12.31.05 I am in Kumbo for New Years Eve. I have been able to write some on computers at work over the past week so I wanted to post some of what I'd written. Things are going well. Just getting used to life in Ndu. My house is getting cozier (still big and echoey, but better), my co-workers are nice and I enjoy the office, I get to hang out with my post-mate every few days and my landlord & landylady are wonderful. Things are coming along well. I am really glad to be in Kumbo for the weekend, for internet and to celebrate the holiday here...Christmas was different being all alone! I made it though! Keep in touch, thanks for all your emails and support. I'll be posting and sending pictures and my new address soon! Happy 2006!
12.21.2005

Hi. I am at work, trying to put together a training session for peer educators. It is good to have something to do and I will be doing my community “rounds” and analysis after Christmas/New Years I think. I still have much to do at my house; buy a big barrel for water storage (it seems that water is really unreliable an it has already been out for two days which makes bathing and flushing my toilet very difficult!), buying plates/bowls/cups/etc, a mirror, iron, broom, pillows, rugs, curtains, and other household necessities. Last night I hung out at my landlords house, they are pretty great and houses some American missionaries a few years back so they sort of understand Americans—at least more than others in Ndu, which is nice! They’re great.

12.27.2005
Back to work after the weekend off for Christmas. It was nice to relax however less fun without TV or friends to relax with! I spent Saturday around Ndu with my friend Matt, the PCV about 15 minutes away. People around town think we’re married but I don’t mind because the marriage proposals and “I love you”s have decreased. I went to Christmas Eve service with my landlord and landlady (Pa and Ma). We were there for 3+ hours. Long to begin with but especially when you don’t understand 90% of what they say…it was in the local dialect. Cool. But I survived and the singing at the church was really amazing…kind of reminds me of those sound-bites you hear from Africa with drums and wonderful singing. The next morning I got up and made a fire in my fireplace (it actually does get cold and it’s nice to have the fire to warm up the house, and I just like to have fires), listened to Christmas music on my short-wave radio and drank some gross coffee. I had a few presents from mom that I opened. It was almost like Christmas back home…ok, not at all, but I tried to tell myself that! I got two phone calls—thanks Mom, Harry and Katie!!—That made my morning! Then I got ready and went back to church. This time they brought Glen, their grandson. Since Pa is a deacon and Ma is in the choir, I got Glen for the morning…least for about 45 minutes until he started hitting me and screaming and someone came and took him outside. I had no idea what was going on but was glad he was gone J. I still understood very little of church and this time it lasted 5 ½ hours. So I sat, and “listened” and brainstormed about writing my novel for 5 ½ hours. I spent the rest of the day listening to Christmas carols on my Ipod and reading, curled up on the couch. I made some popcorn for dinner, burned my pan, went next door to have some socialization, after being locked away and a little sad all afternoon, came home, had a quick Christmas chat with dad, and went to sleep. I’ve had better days J. But it passed, I survived and I don’t have to deal with another Christmas for 363 more days!

I made it through my 500+ page book in two days and am now on my third book since post (12 days for anyone keeping track) which I think is great…I’ll measure my productivity for the first few months on how many books I read, how many scarves I knit, how many coloring books I go through, and how much credit I use up texting my friends! It’s amazing how fast my credit goes and how few people I actually talk to.
I have actually gone running twice, it’s gone better than expected (especially considering the only exercise I have had for 3 months was a weekly soccer game). Besides being the town spectacle, having children run beside me for a while, and trying to say “good afternoon” to people without them wanted to chat, it went well. I do feel better afterward so that’s a plus. It is a bit difficult though considering I live in the dustiest place on earth…I am not kidding! We still have 2 more months of dry season too! Seriously, it’s hard to walk down the street, I have to wash my shoes and feet at least once a day, things beside the road are tinted brown…it’s not pretty. Along with tons of dirt there are HUGE pigs everywhere…we’re talking the size of small humans. They smell and snort at me as though they’re saying, “white man” like the rest of town. I try my hardest to ignore the “white man” callings but it’s hard cause I know they’re talking to me…there aren’t a whole lot of other white men running around here.

Anyhow, that’s a quick update on my life. Not too exciting but it’s going.

12.29.2005
Hi. I am in the office again. Today is the second day (of 6 I think) of the Mayors funeral. I tried to understand the funeral process yesterday and explain the difference from American funerals…everyone involved in the conversation just ended up more confused. I told them that there was usually a 2 hour service and then a reception at the persons home with close friends and family…they wondered why the corpse wasn’t laid in the house for 3 days, paraded around town, and why it was only one afternoon and not a whole week…I wasn’t quite sure how to explain that it couldn’t be more opposite. Ah, chalk one up for American vs. Cameroonian cultural differences. My friend Matt, my post-mate and “husband” as I mentioned earlier, found a bar with CNN (along with ~10 other international channels)! It was one of the most exciting discoveries I’ve made in the last 3 months, aside from weird bucket showering techniques, the easiest way to hang a mosquito net and the best seat in a bush taxi. We have been there the past few days, hanging out for hours. We hang out on the enclosed porch where I sometimes forget that it’s a dusty almost “wild west” strip of road out front. I have started to master computer Hearts and Solitaire…as another friend reminded me “Ally, solitaire is a lonely man’s game.” I responded, “Yes. You’re right, but this lonely man can win a game in less than 5 minutes.” I am taking pride in that. Plus, when I am playing it in the presence of others, that’s different right? Well, either way, that’s how I’ll rationalize it. I am also proud to say that I have mastered the Cameroonian oily rice making process. Granted I make my oily rice on a gas stove while they cook over open fire, they usually cook for all 7 kids and a few neighbors, and there’s has way more flavor, but I’ve mastered it for me! I have also figured out the different short-wave stations in the morning and night. I’ve figured out when BBC dies and I need to switch to Deuchavella or VOA and vice versa. It’s exciting. Plus I am getting weirdly addicted to the programs. BBC is starting one next week on Mozart that I can’t wait for…stop laughing; these are the things I have to relish in! The moment I start texting in, that’s were I’ll draw the line, but for now I am thoroughly enjoying my numerous discoveries of the week. Very excited to head to Kumbo this weekend for New Years, to check my email, send this, send the many letters I have accumulated since arriving here, hang out with friends and maybe eat some “American” food. That’s all for now. Happy New Year!! Hope that you all have a wonderful 2006!

12.15 Hi everyone! We officially swore in as volunteers yesterday! It already feels like forever ago! Packing up all my stuff plus the million and one PC books, water filter and the things I have acquired here was slightly difficult...I made it though. I spent my last night in Bandjoun playing a killer game of Uno with my friends and going home to play another enthralling card game with my siblings. This morning I left early, after literally inhaling the breakfast my mom gave to me 1 minute before I had to leave. In true Cameroonian style we left later than planned but it gave us time to hang out together before splitting off. About half the group headed down to Yaounde and most of the rest to Bamenda. Saying good-bye was really hard...it is amazing how close you can get with people in 10 weeks! I already miss them a lot (hi guys who are reading this from the cose!) :) Tomorrow I head up to post to attempt to get all my stuff there and to my house. Hopefully along the way I can buy a mattress...we'll see! My time is already running low but I will email you all soon and hopefully post another blog soon too. Miss everyone lots, hope finals and the end of the semester went well for everyone! Thinking of you always.

Things I have learned after 10 weeks in Cameroon:
1. Baby goats are cute, adult goats are not-and they cough like old men.
2. Cold showers can be slightly exhilarating, until you lose sensation, then it's more like hypothermia.
3. You can never have too much bug spray, or Purel.
4. If the food comes in a pot, is sort of warm and doesn't have a bug in it, it's probably fine.
5. Nescafé and coffee...NOT the same thing.
6. There's rarely a bad time for a cold Pomplemouse.
7. A good pineapple or crunchy papaya can make most situations much better.
8. Roosters crow at ALL hours of the day.
9. Marriage proposals are not a compliment.
10. Bargaining and/or yelling at a cab driver is cheap therapy.
11. It's vital to squat the right way.
12. Before asking 'why' think twice--nine times out of ten, there is no answer.
13. Machetes, burning wood and knives are normal toys for kids and they can probably use them better than you.
14. Flip charts, animations, and PACA are life.
15. Toilet paper is a sacred thing-use sparingly.
16. Charish cold dairy products.
17. Checking the snow report at home is not good for your sanity.
18. However, being thousands of miles away when your school loses the Big 12 Championship game 70-3, makes it a little easier!
19. Anything that can be lifted-purses, buckets, bushels of bananas, or furniture-can be more easily carried on your head.
20. A moto without a singing horn is just a disappointment.
21. WAWA.
22. Pavement is a wonderful thing, smooth pavement is even better-neither are to be expected.
23. Worms are not a joke.
24. The music won't be changed or turned down-learn to love the 6 song rotation and buy a Westlife poster.
25. Who needs fake and bake when you have red dirt?
26. The side of the road, apparently, is a public toilet-share the experience with everyone.
27. So many tubbers!
28. Cameroonians-men and especially girls-take futball VERY VERY seriously!
29. My sense of humor just isn't funny here no matter how many times I try, I just get accused of a) not caring or b) not understanding.
30. How wonderful the daily power outage can be and how amazing complete silence is.
31. If it has to do with poop, we've talked about it!
32. If it sounds like or rhymes with gumbo, be cautious.
33. 5 people in a cab=ideal, 7 in a cab=normal, 8 people, a goat, and three bags of rice=probable.
34. Just laugh.
35. Expectations will just annoy you-lower them.
36. Chacos, headlamps, swiss army knives, Ipods, quick drying towels and hand sanitizer are seven of the greatest inventions ever.
37. No matter how hard you try Cameroonian dirt clings...try bleach, scrub hard, and wear black.
38. Mosquito nets may protect you from malaria but they cause countless problems when trying to make your bed.
39. Petit-a-petit.
40. Tears-whether from sadness, laughter, Pidgin class or lack of sleep-are very necessary!

*Pictures:
-Sunset in Ndu.
-Me, Kate and Lindsey with lunch one day...

12.6 The first picture is of Ndu, my new home for two years (this is close to where I'll be living) and the second one is of most of my siblings...Octavie (in red), Franc, Gladyce, Armine and Brice (in purple)...Achille and my host parents are missing. Aren't they cute?

I'll work on more soon! Hope you are all having a good week and surviving the cold!!

12.4 Hi everyone. It's been a little while so I thought I would give a brief update. Not a whole lot is going on here. The last week has been a lot of project preparation. We have a cultural presentation to give tomorrow (i.e., 20-30 minutes in french...I am doing football and playing 3 games in hopes of making it that long in french!) and our group project-the mini-camp for girls group. We only have about 10 days left in Bandjoun which is really hard to believe, I feel like we just got here! It will be sad to leave, both my friends and host family, but I am getting more excited about post...for work and for the artistic/domestic things I plan to do around my house!

Thought I'd just list some exciting (some not-so exciting) things going on here:

-I was lucky enough to get three packages this past week (THANKS!!) and instead of explaining what exfoliating body scrub was to my little brother I told him it was girl soap...he didn't want it after that :)
-My host sister went into labor this morning so hopefully I'll be an auntie soon!!
-It's still really hot here and doesn't feel like the holidays at all...but there were some toys at the marché this week that played "jingle bells" ALL DAY LONG (we're talking 10AM-5PM) and I found Christmas decorations in the supermarché in Bafoussam...I plan on buying a small Christmas tree and light up star for my house.
-We had one of our final language assessments last week and just when I thought everything was going well I realized that I was trying to explain sororities and rush to my teacher...that's difficult to do in english much less in french! I somehow got through it using a lot of hand gestures.
-I am now taking Pidgin...I bet some of you didn't think that was a real language, I wasn't sure before I got here. Well it is, kind of. Think english+french+ebonics+ no/little gramatical structure...that's Pidgin. "Ma nem na Ally. A bi woman fo Amerika an a komot fo Colorado. A bi kom fo Kamerun 2 mon dem." You get the idea...I'm working on something good to write to you all, maybe the Christmas posting will be in all Pidgin!
-I'll send my new address soon too, once I go to Ndu I am going to have a new address for letters only...the more post offices that mail goes through, the less chance you have of getting it unopened, or getting it at all...so I'll continue to have packages sent to the address in Yaoundé.

That's about it for the news around here. I am just enjoying my last few weeks with friends and speaking American English on a regular basis! I'm off to prepare my presentation for tomorrow...working on a game entitiled "Faire Une Equipe" where they have to put players on a field drawn on big brown paper...oh the excitement! Hope that everything is great there. Talk to you soon.

PS-The picture is the road right outside my house in Bandjoun(sorry it's sideways, do some neck exercises)...that's pretty much what most of the town (aside from the center market area) looks like...so when PC adivised us not to bring light colored clothes because of the dirt, I think they were talking about the numerous intense red roads that have significantly tainted most of my clothing, just a thought.