October 15th, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »
As soon as we got off the train in Ngaoundere, we met up with Peace Corps Volunteers who were hosting us. When they told us we would be taking a moto to the “case,” I thought, “What the f***?! I have to take a moto so soon already?!” I did come to Ngaoundere prepared to take a moto as I brought my helmet with me and was told to expect to ride a moto, but I was not expecting to take a moto as soon as arriving there. I just wasn’t mentally prepared for it yet. As someone who loves being brave and adventurous, I was surprised that I was at first scared of taking a moto for the first time in my life. “I’m not sitting in the back,” I told everyone, “I want to be in the middle.” I was fearing of falling off of the moto. A very nice gentleman who is a Peace Corps Volunteer offered to carry my backpack and sit behind me. The moto can hold up to three people including the driver. I put my hands on the driver’s shoulders even though it’s considered impolite but because I was just a bit too scared, I still had to do it. I also found that I have to remove one of my cochlear implant devices because the helmet would not fit over my head with both on. They would just fall off as I put the helmet on. Even when I keep just one cochlear implant device on, it’s still a challenge to get the helmet on because I have to hold the device to my head to make sure it doesn’t fall off. One could say that I should get a larger helmet, but I prefer not to because the helmet would be too loose and would put me in greater danger. The helmet needs to be tight on my head to maximize my safety on the moto. So, I put my second cochlear implant device in my pocket.
We rode off during the sunset to the “case.” The case is Peace Corps’ very own “hostel.” It’s a place where volunteers can spend the night if they arrive via train to Ngaoundere too late to continue their commute to their villages or if they want to do some errands in the city. Because we all obviously arrived too late, we all stayed at the case. Two trainees and I could have gone to our host’s home since she already lives in the city, but we decided to stay at the case for the night as everyone was staying there. Once we arrived and I got off the moto, I thought, “Wow! Not bad!”
We all went out to dinner at a pizza restaurant where we got some real pizza. I took the moto for the second time to the restaurant, and I was still a little scared.
Yes, I got to enjoy cheese for the first time in a month, and I can’t even express enough how happy I was to be able to enjoy this great food! I got a cheese pizza with ham and mushrooms. It was absolutely perfect and tasted like any pizza I eat in the US.
We returned to the “case” via moto. At that point, I was feeling more comfortable on the moto but still preferred to sit in the middle.
The following day, my group went via a taxi with another group of trainees to visit their volunteer’s home in a village, Nyambaka, that was about 100 km outside of Ngaoundere. As we rode to the village, I gazed out of the window to view the beautiful scenery of the region. There were green hills with a few mountains everywhere we went. The scenery reminded me of Tuscany. I could picture Adamawa being a great place to build resorts with beautiful pools.
As soon as we got to Nyambaka, the Peace Corps Volunteer took us a on a tour of the village, introduced her neighbors and demonstrated an example of her work. She tested to see if children under five were well fed by measuring the circumferences of their arms. I was amazed to see how terrified some of the children were for just simply getting their arms measured. All children she measured have been well fed. Those who would have had abnormally small circumferences would certainly have had abnormally small circumference.
We then visited a health center where the Peace Corps Volunteer from Nyambaka works on daily basis. The health center is surprisingly opened 24 hours 7 days a week. They offer wide variety of interventions such as vaccination, treatments for malaria, and birthing. What was most interesting was that they do offer variety of contraceptions to women but many women have to get them quietly, without telling their husbands.
That night and the following night, we slept at a volunteer’s home in Ngaoundere. It was a nice big apartment with two bedrooms and a living room. It had running water and electricity.
The following day, we went via moto to another village where two Peace Corps Volunteers worked. This was my sixth time on the moto and by that time, I felt more confident and very comfortable to be on it. The ride was only 10 minutes. We visited a primary school and observed Peace Corps Volunteers teaching children about water sanitation and washing hands. I was surprised by how much information the children already knew. The biggest question I had in mind when observing was do the lessons translate to behavior change? In other words, if children know the information on the importance of washing hands, do they actually go out and do it? When I start my work next month, I will always be thinking about this question: “Will my work and ideas translate to behavior change?”
Then on Saturday morning, on a beautiful sunny day, the Peace Corps Volunteer host, two trainees and I climbed to the top of Mount Ngaoundere. It was a great opportunity to work out and relax a little bit from several days of training. Taking the time to visit sights helps us fully realize what treasures a country can offer. Being on top of the mountain helped me fully realize how beautiful Cameroon, Adamawa, specifically can be. Seeing mountains, rolling hills and the blue sky with clouds made me fully appreciate where I am living now.
Before we departed via train on Saturday night to head back to Mengong, we visited a restaurant created by a Peace Corps Volunteer. Because it was an extraordinary project, it deserves its own blog post.
The train, believe or not, arrived about an hour early in Yaounde. Once we were in Yaounde, we took a taxi to a bus station where we boarded a bus back to Ebolowa. We requested the bus driver to stop by Mengong on the way back. We got dropped off on the side of the road, at the entrance to Mengong. We all had about a good 10 to 15 minute walk back to our homes. As soon as I got back, I took a very much needed hot bucket bath. It was so nice to see my host family again. They texted me a few times while I was away to check on me.