Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah.

Wow, this has been an incredible week, a week of many firsts. I had my first counseling session and . . . it went really well! I was so happy. At the beginning of the week I was so afraid that people a) wouldn't understand me because my accent is so thick and b) wouldn't be interested in doing the memory work, but I was proven wrong on both accounts. One of my first patients was incredible. She was extremely open and receptive to the idea of memory work. Basically, memory work is a way for people living with HIV/AIDS to start to cope with the illness emotionally. The activity is creating a way of remembering (i.e. a memory book, box, etc.) and planning for a positive future (some sort of action plan). It really gives the patients a message of hope. It's an incredible program.

Then, today we had our first social group meeting and I even gave my first sermon! Haha. A social group is the same thing as a support group except we can't call it a support group because then people expect you to give them money. It's really difficult to get these groups started because people don't have the time or money for transportation; however, once they are started they are really beneficial. So, we invited a few patients to come to the office today for our first meeting at 8:30am. By about 9:15 when nobody showed up I was feeling pretty bad, but by 9:30 a small number of people were there! It was really sad because none of them had eaten, most of them are pregnant, and some of them had traveled far, so Agi, the HIV/AIDS coordinator bought them all breakfast out of her own money. I helped reimburse their travel expenses (about 500CFA/person, in US dollars that is approximately $1.12) from my own money. Really, that's the only way to get a group started, to give them some motivation to come. I gave the sermon this morning also. Really, it was just a brief meditation, but I was still nervous.

I focused on John 9:1-5, the story of Jesus healing the blind man. The passage explains that sickness is not a punishment for sin, but an opportunity for God's will. It's very important to emphasize that HIV/AIDS does not happen because someone did something bad or wrong. I wanted to give them a message of hope and a purpose for the social group. So, I told them that today we were here to show God's power that is in each one of us and to be a light for one another like Jesus is for all of us. The patients seemed to like it and some were very moved and had some emotional responses. People living with HIV/AIDS here really just need comfort and support and the Bible is the best place to get that from especially since all of the HIV/AIDS patients we have seen so far are Christians, so passages about healing are really helpful. If anyone out there can think of some more passages that would be appropriate feel free to send them my way (hint hint Westminster crew). I would really appreciate it. Overall, the social group was a huge success. The patients really got to know each other, opened up, and helped one another. They really showed each other love, kindness and understanding. It was incredible to witness them coming together. We have another meeting planned for next month, so hopefully the group will continue to move forward.

Some of the things I have witnessed this first week alone have been extremely difficult. It's really hard to see so many patients in such difficult situations and know that I can't help all of them. When I first got here, I promised myself I would not help any patient financially because it seemed unethical. Well, ethics kind of go out the window in third world countries. Although, it is still my goal to not help financially (especially since it's near impossible after being a student for the past four years). I did help one woman because I couldn't bare to see her go without treatment. Without proper treatment, her baby would be born blind due to complications. The medication was approximately 9,000CFA and she could only afford 3,000 of it. There are very, very limited resources for people living with disabilities here, so if her child was born blind he/she would become an orphan and have a small chance of surviving. I couldn't say no, so I gave her the extra 6,000CFA (approximately $13.00) for treatment. That's just a small example of the things you have to see here everyday at the medical center. It's so hard to watch and know that you can't help every person, at least not financially, but it's good to know that I am at least doing some good when it comes to helping them cope emotionally. I do feel like I am being productive and really helping right now. But, I think no matter how much good I do it will never seem like enough considering how hard life can be for people here. The work I'm doing is very rewarding and really I can't wait for work again on Monday. We are starting memory work with more patients next week!

Things have just been really great all around. I have been starting to make some good friends here which is nice. Kumba hasn't had running water for about three days now. Apparently, a big truck ran over a pipe somewhere. The word on the street is it will be fixed today, buuuut we will see if that happens. Basically, I feel disgusting not bathing for three days, but hey, at least I did my laundry last week, right? Ohhh funny story! The other night I decided to make rice with a red sauce for dinner. People eat this meal here often. However, it would be rude to serve it to a guest because rice alone is considered "empty." If you are cooking for guests, you always needs to have a full meal. Anyways, this was my first very minor attempt at making something sort of Cameroonian, a little experiment which turned out really well actually! But, while I was cutting peppers a huge bug flew up my nose, that seems funny enough, but of course it gets worse. Without thinking, I started rubbing my nose frantically to get the bug out. A terrible idea, considering I was cutting peppers (and let me tell you, peppers here are HOT!). After about 30 seconds, my nose was on FIRE. I had tears pouring down my face. It was terrible. Luckily, I remembered hearing that if you drank milk after eating something hot it cooled the burn. So, I quickly found a bottle of water and made a glass of powdered milk. At which point, I snorted the milk with tears pouring down my face while laughing hysterically. Man, do I wish you all could have seen this. It was absurd. That's just a little preview into my life here in Africa. You really want to come visit, don't you? Hope everyone is doing well back in the good ol' US of A. I can't wait to hear from you all. Be happy and safe!

Why'd you have to go-o away from me?

Wow, it's been quite some time since I have updated this baby. A lot of changes have taken place since my last post.

I am now, officially, moved to Kumba. Hooray! I moved here last Monday. Last week, we attended (well, I attended and Shirley planned, organized and helped facilitate) a consultation on HIV/AIDS. Basically, the staff of the PCC who is involved in HIV/AIDS work came together to formulate a long-term plan. It was extremely productive and I felt honored to be a part of it. Everyone was so open and dedicated to their work. It was incredible. And....drum roll please, I actually made some real live friends my age! Haha. I met a girl named Maria who was the representative for CYF (Christian Youth Fellowship) and we hit it off. She told me I'm funny and she enjoys my company, so that's probably a good sign. The beginnings of a beautiful friendship I'm sure. I also got to know my co-worker, Agnus (I will call her Agie), very well. She is the HIV/AIDS coordinator for my region. The conference ended on Thursday which was also my last day with Shirley. So sad. She left me. It was hard to say goodbye. I'm already anxiously awaiting her return. I didn't have much time to be sad though because Friday I started work, well, sort of. I thought I was suppose to start work, but Rev. Abwenzoh (the minister from Kumba Towne, my church) came and got me and took me out to lunch with the chairman of the presbytery and two other ministers. Rev. Abwenzoh has basically taken me under his wing since I got here. He calls and stops by to check in, makes sure I have everything I need and drives me anywhere I need to go. He even sent his daughter here on Saturday to take me to the market so I didn't have to go alone. And, I have been to his house twice for dinner already. He is so sweet. He has really taken on a paternal role with me which is nice.

I was introduced to the congregation on Sunday. It was kind of a big deal. Rev. Abwenzoh gave this whole speech and I had to get up in front of everyone and say hello and then go and greet the chief and the other ministers. I felt so important, haha. Then, I spent the rest of the day with Maryanne Mukete. She is so wonderful! She has been so welcoming, caring and kind. I don't know what I would do without her. We ate lunch (potatoe hot plate, kind of like beef stew, I loved it, favorite meal so far), watched some tv, checked e-mail, and then sat out on the porch all evening and watched it rain. It was so nice.

I actually started work this past Monday. It's going alright so far. I am spending time with Agie, watching her work to get a feel for it before I jump in it on my own. After the first few days I was a little concerned. People here are worried about food, water and shelter and are not too interested in talking about feelings. However, I'm starting to find some areas where I am needed and can be helpful. I just need to keep reminding myself that this is a process. It's a new program, a new idea and is going to take time to implement. I just want to jump in and do everything right away. I'm pretty sure patience is going to be one of my biggest lessons during my time here. So, I am in the process of learning pidgin and starting my program. Judith (the matron) and Agi have really taken me in as their daughter. They feed me and visit me all the time. They really are my mami's away from home. They are too sweet. Agi even taught me how to make pepe (the hot sauce they put on EVERYTHING here) today! In return, I made her egg salad, but I don't think she was as impressed. Haha.

My apartment is nice. It's very cute and it's starting to feel a little like home. I don't really have much time to get everything organized though. The minute I get home from work my bell rings and all the neighborhood kids come in and hang out. I teach them cards, we play on the computer and watch movies. They are so cute. The babies are afraid of me though, haha. They scream and scream when they see me. I feel so bad. Haha. Hopefully they get use to seeing me though. So, yeah. Things are really good. I have internet fairly regularly now so I will be able to update more frequently. Once again, ignore my spelling errors it's late here. Hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all like crazy!

There are places I'll remember all my life.

Here they are folks, some MUCH ANTICIPATED photos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

Oh you know, just my shower.

This is the Synod Office where Shirley and I spend our days working hard and sometimes, rarely I assure you, hardly working, but enjoying each others company immensely.

This is Mt. Cameroon, the beautiful mountain I get to wake up to every morning. Breath taking, huh?

This is a common scene around Cameroon. People walking carrying ridiculous amounts of weight on their heads. Can you believe it? We are so wussy in the US.

The first of two African dresses. This is a more formal style. They are called kabas.

This is my favorite one. I like to think that the orange and blue colors are a throw back to my years at Macalester.


There you have it folks. My life in Cameroon (so far) in photo form. I hope you liked them. It took me approximately five hours, spread out over a couple days, to figure out how to load these darn pictures. Anyways, Shirley and I are off to make popcorn and have movie night. Be happy and safe!

I got all my sisters and me

Wow, it has been a busy few days since the last time I wrote. Maybe I will do a little day by day breakdown.

Wednesday: Mary, the HIV/AIDS national coordinator for the PCC, Shirley, and Clement, Shirley’s driver, and I all went to Kumba. Oh man, I was not prepared for that trip. Apparently, the road conditions have improved tremendously and this is considered a good road for Cameroon, but I was shocked. I literally have bruises on my body from being thrown around the backseat while driving over huge potholes, I mean huge, and we think roads in Minnesota are bad, goodness. It was exciting though. Everyone in the car laughed at the expressions on my face, haha. By the time we got there, I was a little frazzled, but it was time to jump right into a meeting with the people I will be working with for the next year. I met Dr. Neba, the doctor in charge, Agnus, the provincial HIV/AIDS coordinator, and Judith, the matron in charge of the nurses. The facilities were very nice for Cameroon and the hospital was crowded with patients. The meeting went really well. We made our proposal for the project implementation and the staff seemed to be excited about it. We discussed different ideas and problems that might come up. However, it is really important to keep in mind that this is their hospital and I am not here to force my views or plans upon them, so we will have to work together and try to see what works best once I get there. It’s definitely going to be a trial and error process, quite an adventure. We all went out for lunch afterwards which was really delicious! Per usual half a chicken, chips (French fries), spaghetti sauce (a little different and way spicier than ours, they put pepe in everything), and some cooked greens. Everyone makes fun of me for not being able to eat as much as they do, so I have to politely remind them that I am the size of a twelve year old. I also saw where I am going to be living, met my spiritual counselor, Rev. Forchang, and met Mami (pronounced Mommy) Pastor, the pastor of Kumba Town’s wife, who lovingly referred to herself as my Mami Pastor, very sweet. A few times Mary even introduced me by saying, “This is our sister Megan who is here to do HIV/AIDS work at the Presbyterian Health Center here in Kumba.” I felt pretty special having Mary refer to me as her sister, hence the title of this post. I was impressed with everything, but it will definitely, definitely take some getting use to, in a good way though. Then, we made the long trek back to Buea.

Thursday: We did our normal work routine during the day. Nothing too exciting. Killed some roaches and possibly saw a rat (actually a mouse, they make no distinction), but that was about as exciting as it got. Then, we had a few hours to rest, and headed to the wake keeping. Wake keepings are usually held outside and of course, of course it was raining. Not just a little drizzle, but a down pour. We went and picked up Mary and then made the trek to the house. It was totally hilarious. Shirley and I forgot our flashlights, so we only had Mary’s little crank flashlight to rely on. So, it was all of us, laughing hysterically, wading through mud and water almost to our calves walking up this huge hill. Of course everyone laughed at me when I would scream when bugs flew at my faces or a puddle was way deeper than I thought and I sunk in. It was too much, hahaha. We finally made it to the top of the hill and were welcomed by the CWF (Christian Women’s Fellowship) singing songs and getting the crowd ready for worship. The ceremony was beautiful. There were numerous passage readings, a small sermon and lots of singing and dancing. After we paid our respects to the family, there was lots of food and most people stayed all night, until six in the morning. However, we left at twelve because it was a work night. It was really powerful to be able to be a part of that service though. I felt so blessed to be surrounded and welcomed by everyone.

Friday and Saturday: Relatively laid back days. We crashed kind of hard after a long week. Friday we watched the Princess Bride, drank wine and ate peanuts with Shirley’s neighbor, Helen, who is my age. So, that was nice. Saturday we went to the market which was fun. It wasn’t too intimidating because it was a really small market. We walked there too which was nice because we haven’t really walked around too much yet. Of course, it’s a little weird because little kids shout “white man” and chase after you. It’s not meant to be mean or scary or anything, it’s just so different for them to see a white person walking around. We bought some vegetables and headed back to the house. A good day overall.

Sunday: Wow, what an incredible day. Usually, we attend church at Likoko Membia, a small congregation near Shirley’s home. However, this past Sunday we attended church at a much bigger congregation in Ekona. The church had been desecrated about a month ago, so this was the big consecration ceremony. It was incredible. There were maybe ten pastors, a ton of elders and important people from the church, members from other churches and representatives from other denominations. It was really beautiful how everyone came together. Trying to explain the ceremony seems kind of pointless because words don’t do it justice. Everyone was worshiping like I have never seen before. You could just feel the energy and power in the church. It was absolutely incredible. The entire scene brought tears to my eyes. It was so moving watching all these people come together and mourn, but be so hopeful and faithful. They introduced all the guests like they normally do; however, I’m realizing more and more that it’s extremely difficult for people here to say my name or maybe just read my writing, so they introduced me as “Maygen Koran,” which I couldn’t help but giggle at. I think I need to work on my penmanship, haha. Afterwards, we all gathered for lunch. Meals seem to be a big part of every meeting or ceremony. It’s nice. Then, we headed back and had a relaxing evening at home.

Now, things are getting a little crazy. Shirley is planning this huge HIV/AIDS consultation that is taking place in Kumba next week and I am frantically trying to plan my program and get ready to move to Kumba next week, haha. Luckily, we have each other for support, which is so so nice! I think having Shirley leave might be harder than when I left home (no offense Mom and Dad and extended fam, you know I love you the most). It’s just going to be hard to lose my one really close companion here, but I’m sure I will be fine. Oh also, I got the dresses that I had made. They are so beautiful! I'm not sure how Cameroonian I look. I think it looks like I am wearing a really, really colorful graduation gown everywhere I go. Haha. I will try to get pictures at some point.

Alright, wow, I’m so long winded. Hope it was somewhat interesting for you all to read. Actually, you probably would have quit by now if you got bored, so hooray! I’m off to do some work instead of chatting. This has always been one of my problems. When I was in elementary school I would get stars on everything except my teachers would complain that I socialize too much. Haha, I would just politely get up in the middle of class and go talk to someone on the other side of the room. Oh man, I haven’t changed much. Hope you are all well. Peace and Love.

Whenever I want you all I have to do is dream.

Hey everyone! Wow, it's nice to finally have an internet connection again. Shirley and I have pretty much been without a steady internet connection for a little less than a week. We have had enough to send a few e-mails, but not enough to load anything like this fancy blog, haha. Things are still going really well. We took a trip to the Northwest last week to Bamenda. We visited a nun there who was doing psychosocial memory work with a support group that is similar to the program we want to implement here. The drive up was possibly one of the scariest trips of my life. Of course, I had nothing but faith in our driver, Clement, but I was still scared out of my mind. I mean, 100-120km is the usual speed on windy, narrow, on bad roads where it is common to have to slam on the breaks quickly for a speed bump, children, or cows. There is some sort of organization behind the chaos, I just don't quite get it yet. I got a little more use to it as we went along. We stopped at a small roadside area that had some stands to get food. I had plantaines for the first time, delicious. I've had them about three times since then and I'm sure will have many more during my time here. While walking around the stands US music was playing, and the song that the title of this post came from was playing. I loved it. It reminded me of driving around in my old Toyota Tercel listening to KOOL108 in St Paul. Usually the music playing around here is more the stylings of KDWB, which I also happen to like. So, we met the nun and everything went really well. We stayed at a church center which had nice rooms and a really nice cook staff that made us food. We even had beef stew one night which reminded me of home. I also bought some fabric at a market there to have some dresses made, so I will look like a Cameroonian in no time. Haha, should be hilarious. By the time we drove home the driving didn't bother me too much at all. I don't even slam on the imaginary break in the backseat any more. So, I was proud of myself for learning some patience and being able to take a chill pill a little bit.

Things have been good since we got back from our trip. We had a couple chill out days at Shirley's which was nice. Now our usual routine is to go to work, come home, eat dinner, then cuddle up and drink wine and watch a movie. It's really nice. Jill, you especially will appreciate that Shirley and I made beans, cheese and rice last night and I have already eaten them twice. Church this past Sunday was really great. It was three and a half hours sitting on a wooden bench and I was engaged the entire time. These Cameroonians definitely have the church thing figured out. Everyone was dancing, singing and worshiping, so fun! Now, we are back to the normal work day. We traveled to Limbe today to have a meeting with some people at a church there. We went out to lunch with the minister and the rest of the people who were at the meeting which was fun. It's nice getting to know all these new people and everyone is really friendly and forgiving when I don't understand customs or pidgin (uncongigated English mixed with local language and slang). I ate Ndole which is this green vegetable stuff with meat in it and then had plantaines again. Of course, the minister and Shirley are good friends and he insisted that she get a beer. So, I shared it with her. A normal beer here is the equivalent of maybe three beers back home. So, we just drank beers for lunch. Haha. So hilarious. Now we are back at the office finishing up some work.

We are heading to Kumba on Wednesday to meet with the staff at the hospital and plan out my position and the program. I will also get to see where I will be living and everything which will be cool. On Thursday, they are holding a wake keeping for a Cameroonian Westminster member who arrived from the US on the 29th of August. So, Shirley and I are going to attend to pay our respects. We might head to Limbe again on Saturday to see the coast and all that good stuff since we just had to go to a meeting there today. So, that's the plan as of now. Please forgive all of spelling errors, I can't be quite the perfectionist here that I am at home. I hope you all are doing well. Send updates, I like them.

Adam, I definitely listened to you sing the temptations alone in your room all hours of the night. Unfortunately, not that song. I really hope you got over that habit.

Jenni, no prize unless you get all of them right when I get back. So, good luck.

Everyone else who has written comments, you are so sweet and I love hearing from you! Keep them coming. You can send me e-mails also.

Love you guys! Be happy and safe. I will write again when I get the chance.