Turkey Day!
December 2, 2009
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all! At the very last minute, a friend coaxed me into attending a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by other PCVs. If you didn’t know this about me, I am a very lazy person, socially. People like me in a crowd because I just follow whatever plans someone has made, no real objections, ever. I’m the dream of…
Read MoreHolidays Abroad
November 25, 2009
With Thanksgiving in just a few days, and no plans to celebrate, I realized that I have spent more Thanksgiving holidays away from the U.S. than actually being there engorge in delicious Thanksgiving meal and then past out in front of TV watching marathons of the latest popular series (I don’t care for football – the American kind). I think…
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Progress Report
November 24, 2009
For the past two weeks, I have been visiting schools and communities that I am responsible for between Batié, Bapa and Bandenkop, and checking up on there progress in library readiness. Much to my surprise, the schools were mostly very engaged and are making significant progress in getting things off the ground. Granted, there were definitely drama. One of the…
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Celebrating Old Age
November 24, 2009
This past weekend my rich neighbor had a BIG fête! My moto guy is a family member of this rich neighbor and they live in the same concession. He informed me of this rare event that occurs only once every 5 years or so – a fête to celebrate the elders in the family that reached 70 years old. For…
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Rolling Hills of Batié
November 23, 2009
Last week I visited the schools that I am working with for the Books For Cameroon project to check on their progress. On the way back, my moto guy, Emmanuel, took me on a different path home, and I saw a new side of Batié that I have not seen even after a year here. The day was gorgeous. The…
Read MoreEl Campero
November 23, 2009
One of my favorite pastime back in the “real world” is to sit at a café alone and people watch. Also the same reason why I love airports. Strangers I do not know are very interesting to watch. Each possesses their own aura and have their individual stories. I can sit for hours watching people and capture their own ordinary…
Read MoreRadio on TV!
November 23, 2009
Two weekends ago, the Cameroon’s national football (soccer) team was playing the final qualifying match against Morocco for the World Cup. The number one national sport in this country is drinking beer, and the second is watching football, while drinking beer. Naturally, this was a big deal. I headed to Dschang to hand out with Clotilde, a French girl I…
Read MoreVillage Justice
November 10, 2009
Back in March, I eluded to the justice system in village, and the amusing ways that news get around. Last week, I was once again reminded just how things operate here, and how different it is from the justice system that we are so used to in the modern world. Last Monday, on my way to Market Day, my moto…
Read MoreSpecial Thank You
November 10, 2009
After months of incessant money begging via all the desperate measures that I could come up with using my only tool – the Internet, I somehow managed to raised $11,500, with the help of Kate, Siobhan and Laura. This is a special post to thank all of you that have helped me in one way or another throughout this process.…
Read MorePast. Present. Future.
November 10, 2009
Yesterday, I sent off my graduate school applications to my European schools of choice. Today, I feel free for the first time in a while to think about updating this neglected blog. Even though I still have three more applications to sent for American schools, having done those three felt like a major step forward – this is really happening,…
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