getting to know Maroua

The river through Maroua, or what is left of it anyway

A couple weeks in, we are learning to get around Maroua, see how things work and where to get the best food, household goods and best of all, who will give us a fair price!

Maroua is split by a river that, although the rainy season has just ended, looks more like a barren, dried up wasteland.  All the characteristics of this river remain – the tortuous banks, the red and the green bridges on either end, and locals using the remaining small pockets of water for washing.

The interesting things about water.  Sunday before last, and again last Sunday, the power was off from 7am until about 5-ish.  This was a planned power interruption for the entire city – meaning that without power, water was shut off too.  Neither of those two “outages” slowed anything down.  It was business as usual.  Try that in North America!

Cars are rare.  Motos fill the streets.  Add on the bicycles, wandering fruit merchants with their wooden carts, hordes of

Traffic at the roundabout

pedestrians, sometimes a few runaway goats or chickens and you have a busy, hopping town.  It costs 100 CFAs to get pretty much anywhere in town during the day by mototaxi, although admittedly, it’s not that far to get on foot if one doesn’t mind the intense sun beating down on you.

By now we have established a nice route to the office (Caroline’s full-time place, and Greg’s 1/3 time place).  Although we can pick different streets to reach the same point, we’ve tended to prefer the route that takes us past one of the mosques where a group of old men sit in shade most of the day.  We’ve greeted them with “Bonjour!” and now with “Jam na! Jam bandu na?” and they seemed to be tickled pink with our efforts.  We’ll keep practicing.

The market is now holding a tad fewer mysteries but is still a marvel.  We have a favourite tomato seller – an older gentleman who has a smile bigger than anything you could imagine.  The gentleman who runs

One of the main arteries in town near the market

the blue boulangerie across from the mattress sellers is also quite friendly.  A few of the “alimentation” (grocery stores) operators are increasingly recognizing us – and having a wonderful time watching us try to respond in Fulfulde.  One even tried to get us to guess how much to pay for our groceries in Fulfulde – but the “money math” is just too complicated for now.

Soon we will be strangers no more… still very strange, but not quite strangers.

Jam na? – networking cameroonian style

Starting a new job normally involves getting to know how things work and who calls the shots. Figuring out who does what – or knows what – is always critical to navigating uncharted waters and plotting a path towards workplace effectiveness. Getting to know the community is also a complicated task.

Now, getting introduced to both work and life in Maroua takes this necessity to a new level.

Whether you’re buying tomatoes, getting clothes made or looking to build monitoring and evaluation tools into HIV/AIDS programs – every move is made along paths bounded by relationships. For us, the nouveau arrivées, introductions are critical. Without them we don’t have a prayer – we can’t be effective at work and definitely can’t get good prices in the market!

Fortunately, Cameroonians and other VSO volunteers happily help us build the ties we’ll need if we’re to live and work here. So we’re spending a lot of time sitting down, engaged in what’s known here as bavardage – chatting.

It all starts by asking Jam na? –Is there peace with you?

After our introduction, a hardware vendor taught us about the complex manipulations of the Nigerian currency market.

Jam na?

The regional delegate for public health wanted to chat about what makes Montreal a great place for conferences.

Jam na?

An administrator for urban vaccination campaigns counseled us that putting Vick’s Vaporub up our noses would help guard against the waves of dust constantly drifting through town.

Jam na?

Finally, with the transportation delegate – Maroua’s master of all things that sputter and spark – we discussed the weather, tourism and enjoying each day that comes.

What did we learn from all our visits? Being seen, getting known, and letting relationships grow is key to working in this culture.

Taking the time now will help us – eventually – become effective at supporting our partners at work. It will – eventually – also help us use Nigeria’s currency fluctuations to our advantage in getting a good price on that ceiling fan!

Jam! – There is peace with me!

the thing about crickets

Day before last, sitting in the inner courtyard chatting with my parents on the phone, I kept having the dodge out of the way of a very excited cricket.  Roughly 3 inches long, this jumping/flying insect was performing some sort of dance, bouncing from wall to wall, to head to arm.

Our new friend the cricket stopped on the ground just long enough so we could get a good look at him… “Pretty” we said “like a giant grasshopper with a singing voice”.  Seeing our distractions, and noticing we had left the door to the house ajar and he made a break for it!  Into the house he flew.  A grand opportunity for exploration.

Greg sighed.  Under other circumstances we’d be only too happy to oblige, but we’re not quite ready for company yet.  So Greg went inside and mounted a rescue operation.  Within a matter of seconds, Greg captured him, and very carefully, gingerly and lovingly brought our friend the cricket back outside to live a life in the great outdoors.  Ahhhh the freedom!

By morning, however, as I stepped into the courtyard once again, our friend Mr Cricket looked rather sullen as he now was breakfast to a rather cute, but determined gecko.  Although I disrupted the gecko from getting his morning protein a few times, in the end, well, it was the end.

Friendships can be so flighty!

Case in point, last night, hanging out with new friends (human this time) at a local hangout in a part of town called domayo, we needed a little something to go with the drinks.  “Crickets!  That would go well with beer!”  When a lady carrying a tray of crickets on her head with a choice of sauces and spices, we couldn’t resist.

Greg described them as “crunchy chicken wings” and essentially devoured them in like fashion.  I thought that they were a little too spicy for my taste – perhaps we went a little too far with the hot pepper sauce…

Oh, how the things can turn on a dime… friend one moment, snack the next…

life at the mission

Sunday morning, to the sounds of rhythmic drumming and soulful singing, the day came to full life at the Baptist Mission.  Wish it would occur every morning – it is such a nice way to welcome the day.  We are residing here for the first week while we continue our “In Country Training” on the finest points of customs and culture, but also on nutrition, first aid, shopping, and even money management.  We are also getting introductory lessons in Fulfulde.

Djabbama – Welcome to Maroua

The easy part is nearly over.  By Monday, we’ll be turned loose on our local partners.

In terms of settling into life here, “mission life” is a wonderful transition. We even get to acclimate to sleeping in the heat by having single beds on the opposite sides of the room!  Makes it harder to steal the covers… but then again, there truly is no need for them!  We’re melting and it’s nowhere near the hot season yet.

The dining hall/kitchen has already become the central focus of our existence:  think, eat, learn, eat, and repeat.  Together with the other 3 volunteers who arrived with us, we have been whipping up some rather lovely meals – one even devoured heartily by candlelight when the power chose dinnertime as its rest period!

The main market (“loumo”) in Maroua is only a few minutes walk away and sprawls over several city blocks.  It’s a busy place, but unlike in Yaoundé, it doesn’t feel quite as intimidating.  There are lots of hidden corners and alleyways, so there will be lots to explore in the next couple of years.  We’ve already found a few “comfort foods”.

Everything else however still feels a little insulated – like it’ll be a different world when we step outside the mission’s gate.  When all we have learned becomes fully absorbed.  When theory becomes reality.  When it’s time, we’ll be unleashed out into this brave new place we’ll call “home”.

 

Note:  CUSO-VSO is not a religious organization, nor are the local partners we are working with.  The Baptist Mission simply offers affordable (and comfortable) short-term accommodations for volunteers while in Maroua – for which we are obviously very appreciative.

an island in the storm

Our final push on to Cameroon’s Extrème Nord began amidst a flood of humanity.  Yaoundé’s central train station vibrated with shouting porters, cursing passengers jostling for space, wailing babies, and the shrieks of over-amplified speakers officially pronouncing that CAMRAIL was not responsible for “lost” baggage.

Our 1st Class Couchette

No kidding.

Within this maelstrom of activity, five VSO volunteers and a VSO staff encircled an island of baggage that had been stacked by

our contented porter from whose brow (and everything else) emerged a torrent of perspiration.  A quintet of blancs and nine massive bags was quite the motherload.   The competition between porters for our business had seen fierce squabbles, cajoling and professions of undying friendship.  One went so far as to call his “boss” who asserted he had a firm contract to carry the bags of all voluntaires who transited through Yaoundé’s gare central.

Nice try!

Once inside, we watched as the station rapidly filled with fellow travelers huddled around their own islands of baggage.  Perhaps inevitably, the press of bodies reached a saturation point and the station’s main gates closed.

Those remaining outside let out an ululating wail.  Periodically – after those inside had settled, freeing up small pockets of space – the police cracked open the bars to admit a few more lucky souls.  With each opening of the breach, the crowd outside surged forward and pancaked the front of the “line” against the bars.  Unbelievably, no one was hurt in this quasi-stampede.

Clinging to each other for a couple of hours, shrieking speakers suddenly announced something – perhaps “ALL ABOARD!!” ?? – the gates opened and the entire river surged forward.

We stayed put.

Latched on to our island, we waited for the torrent to pass.  Our couchettes were reserved.  Our porter guided us – and our bags – past remaining obstacles and through checkpoints, avoiding both crowds and officials tasked with either weighing bags or extracting a cadeau.

Misty Morning Train

Darkness descended as we settled into our basic, but comfortable, 4-person couchette.  Dinner was served, consumed anddigested happily.  We then began a running battle with an army of cockroaches, adding to the pounding staccato of flip-flops striking the walls and floors in other compartments.  After a few hours the offensive and defensive scurrying subsided – perhaps due to exhaustion on both sides.

Morning arrived and lush forests and humble villages paraded by. At the train’s many many many stops, children and women sold all manner of fruits, snacks and even bottles of locally collected honey.  A surprisingly pleasant 15 hours and 800 kilometers later, we arrived at the end of the line at Ngaouderé where we relinquished our compartment back to the tattered remnants of the insect army.

Fast Food for the Train Ride

Porters once again took charge of our bags, navigated a course through another foaming and frothing sea of humanity, and then dropped us off on another island of semi-tranquility.

Huddled around our mountain of baggage, we waited for the next leg of our journey – aboard the Touristique gros bus – to begin.

Maroua was still nine hours away.

adopting a motto

One of our trainers this past week shared his motto with us:  Let yourself be challenged, not frustrated.

Got it.  Will adopt it.  Will live by it.

I hope.

In those first few days in Yaoundé we learned a bit about the history, the culture, the work that VSO Cameroon has been doing, and most importantly for the day to day aspects of things: what to do and not do.  So in the spirit of this, I, personally, am accepting the challenges that are coming based on the tips we’ve been provided:

-       not crossing my legs for the next two years (at least not in public!)

-       answering to “Madame Greg” instead of my own name

-       bargain, bargain, bargain  – starting at 20% of the asking price, not accepting more than 50%!!!  (ok, that one will be hard for me!  Bargaining AND mental calculations – oh, brother)

Yet all of this is exciting.  Much like exploring the world around us.

Yaoundé from above

We did a tour of Yaoundé, including driving up to the top of one of the hills where the Palais des Congrès sits so we could get a 360 degree view of the city.  Large, beautiful, busy.

On our last morning in Yaoundé, we were taken to the market to get a “feel” for the place.  My, what a place!  There is nothing you cannot buy.  Need a new colourful bra?  Yup, you can get that right off a mat on the ground.  Toothpicks?  Try the guy walking with a tray of them on his head.  Hungry?  Any of the thousands of vendors can help you with that:  plantains, pineapples (oh, they are so yummy!), avocadoes, tomatoes, groundnuts, a whole bunch of veggies we couldn’t identify, meats of all kinds.  Then there are donut sellers, kebabs for a quick snack, and fried fish available everywhere.

Nothing challenging in the above… except for learning how to navigate it all!

Yaoundé Market - it's all there!

Then again, that’s Yaoundé…  we’re off to Maroua… Going North!

Arrived – Day 1

Nearly 18 hours of flight time, 30+ hours travelling and we made it.  All luggage accounted for.  Everything just peachy.

We arrived in Yaounde to the sounds of the city.

The beautiful sound of torrential downpour as we exited the airport.  Repeated again during the night and then in the afternoon.  It’s no wonder this city is lush and green!

The sound of monkeys chatting and running on the roof of the hotel.

The “cocorico” of the roosters announcing everything but the arrival of dawn.

The swarms of happy, chipper birds singing their welcoming songs to awake us fully in the morning.

Best of all, the simple sounds of “bonjour” from nearly everyone we cross on the streets.  Such a friendly first day.

Have you always been humanitarians?

That’s perhaps the most unusual question (so far, mind you) that we’ve been asked in regards to our impending placements in Cameroon.

On the eve of our departure, we can’t help but to think:  is this WHO we are?  WHAT we are?  WHAT we are doing?

No doubt a profound respect for humanity is what drives us to combine our skills with those of other individuals in the hopes that, together, we can make a difference in the world around us.  After all, we believe in supporting people and communities in changing their own lives.

If you want to read about great people doing extraordinarily wonderful things that classify as true humanitarianism (in our minds and hearts), then read:

Three Cups of Tea – by Greg Mortensen

Leaving Microsoft to Save the World – by John Woods

An Imperfect Offering – by James Orbinski

Six Months in Sudan – by James Maskalyk

The Wisdom of Whores – by Elizabeth Pisani
They have inspired us.  Truly.

If you want to read about the experiences of a couple of rather ordinary people – who have drive, ambition, desire, courage, energy and passion to do exactly what they want to do, who are not fearless or completely selfless yet feel tremendously blessed to have the ability to devote 2 years to a learning experience that is a match to what they are passionate about – then read on!

The journey is just beginning.

The AIDS patients are coming! The AIDS patients are coming!

The other day we were weaving our way between wineries in Essex County, Ontario, sampling the fine fall varietals.  Wherever we go we share our unfolding tale of volunteering with CUSO-VSO.  Hardly surprising …

One vintner we visited seemed particularly impressed by our willingness to venture off overseas to work with organizations that support those affected by HIV/AIDS.  His next comment, however, showed us that having HIV/AIDS still carries a considerable stigma in Canada.

“My wife is an officer with Immigration Canada.  People with HIV/AIDS shouldn’t be allowed into Canada. They’re a huge drain on the health system,” he declared, expecting us to agree wholeheartedly.

GASP.  Disbelief.  Shock.  Bafflement.  Pain.  Anger.  Sadness.  Sigh…

What a can of worms to open up… immigration policies, chronic diseases, ethics of humanitarian assistance, discrimination … All could be blog posts on their own (and very colourful ones at that!).

Since our work in Maroua will focus quite a bit on stigma-reduction programming we thought we could use our encounter to give you – our readers – our take on what stigma entails, not to mention what makes it so pernicious.

When we talk about the stigma attached to HIV and AIDS we’re speaking of any form of discrimination or prejudice directed towards individuals affected by the virus (not just those infected) and the communities around them.  Usually grounded in fear, misunderstanding, misinformation or bigotry, stigma can lead to individuals being shunned by their community, barred from economic or social opportunities, physically harmed, or even denied their most basic human rights.

In Northern Cameroon we will be working with CUSO-VSO’s partner organizations in reducing stigma at the local level.  Others are working on this in Canada through public education, lobbying and communication campaigns.  Whether at home or abroad, perhaps the most important part of dealing with this stigma is recognizing the humanity and potential of each individual.  No human being should be a persona non grata.

That’s what fuels us – an opportunity to change people’s minds, to help them see beyond the disease.  Beyond exclusion.  Towards inclusion.  Definitely a work in progress, but one worth pursuing…

Perhaps over a better glass of wine?

send us on assignment

WANTED:  Sponsors for each month of our placement in Cameroon -  send us on “special assignments”.

Are you curious about something about our lives or work in Maroua?  Intrigued about the city or country?  It’s people, cultures, or languages?  Would you like us to “cover” a particular topic, issue, area of interest, or curiosity in our blog?  Pretend you’re our editor; you name the story, we’ll go cover it!

Sponsors can be individuals, groups, or businesses.  In exchange for the sponsor’s donation towards our CUSO-VSO fundraising goal, we will dedicate our off-hours that month to researching, exploring and reporting on the topic of interest.  The more imaginative you are, the more creative we can be with taking on the assignment.

There’s no minimum donation.  However, your generosity will be immensely appreciated.  Remember that last year the fundraising creativity of other CUSO-VSO volunteers helped put us on the ground in Maroua.  Your curiosity about our lives, and the world around us, will help send the next batch of volunteers off on their own assignments.

To make your donation click here. Then send us an e-mail and we’ll settle on a great topic.  Oh… and if you want to donate without sponsoring a month, please go ahead.  Either way – THANK YOU!!!

Here’s a tentative/proposed schedule of confirmed assignments:

December 2009 – Sponsored by The Taiji Group – Assignment:  ‘Branding on a Cameroonian budget’ – What does branding look like in this environment?  Is there such a thing as “brand consciousness”?  How are international, national and local brands displayed and promoted?

April 2010 – Sponsored by Isabelle Bernier – Assignment:  What is the situation like for children infected with HIV-AIDS? How do the communities view and support these children when they have childhood developmental challenges or special needs?

Follow the progress of these special assignment on this page.