Dry Season

The dry season is back, which means the muddy roads have turned into dusty roads.

Plusses: don't have to deal with rain almost every day, shoes are not muddy, don't have to be super careful getting out of the car so as to avoid getting mud on legs, roads are not slippery, sun is shining, and the daytime weather is warmer (don't have to wear a sweater everyday).

Minuses: allergies are worse, everything is acquiring a fine layer of dust (even inside), everything outside starts looking red, nights getting colder, and the sun is painfully bright at times.

My corn was harvested about a month ago, but I haven't started eating it yet because we decided to save it until later in the season when it's expected that the price for corn will go up, since there was not a good harvest of corn this season.

The parish priest in Tatum (Fr. Evaristus) noticed that I have been missing from Mass (in Tatum). This last Sunday (the 18th), there was a special mass for all teachers with the bishop in Kumbo to celebrate the centenary. The Sunday previous (the 11th), I was in Bamenda with Elise (from Mission Doctors), the Hakes (the couple in Njinikom), and the Newburn family where we went to Mass at a Piarist parish called St. Michael's. On the 4th, I was in Kumbo with Elise prior to her visit to Tatum. 

Since Mission Doctors and Lay Mission Helpers are sister organizations, Elise was visiting on behalf of both. She had to report back to Janice on how things are going here. A few days before she arrived, I let Br. Isaac know that she was coming. He had the students prepare some songs and dances to welcome her. It was pretty impressive what they were able to put together on very short notice. The week of Nov. 5-11 was Catholic Education Week for the diocese, which meant that schedules were disrupted. It was also the start of the first week of teaching practice for the TTC students, so they were not on campus most of the day. Elise only spent Monday at St. Pius X because she had to leave early on Tuesday morning to go to Bamenda to meet with the auxiliary bishop there.  On Monday, the secondary school students all had to march into town in the morning with the Catholic primary school children. But when they returned to their classes, we were able to visit the classes I teach and Elise had a chance to meet the students. In the afternoon, they gave their welcoming presentations and, afterwards, we had a little social gathering with some of the teachers.

The weekend I went to Bamenda (17-18), started with a trip to Mbengwe for all the staff of St. Pius X. We were returning their visit from last year. The plan was to leave in a bus at 5am. But the bus didn't make it to the school due to the bad roads, so we had to take taxis to meet the bus in Kumbo. We didn't leave Tatum until about 6:30am to arrive in Kumbo by 7:30am. For some reason it took another hour to leave Kumbo. So we didn't reach Mbengwe until close to 2pm. Near the school in Mbengwe there is a Claretian monastery that the teachers from Mbengwe took us to visit. It is a beautiful place, and they make their own yogurt (yummy!). The main thing we did once we got to the school was to have a sport competition. We played volleyball, handball, and football (soccer)... and lost all three. Because we arrived so late, the games didn't finish until it was getting dark. Then I had to get a taxi back to Bamenda (about 1 1/2 hours) to meet the LMH/MDA group  there. I arrived while they were still eating dinner. It was good to visit and exchange stories. I didn't get back to Tatum until late on Monday.

I had met the Newburns previously as they had managed to make a visit to Kumbo a few weeks before. The auxiliary bishop of Bamenda is from the Kumbo area. His mother died recently and many people came for the funeral including the Newburns. I was able to make a trip down to Kumbo on the Thursday before and spend the evening with them before returning to school for classes on Friday. They are a nice family and I'm impressed with how well their kids seem to be handling the new environment.

I think that pretty much catches you up.

Oh... here are my latest experiences with slippery roads:

First, on the morning when we were going to Mbengwe, we were in the taxis heading to Kumbo. About ten minutes from Tatum (right before a town called Kishong), we were passing a group of men trying to pull a car back onto the road (the front end was hanging over the edge) when the car suddenly plunged down the hill, but then we went around the corner and didn't see what happened. The teachers in the taxi behind us saw it too and told us that the driver had been in the car, but managed to get out without getting hurt. The next time I passed by the spot, the car was gone.

Second, and more personal, the following Monday when I returned from Bamenda, I was able to get a ride from Kumbo to Tatum with Br. Isaac but had to wait for a few hours in town because his car was getting fixed. When we finally left it was getting dark. We were about three-quarters of the way back (on the Kumbo side of Kishong), when we came to a spot where there were two large trucks blocking the road -- one of which looked like it was stuck. So we had to take a detour on the shoulder. As we were going, a car came from the other direction, so we had to pull over even more. The shoulder at that point is actually a raised hump on the side of the road with a fairly steep hill going down on the other side. So, Brother was trying to negotiate around the other car and we ended up sliding off the shoulder away from the road. With the help of some people pushing the car up, Brother was able to get the car back on to the shoulder and then on to the road. But in the process, the clutch was burned out. We made it into Kishong and then had to call the Marist brothers to send someone to pick us up. It made for a tense end to a long day of travel for me.

School Begins

So it's been over a month since my last update. Ah, such is life in Tatum. It's a struggle between the power going out and the network not working and the bad roads (which make it hard to travel to Kumbo). Nothing much exciting has happened during the past month, just the usual beginning of school routines but that was enough to make September fly by.

And school is definitely back in full swing. TTC & ENIET started 2 weeks ago and this past week we had the first set of exams for the secondary. I think I made the Form 2 English exam too easy. I'm teaching the same classes as last year (English in Form 2 and Computers in Forms 1, 2, & 3 and Music in the TTC) but it's still new, since the students are different. There are many new students even in Forms 2 & 3. I'm trying to learn the names of the new students, but I still don't know the names of all the old ones. Plus there are about 100 students in the TTC only about 12 of which were here last year.

There have been some administrative changes and with those changes, I've ended up helping in the school offices more than I was last year (when I was basically just tech support). The rest of this paragraph will probably be boring since you don't know the people involved. Along with the new principal (Br. Isaac), the old discipline master was made into the Dean of Studies for the TTC and the old Dean of Studies became a teacher while one of the other teachers was made discipline master. Br. Evaristus (another Marist who was teaching here) was transferred to Mbengwe (near Bamenda) and was replaced with Br. Brendan who has been assigned as assistant discipline master. Br. Isaac also re-arranged the offices so the old discipline master's office became the Deans' office (both deans) and the Deans' office became the secretary's office so the chaplain (Fr. Joe) could move into the old secretary's office. The new discipline master and his assistant got a new office made out of one of the other rooms on campus. The chaplain's office was new this year because in the past the chaplain used the parish office (and last year the school didn't even have a chaplain), which is next to the campus.

Friday was "World Teachers' Day" so the teachers got out of school early. Last year we just celebrated at school, but this year events were organized at the divisional level -- so there was a "march past" in Tatum (at the newly completed grandstand) and speeches and what not before everyone broke into smaller parties. I got a dress made with the Teachers' Day fabric. I only managed to get the fabric on Wednesday afternoon, so I was really impressed that the tailor was able to have it finished on Friday morning (for only 2500frs = $5). I think I mentioned before that it's a big thing in Cameroon to have fabrics printed for special events, both one-time events (there's one for the centenary celebrations - 100 years since the first Christian missionaries came to what is now the Kumbo Diocese) and for annual celebrations (like Teachers' Day and Women's Day).

The corn is about ready to be harvested. I've already had some roasted fresh off the stalk. And I've been eating my own cabbages and beans instead of buying from the market. James sent me some seeds (unlabeled) and I now know that some of them are radishes... and big radishes at that. Did you know that if you boil radishes they lose their heat and taste like any other tuber?

So life goes on. It's easy to lose oneself in the everyday busy-ness.

Last of the Summer Break

James had a wonderful visit but had to get back to the States to complete his psychology degree. We are definitely planning to come back here once he's finished. While he was here, we spent a lot of time in Kumbo when we weren't going all over the place with Fr. Paul. It was great watching James and Fr. Paul together -- they got along splendidly, better than brothers. Fr. Paul gave James the Lamnso name "Limnyuy" which means "God's work". I'm "Bongkisheri" which loosely translated means "Happiness is good".

Before he left, James had the metal worker at the school build a gate for my back patio, which was installed yesterday and looks like it will be very effective.  James took a lot of pictures and video of his visit and will be sharing them with everyone he can.

Back to Fr. Paul very briefly -- after spending about 3 weeks in Yaounde waiting for his visa, he finally got it and is gone to the UK until the end of September.

 The new Lay Mission-Helpers (Pete & Joy Newburn) arrived during the holidays, but I haven't had a chance to meet them. They are in Bamenda with their three kids. Pete will be teaching in the major seminary in Bambui. If they aren't able to make the trip to Tatum, I probably won't see them until October at the earliest (when I'm planning a trip to Bamenda).

The long holiday is over and it went quickly. Classes start next week. This week we've been holding entrance exams for the TTC and ENIET.  Last year the exams were run by the government and we had to wait a long time for the results before we could start. This year the government oversaw the exams, but they were held at the school and we processed the results ourselves. (It was a lot of work.) We hope to get more students this year than we had last.

The new principal started a few weeks ago -- another Br. Isaac. So now we have Br. Isaac Kwame from Ghana as the bursar and Br. Isaac Kpulika from Meluf (on the other side of Kumbo) as principal. As with most new bosses, he has his own ideas of how things should be run, so we're expecting quite a few changes this year. Br. Ivo was transferred to St. Albert's in Bafut (near Bamenda) - the same school as Br. Simon, the old bursar. With the new principal and new teachers being hired, I don't know if I'll be teaching the exact same subjects as last year and I probably won't know until the staff meeting at the beginning of the week.

Right before James left, the hard drive on my laptop decided to finally die (after threatening for a year). So James took it back with him for repairs and updates. I hope to get it back before the end of the year! In the meantime, I have to use the school computers, which are good computers, but it's not as nice as having mine in my house. The school is still without internet, but we keep hoping.

So far, I've gotten a harvest of potatoes and beans from my garden/farm. The cabbages are looking very good. The corn will probably be ready in October. I can't take any credit for the produce as Nicoline has done all the work. Knowing my own history with killing plants, I thought it best if I left it all to her. I am looking forward to the corn harvest with eager anticipation (even though it's not the sweet corn we're used to in the States -- as James discovered).

Summer Break

My holiday turned out to be busier than I expected. The exams went well and we were all finished by June 23 when I travelled to Douala with Sister to pick up James at the airport. To get to Douala from Tatum (or Kumbo) on public transport you have to change buses in Bamenda. We chose to take the night bus from Bamenda so we were able to have dinner with some sisters who have a house there. The bus left around 9:30PM and arrived Douala at about 5:30 AM. I slept most of the way. We went to the procure at the Cathedral and got a room where we could wash and rest. 

James landed in the evening, but Sister wasn't able to come to the airport with me because she had to meet one of her nieces (which was her main reason for travelling with me). I got James from the airport and back to the procure for some much needed rest on his part since he had trouble sleeping on the plane and his total travel time was about 36 hours. He also appreciated the air-conditioner in the room after the heat and humidity outside.

We stayed in Douala only one night and then went to Limbe, a beach town in the South West Region. One of the priests in Kumbo (Fr. Andrew) had connected me to a priest in Limbe (Fr. Danis) who let us stay in his parish procure which was right on the beach. Fr. Andrew also put me in touch with a friend of his (Orock) who showed us around the area. We had a great and relaxing time. It was a bit hot, but cooled down whenever it rained - which it did quite a bit. (A little ways up the coast from Limbe is one of the wettest places in Africa.) We made a day trip up to Buea and visited a beautiful shrine and grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Grace.

After Limbe, we took a big bus up to Bamenda where we spent the night at St. Albert's in Bafut with the Marist Brothers. The former bursar from St. Pius X, Br. Simon, was transferred there in January so we were able to spend some time with him.  The next day we took a small bus (think 9 passenger van with 20 people in it which was spewing fumes into the passengers' faces) to Kumbo. When we got to Kumbo, James got a "true African experience" of having to push the bus through the mud.

Fr. Paul let us stay at the Father's House in SAC.  He and James became friends also immediately, especially when they realized that they both love Guinness. We arrived in Kumbo on Saturday and the very next day after Mass Fr. Paul took us with him to the opening a salama house (for Muslim women) in a village called Wvem. The roads to Wvem are some of the worst in the area so after that James didn't think any of the roads were too bad.  It was also James' first experience of a big celebration in Cameroon so he was a little overwhelmed at first.

We spent about a week in Kumbo with some more adventures before heading to Tatum for a few quiet days. Then Fr. Paul got us back in Kumbo for the Youth Camp in Melim on July 19-23 where we gave a talk together on young saints, which was very well received. Then we went back to Tatum again where we were able to start on a few projects.

This past weekend we headed up to Misaje, which is a village further north where Fr. Edwin (the former Bishop's secretary) was recently transferred to and where Fr. Paul worked before he was sent to England for two years to learn more about youth ministry. Fr. Paul picked us up in Tatum in the afternoon, but then the fan belt broke on the truck so we didn't actually leave Tatum until after 7PM when the truck was finally fixed. We arrived in Misaje at almost midnight, but Fr. Edwin had a meal waiting for us so we had a wonderful supper. After getting about 3 hours of sleep, we were up for morning mass where James and I were asked to share a few words with the people. The Spirit moved powerfully and James spoke exactly what the people needed to hear so there was little I could contribute.

After Mass, we got to see some of the projects that Fr. Paul had worked on in his time there, including a health center, new buildings for the primary school, and a roof for the new parish church. On our way back to Kumbo, one of the hoses on the truck broke. The driver, Leonard, noticed it when James asked him to stop for some pictures. Leo and James were able to do a patch job on it that was able to get us home. 

So now we're back in Kumbo for a few more days. This morning I picked up my residency card from the Bishop's House and got some packages from the post office (Thanks, Mom!). We are planning a trip to Mbiame, Fr. Paul's home town, in the next day or two. The Diocesan Synod is starting on Aug. 6, so during that everyone will be even busier. Fr. Paul is leaving for a visit to the UK as soon as he gets his visa and James has to fly home on Aug. 16. So we're trying to squeeze in as much as possible before time runs out.

A Few Photos

Women's Day Attire:

St. Pius X School Compound:

A few students:

TTC's ENIET Graduation Day:

Exams and More Exams

As I mentioned before, I was chosen to help supervise the computer practicals for the GCE (General Certificate of Education). My name was submitted for selection when we were getting the computer lab at St. Pius registered as a testing center for the exam. I found out on about May 13 that there was a mandatory meeting in Bamenda on May 19. I traveled to Bamenda with Peter who was going to the same meeting.  We left Kumbo at about 5:45am and arrived in Bamenda shortly before 9am. Funny thing about the meeting, although no time was given on the notification but almost everyone showed up around 9am... except the people leading the meeting. They were delayed (more than once) and the meeting didn't actually start until shortly after noon. Not only did the meeting start late, but it took longer than planned as well. So we didn't end up leaving until almost 7pm. On the way back to Kumbo there were 4 of us so we were able to get a taxi fairly quickly -- though it was a very tight fit.

Because of that meeting, I had to miss the graduation and awards ceremony for the secondary school. Luckily, I was able to get to Tatum in time to see the secondary students before they left for their long holiday (summer break) starting on May 21. Oh -- May 20 is National Day in Cameroon, which is basically the equivalent of July 4 in the US. (Instead of parades, they do march-pass. Because I was travelling, I missed ceremonies.) After 24 hours in Tatum, I was back down in Kumbo for the GCE. Turns out they don't assign supervisors to work in their own schools so I had to supervise at Gov't Bilingual High School (GBHS) Kumbo. On Monday (which was a national holiday), we had to go to the school to make sure that the lab was all set for the exams which began on Tuesday. We had to test a total of 188 candidates in three days, each exam lasted 2 1/2 hours and for the first two days we had both a morning and an afternoon session and each session had 40 students separated into 2 computer labs.  We had a few problems with the electricity and general logistics, but after we got that settled things ran pretty smoothly.

After spending most of the week in Kumbo, I got back to Tatum on Friday and was able attend the graduation for the TTC & ENIET students on Saturday (May 26). Oh, the music orals for the TTC went fine. The parish priest (Fr. Evaristus) was suppose to do it with me but on the first day of the exams he had to go to the opening of a new parish (which I really wanted to go to, too) so one of the other teachers assisted me. Father was available for the second day of the oral exams. Because of the computer practicals, I also missed hearing the term paper defense for the 4 students I had supervised.

On Sunday, I went to Kikaikilaki (a small town near Kumbo) with the parish priest to celebrate with the Saamba, which is a Catholic/traditional men's group. Ivoline (who helps with the Diocesan Youth) was there and explained to me what was going on. As women, we weren't able to participate in the celebration directly, but we did dance outside of the meeting house with the other women.

This week the written part of the GCE began and also the promotional exams for Levels I and II of the TTC and ENIET. So it has been more invigilation. And it continues next week. I was not on the schedule to invigilate on Thursday and Friday, so I volunteered to help at the Catholic Education Secretariat in Kumbo for those days. I'll probably do the same a few days next week and again after exams are finished. The fathers at St. Augustine's College (SAC) have been letting me stay with them when I need to spend a few days in Kumbo. Which brings us to today.