Jane in Cameroon:
Yesterday morning we both gave our final presentations. Both went pretty smoothly. I think mine may have been a little long and had more discussion. I would have liked to hear some of the opinions before yesterday so that I could have included it in the Powerpoint. Dr. Achu talked about finding a third party or neutral meeting ground where doctors and healers could meet, take courses, discuss patients, etc. Steve took us out for lunch at Francis' place across the street. Kind of a let down after the awesome Stevewich last night at Steveland.
In the afternoon we attended a brief Therapeutic meeting where the issue of HIV+ couples trying to conceive was discussed. It's pretty sad to think that divorce is the easiest answer for a couple trying to conceive where only one partner is HIV+. It makes me so thankful that I come from a country with so much advanced technology that can at least soften the blow if not find a solution.
There was a big fancy ceremony at the end of the day for the Employee of the Year and to give us a sendoff. Adam and I felt underdressed at first because all the nurses and staff were so dressed up for the occasion. But the Mezam Polyclinique and COPAAP stuff gave us these beautiful traditional African outfits to wear! Okay I have to admit I felt a little ridiculous marching around in full blown African wear. Don't you ever want to laugh when you see someone who is culturally confused fashion wise? Wednesday night we talked about how ridiculous old white missionary ladies look when they walk around in traditional African garb. Don't get me wrong. I think the clothes are absolutely gorgeous. Last year in India I wore a beautiful sari while giving a final presentation at the end of an internship (the sari was also a gift from my Indian coworkers). I guess Adam and I were a little embarrassed because we were sitting up at the front of the room with Dr. Achu and Dr. Njinjoh with everyong staring at us in clothes we don't normally wear (plus we just saw Steve laughing at us in the back of the room). I was just happy to have everyone all in the same room, celebrating and eating. The njama njama was great, not too oily, and Gladys' banana cake really took the cake! haha.
Tried packing this morning. Don't think all my stuff is going to fit. Uhoh. We're waiting to find out from Kharsum if we're leaving this afternoon or tomorrow morning for Limbe. We're both hoping for Saturday morning. It'll be cheaper to skip the hotel in Douala and we'd really like to go back to International and have dinner with all the ex-pats again before leaving.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Last Weekend in Bamenda
Jane in Cameroon:
Today begins our last work week in Cameroon. It's going to be pretty calm around here compared to last week. To recap, Adam and I visited Akum on Monday and Tuesday.
On Wednesday I took a taxi to Bamessing to attend the village healer's meeting. Thank goodness for Theo, who met me at the Nkwen 'bus station' to put me in the right taxi! I was pretty nervous taking an 8-person taxi (tiny Toyota+4 people in front+4 people in back+lots of luggage). Especially after our near spill on the mountain roads last time, I was very anxious. Luckily all that weight and the poor condition of the car meant that we traveled at a comfortable 30 mph. Got dropped off and waited 2 hours for Raymond to come meet me. I checked out the handicrafts store, where a very nice gentleman named Peter, who is a sculpture and town historian, showed me around the place. I later found out at the meeting that he was also a healer! I had an audience with the Fon's son, who was having 'open office hours' so that people on the way to the market could come greet the Fon's representative. The conversation started getting a little creepy when, FINALLY, Raymond showed up and started the meeting! Great timing! Got home at dusk, where Adam was waiting to break open the ramen.
Not much happened for the rest of the week besides office work. Tried puff puff at lunch. It's like a giant ball of fried dough. It tastes awesome warm, and is cheaper than most other lunch options. We went out to a bar Thursday night to watch the Champions League finals between Manchester United and Barcelona. Everyone went crazy when Samuel Eto'o, a Cameroonian player, scored the first goal for Barcelona. Friday morning we headed out to the market for Adam's food research. Given how much people usually earn here, the food market prices were still pretty steep! Tried to get US dollars exchanged downtown but none of the banks would exchange 'officially' except EcoBank, which charges a 2% fee. Afriland bank was so shady! They'd be open but say they were closed and not let you in. Finally we got them to agree to exchange but it was all off the books! So Adam and I left and decided to ask Theo to help us exchange money again. Friday evening we went to the ex-pats weekly gathering. Good fries.
Saturday morning we took Evelyn and walked down to Commercial Ave. which is surprisingly not that far from the clinic. Bought some cloth to make a traditional African dress out of. Went souvenir shopping at PresCraft again. Evelyn introduced us to her friends and family all around the market. There's a long narrow alleyway where all the women go to get their weaves done. It's a little scary thinking about how much hair is flying around there. Adam and I had been wondering when all the women had time to get their hair done. It seems the women here change hairstyles a couple of times a week! Where does all this hair come from?!
Sunday, we went without power pretty much all day until around 6 or 7 in the evening. Fortunately Adam lent me his copy of "Atlas Shrugged" which I can't seem to put down. We were really disappointed to miss the American movies (w/ French dub) they show here once a week on Sunday afternoons. So far we've seen Bourne Supremacy and some Harrison Ford chick flick. Had more ramen and a can of baked beans. Mmmm, whiteman food.
Today begins our last work week in Cameroon. It's going to be pretty calm around here compared to last week. To recap, Adam and I visited Akum on Monday and Tuesday.
On Wednesday I took a taxi to Bamessing to attend the village healer's meeting. Thank goodness for Theo, who met me at the Nkwen 'bus station' to put me in the right taxi! I was pretty nervous taking an 8-person taxi (tiny Toyota+4 people in front+4 people in back+lots of luggage). Especially after our near spill on the mountain roads last time, I was very anxious. Luckily all that weight and the poor condition of the car meant that we traveled at a comfortable 30 mph. Got dropped off and waited 2 hours for Raymond to come meet me. I checked out the handicrafts store, where a very nice gentleman named Peter, who is a sculpture and town historian, showed me around the place. I later found out at the meeting that he was also a healer! I had an audience with the Fon's son, who was having 'open office hours' so that people on the way to the market could come greet the Fon's representative. The conversation started getting a little creepy when, FINALLY, Raymond showed up and started the meeting! Great timing! Got home at dusk, where Adam was waiting to break open the ramen.
Not much happened for the rest of the week besides office work. Tried puff puff at lunch. It's like a giant ball of fried dough. It tastes awesome warm, and is cheaper than most other lunch options. We went out to a bar Thursday night to watch the Champions League finals between Manchester United and Barcelona. Everyone went crazy when Samuel Eto'o, a Cameroonian player, scored the first goal for Barcelona. Friday morning we headed out to the market for Adam's food research. Given how much people usually earn here, the food market prices were still pretty steep! Tried to get US dollars exchanged downtown but none of the banks would exchange 'officially' except EcoBank, which charges a 2% fee. Afriland bank was so shady! They'd be open but say they were closed and not let you in. Finally we got them to agree to exchange but it was all off the books! So Adam and I left and decided to ask Theo to help us exchange money again. Friday evening we went to the ex-pats weekly gathering. Good fries.
Saturday morning we took Evelyn and walked down to Commercial Ave. which is surprisingly not that far from the clinic. Bought some cloth to make a traditional African dress out of. Went souvenir shopping at PresCraft again. Evelyn introduced us to her friends and family all around the market. There's a long narrow alleyway where all the women go to get their weaves done. It's a little scary thinking about how much hair is flying around there. Adam and I had been wondering when all the women had time to get their hair done. It seems the women here change hairstyles a couple of times a week! Where does all this hair come from?!
Sunday, we went without power pretty much all day until around 6 or 7 in the evening. Fortunately Adam lent me his copy of "Atlas Shrugged" which I can't seem to put down. We were really disappointed to miss the American movies (w/ French dub) they show here once a week on Sunday afternoons. So far we've seen Bourne Supremacy and some Harrison Ford chick flick. Had more ramen and a can of baked beans. Mmmm, whiteman food.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Holy Family Health Center
Adam and I finally got a chance to visit the Holy Family Health Center in Akum. Dr. Melissa hooked us up with Dr. Bakia's phone number to get in contact with him. I had an AMAZING experience at HFHC! On the first day, I got to observe Dr. Bakia during consultation appointments. I think Dr. Bakia just might be even cooler than House. First, Dr. Bakia relies a lot more on observation and physical examination. But House is always running super fancy tests to diagnose patients. Second, Dr. B is like an all-purpose diagnostic machine because he readily identifies all sorts of illnesses without referring to specialists that often. House as a whole team working for him, and Dr. Wilson as his therapist. Third, Dr. B is real and not a grouch (although House's grouchiness is part of his appeal). Sorry House, you lose. We also got to meet Charlotte and Yasmine, two 4th-year med students from Holland who were also there with the ASHIA program.
On the second day we got to observe (part of) an appendectomy and a breast biopsy. Unfortunately we got caught up in an administrative meeting down in Bamenda so we arrived late to Akum and missed most of the appendectomy. Still, what we did get to see was definitely a highlight of the trip. At one point, I saw the patient's small intestine contracting like a worm (peristalsis?). So. Totally. Cool. Adam headed out to speak with the nutritionists next door. I stayed in the OR to watch the breast biopsy. Actually I was a little grossed out seeing all that adipose (fat) tissue. It's so yellow and lumpy. Not as exciting. Guess I probably won't be doing breast enhancement surgery in the future.
The doctors here deal with a whole lot more in terms of the variety and severity of illnesses they encounter. I admire how they take it all in stride. As a medical student, I think I'd like to return to Cameroon and train here for a while. I think it would greatly improve my diagnostic skills, making me less dependent on expensive lab tests, and would be a good lesson in perseverance.
Today I *might* go to Bamessing to a traditional healer's meeting. But I'm not sure if I can get someone to drive me over. I'm not keen on taking a taxi all the way up there when the shared taxis here always cram 8 people into a tiny car. Plus, I'd feel more comfortable telling a friend to slow down while driving on those curvy mountain roads. The taxi driver would probably just laugh.
On the second day we got to observe (part of) an appendectomy and a breast biopsy. Unfortunately we got caught up in an administrative meeting down in Bamenda so we arrived late to Akum and missed most of the appendectomy. Still, what we did get to see was definitely a highlight of the trip. At one point, I saw the patient's small intestine contracting like a worm (peristalsis?). So. Totally. Cool. Adam headed out to speak with the nutritionists next door. I stayed in the OR to watch the breast biopsy. Actually I was a little grossed out seeing all that adipose (fat) tissue. It's so yellow and lumpy. Not as exciting. Guess I probably won't be doing breast enhancement surgery in the future.
The doctors here deal with a whole lot more in terms of the variety and severity of illnesses they encounter. I admire how they take it all in stride. As a medical student, I think I'd like to return to Cameroon and train here for a while. I think it would greatly improve my diagnostic skills, making me less dependent on expensive lab tests, and would be a good lesson in perseverance.
Today I *might* go to Bamessing to a traditional healer's meeting. But I'm not sure if I can get someone to drive me over. I'm not keen on taking a taxi all the way up there when the shared taxis here always cram 8 people into a tiny car. Plus, I'd feel more comfortable telling a friend to slow down while driving on those curvy mountain roads. The taxi driver would probably just laugh.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Day ??: Halfway Point
Jane in Cameroon:
We just finished two out of four weeks of work here in Bamenda! Let me catch you up on what's been happening:
On National Day we went down to Commercial Avenue, the heart of Bamenda, to watch a massive parade. According to the taxi driver, National Day commemorates the unification of Cameroon's anglophone and francophone regions. Charlie, Ryan, Carson, Adam and I stood on the street trying (but failing) to get a good view of the procession. The parade obviously needed some better organizational planning, but finally got started a few hours later (typical Cameroonians!). There were various military guy marching around in their uniforms, followed by a small marching band, and a giant procession of school children from EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL in the city and some surrounding regions. There were thousands and thousands of children in their school uniforms everywhere! From primary school all the way up through university and technical training schools. There were a few interest groups at the end, but not much. We watched the school processions from a restaurant balcony, sipping cokes. I don't know if it was the heat or the coke but all of a sudden my stomach queasiness cleared up! YAY! Bumped into other VSO volunteers again, who had the bad luck to get their cameras, money, and ID cards stolen by the local authorities. I really wanted to take pictures of the parade but I kept my camera hidden the whole time so I wouldn't be accused of being a spy and get my nice digital camera taken away by the police or by thieves. Lunch at Dreamland: SALAD! It was a little weird having such an enormous heap of shaved carrot as part of a salad, but heck it tasted wonderful after having no greens in a week. Wandered around and visited Gerard's bar again and then Thermometer. I really want to know how they make the grilled fish here so I can cook it at home. I think they marinate it in some kind of pepe sauce.
Thursday we helped out at an interschool debate between Longla and PCHS high school. COPAAP sponsors these debate events and sporting competitions to provide opportunities to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS. The presentation on Thursday afternoon covered the origin of HIV, modes of transmission, ABCDE's of prevention (Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condoms, Don't use Drugs, Educate - I think). When Ryan talked about HIV originating from Sub-Saharan Africa, all the students in the room just laughed at him like, "Are you kidding?!" Most people here believe that Americans brought AIDS to Africa. Adam and I had a previous .... encounter .... with this viewpoint while visiting with a local politician. But I was deeply disappointed that these students, who behaved just like American high school students, held these same beliefs that Americans brought AIDS to Africa to screw them over. I guess in certain ways America and the rest of the world is exacerbating the AIDS problem in Africa, so I can see some twisted truth in their arguments. But it made me realize just how far we are from slowing the spread of HIV in Africa when even the youth, who are usually more open minded and have more education, don't understand the basic biology and transmission of the virus. It'll be a LONG time before any significant change in the spread of AIDS happens here.
Friday was a slow day. Adam and I just relaxed in the office and planned out next week. Monday we'll be traveling to Akum to shadow Dr. Bakia at the Holy Family Health Center. Tuesday I'll be hanging out at the Mezam Polyclinic Treatment Center interviewing patients. But I don't think this will help anything because the patients will never admit to using traditional therapy while they're in a hospital and also because there's like 1 patient an hour. Tuesday will be extremely slow... Wednesday I'm off to Bamessing to attend a traditional healer's meeting accompanied by Anthony, and hopefully Theophilus the driver. Adam and I went grocery shopping at the whiteman's grocery store and got ramen. There's not a lot of prepackaged food options here like in America. Most people buy from the outdoor food market. Obviously my stomach can't handle all this so we're sticking to bread, peanut butter, hot chocolate/Coca Cola/bottled water, biscuits (crackers), candy, and ramen - AND in Adam's case, whiskey-in-a-bag. Eggs are iffy. Decided to start taking antimalaria pills again.
Spent most of today writing me personal statement. Argh, why can't use just let me in to medical school! Adam graciously let me hog his computer all morning.
We just finished two out of four weeks of work here in Bamenda! Let me catch you up on what's been happening:
On National Day we went down to Commercial Avenue, the heart of Bamenda, to watch a massive parade. According to the taxi driver, National Day commemorates the unification of Cameroon's anglophone and francophone regions. Charlie, Ryan, Carson, Adam and I stood on the street trying (but failing) to get a good view of the procession. The parade obviously needed some better organizational planning, but finally got started a few hours later (typical Cameroonians!). There were various military guy marching around in their uniforms, followed by a small marching band, and a giant procession of school children from EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL in the city and some surrounding regions. There were thousands and thousands of children in their school uniforms everywhere! From primary school all the way up through university and technical training schools. There were a few interest groups at the end, but not much. We watched the school processions from a restaurant balcony, sipping cokes. I don't know if it was the heat or the coke but all of a sudden my stomach queasiness cleared up! YAY! Bumped into other VSO volunteers again, who had the bad luck to get their cameras, money, and ID cards stolen by the local authorities. I really wanted to take pictures of the parade but I kept my camera hidden the whole time so I wouldn't be accused of being a spy and get my nice digital camera taken away by the police or by thieves. Lunch at Dreamland: SALAD! It was a little weird having such an enormous heap of shaved carrot as part of a salad, but heck it tasted wonderful after having no greens in a week. Wandered around and visited Gerard's bar again and then Thermometer. I really want to know how they make the grilled fish here so I can cook it at home. I think they marinate it in some kind of pepe sauce.
Thursday we helped out at an interschool debate between Longla and PCHS high school. COPAAP sponsors these debate events and sporting competitions to provide opportunities to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS. The presentation on Thursday afternoon covered the origin of HIV, modes of transmission, ABCDE's of prevention (Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condoms, Don't use Drugs, Educate - I think). When Ryan talked about HIV originating from Sub-Saharan Africa, all the students in the room just laughed at him like, "Are you kidding?!" Most people here believe that Americans brought AIDS to Africa. Adam and I had a previous .... encounter .... with this viewpoint while visiting with a local politician. But I was deeply disappointed that these students, who behaved just like American high school students, held these same beliefs that Americans brought AIDS to Africa to screw them over. I guess in certain ways America and the rest of the world is exacerbating the AIDS problem in Africa, so I can see some twisted truth in their arguments. But it made me realize just how far we are from slowing the spread of HIV in Africa when even the youth, who are usually more open minded and have more education, don't understand the basic biology and transmission of the virus. It'll be a LONG time before any significant change in the spread of AIDS happens here.
Friday was a slow day. Adam and I just relaxed in the office and planned out next week. Monday we'll be traveling to Akum to shadow Dr. Bakia at the Holy Family Health Center. Tuesday I'll be hanging out at the Mezam Polyclinic Treatment Center interviewing patients. But I don't think this will help anything because the patients will never admit to using traditional therapy while they're in a hospital and also because there's like 1 patient an hour. Tuesday will be extremely slow... Wednesday I'm off to Bamessing to attend a traditional healer's meeting accompanied by Anthony, and hopefully Theophilus the driver. Adam and I went grocery shopping at the whiteman's grocery store and got ramen. There's not a lot of prepackaged food options here like in America. Most people buy from the outdoor food market. Obviously my stomach can't handle all this so we're sticking to bread, peanut butter, hot chocolate/Coca Cola/bottled water, biscuits (crackers), candy, and ramen - AND in Adam's case, whiskey-in-a-bag. Eggs are iffy. Decided to start taking antimalaria pills again.
Spent most of today writing me personal statement. Argh, why can't use just let me in to medical school! Adam graciously let me hog his computer all morning.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Day 13: Bobbing head lizards
Jane in Cameroon:
Crap. So I had a post all written when the power cut out and I lost everything. Anyways, here goes... again.
Saturday: Went out on Market Day to go shopping. I later learned that some villages operate on 8-day weeks so if Market Day is on Tuesday this week it will be on Wednesday next week. Had lunch at Dreamland, a restaurant that caters to foreigners because of their menu selection, prices, and the fact that they accept payment in Francs, Euros, or Dollars. Charlie and Ryan were our lovely buddies for the day. Called home and Aaron on the public payphone. It is weird that the public phone costs only 70F/min while my cell phone, which operates on the local Orange network, costs more than 300F/min to call the U.S. Then went shopping in a handicrafts store for souvenirs and in the Main Market, which is a maze of stalls filled with everything you can think of. Power went out while in line at the grocery store, New Life, so we just stood there waiting for the backup generator. Went to Steve's mansion in the country for a party and met some other VSO volunteers.
Sunday: Relaxed all day. Did some reading, napping. Unfortunately the pirated DVD we got wouldn't play on Adam's laptop. It was a big disappointment as we had been looking forward to watching the movies for a while.
Monday (yesterday): Interviewed patients at a HIV/AIDS support group in Bamessing. My stomach had been on the fritz all day since waking up that morning. So when we were served fish, njama njama, and fufu at the end of the meeting I couldn't help but gag a little while eating. I wasn't alone. I looked over at one point to see Adam trying to swallow whatever had come up from his stomach. Why do people here eat so much fufu?!?! It's like a giant glob of paste the size of a small watermelon. Raymond, the group leader, does a lot of work helping the local group members get their drugs each month and working to increase awareness about AIDS. He gave an inspiring speech about how the problems of one's neighbor must also be one's own problems as well so people should work together and help each other. His twin baby girls were so adorable running around naked in the rain. The interviews once again made me wish I knew how to speak Pidgin. On the SUV ride back, our vehicle hydroplaned on the wet mountain road. I really thought the vehicle would flip over and tumble down the steep mountain cliffs. Thankfully we stayed on the road. Why it is these Cameroonians drive crazy fast on the roads, as if they're in a rush to get somewhere? It seems contradictory to the way they normally take their sweet time doing anything.
Evelyn told us a funny story about the bobbing head lizards that live around the clinic: There used to be a Hunter who would go hunting with his Dog. The Dog would help the hunter chase down the animals. During one of these hunting expeditions, the Dog came upon the Lizard, who asked "Why do you not bring food to me?" The Dog explained that the Hunter would take the meat and put it in his pocket, so the Dog never got any of the meat. So one day the Lizard secretly followed the Hunter and Dog and watched as they went hunting. When he saw the Dog bring the food to the Hunter, and the Hunter pocketing the meat, the lizard nodded, saying "Ah, so it is true!" As funny as their bobbing heads are, I really hope those lizards stay downstairs and don't come up into the apartment.
Tuesday (today): I was up part of last night worshiping the toilet. I think the doxycycline (anti-malarial) is making me sick. Today my stomach feels a little better probably because we're not traveling like yesterday. First thing int he morning we shadowed Dr. Njinjoh during consultation appointments and rounds. There are so many malaria, AIDS, and TB cases.
Tomorrow we'll be heading down to Commercial Avenue to watch the National Day parades.
Crap. So I had a post all written when the power cut out and I lost everything. Anyways, here goes... again.
Saturday: Went out on Market Day to go shopping. I later learned that some villages operate on 8-day weeks so if Market Day is on Tuesday this week it will be on Wednesday next week. Had lunch at Dreamland, a restaurant that caters to foreigners because of their menu selection, prices, and the fact that they accept payment in Francs, Euros, or Dollars. Charlie and Ryan were our lovely buddies for the day. Called home and Aaron on the public payphone. It is weird that the public phone costs only 70F/min while my cell phone, which operates on the local Orange network, costs more than 300F/min to call the U.S. Then went shopping in a handicrafts store for souvenirs and in the Main Market, which is a maze of stalls filled with everything you can think of. Power went out while in line at the grocery store, New Life, so we just stood there waiting for the backup generator. Went to Steve's mansion in the country for a party and met some other VSO volunteers.
Sunday: Relaxed all day. Did some reading, napping. Unfortunately the pirated DVD we got wouldn't play on Adam's laptop. It was a big disappointment as we had been looking forward to watching the movies for a while.
Monday (yesterday): Interviewed patients at a HIV/AIDS support group in Bamessing. My stomach had been on the fritz all day since waking up that morning. So when we were served fish, njama njama, and fufu at the end of the meeting I couldn't help but gag a little while eating. I wasn't alone. I looked over at one point to see Adam trying to swallow whatever had come up from his stomach. Why do people here eat so much fufu?!?! It's like a giant glob of paste the size of a small watermelon. Raymond, the group leader, does a lot of work helping the local group members get their drugs each month and working to increase awareness about AIDS. He gave an inspiring speech about how the problems of one's neighbor must also be one's own problems as well so people should work together and help each other. His twin baby girls were so adorable running around naked in the rain. The interviews once again made me wish I knew how to speak Pidgin. On the SUV ride back, our vehicle hydroplaned on the wet mountain road. I really thought the vehicle would flip over and tumble down the steep mountain cliffs. Thankfully we stayed on the road. Why it is these Cameroonians drive crazy fast on the roads, as if they're in a rush to get somewhere? It seems contradictory to the way they normally take their sweet time doing anything.
Evelyn told us a funny story about the bobbing head lizards that live around the clinic: There used to be a Hunter who would go hunting with his Dog. The Dog would help the hunter chase down the animals. During one of these hunting expeditions, the Dog came upon the Lizard, who asked "Why do you not bring food to me?" The Dog explained that the Hunter would take the meat and put it in his pocket, so the Dog never got any of the meat. So one day the Lizard secretly followed the Hunter and Dog and watched as they went hunting. When he saw the Dog bring the food to the Hunter, and the Hunter pocketing the meat, the lizard nodded, saying "Ah, so it is true!" As funny as their bobbing heads are, I really hope those lizards stay downstairs and don't come up into the apartment.
Tuesday (today): I was up part of last night worshiping the toilet. I think the doxycycline (anti-malarial) is making me sick. Today my stomach feels a little better probably because we're not traveling like yesterday. First thing int he morning we shadowed Dr. Njinjoh during consultation appointments and rounds. There are so many malaria, AIDS, and TB cases.
Tomorrow we'll be heading down to Commercial Avenue to watch the National Day parades.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Day 9: Are we doing the right thing?
Jane in Cameroon:
I forgot to mention that Adam, my travel companion, also has a blog. It usually has much more details about our day-to-day activities than this blog. Our coworker Steve, a VSO volunteer, also has a very popular blog that is a very funny read.
Adam and I traveled to Ndop yesterday to attend the council meeting. VSO volunteers were speaking to the council members and local NGOs about institutional development. Afterwards Adam and I got a chance to taste fufu for the first time. Fufu is made of yams, looks and feels like dry mashed potatoes, and tastes very bland. I wasn't a big fan of it but Adam, who loves to eat bland foods like white rice, kind of liked it.
We met a local nurse named Gwendolyn who took us to visit the Ndop Hospital and a birthing clinic. Although the birthing clinic was pretty much empty, the Ndop hospital was full of patients. The men, women, and children are separated into three wards but within each ward the AIDS, TB, and malaria patients are all housed together. The adult wards were full of emaciated patients and their families, who stay in the hospitals to care for them. On the way to the children's ward, we past a corpse on the walkway towards the children's ward. The hospital was keeping the body until the family could come up with the money to take it home for burial. The children's ward was the most difficult to visit because, well, sick children are always the most heart wrenching. There was one extremely malnourished child who looked like a starving old man in miniature. Pediatrics must be one of the most emotionally challenging specialties.
Although we left for Ndop quite early in the morning, we didn't arrive at the meeting until late morning. The drive should have been quick except for a student demonstration in Bambui and Bambili. It was exciting to be so close to the action. The VSO car got caught in traffic, which had been blocked by the student protesters. Apparently the students' dorms had been robbed several times but the police had not been doing anything to help them. Does UofM Campus Safety usually catch the thieves that jack laptops from student dorms? Ibrahim (hope I'm spelling that right) kept asking "Are we doing the right thing?" I wasn't sure if he meant our driving deeper into the protest area or our not stopping to protest with the students. I'm glad we stayed in the car because there were truckloads of police in riotwear and some tear gas was released to disperse the crowd. Adam and I both fell asleep at one point while waiting for the traffic to clear.
I forgot to mention that Adam, my travel companion, also has a blog. It usually has much more details about our day-to-day activities than this blog. Our coworker Steve, a VSO volunteer, also has a very popular blog that is a very funny read.
Adam and I traveled to Ndop yesterday to attend the council meeting. VSO volunteers were speaking to the council members and local NGOs about institutional development. Afterwards Adam and I got a chance to taste fufu for the first time. Fufu is made of yams, looks and feels like dry mashed potatoes, and tastes very bland. I wasn't a big fan of it but Adam, who loves to eat bland foods like white rice, kind of liked it.
We met a local nurse named Gwendolyn who took us to visit the Ndop Hospital and a birthing clinic. Although the birthing clinic was pretty much empty, the Ndop hospital was full of patients. The men, women, and children are separated into three wards but within each ward the AIDS, TB, and malaria patients are all housed together. The adult wards were full of emaciated patients and their families, who stay in the hospitals to care for them. On the way to the children's ward, we past a corpse on the walkway towards the children's ward. The hospital was keeping the body until the family could come up with the money to take it home for burial. The children's ward was the most difficult to visit because, well, sick children are always the most heart wrenching. There was one extremely malnourished child who looked like a starving old man in miniature. Pediatrics must be one of the most emotionally challenging specialties.
Although we left for Ndop quite early in the morning, we didn't arrive at the meeting until late morning. The drive should have been quick except for a student demonstration in Bambui and Bambili. It was exciting to be so close to the action. The VSO car got caught in traffic, which had been blocked by the student protesters. Apparently the students' dorms had been robbed several times but the police had not been doing anything to help them. Does UofM Campus Safety usually catch the thieves that jack laptops from student dorms? Ibrahim (hope I'm spelling that right) kept asking "Are we doing the right thing?" I wasn't sure if he meant our driving deeper into the protest area or our not stopping to protest with the students. I'm glad we stayed in the car because there were truckloads of police in riotwear and some tear gas was released to disperse the crowd. Adam and I both fell asleep at one point while waiting for the traffic to clear.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Day 7: Seven Plus One
Jane in Cameroon:
Today is our 4th day of work. We've had a lot of fun so far, although I think the monotony may soon start to set in. Monday we met the COPAAP staff at an orientation meeting. Adam was very happy that we got pop (soda?) so early in the morning. He already misses American food. Whenever I travel I always miss 1. Air Conditioning 2. Cereal and 3. Salad. I've liked all the food here so far except boiled plantains. Evelyn, our housekeeper, makes awesome breakfast omeletes that have egg, onions, green beans, carrots, and SPAGHETTI. Weird? I also had "Adam-fruit" which I think is passionfruit from the way it looks and tastes. Communicating with Evelyn, and a lot of people, is tough because they speak Pidgin English here and we speak, "The Queen's English" according to Marcel.
It's really hard to get anything done at night. I've been trying to work on medical school applications in the evening or read some of the books I brought to inspire *great* personal statements (I want to be a doctor because ....). But the lighting here is so dim and the electricity goes so often that it's pretty much impossible to get anything done except with a battery powered flashlight. However I am living a healthy lifestyle and going to be quite early, around 9 or 10 PM. Luckily I sleep through the night, but Adam always is getting woken up by barking dogs, loud music, or rain hitting the sheet metal roofs. A wall gecko takes up nightly residence right above the door to our flat where hundreds of tiny gnats fly around at night. SCARY. I'm hoping to get archery lessons from the night guard so I can shoot the thing. The nightguard must think we're 'crazy Americans' because there's so much drama going on in our apartment. I can't help but scream when I see a wall gecko or a giant mantis on the wall. I'm okay with the mice.
Charlie, a COPAAP guy, invited us out in the evening to meet some of his friends and show us around Commercial Avenue. We met his buddy Gerard at his soon-to-be open bar. Gerard would make an awesome professor! Very entertaining to listen to. We also met Mike, who runs a boarding school but looks like a basketball player, and Nick, who had just set up a computer system for a hospital in Limbe. Drinking is definitely the most popular Cameroonian past time. Their beer bottles are huge!
We also visited Akum, a village very near Bamenda, to see their income-generating activity (IGA) and clinic. The income generating activity, in this case two mills for grinding corn and spices, is supposted to make the clinic sustainable. Sylvestre, another COPAAP guy, went with us and asked most of the questions about the IGA when we met with the community health volunteer Nicolene and the ex-CUDA (cultural & development assoc.?) leader. Nicolene was very frustrated with her work as a community health volunteer because the clinic did not have the antiretroviral drugs for her suffering patients. The clinic couldn't purchase the drugs because the mills had not been used in over a year, for various reasons. We took motorbikes up to the clinic. Adam examined their records. I tried to ask the nurse in the pharmacy about alternative drugs that the pharmacy might have or that the patients used at home. NO,NO,NO, ONLY DRUGS. Obviously I wasn't going to get anything useful out of staying there so I left and went out back to chat with the nurses. They were very friendly and soon they were showing me around the building and pointing out plants growing nearby that people use for headaches, gastritis, and even malaria! After a while the Chief Medical Officer joined us and also had a few to point out as well! I guess a smile and a handshake can go a long way. Pierre, our guide, took us back to the main road where we took a shared taxi back into the city.
We went on rounds with Dr. Njinjoh yesterday morning. How exciting! Adam and I were nervous that he would give us a pop quiz. Unfortunately there was only 1 patient in the wards so not a lot of action. I hope we get to do rounds again and pretend we're in med school! This morning we visited the Treatment Center within Mezam Polyclinic. The treatment center provides counseling and antiretroviral drugs to patients. Again there was a language barrier because of the local Pidgen-English that people use here. Only 1 patient in the whole 2 hours we were there. I hope things start getting busy soon. But one of the nurses informed us that it's busiest at the beginning of the month, right after people have received their monthly pay and have money to buy the drugs. She also told us that "seven plus one" equals "eight", which sounds like "AIDS" when you say it with a local accent. So people have nicknamed AIDS "seven plus one." Very interesting!
Went out for drinks, again, with Charlie and Sylvestre last night. My "Africa-diet" really isn't going to happen at this point, not with all this beer. Oh well.
Today is our 4th day of work. We've had a lot of fun so far, although I think the monotony may soon start to set in. Monday we met the COPAAP staff at an orientation meeting. Adam was very happy that we got pop (soda?) so early in the morning. He already misses American food. Whenever I travel I always miss 1. Air Conditioning 2. Cereal and 3. Salad. I've liked all the food here so far except boiled plantains. Evelyn, our housekeeper, makes awesome breakfast omeletes that have egg, onions, green beans, carrots, and SPAGHETTI. Weird? I also had "Adam-fruit" which I think is passionfruit from the way it looks and tastes. Communicating with Evelyn, and a lot of people, is tough because they speak Pidgin English here and we speak, "The Queen's English" according to Marcel.
It's really hard to get anything done at night. I've been trying to work on medical school applications in the evening or read some of the books I brought to inspire *great* personal statements (I want to be a doctor because ....). But the lighting here is so dim and the electricity goes so often that it's pretty much impossible to get anything done except with a battery powered flashlight. However I am living a healthy lifestyle and going to be quite early, around 9 or 10 PM. Luckily I sleep through the night, but Adam always is getting woken up by barking dogs, loud music, or rain hitting the sheet metal roofs. A wall gecko takes up nightly residence right above the door to our flat where hundreds of tiny gnats fly around at night. SCARY. I'm hoping to get archery lessons from the night guard so I can shoot the thing. The nightguard must think we're 'crazy Americans' because there's so much drama going on in our apartment. I can't help but scream when I see a wall gecko or a giant mantis on the wall. I'm okay with the mice.
Charlie, a COPAAP guy, invited us out in the evening to meet some of his friends and show us around Commercial Avenue. We met his buddy Gerard at his soon-to-be open bar. Gerard would make an awesome professor! Very entertaining to listen to. We also met Mike, who runs a boarding school but looks like a basketball player, and Nick, who had just set up a computer system for a hospital in Limbe. Drinking is definitely the most popular Cameroonian past time. Their beer bottles are huge!
We also visited Akum, a village very near Bamenda, to see their income-generating activity (IGA) and clinic. The income generating activity, in this case two mills for grinding corn and spices, is supposted to make the clinic sustainable. Sylvestre, another COPAAP guy, went with us and asked most of the questions about the IGA when we met with the community health volunteer Nicolene and the ex-CUDA (cultural & development assoc.?) leader. Nicolene was very frustrated with her work as a community health volunteer because the clinic did not have the antiretroviral drugs for her suffering patients. The clinic couldn't purchase the drugs because the mills had not been used in over a year, for various reasons. We took motorbikes up to the clinic. Adam examined their records. I tried to ask the nurse in the pharmacy about alternative drugs that the pharmacy might have or that the patients used at home. NO,NO,NO, ONLY DRUGS. Obviously I wasn't going to get anything useful out of staying there so I left and went out back to chat with the nurses. They were very friendly and soon they were showing me around the building and pointing out plants growing nearby that people use for headaches, gastritis, and even malaria! After a while the Chief Medical Officer joined us and also had a few to point out as well! I guess a smile and a handshake can go a long way. Pierre, our guide, took us back to the main road where we took a shared taxi back into the city.
We went on rounds with Dr. Njinjoh yesterday morning. How exciting! Adam and I were nervous that he would give us a pop quiz. Unfortunately there was only 1 patient in the wards so not a lot of action. I hope we get to do rounds again and pretend we're in med school! This morning we visited the Treatment Center within Mezam Polyclinic. The treatment center provides counseling and antiretroviral drugs to patients. Again there was a language barrier because of the local Pidgen-English that people use here. Only 1 patient in the whole 2 hours we were there. I hope things start getting busy soon. But one of the nurses informed us that it's busiest at the beginning of the month, right after people have received their monthly pay and have money to buy the drugs. She also told us that "seven plus one" equals "eight", which sounds like "AIDS" when you say it with a local accent. So people have nicknamed AIDS "seven plus one." Very interesting!
Went out for drinks, again, with Charlie and Sylvestre last night. My "Africa-diet" really isn't going to happen at this point, not with all this beer. Oh well.
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