Motos, Monkeys, and Mbamvele, Oh my!

Sandwiched between my new postmate and my new favorite moto driver, I travel the 40km/one hour from Bertoua to Diang, my soon-to-be-home, watching the hills carpeted with dense forest spread out in all directions. Along the road mud huts and small cement buildings that serve as homes, hospitals, and boutiques present themselves as the locus of village life - people cooking, playing, arguing, working, lounging in the shade of their hengards.*

Diang is, quite frankly, the epitome of an African village. Everyone knows everyone. In my 3.5 days there, I managed to meet the Sous-Prefect, the doctor, all of the teachers and administration of the high school, several members of the Association des Femmes (Women's association), both mayors, the head of the police station, a traditional Chef, and several, several others. I visited several schools, including one primary school with two classrooms and a third "salle" that is simply a covered outdoor classroom. There are three teachers, each covering two classes at a time. What's in that pot? Sure, I'll take a plate of couscous de manioc with bushmeat. Who needs silverware? Yes. I ate monkey. And drank palm wine.

Welcome to life in the East, Cameroon's least populated, least developed region.

For Site Visit, I stayed with Justine, my new post mate. Her small apartment is a spacious two-room studio, not counting the latrine out back. Along with her neighbors, we took a pleasant walk to Kombe, 5km down the road. Along the way we saw fields of corn, manioc (cassava), sugar cane, plantains, and many other crops. I have a promise from my new friend Jean-Pierre to teach me to farm.

A few paragraphs couldn't begin to describe the experiences and transition I've gone through this week, but I hope this post may serve as a brief introduction to my life at post. The people of the East are extremely welcoming, and I can genuinely say I already feel comfortable in village. I can't wait to start working with OREOPRODHU: L'Organisation pour l'encadrement des enfants orphelins et la promotion des droits humains de Diang. With this new self-orientation within Diang, the final four weeks of Stage will have an entirely different atmosphere, and I can hardly wait to take on the challenges.


*I actually have no idea how to spell this word, but it's a reference to the wood lean-tos that most village families have outside their house. It's generally where people hang out - drink palm wine, eat, chat, etc.