Life in Kumba

Hey again!

Well, right now it is 6pm…weird that it is only 1pm at home! Thank you for all of your comments. It is so encouraging to know that you are all reading my blog and that your thoughts and prayers are with me. You truly have no idea how much that means to me!

A lot has happened since I last updated. I don’t even know where to begin. Well, on the rest of our short trip around Cameroon, we went to the most gorgeous beach and got to swim in the other side of the Atlantic!!!! The sand is black from the volcanoe that erupted back in 2000. Oh, did I mention that I just found out that this is the “mountain” that we are hicking?!! We also went to a banana plantation, a rubber factory, and the CDC (Cameroon Developmental Corporation). It was exciting to see bits and pieces of their economy and try and figure out the puzzle. Unfortunately, as I am coming to realize, there is no way to completely understand the government here. The wealth is in the hands of the few, aka the government officials. I have witnessed to drastically different scenes within the same city. I am aware that parts of America are like this as well, but this is like nothing we have ever seen in the states. To sit here and talk with the natives brings me to tears. The passion in their eyes as they describe the corrupt acts of the president and his fellow officers is beyond me. Basically, if you have no money here or don’t know someone who does, you are trapped in this mess for life. It is discouraging in ways. However, the people I have met seem to have a nope like none I have ever seen.

Sunday, Laura and I went to church with the Anjicums. Nicole, lets just say, if you think our masses are long sometimes, you haven’t seen anything. The mass was supposed to start at 8:30. Like all thing in Cameroon, it started an hour late, then two hours later, after shimmying myself into the 6 inch spot n the wood bench, sitting in the 95 degree church, it was over. That description makes it sound awful, and though it was long an hot, it was no neat. There was so much dancing and singing. We were at a Catholic mass, so it was really encouraging to note the many similarities as well. We then went to a send-off part for their priest. There, we got to see even more dancing and singing. They are so lively here, despite what sometimes seems like a hopeless situation. They also had a giant feast there…and this time we got to choose our own portions and had no one telling us what to eat or that we didn’t eat enough.

I am learning Pidgin, which is their dialect here. It is English…kind of. We are being taught by the natives. One example: “molo molo” which is like us saying chill or take it slow. I love that this is their approach to almost everything in life!

Yesterday we found out our job placements. I am paried with Liz and we are at the Women’s empowerment and Family Center. Last night was a difficult night. Though I was excited to start at the center today, I missed home more than ever. Don’t get me wrong, I love it here, but though it has only been a week….so much has happened. My first instinct when I experience something is to want to tell the people I love…so that has been hard. My host family is amazing though, and so is the rest of the UD group, so that helps. But to make matters more entertaining, I experienced my first black out. The lights went out for about an hour, which happens a lot here, so we just hung out.

This morning, after our alarm failed to go off (naturally, since it was the first day on the job) Laura and I rushed off to work. This place works well for me though, I am always late, but on their time…that means on time!!! So we walked about 10 minutes to the center and were told all about it by Dorothy, the director. This place is amazing! They basically empower women and girls by teaching them how to cook, sew, hotel manage, and how to use technology. They also have basically seex-ed courses, encouraging women to take initiative to protect themselves. Here, women have been seen as weak if they take such precautions…the center is trying to break this idea, which is awesome!

Here I met a girl about m age named Blessing. I think I learned like 10 life lessons just talking to her for 5 minutes. She says there is nothing that “her God” can not get her through and she has faith and hope because of this. Seeing her fate in society and at the same time knowing the hope she has…it is so encouraging! It is people like Blessing that I have met that give me hope for this country.

They told us that we will learn to sew and “tie and die” as they tie die, along with getting to visit and educate women’s groups in local villages….I am beyond excited.

Not so exciting however are the endless amount of cockroaches I have killed in the bathroom. I’m am getting to be a pro though (Dad’s you would be proud). Mostly because I’m too afraid to ask Big Papa haha. But really, I am used to is. Also, lizards are to Africa what ants are to America. Luckily, I think they are cute!

Last night was the first time walking around later at night, we were in a group though,so it was safe. But the men here, though man are BEYOND nice, some hold nothing back. They say what they are thinking as you pass by. But at this point we are used to hearing it all, and my selective hearing has gotten great use!

Physically, I am tired, but my stomach has done surprisingly well (as I knock on wood). I am excited to see what life at the Center this week has to offer! SORRY this was so long…but I do not get to update often and SO much is happening here! I miss you all more than you can imagine! Please keep me in your prayers, thanks and I love you!

Until next time/ In Him,

~Shannon~

A new day, a new advetnure!!!

Hey all!

So after waiting a half hour for the internet to work, I spent 40 minutes typing a lovely update for you all and it didn’t even save! So here is take 2!

Tuesday we arrived at the “Douala International Airport” aka the smallest airport ever! There were crowds of lively natives excited to see “white man”. We spent the night in Douala and woke up early to head to Kumba where our host families and new homes awaited.

We packed into our bus and started our 3 hour journey. I imagine the biggest pothole you have ever seen, now multiply that by 10 and that is a fraction of how bad the roads here are. Needless to say the journey was adventurous. We arrived yesterday afternoon and were greeted by our families and a delicious meal of rice, chicken, fishin, plantains ( which I now love) and more! They also serve this Jino juice which is delicious.
As I am writing this I am being hit on by the guy that runs the café…it’s pretty entertaining. Ignore that part Dad!

I am paired with Laura, another UD junior and we live with the Anjicums. The mom insists that we call her Mommy and the dad, a 300 lb yet cuddly man, Laura and I like to call Big Papa. They have 3 sons, a daughter, a goddaughter, and a cousin that all live with them. They filled our plates and then insisted we eat more! They are so hospitable here!

Laura and I share a bed and have our own bathroom too! The water is cold, but that’s ok when its 95 out! We woke up this morning and were served sardines. I ate them like a champ, but found out later that my stomach was not so much a fan! Other than that, the food has gone over quite well….cross your fingers, because I sure am!

Today- Saturday we are traveling to cities around Kumba. Today we went to an oil refinery and a local college. Seeing this and the lives that people here live makes me so thankful for all that I have. Despite the fact that people here don’t have much material goods, they have the biggest hearts of any people I have ever met. I am learning so much already. It’s a weird feeling being stared at to here “white man” shouted all the time. But its eye opening to say the least.

Sometime within the next few days we will be hiking Mount Cameroon, which we are told no one has ever made it to the top…so we are excited to take a stab at it! I don’t know what each day brings, besides a new adventure. I love it! Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. I miss you all, especially mom dad, and Nicole (ps thanks for updating!). I will update as soon as I can!

Love,
~Shannon~

She made it!

Hi everyone, it's Shannon's sister, Nicole. Just wanted to give you all an updated on Shan's travels so far. To the left is a picture of her checking in at Port Columbus on Sunday to begin her trip. She spent Sunday night in Chicago visiting one of her roommates before meeting up with the rest of her group and flying out for Paris at about 5:30p Monday night. She called my parents early this afternoon and after a 9 hour flight to Paris and another 6 hour flight to Africa, she has safely arrived at her destination of Doula, Cameroon. When she called the group was being serenaded by a man singing and playing guitar in the airport, so it seems like the trip is off to a good start :) She sounded pumped to finally be there after all the months of planning and I'm sure she will be blogging again soon to tell us about all her adventures!

Let the journey begin!

Well, after hearing so many people request that I keep in touch while in Africa and Europe...I decided that a blog would be the best way to go about this. For those of you who don't know, I leave for a month long expedition to Africa this Sunday. I am going through the University of Dayton. I will be in Africa from June 22- July 21.

I will be with 7 other UD students, 1 grad student and 1 professor. The professor actually grew up on Douala, the city we will be living in. Because of this, I feel that we will be in great hands. I will be paired with one of the other 6 girls and we will live with a host family.

During the first week, we will be traveling around, in hopes to better understand the Cameroonian culture. During the second and third weeks we will each be in what they call a job placement. During this time, I will be volunteering most likely in an elementary school or a women's center. The last week consists of the group traveling to the capital to talk to the government representatives and members of the Peace Corps. This is really the extent of what I have been told about this leg of the trip. After these 4 weeks in Africa, several of the girls and I will be flying into Paris. We will stay there for about 4 or 5 days and then head to Germany for several days. I am so excited to see the beautiful sights!

Right now, I have mixed emotions about the trip. Though I am nervous, seeing as I have little idea of what I am actually getting myself into, I am beyond excited to see what God has in store for me. It excites me to know that this is where I am called to be. I am convinced that this will be an experience of a lifetime, one in which I will both learn and grow a lot.

Though I don't know how often I will have access to the internet cafes, I will try and update this blog with entries about my adventures along with pictures as much as possible. I would love to hear from you while I'm gone and the easiest way for that to happen is for you to leave a message through this blog. Thanks for reading and I can't wait to update from Africa soon!!!

In Him