LETS ALL WISH KATE A HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 IN CAMEROON!!!!! YEAHHHH!!!
MOM & DAD LEGNER
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Seth's Cultural Event - Donate Please
From Kate,
Here is a link if you're interested in sending money to one of Kate's fellow PC Worker Seth's Cultural Event...Per Kate "its a bunch of us going up there and our band will be performing, as well as all of us presenting and having little booths with info for people to come visit and learn...Kim and I will be doing soy... so if you want to sum that up and post this on my blog it'd be great!i'll also be asking for money from people for the bike tour and for my water project in the future...so tell people not to go all out...like 5-10 bucks is cool if people want to donate
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=694-118
They can also search for it on the peace corps partnership website by country or project number: 694-118. The total amount we're asking for is under $900, so if everyone participating gets a few people in the states to give 10 or 20 bucks, it should be no problem. The money has to be in by the end of October, though, so kindly do your soliciting in a timely fashion."
Here is a link if you're interested in sending money to one of Kate's fellow PC Worker Seth's Cultural Event...Per Kate "its a bunch of us going up there and our band will be performing, as well as all of us presenting and having little booths with info for people to come visit and learn...Kim and I will be doing soy... so if you want to sum that up and post this on my blog it'd be great!i'll also be asking for money from people for the bike tour and for my water project in the future...so tell people not to go all out...like 5-10 bucks is cool if people want to donate
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=694-118
They can also search for it on the peace corps partnership website by country or project number: 694-118. The total amount we're asking for is under $900, so if everyone participating gets a few people in the states to give 10 or 20 bucks, it should be no problem. The money has to be in by the end of October, though, so kindly do your soliciting in a timely fashion."
Monday, September 1, 2008
Yes It's me!
I am fully aware that I haven't written to all of you for about 2 months…but I also realize that I am no longer ever in the mood to write for some reason…thus we have a conundrum! I hope everyone enjoyed my parents' blog entry and I think they definitely a great job of summing up what was one visit chock full of new experiences and strange/funny events for them. I was glad to have them here and I think I can say on everyone else's behalf, those who met them here, they were happy to have had the opportunity to meet them also. Upon my return to village after dropping my parents off at the airport I was asked "ou est ton papa" (where's your dad?) several thousand times by everyone and anyone I didn't even realize knew my parents had visited. I continue to remind them that my mother also visited and to us Americans we ask about both parents at once…and since I spent more time in my mother's body in the first place don't they think she's important as well (yes I actually tried to say that in French) Then I got shamed by several other people for not bringing my parents to visit them in specific, because they had prepared a meal/fruit/a gift/etc… to give to them. I think most endearing was Billy (as usual) who each and every time he came to my door during the past 3 weeks has asked me "has my brother called, how is he doing?" So, Dad AND Mom…you made an impression on everyone and I'm sure for the remainder of my stay here you will be a topic of conversation, in a good way, and help to humanize the odd white girl in town. As far as my immediate material benefit from the visit…it's been great living the high life, eating things that include peanut butter (in all forms and recipes I can think of), blueberry pancakes WITH maple syrup, starburst jellybeans, chocolate that doesn't taste like plastic, chemical powder lemonade mix…so so SO fabulous. When my mass stockpile of processed American food runs out it will a sad sad day. Kim and I often talk about how odd it is that we have these intense cravings for the most horrible of American food that we either never ate in the States, or know that we shouldn't… I wasn't even really raised eating much of the stuff, as far as Americans go I guess…but oh sugar, chemicals, and transfats…why do I crave thee.
I have been feeling a lot more normal lately, in the sense I'm finally feeling that I have friends I can act normal around, ie not constantly worry about all the issues race/money/perceptions of me influence all my interactions. A few weeks before my parents got here I gave my phone number out to a random guy after 5 minutes of conversation for the FIRST time. My reasons include 1) after finding out I was American he spoke in flawless American English, slang and all (I have heard probably one other Cameroonian capable of this) 2) after I said I was from Wisconsin he said "you must love cheese" and asked if I went to the UW 3) him and his friends are starting up a fair trade cocoa business in Ebolowa. I was astonished by 1 and 2, and 3 was just plain interesting…thus…phone number! :>) I ended up hanging out with him and meeting his other friends later that day…we went to some guys house to play some traditional game where you throw snail shells like tops at other snail shells (I wasn't very good). Turns out his IS an American…went to school at the University of Miami for 6 years, married to a woman there…etc…but wow it was fun to speak English with him. He's currently back in the states, but in the time since then I've hung out with his friends quite a few times, and although they don't speak English in the same way, I feel like I actually have friends, kinda my age, similar viewpoints (even on religion with 2 of them…NON EXISTENT here), etc etc etc... it's just GOOD, and rare to come by. Only one had been driving me crazy with incessant phone calls until I said STOP IT NOW, and he did. He's also the one that has a small sports car, a small fluffy dog, a diamond nose ring, and owns at least 2 hotels and night clubs. I keep telling everyone he is truly the "male Paris Hilton of Cameroon", if you can picture that…it's not far from the truth…interesting guy. I have been hanging out as much as usual with Hans and Serges, and they continue to always be there when I need them as well as always up for going to the bar for countless beers (I still can't keep up, not that I ever wanted to try). I spend so much time at the bar between these two groups of people and all their acquaintances, my entire college experience was the equivalent of a brief training session. Serges has pretty much become my new counterpart (Obam just hasn't been around and has been causing more headache than help when he does show up). Serges is excellent at organizing people, actually listening to other people's concerns and adjusting himself to them, and he works his butt off. Serges=sanity. :>) I've also spent some time with a female friend in HIV/AIDS group I attend meetings for…although there was a misunderstanding between us when she told me she was coming to my house to spend the entire weekend with me (including nights)…and I told her I thought she was joking…and she got angry…thus I funded beer and fish that night…buying people off… My neighbors are as interesting as ever. One guy, who's always full of promises (he promised my mom and dad a dance party or something of the like that never happened), came one day asking me if I would like to eat caterpillars he would collect for me, and what hair type and color of caterpillars I preferred (how does one answer such a question)…I told him: yes, I would try them, and to me the hair type and color are not a determining factor in my caterpillar culinary selections. Or, to not lie to you, reader, about my French abilities, I said "yes, I will taste, but not eat a plate, and it doesn't matter what their hairstyle is". He then proceeded to inform me that the last time he ate caterpillars he threw up all over the place…he definitely does not have a career as a caterpillar salesman, needless to say. He clearly forgot to bring me the caterpillars, but upon telling Hans and Serges that he had mentioned it, they forced me to buy some to taste in town…which I did…and I have to say they were the most difficult thing yet for me to eat here…the hair, the bulging eyes, the bajillion legs. Bleh.
WORK! Kim and I have been busy with soy formations…we are starting our rotation of formation (presentation), planting, cooking with a few new villages near me and near her and then a few small groups in both places…so it's been relatively busy with that, since we are once again at the beginning of the planting season here. I've also outplanted a few of my Moringa trees in one of the nurseries we had started, and everyone in the village was following us around begging for a tree for their yard/family. I had a meeting in Yaounde last week for the Environmental Education committee, and now I am apparently co president…pretty much because no once else offered…so me with another girl are in charge of organizing the committee and setting our goals, or whatnot. Our biggest thing will be the bike tour I mentioned in passing a while ago. I think it'll actually happen! We are in the beginning stages of organizing it and we're thinking the route will start in Ngoulemakong (Kim's town), go to Ebolowa, then to Lolodorf (another volunteer's town), then to Kribi (the beach!). Along the way (this isn't concrete AT ALL) we will teach a few brief courses on environmental topics to school kids and to teachers, with the goal in mind that they will continue something (like an environmental club or whatever) after we leave. Since we're estimating about 20 volunteers on the tour, it's going to be a major undertaking, planning wise. Kim and I just tried to complete our lodging/meals logistics and budget…this would be complicated in the states, here it's like 5x more complicated. BUT if we figure this out and pull it off we will all be very proud of ourselves. On the environmental education note, Kim and I are also planning and starting to organize classes we are going to try to teach, once a month, at a grade school in her town and a grade school in mine…which I'm excited about…I feel like I'm finally ready to step into a role as teacher (or even adult) in this culture. Lastly, of note (I don't think I mentioned this yet), my friend up in the NW province has organized a "cultural festival" for November at which the band will be playing. I have to practice up on the tambourine! A bunch of the volunteers from my training group will be there, and we're also all going to give presentations on various topics…clearly mine will be soy!
And for my last story…my house and it's continual water adventures. Someone decided to drive 2 enormous bulldozers down the strip of grass/hill behind my house to flatten it…and create a strip of muddy muddy garbage covered land with lots of stinkiness and flies. I'm not sure why this required TWO bulldozers since the area is about 100 feet long, and I'm not even sure where this machinery CAME from! But clearly it remained in this state, and then when the first big rain of the season came, the hill was moved even closer to my door…the water came down insanely fast, the soil was compacted and completely cleared of all vegetation…a virtual mudslide ensued INTO my kitchen…I do not joke when I say that the mud was ankle deep in my kitchen, and there I am trying to get the mud out of there so it can't spread to the rest of the house, while running outside to push the water RAPIDLY flooding onto my little porch and into the kitchen, while also trying to dig a trench with my hoe next to my porch, while also crying with rage at the stupid bulldozers. It was ridiculous…understatement of the year. The next morning my landlady sees the state of things and although I think she was trying to comfort me, telling me to "have patience" is not the correct word choice to console at a time like that. She fixed things up that day after I recounted the story. But the bulldozers are still there, broke down, and 3 dudes have been behind my house for 2 straight days revving the engine and sitting outside (and looking into) my bedroom windows. I guess they are putting houses in this narrow little strip of land…incase my house wasn't already the loudest/most public place on earth…I'm sure more stories will come from this!
ONE YEAR ON SEPTEMBER 22!!! Ayyyy
I have been feeling a lot more normal lately, in the sense I'm finally feeling that I have friends I can act normal around, ie not constantly worry about all the issues race/money/perceptions of me influence all my interactions. A few weeks before my parents got here I gave my phone number out to a random guy after 5 minutes of conversation for the FIRST time. My reasons include 1) after finding out I was American he spoke in flawless American English, slang and all (I have heard probably one other Cameroonian capable of this) 2) after I said I was from Wisconsin he said "you must love cheese" and asked if I went to the UW 3) him and his friends are starting up a fair trade cocoa business in Ebolowa. I was astonished by 1 and 2, and 3 was just plain interesting…thus…phone number! :>) I ended up hanging out with him and meeting his other friends later that day…we went to some guys house to play some traditional game where you throw snail shells like tops at other snail shells (I wasn't very good). Turns out his IS an American…went to school at the University of Miami for 6 years, married to a woman there…etc…but wow it was fun to speak English with him. He's currently back in the states, but in the time since then I've hung out with his friends quite a few times, and although they don't speak English in the same way, I feel like I actually have friends, kinda my age, similar viewpoints (even on religion with 2 of them…NON EXISTENT here), etc etc etc... it's just GOOD, and rare to come by. Only one had been driving me crazy with incessant phone calls until I said STOP IT NOW, and he did. He's also the one that has a small sports car, a small fluffy dog, a diamond nose ring, and owns at least 2 hotels and night clubs. I keep telling everyone he is truly the "male Paris Hilton of Cameroon", if you can picture that…it's not far from the truth…interesting guy. I have been hanging out as much as usual with Hans and Serges, and they continue to always be there when I need them as well as always up for going to the bar for countless beers (I still can't keep up, not that I ever wanted to try). I spend so much time at the bar between these two groups of people and all their acquaintances, my entire college experience was the equivalent of a brief training session. Serges has pretty much become my new counterpart (Obam just hasn't been around and has been causing more headache than help when he does show up). Serges is excellent at organizing people, actually listening to other people's concerns and adjusting himself to them, and he works his butt off. Serges=sanity. :>) I've also spent some time with a female friend in HIV/AIDS group I attend meetings for…although there was a misunderstanding between us when she told me she was coming to my house to spend the entire weekend with me (including nights)…and I told her I thought she was joking…and she got angry…thus I funded beer and fish that night…buying people off… My neighbors are as interesting as ever. One guy, who's always full of promises (he promised my mom and dad a dance party or something of the like that never happened), came one day asking me if I would like to eat caterpillars he would collect for me, and what hair type and color of caterpillars I preferred (how does one answer such a question)…I told him: yes, I would try them, and to me the hair type and color are not a determining factor in my caterpillar culinary selections. Or, to not lie to you, reader, about my French abilities, I said "yes, I will taste, but not eat a plate, and it doesn't matter what their hairstyle is". He then proceeded to inform me that the last time he ate caterpillars he threw up all over the place…he definitely does not have a career as a caterpillar salesman, needless to say. He clearly forgot to bring me the caterpillars, but upon telling Hans and Serges that he had mentioned it, they forced me to buy some to taste in town…which I did…and I have to say they were the most difficult thing yet for me to eat here…the hair, the bulging eyes, the bajillion legs. Bleh.
WORK! Kim and I have been busy with soy formations…we are starting our rotation of formation (presentation), planting, cooking with a few new villages near me and near her and then a few small groups in both places…so it's been relatively busy with that, since we are once again at the beginning of the planting season here. I've also outplanted a few of my Moringa trees in one of the nurseries we had started, and everyone in the village was following us around begging for a tree for their yard/family. I had a meeting in Yaounde last week for the Environmental Education committee, and now I am apparently co president…pretty much because no once else offered…so me with another girl are in charge of organizing the committee and setting our goals, or whatnot. Our biggest thing will be the bike tour I mentioned in passing a while ago. I think it'll actually happen! We are in the beginning stages of organizing it and we're thinking the route will start in Ngoulemakong (Kim's town), go to Ebolowa, then to Lolodorf (another volunteer's town), then to Kribi (the beach!). Along the way (this isn't concrete AT ALL) we will teach a few brief courses on environmental topics to school kids and to teachers, with the goal in mind that they will continue something (like an environmental club or whatever) after we leave. Since we're estimating about 20 volunteers on the tour, it's going to be a major undertaking, planning wise. Kim and I just tried to complete our lodging/meals logistics and budget…this would be complicated in the states, here it's like 5x more complicated. BUT if we figure this out and pull it off we will all be very proud of ourselves. On the environmental education note, Kim and I are also planning and starting to organize classes we are going to try to teach, once a month, at a grade school in her town and a grade school in mine…which I'm excited about…I feel like I'm finally ready to step into a role as teacher (or even adult) in this culture. Lastly, of note (I don't think I mentioned this yet), my friend up in the NW province has organized a "cultural festival" for November at which the band will be playing. I have to practice up on the tambourine! A bunch of the volunteers from my training group will be there, and we're also all going to give presentations on various topics…clearly mine will be soy!
And for my last story…my house and it's continual water adventures. Someone decided to drive 2 enormous bulldozers down the strip of grass/hill behind my house to flatten it…and create a strip of muddy muddy garbage covered land with lots of stinkiness and flies. I'm not sure why this required TWO bulldozers since the area is about 100 feet long, and I'm not even sure where this machinery CAME from! But clearly it remained in this state, and then when the first big rain of the season came, the hill was moved even closer to my door…the water came down insanely fast, the soil was compacted and completely cleared of all vegetation…a virtual mudslide ensued INTO my kitchen…I do not joke when I say that the mud was ankle deep in my kitchen, and there I am trying to get the mud out of there so it can't spread to the rest of the house, while running outside to push the water RAPIDLY flooding onto my little porch and into the kitchen, while also trying to dig a trench with my hoe next to my porch, while also crying with rage at the stupid bulldozers. It was ridiculous…understatement of the year. The next morning my landlady sees the state of things and although I think she was trying to comfort me, telling me to "have patience" is not the correct word choice to console at a time like that. She fixed things up that day after I recounted the story. But the bulldozers are still there, broke down, and 3 dudes have been behind my house for 2 straight days revving the engine and sitting outside (and looking into) my bedroom windows. I guess they are putting houses in this narrow little strip of land…incase my house wasn't already the loudest/most public place on earth…I'm sure more stories will come from this!
ONE YEAR ON SEPTEMBER 22!!! Ayyyy
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