Are we there yet?

So training has officially become a total drag. Mostly, I feel frustrated because time is used so inefficiently and, moreover, I have very little control over my time. We are supposed to be at the training site from 7:30 AM til 4:30 PM everyday, and then home by curfew at 6 PM. We do get an hour and a half for lunch, but taken in total, this leaves us only about an hour and a half at a time to do anything. And I’m not just talking about hanging out with friends. With new regulations, we (the trainees) are permitted to go out past curfew only on Saturday and Sunday and Wednesday, the night of our weekly dinners together. I am actually feeling okay about the amount of time I spend with other the other stagiares. However, just to get little errands or chores done or to do everyday tasks to stay on top of my life usually take more time than that. Moreover, there’s often dead time during the day that is unplanned for – a training session will end early, or a guest speaker won’t show up on time because the roads are so bad, so then you’re just sitting, waiting for things to pick back up. Sometimes the training sessions are painfully boring and seem basically irrelevant to my work as a Health volunteer – example: a two-hour tech session on how to raise cane rats. Pretty much the only thing there IS time for during these short breaks is eating. Which might explain why I’ve probably gained about 10 pounds since arriving here. That, and my near-addiction to chocolate bars and cookies here.

So, as a stress reliever, this past weekend, I finally decided to go out at night. I’ve been avoiding it, because my family’s home has a large gate surrounding it, which they lock at nightfall. I feel bad coming home late and ringing the doorbell to wake my little brother to come open the gate for me. But, I’ve realized that I need to get out sometimes for my own sanity. And I’ve finally begun to feel a bit more comfortable in town, and even walking home at night by myself, if necessary. Me and about eight others went to this bar that had a pool table (!), drinks, and a club-type scene in the back. It was good time – we ate, drank, danced. I even played a round of pool. One of my favorite things was that in the club-type area in the back of the bar, there was a large mirror (actually one of the only full-length mirrors I’ve seen here), and people just stood in front of it, dancing, and watching themselves dance. It was hilarious. The place wasn’t exactly kicking, but we were having fun. Apparently, the nightclubs pick up a lot more later in the night – around midnight or one – but I didn’t want to be too rude to my family by returning too late so I went home around 10 PM. It was raining lightly, and I had stupidly worn my flip flops, so while me and Danny drunkenly walked home in the rain and mud, belting out songs, my flip flops kicked up mud on the back of my skirt, which I only discovered the next morning. It almost felt just like a night out in New York – even the next morning, one of my friends stopped by to let me know about how she didn’t quite remember how her night ended, except that she did know that she threw up. Twice.

In other news, I feel very at home here in Bangangté. I went for an hour-long run this morning, a bit out of town, and after tackling a number of large hills, I encountered a plateau at the top of one hill that was just gorgeous. I wished I had my camera, as I have at many moments while running. It figures that just as I get to know the environs, to make some local friends, to feel comfortable, I’m going to have to pack up and move to the middle of NOWHERE. My closest postmate is a half-day away, and I’ve come to understand that this is a bit intense, even by Peace Corps standards. The next closest postmate after that is surely a full day away; however, once I travel for that whole day, I have many options, since the full day will bring me to Baffousam, which is only an hour or less away from where many of my fellow trainees are posted. Some current volunteers are even posted in Baffoussam.

I’m realizing more and more that almost anything you might want can probably be found in Cameroon. Granted, it will be in the big cities (Douala, Yaoundé, Baffousam), which will mean a lot of traveling to get there, and then of course, a decent amount of searching once in that city to find whatever it is you want. But. It is possible. Right before swearing-in, all the trainees are going to stay for two nights in Yaoundé to get banking set up. I’ve been dreaming about eating milkshakes and pizza, which I’m told are available. Although the two will cost probably more than an entire month’s living expenses while at post, I don’t care. It’s worth it to splurge every now and again.

And besides that, I’m stoked on some of the Cameroonian foods, which you can’t find in America. A few of my favorites: batons de manioc (literally manioc sticks) – the texture is just about the same as the tapioca balls in bubble tea, but it’s in stick form – it almost resembles a piece of string cheese – floppy, white – but a tiny bit thicker and doubly long. It has very little flavor, but a strong smell, which deters most people (I don’t really notice it). It’s fun to chew on, satisfies my oral fixation for lack of chewing gum. I also suspect that it would be delicious with some sort of dipping sauce, though I’ve yet to discover one that will work well for this purpose. Batons are sold wrapped up in banana leaves (because after the batter is prepared, it’s poured into banana leaves and then steamed), and sold 100 CFA for a pack of eight. I’ve also come to love omelettes de spaghetti and omelettes d’haricots. That is, egg omelettes with cooked spaghetti or beans as the filling. Much better than you might at first think. Usually, there’s a bit of piment (spicy pepper flavoring), onions, tomato, and garlic thrown in too, so it pleasantly sets your mouth on fire. When the pasta omelette is cooked well, the edges of the pasta get fried and crispy – it’s delicious. Beignets and beans is another favorite. Mami’s will often perch themselves on a stool in market, or wherever they can find a spot, set up a huge vat of oil over a fire and then roll these balls of batter with one hand and then toss these balls of delicious right into the boiling oil. Hot, fresh beignets are awesome. I’ve also discovered some that are made from banana batter, instead of just being plain flavored. The beignets are often served with beans. It’s a nice combo. It doesn’t hurt that some of the local fruit is also some of my favorites – bananas, grapefruits, oranges, papaya, pineapple, and I can’t wait for mango season.

And, I’m getting better at bargaining. Which is necessary. Sometimes things have set prices, like when you go into a boutique or a restaurant. However, I’ve been getting such a kick out of bargaining, that when I went to buy candles the other day (definitely a set-price item), I couldn’t help but try my luck at bargaining. And I did well for myself, convincing the boutique owner to give me one of the candles as a “petit cadeau” (a little gift). Bargaining has started to become a game to me – seeing how much I can get someone to knock down the price. And I like the way Cameroonians do it. Sometimes the bargaining can get a bit intense, seeming almost unfriendly, like either side is very unhappy with what’s happening. However, after the price is set, if you continue with a short conversation – inquiring after the business of the day, the weather, etc – the person often becomes friendly, amicable. It’s as if this unpleasant bargaining thing must be taken care of – but once it’s over, it’s over; life can resume in a friendly, happy manner.

So, all is well here, for the moment. Exciting things are coming up soon, with swearing-in and moving to post. I just can’t wait for training to be over.