebolowa

My neighbor boy, Dorien, we have high five and waving contests.

aka: BEST BUDS

The goat that lurks around habitually,

notice his poo on my porch.

A beautiful grasshopper ... Wow I love my camera!

We hiked up to one of the big hills in Ebolowa and this is the view away

from the city. Foggy picture and I'll try again.

Flowers my neighbor Billy gave me.

Biggest spider in the world.

My neighbor Billy's farm. Billy & kids are just visible.

Deforestation!

Weird run down resort on my way home, has a lake with boat house, hotel/bar

building and this bizarre & creepy statue.

What most street look like when it rains here.

Me in the woods when we kinda got lost.
Notice my hiking apparell.



Catholic Mission on the way to my house. I
never realized it was this enormous until I explored it!

RIOTS & MAYHEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright, I'm going to start with the recent situation here, not the best of news, but as of now everything is calming down and we are all feeling pretty positive that all will return to normal shortly! Not sure how much has been in the news in the states (I'm guessing very little), so I will be your Cameroonian news source! Last Monday/Tuesday things started to get a little iffy in Douala, Yaounde, and a few of the provinces in the western part of the country. I think things initially started because gas prices rose (and here any little bit affects them a lot more ultimately than I think it would us in the states), followed by a price rise in a few goods, such as the price increase of 50 CFA on bread. Not sure how one thing led to another but a few strikes and riots broke out in the aforementioned places, as far as I know 17 people were killed in Douala, people were marching in Bafoussam (in the West) burning boutiques for demonstrations etc., and most transport agencies around the country were closed due to roadblocks. In my province, the South, there was no sign whatsoever of any problems, only a 100 CFA more expensive taxi ride out to my house and lines at the gas stations due to the gas shortage/prices, which is actually not at all uncommon. So my post mate, another volunteer in the South and I have spent the last week being torn between messages from fellow volunteers in the affected areas, messages from the Peace Corps administration (telling us to pack our emergency bag in case we would need to quickly be evacuated), and the lack of problems we've noticed here. It's been only rough mentally for us, trying to believe one day that we're going home for certain and the next morning being told that everything is calming down. It's so weird to think that potentially I could have not seen a single problem in the country yet be forced to leave before I've really accomplished anything! So...interesting week. I know a few people have mentioned they're worried about me, but please take this as my way to inform (with the little I really know :>)) and get things written down truthfully, and that when I say I feel perfectly safe and sound that I'm being honest! I'm sure there are much more dangerous places to be in the US right now!

It's been nice to have the other volunteer staying with us here in Ebolowa for a while. She's the other Agro forestry volunteer in the South, so we met up a few times with Hans my supervisor and discussed some work related info. And did a little tour of the market with him. Obam has his motto fixed, but then was without gas, so we haven't gone anywhere for over a week now. I'm going to get pushy this week about planning some meetings, etc. with both Hans and Obam...so watch out! :>) The other volunteer and I did some exploring out around my house, aka getting lost in the woods. We walked out into the forest, me thinking that the trail would lead to a road I sort of knew the location of, but over an hour later and we finally made the call to turn around, and then after a few tries found our way back. I took some pretty incredible pictures of bugs, which I’m overly excited about and will definitely post for all of you to enjoy as well,count on it! It was nice to have her around to go exploring, because that is definitely something I don't think I can do out in the middle of the forest alone! We also went to the bank because I noticed that money was randomly (and RAPIDLY) leaving my account. I demanded a statement ("give me a list of money in the account"), filled out 3 different transaction slips, signing each at least twice (I don't understand their system), received my statement and proceeded to yell in broken French "this is too expensive, you did not tell me, you are taking my money"! After a bit of time and after everyone near me in the bank had stopped to observe me (which, hey, that happens pure and simply upon my entry into the establishment.) the bank man explains to me that here it apparently costs (close to 10 dollars USD,.that is way to much in the states!) each MONTH just to have an account, and proceeded to laugh at me saying "ahahahah Legnar, Legnar, hahahaha". Oh well, the next day I saw the bank man on the street and he was back to kissing my cheeks, no hard feelings.

Things with my neighbors are good as usual. I received 8 bananas from my neighbor girl that was previously angry at me, and at least 20 from Obam, trust me, I will have no problems with potassium any time soon. So I've been working on ways to use them all up, including making banana bread. The first batch I distributed among the neighbors and everyone really liked it a lot (which is kind of unusual, most often any food we've tried to prepare for them is received by a look of disgust, little do they know their food is actually the grosser ;>)) so my neighbor requested my recipe for his birthday 2 days later. I offered just to make it for him, and he was very excited to receive it...he said "thank you" in English, if that exemplifies anything?! He then gave us a big piece of fish head to enjoy, and some palm wine, even steven. My landlady and landlord both just got back from Yaounde (they had been stuck there due to lack of buses running) and I am told she has pieces to fix my water problem...I hope! Although there's been no shortage of rain the past few days, and thus no lack of the resultant lake in my kitchen! I need to figure out a way to direct kitchen flood water directly to flush the toilet...

Hope you're all doing well, and please be rest assured that I AM FINE!!! :>) (but sometimes sickeningly honest).