It's been raining big style here. Strong driving rain that doesn't relent for anything.
The thunder is the loudest i've ever heard in my life too. There was a thunder bolt hit a tree outside my room that actually shook my bed. My ears were ringing and i damn near soiled myself.
I guess it's all part of the experience but i really didn't expect the rains to come this soon. I've been told it's unheard of to get such heavy rain in March, so i'll chalk it up to global warming.
I know America and China and to a big extent, the U.K are the main conributers to carbon emissions in the world, but you should see the state of some of the cars here. They cough and splutter black smoke when they chug up the hill and if you get caught behind it in a cab, you and mother earth share a collective tear.
Talking about cars, about 99% of the cars on the road here are Toyotas. Really they have so many vehicles here, no wonder they are the biggest selling car on the planet, everybody in Africa is driving one!!. I've never seen such a monopoly since armitage shanks got into the shunky business!!
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Vocational unit
So here i am, on my lonesome with UAC, the only foreign volunteer and it seems, the only white man in Cameroon. I'm being melodramatic of course, it's just weird living alone in this big house with only tarantulas for company!!
I'm extremely busy at the moment with school on wheels, remedial reading and now the vocational unit. The vocational department is one of the programmes at UAC which offers woodwork, electricity and painting classes to teenagers who are keen to get a trade under their belts. The kids all seem lovely, but i realise it's going to be hard work as their english and maths skills vary dramatically. I'll try my best though and hopefully i can depart some knowledge to them, but maybe not on long division.
My first class with them is today so i hope they take it easy on me.
I'm extremely busy at the moment with school on wheels, remedial reading and now the vocational unit. The vocational department is one of the programmes at UAC which offers woodwork, electricity and painting classes to teenagers who are keen to get a trade under their belts. The kids all seem lovely, but i realise it's going to be hard work as their english and maths skills vary dramatically. I'll try my best though and hopefully i can depart some knowledge to them, but maybe not on long division.
My first class with them is today so i hope they take it easy on me.
Monday, 17 March 2008
Rain
The rains are coming. Torrential downpours soak me to my very core. They are preceeded by giant, jet-black clouds sprawling over the sky with claps of thunder so loud that they make your bones judder. Then it falls in walls of wet that makes the streets flood and puddles gather where new rivers met to soak your feet in waters deep. The rains are coming.
The rains are coming. People run for a dry sanctuary but they are saturated in ten seconds flat, the rain beats beat down on their back, thunder so high it sounds like it attacks the sky, it’s at your back, splash in a puddle and run for cover, count the seconds from the flash to thunder. The rains are coming.
The rains are coming. It makes a soothing sound on my roof like I’m in a giant marracca and the proof that the thunder and lightning crashing proves as adequate accompliment to the rhythm and the movement of the friction filled orchestra in the skies. The rains are coming.
The rains are coming. People run for a dry sanctuary but they are saturated in ten seconds flat, the rain beats beat down on their back, thunder so high it sounds like it attacks the sky, it’s at your back, splash in a puddle and run for cover, count the seconds from the flash to thunder. The rains are coming.
The rains are coming. It makes a soothing sound on my roof like I’m in a giant marracca and the proof that the thunder and lightning crashing proves as adequate accompliment to the rhythm and the movement of the friction filled orchestra in the skies. The rains are coming.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Abidjan
If you decide to come and volunteer with UAC, I would recommend my local, Abidjan as your watering hole.
It is run by a very amiable chap named Frederique who calls me “my friend’ so frequently that it has become a running joke between us.
“Hello my friend”
“Hello Frederique, how are you my friend?”
“Good, my friend. How are you my friend?”
“Always good my friend, coke or export my friend?”
“Export cold my friend”
“Very good……my friend”
That is an exact quote of our conversation we had yesterday. He’s a lovely guy, he really is. Please tell him “his friend” from Scotland sent you, and he said you should call him my friend.
You can sit and watch the world go by and listen to some makossa music and if you’re lucky, Bryan Adams. Sip on some export for 450CFA (50p). If You’re feeling peckish there is Bobe’s soya stand right outside, which offers beef?? On a stick served with onions and a tongue-busting pepe spice.
Believe me it works!! I’ve tried it.
It is run by a very amiable chap named Frederique who calls me “my friend’ so frequently that it has become a running joke between us.
“Hello my friend”
“Hello Frederique, how are you my friend?”
“Good, my friend. How are you my friend?”
“Always good my friend, coke or export my friend?”
“Export cold my friend”
“Very good……my friend”
That is an exact quote of our conversation we had yesterday. He’s a lovely guy, he really is. Please tell him “his friend” from Scotland sent you, and he said you should call him my friend.
You can sit and watch the world go by and listen to some makossa music and if you’re lucky, Bryan Adams. Sip on some export for 450CFA (50p). If You’re feeling peckish there is Bobe’s soya stand right outside, which offers beef?? On a stick served with onions and a tongue-busting pepe spice.
Believe me it works!! I’ve tried it.
Monday, 10 March 2008
Spiders
Personally, I would not class myself as a sufferer of arachnophobia. I have been known to carry house spiders at arms length out of the house with the tried and tested book and glass method. But the spiders here horrify me into fits of spasms and ridiculous jumps.
I told you about the tarantula in my bathroom that emerged from a hole in the wall like the beast from the land of nightmares, well now we’ve had another one just sitting on the curtain of the living room, just sitting there. It’s unbelievable!! And the last thing I volunteer to do is reach for a book and glass to escort the monster outside.
I’ve managed to get a few good photos of them with an outstretched arm holding a shaky camera. They have faces…that’s what I don’t like, you can see there ugly, wee pug face and multitude of eyes.
I wonder how such a brute could evolve over billions of years??? Considering that all of nature has an apparent breathtaking beauty.
I suppose that beauty is in the eye of the beholder though, as there are people who love these eight-legged abominations. I like to call these people weirdos.
I told you about the tarantula in my bathroom that emerged from a hole in the wall like the beast from the land of nightmares, well now we’ve had another one just sitting on the curtain of the living room, just sitting there. It’s unbelievable!! And the last thing I volunteer to do is reach for a book and glass to escort the monster outside.
I’ve managed to get a few good photos of them with an outstretched arm holding a shaky camera. They have faces…that’s what I don’t like, you can see there ugly, wee pug face and multitude of eyes.
I wonder how such a brute could evolve over billions of years??? Considering that all of nature has an apparent breathtaking beauty.
I suppose that beauty is in the eye of the beholder though, as there are people who love these eight-legged abominations. I like to call these people weirdos.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
The week passed
Things are more or less back to normal here in Buea. When I say normal I use it in the loosest sense of the word, there’s still chickens digging holes in front of my house and staring at me and gravity defying lizards walking on my roof.
As far as the strike is concerned, it’s all over, for now. There is still clearly a bubbling resentment under the surface of peoples’ opinions like the lava that will one day rain down from Mount Cameroon when the pressure gets to high.
Food is re-stocked and there is cold beer to enjoy. The roads have returned to their previous chaotic state of incessant car horns and dangerous manoeuvers.
I’ve mainly been teaching with the school on wheels and remedial reading programmes. They’re going very well but sometimes the kids are hard to control when they’re hopped up on sugar and life. Steven Ndive (a teacher of class 4 at jamandianle) has joined the school on wheels programme and his help is much appreciated. He is also going to be helping me with the remedial programme when the other volunteers leave in a week.
I’m really enjoying teaching, I think with a bit more practice I could be very good at it. I like kids. I love their honesty and energy.
My french lessons with Ines are going okay. She is a hard teacher though, and she screws her face up when I speak in my franglais accent. I clearly have a long way to go. I am giving her guitar lessons by means of a trade. She’s gonna find it tough however, as she has the hands of a five year old child, but what she lacks in hand dexterity, she more than makes up for with enthusiasm and a genuine willingness to learn.
I’ve also started sign language classes at Buea school for the deaf. I know the alphabet and some other handy things to say. It is cool to actually say something meaningful in sign to my teachers, both of whom are deaf.
That’s been it really, once March is over I get to go on an excursion round Cameroon and hopefully see elephants in Korup national park. Also in April, Ines and I are going to go to Bamenda in the north, where she was raised, which should be both wicked, and amazing.
P.S I’ve noticed that a few people have been kind enough to leave comments on some of these blogs. Thank you. However, I cannot comment back as the computer says no, something about non-secure items that makes computers here make a farting noise. Could I ask that you e-mail me?
jwringe@hotmail.co.uk
As far as the strike is concerned, it’s all over, for now. There is still clearly a bubbling resentment under the surface of peoples’ opinions like the lava that will one day rain down from Mount Cameroon when the pressure gets to high.
Food is re-stocked and there is cold beer to enjoy. The roads have returned to their previous chaotic state of incessant car horns and dangerous manoeuvers.
I’ve mainly been teaching with the school on wheels and remedial reading programmes. They’re going very well but sometimes the kids are hard to control when they’re hopped up on sugar and life. Steven Ndive (a teacher of class 4 at jamandianle) has joined the school on wheels programme and his help is much appreciated. He is also going to be helping me with the remedial programme when the other volunteers leave in a week.
I’m really enjoying teaching, I think with a bit more practice I could be very good at it. I like kids. I love their honesty and energy.
My french lessons with Ines are going okay. She is a hard teacher though, and she screws her face up when I speak in my franglais accent. I clearly have a long way to go. I am giving her guitar lessons by means of a trade. She’s gonna find it tough however, as she has the hands of a five year old child, but what she lacks in hand dexterity, she more than makes up for with enthusiasm and a genuine willingness to learn.
I’ve also started sign language classes at Buea school for the deaf. I know the alphabet and some other handy things to say. It is cool to actually say something meaningful in sign to my teachers, both of whom are deaf.
That’s been it really, once March is over I get to go on an excursion round Cameroon and hopefully see elephants in Korup national park. Also in April, Ines and I are going to go to Bamenda in the north, where she was raised, which should be both wicked, and amazing.
P.S I’ve noticed that a few people have been kind enough to leave comments on some of these blogs. Thank you. However, I cannot comment back as the computer says no, something about non-secure items that makes computers here make a farting noise. Could I ask that you e-mail me?
jwringe@hotmail.co.uk
Saturday, 1 March 2008
The Queen of the Mountain
On Tuesday the 26th of February, Bonnie took me to meet Sarah ‘Queen of the Mountain’ Etonge. It was the second day of the strike so I was a little hesitant of travelling but there had been no violence in Buea as yet.
We were picked up by Merideth (a volunteer at Buea deaf school) and Aloys, the man who started the NGO with with his wife some years ago. The roads were completely empty when we set off for Buea town to pick up Sarah, who was due to give a talk at the deaf school.
When I first seen her I was kind of shocked as to how frail and slight she was, she does not have one ounce of fat on her she had a very kind face. She is living proof that you should never judge a book by its cover, because to look at her, you wouldn’t know that she is one of the greatest athletes that Cameroon has ever produced.
What follows is a short transcript of the questions she was asked at the school, I have paraphrased a little as she answered in Pidgin sometimes but on the whole I have got everything she said.
You have run the race 13 times, what inspired you to attempt it in the first place?
I am a mother of 7 children and I draw great inspiration from them. In the beginning I wanted to do it for them, I wanted to work hard and train for them. I wanted to win for them too.
Can you describe to me what it takes to run the race?
There are two stages to the race, ascending and descending, I don’t like to climb up and I am not very fast at it, however I descend very fast. If you are a good climber you can not be a good descender, so you must work very hard to learn one part well. Some people are scared of falling on the sharp, volcanic rocks. I am not, I am very fast at it and this has helped me to win 7 times.
How was the last race on the 17/02/08?
I felt ready for the race, both in my mind and in my body. I avoided water before the race and I only had two slices of bread to eat. I had worked so hard and I came second. The girl who came first beat me by 3 minutes. I really wanted to win this one but I am happy with second.
I ran it in 5 hours 38 minutes. My best record is 5 hours 22 minutes. It takes me about 4 hours to reach the summit and the rest of the time to run down.
Has the race changed your life? How did it compare before to how it is now?
I have seen many things change here in Cameroon and with myself, there were hardly any female runners in the race and now that has all changed. I feel strong and proud of what I have achieved, and I am very proud of my family and my sons who are very good runners too.
What are your plans for the future?
I have to run, I have many cups and medals and I know that sport is a good thing. It makes you strong in you health.
The mountain race is very hard so that is going to be my last one. I want to continue with the marathon as I love to run and never stop. I want to see my son, Pierro, run in America. That is my dream.
I don’t know what else might happen in the future, perhaps the government can make me an ambassador….
So that was the day I met Sarah Etonge, it was a pretty special day cause the deaf school was amazing and I really appreciated what they were trying to do there. I’m hopefully going to take sign language classes. The kids were great too and they really enjoyed Sarah’s talk to them.
When we were coming back however, the tone of the day changed, a roadblock was on the road. I’m sure some boys were about to stone the car but when they seen Sarah they thought twice. It made me even more glad to be in her presence.
We were picked up by Merideth (a volunteer at Buea deaf school) and Aloys, the man who started the NGO with with his wife some years ago. The roads were completely empty when we set off for Buea town to pick up Sarah, who was due to give a talk at the deaf school.
When I first seen her I was kind of shocked as to how frail and slight she was, she does not have one ounce of fat on her she had a very kind face. She is living proof that you should never judge a book by its cover, because to look at her, you wouldn’t know that she is one of the greatest athletes that Cameroon has ever produced.
What follows is a short transcript of the questions she was asked at the school, I have paraphrased a little as she answered in Pidgin sometimes but on the whole I have got everything she said.
You have run the race 13 times, what inspired you to attempt it in the first place?
I am a mother of 7 children and I draw great inspiration from them. In the beginning I wanted to do it for them, I wanted to work hard and train for them. I wanted to win for them too.
Can you describe to me what it takes to run the race?
There are two stages to the race, ascending and descending, I don’t like to climb up and I am not very fast at it, however I descend very fast. If you are a good climber you can not be a good descender, so you must work very hard to learn one part well. Some people are scared of falling on the sharp, volcanic rocks. I am not, I am very fast at it and this has helped me to win 7 times.
How was the last race on the 17/02/08?
I felt ready for the race, both in my mind and in my body. I avoided water before the race and I only had two slices of bread to eat. I had worked so hard and I came second. The girl who came first beat me by 3 minutes. I really wanted to win this one but I am happy with second.
I ran it in 5 hours 38 minutes. My best record is 5 hours 22 minutes. It takes me about 4 hours to reach the summit and the rest of the time to run down.
Has the race changed your life? How did it compare before to how it is now?
I have seen many things change here in Cameroon and with myself, there were hardly any female runners in the race and now that has all changed. I feel strong and proud of what I have achieved, and I am very proud of my family and my sons who are very good runners too.
What are your plans for the future?
I have to run, I have many cups and medals and I know that sport is a good thing. It makes you strong in you health.
The mountain race is very hard so that is going to be my last one. I want to continue with the marathon as I love to run and never stop. I want to see my son, Pierro, run in America. That is my dream.
I don’t know what else might happen in the future, perhaps the government can make me an ambassador….
So that was the day I met Sarah Etonge, it was a pretty special day cause the deaf school was amazing and I really appreciated what they were trying to do there. I’m hopefully going to take sign language classes. The kids were great too and they really enjoyed Sarah’s talk to them.
When we were coming back however, the tone of the day changed, a roadblock was on the road. I’m sure some boys were about to stone the car but when they seen Sarah they thought twice. It made me even more glad to be in her presence.
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