Keeping up the pace

Sometime in late November one evening I took a moto out about 13km from Voko, ran behind a hut on the side of the road, walked out a few more feet towards a non-descript stone, held my phone up to get a couple of bars of service and heard Dana tell me "January 3rd, I'm flying to Cameroon." That's right people, little Dana came all the way to Africa and we "fair-ed le tour" of Cameroon. It's a large country to cover in such a short amount of time, and although we didn't reach every region and point of intrigue, we did cover a lot of ground. 

Making travel plans in
Bamenda, Northwest Region

Already in Yaoundé Dana was pointing out odd interesting things that have grown into my normal day to day, such as the lack of a connection between the number of seats in a bus or taxi, and the number of passengers that can physically squeeze into the vehicle. Smushed between Cameroon's finest, we took a bus to the green and hilly Northwest region where we attempted to speak Pidgin English, met some great people, and hiked around a beautiful lake. As we pushed ourselves to cover ground, we made our way up the Grand North, crossing through various markets on the way, and 

Looking over Lake Oku, Northwest Region.

eventually making it to my village. In getting to Poli and then continuing to Voko, Dana got to see firsthand what it takes to get all the way out to my village, and the various modes of transportation that entails.I didn't give her enough credit for being able to support such an exhausting ride, and then on top of that, to start moving house to house to meet my friends in village. The first family we visited set the tone for Voko. As we walked into the compound the women, some of my good friends in village, ran towards us to welcome us, as the kids crowded announcing "Dori waarrti be Dori feeree! Dori feeree waarri!" meaning, "Dori has come back with a different Dori," in Fulfulde. 

With friends in Voko.

We rode out to the park base and were graciously hosted by the staff and the Park Conservationist (my supervisor), who took us on a ride into the park. As we rode "en brousse" in the back of the park pick-up, as soon as someone spotted an animal, we would stop the car, hop off, and try and get some good pictures. 

  As checked "safari" off her Africa To-Do List, we made our way back to Voko for some more time to get to know my village. Although we had to adhere to our tight schedule and keep moving north to Garoua, Dana still somehow found time to get her whole head braided by one of my neighbors-- a feat that impressed many women in my village considering the length of her hair.

Enduring the pain of hair-braiding.

 

Henna at the tailor's house in Garoua.

In Garoua we rolled out the grand list of things to accomplish, and within 72 hours we had bartered for gifts in the artisanal market, sampled the vast amount of street food offered, purchased fabrics and ordered clothes, and were ready to go return south with the mark of the North, henna, painted onto us. In Yaoundé we were able to relax and get in last minute shopping while covering some ground in the capital city. It all went by so fast, but each time a small child in village asks "where did Dana go?" I realize, yeah, she definitely left her mark.

 

  

  

The first session of our park-related
education series with the clu

                After an extended amount of time away from post, by the end of January I was already back in Voko, ready to get started on all that I had planned for this year. I've been devoting most of my time to working with the high school in two different areas, teaching English and working with the Health and Environmental Club. Teaching is a whole new domain for me, but so far, during my three hours a week and class of up to twenty-five students, I've been having a good time. It's taking a lot of work for the students to get used to my style and accent, while I'm getting used to the nuances of the Cameroonian education system. The Health and Environmental Club consists of about 30 students, ranging from 7th grade to 10th grade (our high school only goes to 10th, to continue they must leave Voko for a larger establishment), and is headed by myself and the school's biology teacher. 

Voko primary school students during
the National Youth Day parade.

Working off the action plan the kids wrote out at the beginning of the school year, we're currently working on two different projects: reforesting the school's campus and undertaking a short park-specific formation series before taking a Club trip into Faro National Park. February also gave the students and opportunity to shine a good light on their club and their talents, as they presented a few different comedy sketches dealing with health and environmental issues (cholera, smoking, poaching, and the importance of trees) during the celebrations for National Bilingualism Day (03 February) and National Youth Day.

Games for the primary school students
During National Youth Day.

The kids all did a great job with the sketches, showcasing their knowledge and stressing important issues for the community, all the while making us laugh. So far my work with the school has been really fulfilling and I am looking forward to accomplishing all that we've set out for this next month (and the rest of the year).