Halfway Mark

Friends, I promise I will post pictures soon on Facebook. I have not taken many pictures yet because I have been cautious not to flash my electronics around. But I will make sure you get to see the life I am living as a trainee. We are halfway through with training and will finish August 18. Only one more month and we swear in as official volunteers!

Last week we went on our site visits to see our posts and to get a glimpse of my life over the next two years. Bamenda is wonderful. It’s the regional capital of the Northwest Province and the largest Anglophone city in Cameroon with a population of 235,000. According to my tour book, this province is what you would consider “African” with secret societies, traditional chiefdoms (called fons), carved masks, etc. The road from Yaounde (and Bafia) to Bamenda is a direct, paved road (you Americans had better appreciate the ease and efficiency of paved roads…I’ll go into detail about the Ring Road later, which is the path from Bamenda to the town Kumbo) and is about 5-6 hours away. The weather is dry and slightly cooler than Los Angeles…60s to upper 70s with sun that kisses your skin but does not make you perspire. No more humidity for me! The lush is savannah and abundant eucalyptus trees…AND I can see a petite waterfall from my apartment balcony.
The city is definitely bustling with activity with stores, markets, internet cafes – you name it and Bamenda has it (relative to towns in third world nations, of course). Oh, it even has beautiful hotels (international quality) with swimming pools! You can even find gourmet pizza, cheeseburgers, and Dr. Pepper. I definitely did not expect this when I signed up for the Peace Corps, but obviously the world has changed in today’s ubiquitous world of technology and globalization. Did I mention I’ll also be getting wifi? Once I arrive at post, I’ll be able to Skype and gchat with you guys.

It is also a very interesting time to live in Bamenda. Let me first provide a (very) brief background of Cameroon. The country is divided into ten provinces: The Extreme North (desert, Muslim/Christian/animist), North (Muslim-ish), South (rainforest), East (rainforest), Centre (the capital Yaounde and Bafia are here), Littoral (the country’s largest and economic city Douala is here), West, Southwest (the beach and volcano are here), and Northwest (Bamenda). After Germany gave up Cameroon after WWI, France and England divided up land. Cameroon gained independence in 1960 with a democratic form of government. Today, the majority of Cameroon is Francophone with Anglophones as the minority in the Northwest and Southwest provinces. There exists a divide between the Francophones and Anglophones, as the latter feel marginalized and do not believe the president represents their best interests. This sentiment is very strong to the point where the Anglophones want independence from Francophone. When President Paul Biya, who has been ruling since 1982, was forced to legalize opposition parties in 1991, the Social Democratic Front (SDF) formed in Bamenda. The 1992 election renewed Biya’s presidency, denying the SDF an Anglophone president amid claims of voter rigging and intimidation. In conversing with Anglophones in Bamenda and my Francophone host family here in Bafia, it seems both sides are passionate about their politics. We will see how these sentiments will pan out in next year’s elections, with Biya running for another seven-year presidential term. I hope for peaceful results, especially in a hotbed city like Bamenda.

To provide you with a sense of Cameroon’s standard of living, the currency here is the Central African franc (CFA). While the exchange rates vary daily, 500 CFA is approximately $1. A cup of coffee costs between 150-200 CFA, three bananas cost 50 CFA, a meal costs 500-1,000 CFA, and a beer costs 500-600 CFA (the size of drinks here are about half a liter, which is double the size of the beer in the United States). While these prices are more expensive in larger cities, everything is pretty affordable to say the least. I hope this helpsh put things into perspective.
Even though I have only been living in Cameroon for a short period of time, I already see the potential this country has to provide its people with an enjoyable standard of living. However, corruption is real and blatant in Africa. I believe that problems can only be solved with good leadership and good governance – starting from the very top, n’est pas?