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Deanna Bowers Cameroon Journal August 2004 Deanna Bowers gained
much from her 25 years of school nursing in Central School District in
Rancho Cucamonga, California, as well as leadership opportunities with
the California School Nurses Organization during that time--but none of
those experiences prepared her completely for the challenges of being
the School Nurse/Infirmarian at St. Rita's Catholic Technical High School
in Nkambe, Cameroon! Deanna's Cameroon Journal April 15, 2003 Saturday, April 19, 2003 May 5, 2003 May 14, 2003
June 9, 2003 June 16,
2003 The Bishop, Warren, & Deanna June 28,
2003 June 29, 2003 June 30, 2003 July 1, 2003 July 2, 2003 July 3, 2003 July 4, 2003 July 5, 2003 July 8, 2003 July 9, 2003 July 10, 2003 July 11, 2003 July 12, 200 July 13, 2003 July 14, 2003 July 15, 2003 July 16, 2003 July 17 - 24, 2003 August 6, 2003 August 18, 2003 August 25, 2003 September 3, 2003 September 10, 2003 September 16, 2003 September 18, 2003 September 19, 2003 September 21, 2003
September 30, 2003 October 5, 2003 October 7, 2003 October 11, 2003 October 12, 2003 October 29, 2003 November 2, 2003 November 5, 2003 Deanna and Her Students November 12, 2003 November 15, 2003 November 21, 2003 November 23, 2003 November 26, 2003 November 30, 2003 Deanna
in the infirmary December 3, 2003 December 11, 2003 December 15, 2003 December 17, 2003 January 2, 2004 January 6, 2004 January 10, 2004 January 15, 2004 January 17, 2004 Laundry
Day January 26, 2004 February 6, 2004 February 12, 2004 Friday, February 20,
2004 February 24, 2004 February 28, 2004 March 7, 2004 March 13, 2004 March 22, 2004 March 28, 2004 March 31, 2004 April 2, 2004 April 12, 2004 April 14, 2004 Deanna
and Darlene, July, 2002 April 27, 2004 May 1, 2004 May 5, 2004 May 9, 2004 May 15, 2004
CAMEROON JOURNAL II The first edition of the Journal was sent this past week by way of the new Internet Café in Kumbo-what a treat to have access only two hours away! We spent our first holidays away from Nkambe this past week in Kumbo/Shisong with the other LMH folks. We were fortunate enough to catch a ride on Saturday with Sister Severia who had been up here for a Day of Recollection with the other ICM sisters here. We were told to be ready by 3 p.m., and she was here by 3 p.m.! We were packed into our backpacks as our alternative was the public transportation and luggage needs to minimal there. I really enjoyed the green hills, mountains and valleys as we drove to Kumbo-it was like a totally new experience. Our trip here had been so filled with apprehension and newness that I could not remember the terrain at all. The road had not improved, but the car (from the Bishop's house with a driver) rode much better than the school truck! We stopped at the Ndu tea plantation to "greet" a newly arrived couple from India. Sister Severia is from India and had recently met them-and they were in need of some familiar emotional support. He is a technical consultant with experience in tea plantations in India, hired by the South African owners to improve the production and quality of the Cameroonian tea. They had been here only ten days, and had left their two children in India with his folks-until they determined the safety and education opportunities for them. They had now decided to send for them, but they were quite lonesome for the children. Their home was on the tea plantation, nicely furnished and landscaped, with a butler-type helper-they served us delicious tea. It was very interesting-learning about the production of tea. He reported that the production here is 50% less than in India. There are about 3000 acres here-he describes this as a small plantation. The hills and valleys are covered with the green tea plants, about 18 inches high-a green blanket. The leaves are hand-picked in baskets, then processed at the local factory by fermentation, then dried. There are four tea plantations in Cameroon, and four Indian consultants have been hired to work with them-one at each plantation. The tea produced here is sold locally, so it could be an export product if more were produced. There are two grades here-red and blue label-but in India, there are seven grades-and all the Indian tea is exported to Germany. We have been enjoying the Ndu tea available at our local market-both grades are not always available. What a delightful stop on our journey-then we met them again at the Internet Café in Kumbo a few days later! The car took us all the way to the Doctors' Compound where the Medinas and Grace live in Shisong-and the brakes which had been making noises all the way gave out entirely as we arrived. I guess they made it back to the Bishop's house with the downshifting! How great it was to see Ed and Cathy, the children and Grace and Joyce-all gathering for a farewell party for Margaret (the nurse from Scotland). We had a FEAST-pork, spaghetti, vegetable soup, all kinds of fruit, and brownies! Shannon (Peace Corps worker from Minnesota) brought a huge mango pie that was so beautiful and delicious it could have been my mother's, and (miracle!) there was a bit for everyone. Included in the festivities were two young women, medical students from England, and four young women, nursing students from the Netherlands. They were all great English-speakers, and it was great to share with them my experiences and theirs-they shared my horror at the treatment with many drugs and the expectation that one will only recover with medications-and they report that they believe even more in injections. The medical students told of going to the outstations to observe, and they were asked to see patients who believe even more in "white doctors"-and they have only had two years of medical school! We all learn quickly here! They are here for six weeks as part of their medical school experience-they paid their transportation, but the hospital here provides them with housing. What a great treat this is for the LMH folks here in Shisong-all the international medical personnel who rotate in and out-'always a delight for me. Eddie says it is hard to get any privacy-especially with the children. They are such a delight for us-they colored Easter eggs for us and put on labels, "Grandma" and "Grandpa." They speak the native dialect and pigeon English with their friends at school, and are very articulate in English with all the adults around. The girls (Terissa and Megan) who are 8 and 10 were going to be flower girls in a wedding at the Presbyterian church, and they had rehearsal for (the singing and dancing) 4 hours each afternoon the week before. Sometimes the bride or groom would pick them up, and sometimes they took a taxi to town! And Billy (age 5) is always at the market or outside the hospital by himself. Everyone knows them, talks to them, watches out for them, and calls Eddie "Pa-Billy" and Cathy, "Ma-Billy." It was good to visit with Joyce, who is living alone at her new house at St. Sylvester's school, with almost 500 students--about twice the size of ours. She is finding the challenge of being a bursar with cash only and records in paper notebooks to be an interesting adventure. It is hard to be hard-nosed about money with such giving and needy folk. She continues to be outgoing and positive with all… We all rejoiced at the report from Linda (our classmate in American Samoa) who was grateful she was sent there, as she was most reluctant before going. On Sunday, we went to church at Shisong(much more western dress here than in Nkambe), enjoyed cinnamon toast and fruit at Grace's as well as the first coffee I have had in two months-terrific! That afternoon, we went to Kumbo to check out the new internet café and BB91, the chicken place. They were out of chicken-so Eddie drove up to another place, BB92, and placed our order for chickens and fried potatoes and plantains and njama njama-two hours ahead! We sat at BB91 and played cards (Phase 10) drank beer and watched the many people milling around the "squares." We were all able to get into the LMH car to go to the BB92-with Eddie and Warren in front; Grace, Margaret, Joyce and me in the back; Cathy and the three children in the baggage area! 'Good thing it was only a mile… The food was delicious-and ready soon after we got there. Margaret left for Scotland on Monday morning, and we moved into her apartment. We had been staying in the children's room with Cathy and Eddie. After Mass this morning, a Cameroonian sister came up to me to tell me the Americans were in Baghdad and she was grateful for their action against Saddam. That is one of the few positive comments I have heard-most are opposed to conflict. We went to the hospital where we were able to cash a check-hurray-that is always a problem for us. We then went in to Kumbo to use the Internet Café, which does not even serve drinks. It is a small storefront just across from the cathedral with about 15 computers set very close to each other. But they worked, albeit slowly when the clouds came in and it rained. I sent everything to Wendi so she could forward it-'too slow to attach and send from here. We went to check in with the Bishop's house and got there just in time to greet Bishop Esua who was returning (driving his 4-wheel pick up) from a week of Confirmations in the outstations. He had been on the road for 7 hours! He was getting ready for the International Youth Day on Saturday and a week of retreat with all the priests next week. What a delightful and energetic man! That evening Cathy cooked meat loaf and mashed potatoes, honey-marinated carrots and a delicious banana cake-are we treated well there! Shannon brought along a new word game. Taboo, and the teams were very competitive!!! Shannon's team won-'good thing Warren was on that one because he did not do well at cards the night before! On Tuesday, I was able to attend a class taught by Sister Severia and her colleague, Sister Julie from Brazil, on Reflexology (acupressure and massage). The students were postulants, novices and seminary students-about 25 from the area. They gave me new hope for the Catholic Church-such bright and enthusiastic young people with vocations! Sister chose me to be the demonstration victim in the morning, so I was really relaxed from the waist up by lunch break. After lunch, another sister came in for the full body massage demonstration-so I stayed half-done! This is another of the alternative therapies to be taught to local people who have no money for health care or medicines-what a great program! The Sisters did invite me to come to their convent for a full body massage if I had time before I returned to Nkambe-'too bad I didn't! I hope I can cash a rain check another time! I do plan to teach some of the pressure points to students as an alternative to drugs-we shall see how successful that is! Tuesday evening was Mexican food day at the Medinas-Cathy made tortillas, guacamole and salsa; Eddie made chili and Grace made refried pinto beans-I almost thought I was at Felipe's! We (Eddie, Joyce, Warren and I) left for Bamenda on Wednesday morning--those roads had not improved either, and it was the same LMH car. The hills everywhere were greening with the rains, so it was a different trip there, too. We stopped at a health clinic outstation of Shisong at Ndop, so Eddie could pick up some antibiotics. The "nurse in charge" took us around to see the facility-six pediatric beds, four male and four female beds-with a small pharmacy, laboratory and consultation room. I was surprised to hear that the "nurse in charge" is actually a nurse's aid who graduated from Shisong last summer-and she is the only medical professional there! She does the consulting, diagnosing, prescribing and provides the professional care! 'Good thing she is bright and energetic! As we approached Bamenda from the very flat Ndop plain, we were in mountains again-green, but warmer than Nkambe. This is a city of 235,000, sprinkled over the hills and valleys, with many taxis and much traffic in the center of town. We checked in at the Mill Hill House, a guest house for traveling missionaries run by the Mill Hill fathers. The room fee was 5000 cfa (less than $10) and that includes breakfast and supper and drinks (soft drinks and beer) anytime! The rooms are all single with very clean bathrooms and screens on the windows-we could not ask for more! There was even a TV in a parlor on the main floor with English news at 7:30 p.m. -when there was no soccer game! The Mill Hill fathers are an order of priests originally from Mill Hill in London, England. They have been in Cameroon for more than 50 years and have provided staff and construction for many parishes and medical centers. There was another couple (nurse and civil engineer from the Netherlands) there-lay affiliates of the Mill Hill fathers-who were shopping for their home in Mamfe where they will be serving for three years. Mamfe is in the equatorial forest, and they report no running water (even at the medical clinic), very unpredictable power and oppressive heat and humidity-night and day. They are about 3 hours out of Bamenda going toward Nigeria-and she will be working at the medical clinic and he will be overseeing building projects of the new diocese there. This is their second tour of duty-previously they were in Nairobi, Kenya-also hot, but much more developed. Every day we find a reason to be grateful for what we have and for what others are willing to give! We headed to the open market to see what was there. We stopped at the Vatican store, a "supermarket" with no bargaining. We met a Peace Corps worker (Nicholas) just outside (in the pouring rain) who offered to accompany us to the market to help Warren shop for hardware and wood finishing supplies. Fortunately, we had our raincoats along, as it was dumping. Eddie bought a brown and black umbrella because he liked the colors-when he opened it, it had printed, "Elizabeth Beautiful"-oh, well! We found some dishes, silverware (as ours bend with any pressure), pots and pans, and food flask (cooler) and tea flask. There was intense bargaining for each one-how they enjoy that! We also had the Medinas' propane gas tank, so packing would be critical! We shared the evening meal with Father Bill, Brother Duncan, the couple headed for Mamfe-great bread, fruit, pasta and stew-and cheese which we have not been able to get. We were sure to buy some the next day to take home-wax-covered Gouda. That evening, we had a soccer game to watch from Barcelona. On Wednesday, we went shopping early-back to the market; the other supermarket, New Life; book stores; and a myriad of hardware stores and building supply places for Warren. We bought toilet seats (ours are wrong shape and beyond cleaning), lamps for our room, cake pans and so many supplies that are not available or expensive in Nkambe. We went to the Archbishop's House to apply for our driver's licenses. They needed our International licenses, copies of our passports, and about $50! We also paid for 2 hours for an employee to take the applications to the "DMV" office and the fuel for his car (about $3)!-money well spent! Fortunately, we were able to pick them up the next day. We stopped at Uncle Sam's Restaurant at 9 a.m. to order cheeseburgers on homemade buns, with grilled onions, fries, cole slaw and cokes for noon. At noon, we thought we died and went to In and Out! Actually, I thought they were even better (we may not be good judges now) though Warren says not-and it was $10 for all four of us! You can bet there is nothing like that in Nkambe! In the afternoon, we went to a craft shop and found wonderful carvings, weavings and pottery. We will be sure to return there before we return to the USA! The woods are beautiful and some of the work very detailed and fine. That evening, we had shepherd's pie and a delicious salad at the Mill Hill House. Also, we were visited by the family of our landlord, Joseph. His wife and five children and one godchild all came in their finest dress to greet us. We served them soft drinks and ground nuts and cookies on the second story veranda overlooking the city-and it was a photo opportunity! Their home is here while he lives in the other unit of our house in Nkambe-and has for seven years. We find this very common here-many couples live very far apart for years-for employment opportunities. This evening we had the English newscast-and it looks like we are wrapping up the Iraq conflict. The parish church was right next door, and again the morning Mass was at 6 a.m. with stations at 5 a.m. The church was huge, with a beautiful painting of the nearby mountains behind the crucifix above the altar. What a setting-huge windows on the east for sunrise and on the west for sunset! There is another retreat center down the hill, and there were over 100 nuns on retreat-so their singing was wonderful in the morning, too. The next morning we enjoyed omelettes for breakfast there, then stopped at some more hardware stores and loaded up with fruit at the roadside stands-watermelon, mangoes, and papayas. Eddie is a great packer-he used to work for a meat company! We were loaded to the roof-but everything got inside. We stopped on the return trip at an agricultural coop to buy rice-about 4 pounds for $1. After the three-hour trip, we dropped Joyce off at her school in Sop, then were delighted to have dinner ready courtesy of Cathy and Grace-meat loaf! Eddie is good with the grinder, too. On Saturday, the Medinas went off to the wedding in Kumbo, and we joined Grace at the dedication of the new parish hall at the Shisong parish. Mass was to start at 9 a.m., but we were the first ones there again. It did get started before 9:30-and what a celebration. The choir was wonderful and the children came in costume dancing up the aisle. Before the readings, native dancers came up the center aisle with drums and cutlasses and tall branches to bring in the Scriptures. At the Offertory, local native leaders came in full costume to offer food and money-it was a splendid affair. After the Mass, someone announced the list of persons to be photographed and order of procession to bless the new hall-very orderly, and I understand it lasted until 4 p.m. We left after the Mass, and took a taxi to the town of Kumbo to do our final shopping. At the market, we ran into Patrick's brother, Peter, who was attending the Youth Day. Then we saw the youth marching to the parish church, with the Bishop waving to us as he brought up the rear. He also had a priest from Los Angeles with him-who was to have dinner with us this evening. When we got to the supermarket, we saw Sister Roch and another teacher from Nkambe-this is a small country! That evening, all the LMH folk hosted a dinner for Monsignor Loftus, an Irish priest who is pastor in Woodland Hills, CA. We provided the wine, and Cathy and Grace cooked barbecued pork, boiled new potatoes, carrots and cabbage-delicious! Msgr. Loftus is on a six-month sabbatical in Africa, and had just come from Nigeria which he described as incredibly dirty and hot. He was enchanted with the country and people of Cameroon. He was staying with the Bishop and anticipating an inspirational Holy Week with no parish responsibilities! What a delightful chap-he said he knew Father Ned from his term at St. Francis of Assisi in La Quinta! He was also acquainted with the sisters at St. Joseph's in Upland-'from the same area of Ireland. On Sunday morning, we were invited to celebrate Palm Sunday with the Franciscan sisters at their convent chapel behind the hospital. We started with a gathering on the hillside to bless the palms, with a breathtaking view of valleys and mountains, clear in the sparkling sunlight. After the blessing, the novices led us all in singing "Hosannah" and dancing through the garden to the church. There were more than 120 nuns, with crisp white habits and veils, in sharp contrast to their dark complexions and eyes-singing in harmony and heavenly joy, swaying with drums and shakers. I did not think to bring my camera, but I will remember the sights, sounds and feelings for a lifetime-a most memorable entrance into Jerusalem! After Mass, we enjoyed another breakfast and coffee with Grace, packed up the car and headed north to Nkambe-with Eddie and Warren in front and the children with me in the back. We commented on the lack of safety issues here-trucks go by with twenty people standing in the back, one on the front fender and a couple hanging off the rear step. Most cars do not have seat belts, and if they do, they don't work. We see people working on cars with two tree trunks holding up one side so they can get under. Our neighbor has the only helmet I have ever seen on a motorcycle rider. There are no fences at steep cliffs, and often the road is washing away. There are always people walking on the road-night and day, and difficult to see. After their big day at the wedding the previous day, the children were soon asleep. We tried to let Patrick know when to expect us (and have lunch ready) through our neighbor, Joseph, but had the wrong number-so Patrick was out trying to call us when we returned. When I told him we were at the house, he quickly came and we put together a quick lunch for everyone-jellof rice (rice and vegetables) and salad. Fortunately, he had been to the market on Saturday. He was glad to have us back-he said it was lonely here. Of course, we were full of new things for the kitchen and house, so it was Christmas here. The kids explored the house, yard and school-and declared they will return. Monday was back to school,
where I taught a class to the seniors (Form 5)-on the Endocrine System.
This is still a holiday week, so I only teach one class a day to seniors.
Warren was trying to install the toilet seats, and one does not fit well
at all. Pa Cyprian was down from school to try to stop the leaks in our
sinks again-Warren bought flexible hoses and that helps. Francis was here
to finish the painting-I think it is finally done-for sure the paint is
now gone. The big exciting news is that there is mail and DVDs from Wendi
and Felipe of the NCAA Basketball tournament (Warren is delighted) and
Renee (we are both delighted!). Big evening for us. I even fixed asparagus
soup and crackers and cheese-thanks to Wendi and the Bamenda trip!
Warren did laundry training for Patrick today-'even made a list for him. He is determined to reduce the amount of soap and bleach he is using (as we have holes in many things) and increase the amount of rinsing (lots of things are stiff). They make a great team, as Patrick listens to him well-better than me! I have been trying to get him to cook meat and beans at a low temperature-as soon as I lower the gas, he raises it. Jonah is coming over this evening to watch the basketball games! Some Comments on Cameroon… There are the two tame monkeys in our backyard, owned by Joseph. There are many goats around town-most are tethered now that the crops are planted-black, white, multicolored, with little kids, often bleating. All the chickens are free range-however, they are now penned, too, to keep them from eating new growth. I have seen four turkeys in town-a pair at two different houses. I have not seen turkey meat for sale at all. The Cameroonians do not think much of pork meat, so there are only a few pigs around. When anyone comes by with a pig, it is leashed by the right rear leg, whereas goats are leashed around the neck. The cows have huge horns and big bones-they don't look like very prime meat! The Fulani (Muslim) people traditionally herd cows, and they live outside of the village area. They also ride horses (also not well-fed). The only cats I have seen have been at people's homes-the sisters and Father Robert. There are dogs around, and none look like anyone feeds them regularly. I have never seen one on a leash. The Medina children have two guinea pigs in a pen that they feed banana leaves and love to play with. They do report that people here raise them to eat-and they live all over the houses-no cages! Birds We hear and see lots of birds every day. There is one particular call from the telephone bird that sounds just like a ringing telephone. We see yellow birds that look like large finches and come in small groups-they say they are called "yellow birds." Hawks can be seen soaring over the valley. Patrick says they often scoop up small chickens. Some crows/ravens have white shoulders and seem extra large. There are swallows in Shisong who nest behind the altar and on top of the wooden crucifix. They can be seen flying in and out during Sunday Mass! Trees and Plants I see many trees/plants that are familiar from California-jacaranda, bottle brush, oleander, bougainvillea, Gerber daisies, poinsettia, aloe vera, and roses. The school has lots of flowers planted around the buildings. There are clumps and forests of eucalyptus trees that the government is trying to cut down-as they take too much water and lower the water table. Fields that are planted with beans and corn are often dotted with the stumps of eucalyptus-I guess they wait for them to rot to remove. Cypress trees are very common. There is an African tulip tree that looks like the opening of "Out of Africa." Around the school and churches, I see blooming trees that are purple and red-but I have not been able to identify their names yet. I recognize banana trees and plantain trees, but I cannot tell them apart. The flower of these trees is quite unique-the bananas or plantains come like the flower petals. There are papaya trees, referred to as pawpaw trees, and large avocado trees, referred to as pear trees. I see these often in the middle of fields, not grown in groves at all. There are small fields of coffee trees-I understand they are one of the few cash crops, and that market has dropped considerably lately. These are often the only "farms" attended to by the men. In the villages at lower elevation, there are groves of raffia palm, from which is tapped the palm wine morning and evening. Rice grows in the flat fields of the Ndop Plain on the way to Bamenda. Now that the farm planting is done (almost all by women), and the rains have come, we can see the new fields of corn and beans planted together, Irish potatoes, coco yams, and ground nuts. I have taken pictures of the valley below in the dry season with red brown fields and now in the very electric green rainy season-a dramatic difference. Weather When we arrived, the mid-day temperature was always above 80 degrees, and the nights cooled to 60. Every day was sunny, and the red dust was everywhere-in the house, on our clothes and covering our shoes. The view across our valley was clouded with dust and smoke from fires-field fires burning last year's stalks, etc.--set by the farmers because they believe the ashes increase fertility. Actually, the agricultural experts are discouraging this practice and encouraging re-tilling the soil with the plant residue-but getting little compliance. About April 1, the rains came and the dust settled. It rains very heavily almost every day-even noisier on the tin roof! However, the showers are pretty short, and the sun returns almost every day. The first rains came in the night, but now we can have a downpour most any time of the day or night. There is often thunder and lightning-and that often triggers a power outage. The temperatures are a bit cooler now, and there is often much wind. The winds off the Sahara blow here, and they are called the harmattan winds. Warren thinks wind generation of energy might work here. We are at the end of a high plateau, so the winds come up and over and down again. The roof of the local Muslim school was blown off a couple weeks ago.
This holiday week has been most interesting and most restful-except that we have been without power for more than 24 hours-and I have great concerns for the food in the refrigerator. And today, Patrick called on the walkie talkie to ask if we were interested in pork meat-they butchered a pig at the school. So, we have 2 kg. of pork roast now-'sure hope the power comes back soon. Warren cut up the beef we had in the refrigerator, and I cooked it all this afternoon. Now, the water is out, too, because it depends on a power pump! Last Wednesday, Serophine and I visited the local health department-I was interested in information on the Cameroon health services from the government, as our students are supposed to know that information. We met with Madame Grace, the midwife in charge of the center, and what another experience! The clinic provides prenatal, midwife and postnatal services-at a cost of 2100 CFA-about $3.50! If it is a high risk pregnancy, the mother is referred to the hospital next door and the cost is 6000 CFA-about $10. They do routine HIV screening, and identify about 20 to 30% positive. They then do counseling, but she said they do not often recommend bottle feeding, as the families have no money for formula. She recognizes that breast feeding increases the child's chances of contracting HIV, but starvation is lethal, too. There is a laboratory, pharmacy, immunization clinic, labor room with two beds, single delivery room with the bare necessities-a table with stirrups and an iron crib and scale-and a six-bed postpartum ward. There were two mothers there and about 10 family members. The iron cribs were decorated by the patients with white lace, and the infants were beautifully dressed in way too many clothes and blankets. Madame Grace supervises about nine staff members, including one nurse, one pharmacist and one new laboratory technician. They provide immunizations on Friday-BCG (against TB), Polio (oral), DPT, and Measles. There are no charges for the immunizations, but they only immunize infants. Her staff also goes to 13 outlying health centers once a month for immunization clinics-on foot, as most of the roads are not passable. They take the vaccines in coolers with ice packs. She showed me their vaccine storage-'nicest refrigerators and freezers I have seen since I got here. She did say that I could bring our students for tetanus vaccine should they have a puncture wound. She reported that she had her training in Nigeria, and her English was very good. She said I really needed to talk with their director who would be in on Monday-so I will return. Warren. Patrick and I also did a field trip to the dairy which delivers our milk each week. The young couple is very enterprising and enthusiastic. They have two Holsteins (bull and cow) from the USA, in cooperation with the Heifer Project. Their cow produces 9 liters (about 9 quarts) each day, and they are careful to measure food and water intake. They also have four pigs, several sheep that pasture with the cows, about ten traditional bee hives and four African cows they intend to cross breed. We were there almost two hours, hearing all his plans and dreams. They would love to have a milking machine, but none is available here. The wife does the milking and they deliver by motorcycle. They are considering cheese production-hurray! They also work to convince the locals that liquid milk is good for you-they only know dry milk. What an inspiration they are! On the way home, I started talking with a young man who was walking down our road, Shadrack Ndi. He told me he was on his way to Moh where his family lives. He was dressed in a sport coat and slacks with a tie-and I know the way to Moh is long and steep. He told me he could walk it better than I because he is younger, stronger and more agile! After that take-down, we chatted about him. He told me he is the most educated of his family, so he has an obligation to visit and straighten out any family quarrels. He had educational aspirations as a young boy, and all the family sacrificed for him to go to school. He has a BA in education and a Master's degree in English-and has been unable to find a job. He worked last year as a part time teacher but only made 24000CFA (about $40) a month. So, he is now seeking a full time position to be able to assist the family financially-and he aspires to getting a PhD. We talked about the economic problems here, precipitated by the bad roads, unpredictable power, excessive duty and he said, "People here cannot be trusted." I told him we had met many people here in Nkambe we trusted-he was pleased. Such an articulate and earnest young man-I pray for him, his family and his future. The Holy Thursday service was moving, as Father Peter washed the feet of twelve men with our bucket and our water. There is no running water at the church-so we are the source. It poured during the 2 ½ hour service, but was clear when we came out. On Good Friday, we joined the people from our "quarter" (neighborhood) in the Stations of the Cross through Nkambe. We were led by a young man with a rough wooden cross, and then prayers were led by different members. We stopped for each station, then sang hymns between-and ended up at the church for the 14th station, along with five other "quarter" groups. By the time we got to the church, it was raining, so that station went pretty quickly. The Good Friday service lasted three hours-by the time we came out, the sky was clear and the sun was out (briefly because it was already 6 p.m.). The Saturday evening Mass started with the Easter fire in front of the church-all the men brought firewood. We all entered the church with candles, and it was very dramatic. It really was a Resurrection event-for 4 ½ hours! There are so many new and symbolic parts to the liturgy that not even Warren is complaining! The candidates for Baptism all came in brilliant white outfits, dancing up the aisle. The scriptures were brought in again with song and dance and led by two individuals in traditional costume carrying tall stalks that they call the peace plant. Easter Sunday Mass lasted three hours, too-and the church was packed with everyone in their finest dress. Patrick's family came over after Mass, and we gave them Easter eggs and drinks. Our neighbor, Joseph, joined us for dinner as his family is all in Bamenda. We colored Easter eggs and also shared them with the neighbor children. We could only find green food coloring, so our eggs were all green. However, we had great stickers that Mark and Liz sent-so they were coveted by all. No one has ever heard of Easter eggs or the Easter bunny here! I also made a carrot cake in keeping with the holiday-and Brenna's favorite! We were invited to Father Peter's for dinner in the evening-he showed us the video of his ordination ten years ago. He will be celebrating the anniversary of his ordination this next week.
I did talk with my mother, who has had a second opinion on her leg and is facing two more surgeries. It appears that the knee she had replaced had not been aligned correctly, so it has probably caused a hip problem which now requires a hip replacement. She will most likely also need to have the knee redone. She has been so positive with all of these-life is often not fair. The hip replacement is scheduled for May 22, so please keep her in your prayers-and us, too, as we struggle being so far away… With love and prayers for all… Warren and Deanna
Cameroon Journal III Into every life, some rain must fall. It seems that this past week, along with the rain from the skies has been series of disappointments for us. We have not received any mail for four weeks-I don't know what I would do if Wendi and Felipe didn't call each week! I am really feeling the isolation from family and longtime friends. Warren has been expressing his own frustration with Cameroon and the continuing problems with power failures, lack of furniture in our house, lack of specific work for him, lack of positive outcomes from what he has already done or proposed-and he is out of books to read. Even Patrick struggles. Last week he went to the post office to set up a savings account (which pays 8%), and he found out that he needs two passport photos and another 500 francs for "stamps" to open an account. Then, today he went with the extra money and photos, and the postmaster was not in! On Sunday, he and the youth group designed and rehearsed a procession to bring in the Scriptures, and midway, Father Peter told them they were taking too long-"just bring them up!" We sent his broken glasses to Shisong Hospital, and Grace reports they are repaired-for 18000 francs, and he makes 24000 a month. I guess we will loan the money to him along with a repayment plan! We have been working on an education plan with him. Warren was encouraging him to learn computers here in Nkambe before he enters a university anywhere. Last week he was deciding between the university at Yaoundé (the capitol) and one in Bamenda (and he always dreams of being accepted at an American university). He was really struggling with making a decision. The next morning, he reported that he had been awake most of the night, and has decided he wants to become a priest! He says that he has had that vocation for some time, but did not believe that his benefactor, Joachim, a German teacher who was here seven years ago, would support that. We had recently heard from Joachim by e-mail, and he is willing to support further education for Patrick, but wants specific information and goals. So, we are now investigating seminary options. He has talked with his parents who are supportive (and we were not sure they would be as he is their financial support), Father Victor, the local parish priest, and plans to see the other local priests, too. When we go to Kumbo this month, we will get information from two of the orders (Mill Hill and Capuchin). This is probably a long term process, but we will do what we can do to help him find the path of God's will. Yesterday, we went to the semi-finals of the local soccer matches-Nkambe vs. Bamenda. It is about a mile to the field, and the fans were gathered. Nkambe was ahead 2-0 at the half, but it ended in a tie 2-2. The players are very fast and agile, and great with their feet and heads-it is also a very physical game-good spectator watching. I felt very weak at the game and was really sick by the time we arrived home-it is the first food (probably) problem I have had since we are here. By this morning, I was better, but still feel shaky. And I don't do "sick" well! I did go to school and the hospital round trip! Last Friday, we admitted one of our students to the hospital for IV malaria treatment, and then, on Saturday, we admitted three more! I was taking one student in to "consult" and two more came along, and they admitted them all. They were out of beds in the male ward, so put them in the surgical ward. I had to go to the pharmacy to purchase the IV solutions and administration sets for each one, and then contacted the student infirmarian to bring linens and meals to all four! They even gave me alcohol in a plastic bag to cleanse the skin prior to needle insertion. I love the names of the students-Elvis, Princely, Divine, and Hyacinth-all boys. I still say I pray we never need to go to the hospital, but I am not as shocked as I was when we arrived… The social events of the past weekend were very cultural experiences. On Saturday evening, we went to a "born house"-celebration of a newborn at the home of the Discipline Master. The SARICO (St. Rita's College) women were all in "uniform" and celebrated with song and dance-actually, some were very sexually suggestive-the first I have seen here. The song and dance told the story of the child's conception and birth. Of course, there was much food-fufu and njama njama with a delicious tomato meat sauce, kokee bean pudding cooked in banana leaves, and the traditional dish for a "born house," plantains in a sauce-plus the usual white mimbo (palm wine) and cha (corn beer). There is nothing sweet served! They are still good about having a soft drink or beer for us-I can drink the cha, but have to hold my breath when drinking "white," because I can't stand the smell. The group presented gifts to the family-two large cooking pots, an umbrella and a little cash. On Sunday, it was the parish celebration for Father Peter's tenth anniversary, and the Mass at 9 a.m. was packed. Following the Mass, everyone went to the school hall for speeches and food. Each "quarter" -a geographical unit of the parish-was to bring two containers of food and two containers of "cha." We stopped at our house for a bit, so we were a little late-and they took us to the front of the hall where there were seats saved. I don't think we will be late to anything again! There were fine acclamations for Father Peter and his work here for the past seven years. We did not stay for the meal as I was already not feeling so fine-and we went from there to the soccer match. A week ago, we walked to Moh with Jonah to visit the construction site for the new health center there. Actually, they have had a grader working on the road, and it was much better than the last time I went. It is still a much easier walk going, than coming up that mountainside. The health center foundation is completed, and it is amazing what they can do with hand tools. The edges are knife-sharp, the concrete poured-and all the dirt was dug out by the women of the village. They had been told we were coming, so about twenty women in the finest dress came to "greet" us. Each one extended a hand and the biggest smile! A truck did come while we were there to deliver a load of sand. In order to get the dumper to work, they poured water into the hydraulic system! The children were all over the site, and were especially interested in the new sand pile! The people are so pleased with the progress and the possibility of health care locally-now they must walk or carry any patients up the mountainside road. There is no vehicle in the village. It is my understanding that they plan to staff the center with local women they will send to the nursing school in Shisong, and hope to have the medical staff from Shisong assist. I guess they will take one step at a time. The general contractor (Pascal) is a member of our parish in Nkambe, and he was delighted with our visit. He invited us to his house one evening this week for a beer and to tell us about his planning and work on this project-which was bid three years ago. Of course, there are problems with increased costs over the three year period. Also, the German embassy that is funding the project cut the amount of funds-so right now they are just building the structure-there is no money for furnishings. Each family is to make and provide ten bricks (cut from local soil)-also the women's responsibility. The walls should be going up this week, and they have already purchased the windows and "zinc" (metal roof). The carpenters are building the roof frame on site, and they plan to have it completed in June. They have paid some of the laborers, but most of the work has been done by the women volunteers. Pascal also reports he is working on a project with the Japanese embassy, bringing water from a distant spring to the village. Right now they only have a polluted stream. It is quite amazing what can be done with minimal money and local volunteer labor. He did tell us that the men had not been helping until the women restricted the amount of cha to encourage them! The young people have also been reluctant, so the Fon (village chief) is meeting with them to "threaten" them-whatever that means! We are anxious to return again soon to see progress-anxious at least for the going down… Our small Christian faith community continues to meet each Thursday evening, and ranges from six to fifteen. We hope to have the LMH director, Father David (who arrives in a couple weeks), attend with us. We are also planning a dinner with the local priests and nuns-Patrick is buying two chickens tomorrow that he will tie and keep in our back yard, feeding them corn for a week! The big positive news for us today is that the school has purchased the parts to repair our freezer this next weekend-I am afraid to count on it. I cannot imagine the luxury of ice cubes! There was a SARICO women's club meeting this past week, and I continue to go even though I need constant interpreting-they all speak pigeon English. I sat next to a guest, a friend of the hostess, a young man who works at the local taxation department. He told me that property tax here is called land tax, but few people pay it. The only penalty is that if you want something from the government at any time, they will inquire if you have paid. He told me there is a l% tax on business income and a social insurance tax for employees to build retirement funds-this is a recent program and payments are very small right now. His background is a bachelor's degree from the university at Yaoundé, and he has been unemployed for three years. He found out about this job in the taxation department from his sister who works for the government, too. He has been working only since January. He was very articulate and very interested in American information. What he was doing at this women's meeting, I shall never know. They introduced him, fed him and gave him drinks-but that was all! The agenda always includes a sharing time for "other matters." This time the sharing was about witchcraft--one woman reported that she had been accused of casting a spell on a pregnant woman who was then unable to deliver the baby, and another reported that some person who hated her had sent snakes to her house repeatedly. There was also a discussion on the evil of gossiping and one woman asked how old is too old to have a lover? During the meeting, I knew little about the discussion, but Serophine gave me the details later! Interesting….
Last weekend was another cultural experience opportunity! We were invited by someone from church to attend a meeting of a social group-one which had included the German couple who lived in our house before their return to Germany. The gentleman from church, "Pa Joseph" came to collect us just after 9 a.m. Patrick was concerned about our going, as he had doubts about our safety with this group, so he went along. The man who came for us was upset that Patrick came, but Patrick told him that if we die, he dies! We walked down the mountain about a mile to a grove of raffia palms like a jungle (full of mosquitos) to a structure that was built by Christien (the German), a clubhouse for this social group. There were two old subchiefs there (fabulous faces with character), one the owner of the grove and one from Moh-in beautiful ceremonial dress with their carved wooden staffs, plus about six men-all drinking palm wine. They offered us fresh (that day) palm wine when someone went to get glasses, and actually it was quite sweet and good. They were drinking older (and stronger alcohol content) palm wine in cow horn cups. I sat on a bench with Patrick, and the support collapsed and the bench fell-and we jumped up fast. From another bench, we heard them greet us warmly, explain that they are a small social group who meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings to drink and share, and they buy and share a cow at Christmas time-no other specific information on their purposes. They did show us a book with photos of the construction of the clubhouse and Christien and family. The name of the club is NdangNdang (which means mosquitos!) and they invited us to join. Now I can think of a lot of things I would rather do at 9 a.m. on Saturday, but we thanked them for the hospitality and made no commitment. Warren did give them 500 francs to pay for our drinks-so we owe them nothing! Patrick says this group actually has done some very weird things-like animal torture-and warns us to never go again. He reports that they took advantage of Christien and would be expecting us to contribute heavily. One fellow had already asked Warren if our phone could call to Germany. I think we will have some other commitments on Saturday mornings! The refrigerator/freezer was repaired over the weekend by one of the students, Juan Patrice. He is a young man in his early twenties who was an orphan at age 8, a street child in Douala with no primary education, who was taken in by a woman in Douala, who now pays his school fees here. He had training in refrigeration in Douala, and is quite proficient in repairs and he is now here learning to read and write. He took the whole refrigeration unit apart, put in new type of refrigerant and new motor in the freezer-and he put a door bell in our unit! What a fine young man-when I asked him what his career goals were, he said he wanted to have his own repair business to earn money to support other street children like he was! He grew up speaking French, but his English is quite good-and he is all business. Warren is working with him to get cost estimates for woodworking purchases in Douala-I am sure he will do well. Meanwhile, he is spending much time studying for the final exams here which start tomorrow. 'And we are enjoying the freezer-and our first ice cubes in four months! Last week, I walked the mile to the market, found great green beans and pineapple, then haggled with a vendor over towels I wanted to buy for rags. They see a white person and expect to charge plenty-but they have not met me! There are vendors who just sell used clothes and such, and I found a great bathroom rug today with a cut out for the toilet for 50 cents-so few have toilets they don't know what the cutout is for! They wanted four dollars for a towel, but I got them down to 35 cents! I am buying towels for rags-and they sell them for use as towels-raggy and all! The other excitement last week was the purchase of two live chickens-Patrick bought earlier at the market. Father David was coming from Los Angeles, and we wanted to serve chicken dinner, and they are not always available. First, when we came home we found he had put them in the back bedroom. After we directed him to get them out and clean up the poop, he was to put them in our country kitchen in the backyard. He then went home. I was to buy corn to feed them at the market, and when I went out to feed them, they were nowhere to be seen! He had tied their feet together, but they were still able to fly up and out-one was in the rafters and one was in the neighborhood. After a lot of chasing and recruiting neighborhood young people, they were firmly tied to posts in the country kitchen. We were fattening them up for dinner next week! I didn't want to get too chummy with them or I might not eat dinner next week! They actually got away again and Patrick chased… The big disappointment was that Father David's visa did not come through, so his trip was cancelled. So much for the plans we had made to show him around Nkambe and our "r and r" in Yaounde-however, we are continuing with the dinner plans, our first dinner party here. Patrick will be preparing the chickens (table foul) and plantains and fruit. I am doing creamed green beans and chocolate toffee cookies. Last Saturday we went to a community celebration welcoming the Fon from Kumbo-his first visit to Nkambe. Our local Fon was also there, and there were many speeches, dances and songs of welcome-about 500+ people in beautiful ceremonial dresses and hats-the hats were especially wonderful. Many of the people are from the tribe in Kumbo-the women dance completely bent over before the Fon, and they also assumed that bent posture when the Fon was greeted and welcomed. There is still much tribal respect and allegiance here. We went with Jonah from Massachusetts (who is about 6 foot 5 inches), so for many reasons we were very obvious! We arrived just as the opening speeches began-someone immediately led us to seats-right across the front of the auditorium-another time we should have come earlier! We left after a couple hours-before they fed everyone! I understand the dancing continued to the early hours of the morning-even though the power went off and they had to use a generator! On Monday evening, we were invited to Father Robert's birthday party in Tabenken, at his mother's house. He came by with the First Asst. Divisional Officer who stayed and had a drink with us-until the taxi came to collect the three of us. He is a young man who has been here only a little more than a year, very articulate and gracious. The taxi (very compact) had two women and a baby already in the back seat, as well as 10 crates of beer in the trunk (lid completely open). I joined the ladies and the three men took the front seat! We proceeded the 10 kilometers down to Tabenken over beautiful green mountains with a spectacular sun setting and the usual impossible roads! The village has no water or electricity, but Father's mother's house had a generator. There were many people assembled to celebrate and feast-family members, members of his parish team, old friends, and three white people who are part of a Bible translation group, promoting and translating the New Testament into the local tribal language, Limbum. Jacob is from Chicago and Shawn and Kimberly are from North Dakota-young people who will be here for about two years. They have been almost a year, and speak the native language quite well-'makes me want to learn! There are so many times I have no idea what is being said… It was a grand occasion-many toasts to a dynamic priest and friend to many. He has lived in Huntington Beach, so it is easy to communicate with him. He also reports he has been able to access e-mail by his mobile phone-we will explore.
The school year is really over-the students will be here another week, but will be cleaning the school and schoolyard. They will also be doing manual labor (weeding) at the school farm. The teachers will be completing grading, and I understand we will have an all day "class council" meeting, wherein all students will be discussed by all teachers and determination made as to whether they will pass to the next "form." The students continue to need the school nurse, as I am seeing lots of sports injuries and "sprained" fingers/arms/knees/ankles that they bring to me-to see if I will give them a written excuse from manual labor. Most often I tell them that the exercise will do it good. I have decided that since I cannot fight them, I "join" them-with some sort of treatment for all the complaints! Eddie gave me the Shisong Hospital liniment (smells like wintergreen), and I give out finger-fuls for massage on "sprains," I have saline gargle for sore throats, saline eye drops for burning eyes, and warm soaks are a frequent treatment for boils. I have cut down on the use of antibiotics-but the malaria treatment demand continues. We only had four students admitted to the hospital this past month-and the nurse at the hospital is encouraging us to treat students with IV quinine at the school. I am not so interested in that-there is certainly no room for beds in the infirmary, and I am not looking for a 24-hour a day assignment! The bed fee at the hospital is only 500 francs (about 1$) -well worth it to me. It (the hospital) still looks dingy and grimy-but not as bad as when we arrived. I don't think it has changed-but my perspective has! Yesterday (Saturday) was the St. Rita's Women's Club meeting at our house. Patrick was here bright and early to wash the floors, while I went up for the morning run at the infirmary-scrapes, punctures, and sports injuries. There were three of us "hostessing" and one was the cook at school who had to cook for the students. Miss Mirabel (the accounting teacher) and a couple of her friends prepared kokee beans at her place-in the outdoor country kitchen. The small white beans are soaked, husks removed, then ground into a paste. The paste is mixed in a mortar with onions, garlic, spices and pepe, then placed in a banana leaf, tied and steamed. We also served boiled plantains with it. Every dish seems to have a great amount of labor involved! My job was to do the "fruit juice." I wasn't sure how I was going to do that with no blender, but I soon found out that it meant fruit salad with pineapple juice dressing. Mirabel made the juice by grating the pineapple and then cooking it with the skin, then straining it! Patrick and I worked about an hour to cut up 10 mangoes, two papayas, two large pineapples and one watermelon. The only container I had large enough to hold it all was the dishwashing basin-which I cleaned up well. We served it in glasses with spoons, and there was enough for three servings for everyone-and they loved it. I had made a banana cake for dessert-which they never have--so it was a gourmet experience for all of us! I made the cake earlier in the week, using the milk which had soured because of no power-and then froze it, and it worked out well. There was not even one crumb left… The scripture and reflection at the meeting dealt with Ecclesiastes and qualities and value of true friends. I found myself sharing about the treasure of friends I am now far from-and how that is the most difficult part of this experience, my gratitude to the St. Rita's staff for their extension of friendship to us here, and my gratitude to God for my best friend, Warren, who is sharing and supporting me here every day. We don't always agree, but we are always here for each other. There were tears in my eyes as I filled with emotion-something I have not shared with them before… I find the women to be strong and powerful, especially in this women's group, willing to speak out, criticize, and take a stand. I see little tenderness expressed and very little expression of closeness between married couples-they do not even attend Mass together. Even when we see the teachers in the town, they are alone or with other teachers, not with spouses. Some even have spouses living great distances and they only see each other a few times a year. The four senior students in Health Science had their "practical" exam last Thursday, with an examiner from the government technical school here in Nkambe. Serophine and I were also there, and I ended up being the other evaluator. Each student drew a number and was assigned a situation, i.e. foreign object in ear, paint spatter in eyes, muscle cramp in an athlete, child with high fever. The student then had to write a list of materials needed and a procedure to follow, and then demonstrate the technique. They were all in white jackets and head wraps, and nervous about the test. We had prepared for more elaborate scenarios-rescue breathing, Heimlich maneuver, bandaging and splints… We had to provide a lot of supplies and equipment (salt, thermometer, bed, pillow, milk, bandages, dressings), and they seemed to think they had to use it all. They all froze up, gave almost no explanations, and overdid every situation… I scored them as average, and almost matched the other teacher (so I felt I was on the right track)-we were to use an average of our scores. The next day Serophine told me that she was told by the department chair that we were to inflate the scores-"all Cameroonians do." I told her the department chair should have been there, then-and that I used my best judgment. It is really difficult when lack of honesty permeates a culture-difficult for me, at least!
On Monday, I went with eight students to the sisters' house to clean up debris from the break-in and construction since then. The students scrubbed the floors, concrete steps and walks and the tile entry, did the dusting and I did the windows. They are really good with buckets and floor rags! They have had iron doors installed in the front and back and inside in the hall. They are having a fence put up around the house, and will let their dog be the sentry. The sisters returned today from 10 days in Kumbo, still shaken from the experience-they had been threatened with death and rape, and the three burglars were in the house almost an hour! However, they are determined to return to serve God's people here. We were invited to the house that evening for a Mass and blessing of the newly fortified house. The three local priests concelebrated the Mass and blessed all the rooms and yard, and encouraged the sisters in their faith and vocation. There were about 25 people there-some teachers and neighbors who have supported them. I had Patrick take some food up there earlier, and it was a good thing, as they fed everyone after Mass. Two new sisters have joined Sisters Roch and Cora-the night of the break-in was their first night here! I talked with Sister Christine, a very young Cameroonian sister, and she said that when she left she vowed never to return to Nkambe, but was later counseled by her fellow sisters and now knows she is called here. She will be teaching next year at St. Rita's. The other sister is an older Belgian woman who has been here before, and will be here this year as pastoral support for the parish. It was a very inspiring experience, with local people standing up in support of the sisters and in shame for the treatment by the "thieves." Father Robert's homily reminded us that we are all susceptible to such evil, and it is only faith in God that can really protect us. Last evening a student came to me with a lacerated wrist-he had been cleaning glass louver windows! It was deep into the muscle, so I took him to the hospital for stitches. We had to wait an hour while they finished sterilizing the equipment, as it was after regular hours. Actually, they did a good job-he had five stitches, and they started him on antibiotics and pain meds, and sent him to the health department for a tetanus shot today. Today I took a student for consultation with a rash that looked like scabies-and he is now being treated with insecticide lotion. Wonder of wonders-neither one was put on malaria medication! I saw a student yesterday with filaria-systemic worms which come to the surface of the skin! We picked up medicine for him at the hospital-he takes four tablets at 5 a.m.-one time! This afternoon a blind man stopped me on the road. He was walking with a white cane and a young man companion, hand-in-hand. (Men often walk hand in hand with other men.) I had seen and greeted him on several previous occasions. His English was good; he knew I was a nurse at St. Rita's, and he wanted to tell me about his eyes. He had what was probably an infection in one eye in 1972, and then it spread to the other eye. One eye is protruding and the other is sunken, and he reports that he has bouts of severe pain. He said that he is waiting for a German eye surgeon who saw him and recommended surgery-he may regain some sight, but it will certainly diminish the pain. The surgeon has gone to Germany and he is not sure when she will return… He has learned Braille and is teaching other blind persons to read the Braille Bible, and he leads a Bible study in his village, Moh, just down the mountain on our road. He invited me to come visit him and stated he would come visit us. He said when we come to Moh, just ask for "Eugene, the intelligent Blind Man." 'And he is… 'And he is another Cameroonian inspiration! Warren is a member of the Governing Board at St. Rita's, and they had an all-day meeting today. He even wore his sport coat and tie for the first time! There were representatives there from the mayor, Senior Division Officer and the Fon. They reviewed the proposed budget for next year and discussed the school's role in the community. Warren said it was definitely a top-down budget process, but the first one he has ever been a part of where the recommendation was to increase the budget! They even served them lunch-fufu, njama njama and ¼ chicken. He said they teased him because he did not eat his bones-they all did--and offered to eat his when he was through!
We made it through the graduation weekend, and most of the students have gone home for the holiday. Only the senior students who are writing the government exams are here for the next two weeks. Yesterday there were the usual problems with students having no money for transport-we had several at our door asking for money. We have taken a firm stand that we do not give money to individuals-teachers or students-and we are supported by the LMH program in that regard. We have no way of knowing what is truth and what is fabrication, and we are living on the local economy, too. We have helped out through the school bursar only-anonymously. I am afraid if we started giving out money for requests, the line would stretch from our house to school every day! 'And I know many are legitimate needs… We must remind ourselves why we are here-to serve, and we will not be able to save all… The graduation day was
festive. I was a member of the decoration committee (two of us) and we
gathered an abundance of flowers from field and garden-roses, dahlias,
daisies, mums, asters, zinnias and many whose names I do not know. I had
bought vases the last time we went to Bamenda, as there were only buckets
and jars here. The students were looking for ribbons and signs, but construction
paper and ribbons are just not available here. They did find a few ribbons
from last year, dusted them off and used them again. There were awards
for the top three students of each class and the top student in each department-assorted
plastic buckets or plain newspaper theme books. We did sponsor prizes
for the two student infirmarians (my assistants)-plastic notebooks with
fillers and packets of US pens, pencils, paper clips and Band-aids! They
were delighted, and made a special trip here to the house to thank me.
Cyprian, the male infirmarian, has been especially helpful to me. He screens
the weekend and evening hour referrals to our house, delivers meals to
anyone in the hospital, and has helped me carry students to the hospital.
He has a real talent in writing songs-music and lyrics-he has written
30 this school year! He and his seven-person singing
Cameroon Journal VI What a grand Celebration Week we just completed! Our Anniversary; Father's Day; and the weekend "pajama party" with the LMH women!f The Mass at the convent was lovely last Wednesday, as we celebrated our 43rd anniversary with Father Peter presiding and Patrick and the four sisters attending in the tiny chapel. It was raining as Father Peter picked us up in his car, along with my containers of fruit and bread at 6:20 a.m. Our choir was small but melodic, and our prayers were in thanksgiving for 43 years of love and friendship and family, and Father was good about thanking us for the sacrifices we have made to come and work here. We shared breakfast and memories after Mass and I took pictures-'still no printer to share them. The anniversary day was topped off with a phone call from Don and Barbara Schuler, our long-time friends who live in Upland-and Don was Warren's fraternity brother at the University of Wisconsin and an usher at our wedding! Don has been having health problems since we left so we were especially pleased to hear from them that he is improved. We went to school to help Sister Roch with the accounting, but few of the teachers are there on a daily basis now. The senior students are writing exams every day-they can write a total of 11 subjects during this two week period. One of the girls (named Olga) came to me on Monday with a headache and malaise-I gave her pain pills, but she was feeling worse on Tuesday, so I started her on the malaria treatment. When I went to the dorm to check on her on Wednesday morning, she was sitting in the backyard, vomiting! She was complaining of all the side effects of quinine-ringing in the ears, nausea and vomiting. I told her she had no alternative, and that we had to take her to the hospital for IV treatment. She did not want to go, as she has attended school all this year in order to take the English exam which she did not pass last year, and must pass in order to be admitted to the university! The English exam was scheduled for Friday. I told her that I would go with her to the hospital, and since treatment is four IV infusions (two per day) that she could be completed and improved by Thursday evening and I would be sure she would be released then-and able to take the exam on Friday. Praise God-it worked! I visited her later that day and the next, made the financial arrangements for her release and she was writing the exam on Friday morning! I learned a bit more about government hospitals and nurses, too. When she was admitted to the hospital, I sent her friend with her with mattress and linens, and I went to the pharmacy to pick up and pay for the IV solutions and the new set of IV administration tubing. The pharmacy was out of alcohol-he usually puts some cotton and "spirits" in a small plastic bag for the nurse to use to clean the skin prior to inserting the needle. He said I could go to a pharmacy in the town to buy some, but I have some at the school-so I intended to go to get some there. When I took the medicines to her room, I went to find the nurse to inform her that the IV needed to be started-and I would return with spirits. She said she had spirits-I should pay her 100 francs! Since it is a mile walk back to school, I gave her the money. I understand this is how nurses augment their income-they request money from patients and families for services rendered! Actually, I am considering providing IV treatment at the school if/when we have an infirmary with beds-my reluctance is the 24-hour duty for me! However, with the two 500 cc drips per day, they could be administered during daytime hours. We shall see-right now the infirmary closet has no room for anything! Grace, Cathy and Joyce arrived on Friday evening for our weekend "pajama party!" They came with suitcases, bags of good Shisong bread, anniversary gifts and pork sausage that Eddie had made! Warren has said that sauage is the food he misses most. Eddie was a butcher before he became a nurse and then physician's assistant, and he ground the pork meat and had sausage spice his friend sent from Colorado-and it was delicious, and the perfect thing for breakfast for Father's Day! I had prepared a Chinese dinner with pea pods from the garden and soy sauce I bought in Bamenda and canned white meat chicken Wendi sent from the US! We watched The Bourne Identity video that Wendi and Felipe sent and ate banana chocolate chip bar cookies-and the power stayed on all evening! On Saturday morning I had been asked to be the lector at 6 a.m. Mass-since we are in Ordinary Time in the church year, the readings are in English. The pigeon English lectionary has only readings for the special seasons-Lent, Easter, Advent and Sundays. There were four Baptisms during Mass, so there was a large number there. After Mass, I invited the sisters to come to the house for breakfast and to greet our LMH friends. When I got to the house, Serophine and one of the male teachers had already come to visit-Warren and Patrick were serving tea and coffee, and it was not quite 7 a.m.! Cathy was still in bed, but the rest were up and talking! (Our daily time table has certainly changed since we are here.) We served fruit and banana bread and had enough chairs, since we went to school yesterday and brought home four of the chairs out of the staff room. Father Peter stopped by when the sisters were leaving-we need a revolving door! We all went up to the school for the grand tour-which included the farm, pig pen and chicken coop! They were "impressed" with the infirmary-actually, they were impressed that I could cope-but they have been here long enough to know that we have God's grace to cope with things we cannot change quickly! It was a beautiful day, and we could see across our green valleys to the distant mountains in Nigeria when we stood on the school soccer field. (That is certainly where I would have built a house!) Patrick had lunch ready when we returned-cabbage stew and potatoes and salad with lettuce from our garden. The potato harvest has begun, and they are delicious and plentiful. After lunch, we packed into the LMH car (which is running a bit better than the last time we had it) and went to visit the tourist spots of Nkambe-Tchua Tchua), the waterfall (named because that is the sound it makes), and the new church in Binju with the beautiful colored Italian glass being installed. Patrick went along as our tour guide, but he has had so little experience with cars, he had trouble giving enough notice to the driver (Grace) to turn-we did many u-turns! He went along on the hike to the waterfall overlook (about 200 yards off the road), but said there are many folk stories about spirits there, and he would be afraid to ever go alone, and he would never go to the bottom where it falls! When we went to the new church, Father Robert was presiding at a Baptism service, so we were not able to visit him-but we did admire the church. We then drove to Tabenken, the village where we attended the birthday party for Father Robert. It was again a lovely drive down from our plateau with horrible roads, but the weather was clear and we could see forever. We stopped at the village market square, a big event for them-five white people! They grow much fruit here, so we were able to buy bananas for 5 francs (one penny) and papayas for 50 francs (10 cents). We went to visit the hospital which is an outstation of Shisong Hospital, and Grace and Cathy found sisters and nurses they |
Deanna
and her husband, Warren, had dreamed and talked of working with people
from other cultures in the Peace Corps when they married in 1960, but
career and family responsibilities postponed that dream until they retired.
After Warren retired, they attended training classes with the Lay Mission
Helpers, a program of the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese that places
American professionals in developing countries--the Catholic version of
Peace Corps! In February, 2002, they accepted a three-year assignment
at St. Rita's, a boarding school in Nkambe, Cameroon. Warren, a retired
manufacturing engineer, is teaching program planning and management and
woodworking, and working with staff in financial/development projects.
Deanna is teaching seventeen classes of health science each week in addition
to providing 
April
16, 2004