Filed under: Cameroon, Holidays, Peace Corps, Travel | Tags: Africa, Cameroon, Cameroun, Culture, Excursions, Holidays, New Year, Peace Corps, Travel, Volunteer, West Africa, World Travel
Pirogues on the beach, Kribi, Cameroon
And what a seafood feast it was! Recently in Kribi (which is in French-speaking Cameroon) where I was assisting with a training, I had the opportunity to organize a bountiful meal with some volunteer and Cameroonian friends. It all started when I was taking some time by myself drawing pirogues on the beach (they have a great shape), and different beach-goers were coming by to talk to me. This one fellow, a nice young Cameroonian man, wanted to try his hand at drawing. So I gave him a short lesson and we were friends after that. The next day I had the idea to buy a bunch of fresh seafood and cook it up—so my friend and I, along with his friend who is a cook, went to the market and bought crab, crayfish, and an assortment of other fish including a huge 2.5 Kg “carp” (at least that’s what they called it). And then volunteers and Cameroonians alike all congregated at his house that evening to eat. It was one of the best seafood feasts I’ve ever had. Crab both grilled and boiled, grilled fish and grilled crayfish kebabs. Délicieux!
The evening itself started in a fun way, as nine of us PCVs all took one small hatchback taxi to get to the house! It was like a clown car when we exited the vehicle. After all helping cook over the fire at the outdoor kitchen and eating the delicious meal, some of us went with our Cameroonian hosts to a cultural event called La Fois. A lot of music and dancing took place and our small group of volunteers—or Les Blancs—got on stage and danced for the whole crowd. It was quite The Time.
Crabs galore!
"Carp" on the grill
Crayfish delices!
Filed under: Cameroon, Peace Corps, Post, Teacher Training | Tags: Africa, Cameroon, Cameroun, Education, ICT, Information Technology, IT, Peace Corps, Post, Travel, Volunteer, West Africa, World Travel
Last year around this time, I was heading back to the Government Teacher Training College (GTTC) in Bamenda, where I was working with the other ICT teachers there to give practical lessons to the student teachers (that is, teaching on actual computers rather than the blackboard). My help was needed in designing lessons that could accommodate all of the students in each class (50) using only 5 computers. I also participated in some seminars with active primary school teachers in the area, which I am continuing currently along with the newly appointed Regional Inspectorate of ICT.
The initial setup for the improvised “computer lab” was quite challenging (as the pictures show), but in the end, we had a functional learning space. At the time, we had to have the students carry all of the computer equipment from the library to a larger hall up the hill, which took a lot of time. Now however, the computers are in a permanent space—much easier. It’s amazing how many challenging situations I find myself engaged in here and think nothing of it. I’ve learned that one can overcome a lot if put to the challenge.
Extension cords coming from the library
Cords coming into the lab space
Student-teachers learning on the computers
Presenting at an ICT seminar for teachers
Filed under: Cameroon, Peace Corps, Post | Tags: Africa, Cameroon, Cameroun, ICT, Information Technology, IT, New Year, Peace Corps, Post, Volunteer, West Africa, World Travel
At the new Peace Corps office
Hello! Been away for a couple weeks, but will be sending more updates now that I’m back in the swing of things. So keep on reading! I hope everyone back at home had a wonderful holiday season. I’m finding myself engaged once more in busy day-to-day activities, and I imagine it’s the same Stateside!
I am writing this post from the newly opened regional office—which will be very convenient for printing documents, having meetings—and most importantly, using the Internet! Now I’ll more easily be able to attend to Goal 3 of Peace Corps: sharing the beautiful culture here in Cameroon with everyone at home.
When they were doing site prospecting for the office, I had a chance to give some input and help photograph the grounds before they were renovated into what is now the office. It felt good to watch something go from start to finish. There’s still a little work to be done, but things are functional, and that helps us volunteers.
Year 3 - Volunteering in Cameroon 