I feel as though I am in a time warp. I look at my watch everyday and now it says that it is December, but I just cannot believe it. It’s hard to think it’s a day past August in this weather. Wearing sandals, skirts, and short sleeves makes it feel like summer and without the holiday music and decorations I feel like my watch is lying to me. I am however appreciating my last days in this warm weather because I have heard that back in the states winter has arrived!
Since my last post my life has been devoted to writing, editing, and reading my ISP. I’m really happy to say that yesterday I went to the printing shop and printed a 48 page research paper, in French. It represents perhaps my greatest academic accomplishment to date.
The conclusion was that in fact Djaïli Amadou Amal does write the truth in order to liberate African women who are closed off from the world, unable to tell their stories. I will translate one of my favorite quotes from my research for you. It is from the only woman I interviewed who had already read the novel; she is a second wife in a marriage with an abundance of jealousy. She said that Amal writes what we, the victims of the polygamous lifestyle don’t dare to say out loud and through this novel people are going to change their attitudes as they see the consequences of this way of living.
I am really pleased with the way that my final paper turned out. There were many ups and downs throughout the whole process, but that is just what a process is. This next week I will have to make a powerpoint presentation about my last four weeks and present my findings to the program staff and the other students.
In other news, this past Thursday my friend Margo and I wanted to do something special for Thanksgiving. We went to the market to buy food which is always quite the experience. I love the bustling feeling of being at an open-air food market. You never know what you will find. Like a man walking past you with dead rats to show the effectiveness of the mouse traps he is trying to sell. I told Margo to buy one (if you remember she has mice friends) but she wasn’t too keen on talking to a man holding dead rodents. I can’t blame her.
Anyway, we attempted to make my family veggie-filled omelets and potato pancakes. The fact that no pans here are non-stick made our omelets more like scrambled eggs and our potato pancakes more like mashed potatoes. No matter, the family loved the meal. My 3 year old host brother was dancing around he was so thrilled.
A few days ago we went to Margo’s house to cook for her family. We had another eventful time at the market. One a man tried to over charge me for tomatoes and then when I caught him he ended up giving me 5 tomatoes for free and taking a picture with us! We cooked a huge pot of chili and fried plantains for her family. Her family loved the dish as well and somehow in the end, it actually tasted like real chili!
Today, the 6th, Margo and I will take the train back to Yaoundé. It is there that we will spend our last week in Cameroon.
When I first decided that I would do my ISP in Ngaoundéré I was slightly disappointed. I have such a great connection with my family in Yaoundé and being in the same room where I fought a fever for 5 days for a whole month didn’t seem too appealing. It’s amazing how your feelings change. I am going to be sad to leave this home, this family, this town. Everything here has become so familiar. For example, earlier this week Margo and I were at the train station reserving our tickets and the man in front of us turned around and said “oh you’re the girls who run. I see you every morning!” My host mom has been telling me that her friends see me in the mornings as well. It’s really nice to know that there are people who recognize you; it makes you feel at home. Even at Bar Laitier, the equivalent of a coffee shop, where Margo and I did ISP work daily, the ladies there knew our lunch order without us asking! My peanut and plantain ladies will also be missed. I loved finally feeling like I fit in and was a part of the community, but alas, change is inevitable.
Finally, as it is almost Christmas time, I have a holiday story. I wanted to get my family gifts to say goodbye because they have been so generous in feeding and housing me while they have financial struggles bearing down on them currently. I gave all the children colored pencils, modeling clay, notebooks and pencil sharpeners-- they were dancing around, so excited. I had also noticed that my host sister who is 12 had asked to use the calculator on my cell phone to do her math homework a few nights, so I bought her a $2 scientific calculator... she was overjoyed. She showed it off to her friends all night. My host mom told me later that she had been asking her older brothers for a calculator for years. Finally, my host mother has to ask permission from my father if she wishes to leave the house, very typical dynamic here. One day we were trying to take the infant to the hospital for her vaccinations, but Papa was not home. We really needed to go so finally I had the idea that she could call him using my phone. I have also seen her send notes in Arabic to her neighbors with the help of neighborhood children because that’s her only means of communication. A few times she’d mentioned wanting a cell phone, so I bought her a phone for a mere $26. When I gave her my gift she just started bawling and thanking me. I’d never seen someone so happy to get a present in my life and I just knew how much it meant to her. It was a beautiful moment I will never forget.
So back to Yaoundé today! I need to go finish packing! I’ll be back in the states in 10 days!
