maggie's birthday

11/11/2002:

happy birthday maggie!

...she's somewhere between Nkambe and Wum right now. it rained here for the past 3-4 days. ASHIA! i pray all is well with them. it's ajmal, tate, the two shannons and maggie. i expect them to show up by Tuesday or Wednesday??? tired, i'm sure. of trekking. and of each other, perhaps.

the ride up

 

10/4/2002:
"Breeding Grounds" July 8, 2002 Newsweek ...good article on bushmeat/SIV/HIV.

back in Wum. short journey from Yaoundé to Bamenda yesterday. stopped a bit in Bamenda. safe journey to Wum. bad road. good car. John Fru Ndi's truck, to be exact. well, his wife's. Alhadji in Bamenda hooked that up. it cost a pretty penny, but was worth it.

mama enjoyed the ride up. impressed by how green things are now. i forgot she hadn't seen it like this. the contrast between dry and rainy season. this is probably a good time of year to visit. glad to have her here. still an exercise in patience, understanding and respect. that's good for me. she does so much. God bless her.

just need to carve out my own time for work. i'm sure days will become busy. it's almost 11pm now. didn't accomplish much today. Maggie did eat dinner with us, though. she had a good convo with mama. her and i also talked about family and friends.

tomorrow is Teacher's Day. not much planned. people couldn't meet on account of a ban because of October 1st. which passed without incident. mama and i will buy meat tomorrow. then i'll check out the [teacher's day] program.

here's a thought connected to what i just wrote in my peace & freedom journal... here's to saying all that we know, doing all that we say and, of course, thinking about all of that before we say and do.

the words coming out of my mouth

9/26/2002:
i need to release. tired now. just walked back up from GHS [govt high school] to GPS [govt primary school]. hot sun. need water.

OK. Maggie and i did the EE Club at GHS this morning. i talked and talked and talked. big class. timid students. weren't understand the words coming out of my mouth? and i barely gave Maggie or Chindong a chance to speak. it was terrible.

i was talking about our GLOBAL VIEW of the environment/earth. you know, space picture, astronaut quotes, people you know... trying to get them to think about our global/interdependent environment. passed around photos/globe/map and GLOBE equipment, just to make it less abstract.

did it work? did they understand? i don't know. but i do know that i over-talked... felt bad for Maggie. even apologized. but if anything good came out of this morning, it was that maggie and i agreed that we need to sit down (the two of us with Chindong) and think through / plan out what and how we'll do for this club: topics, activities, schedule, etc.

now... let me put that behind me and "listen attentively" to this NPA seminar i've just arrived at (quite late!).

quotes on the wall

9/23/2002:

"A bad husband is better than a good boyfriend."

"If women were faithful God would have had one."

...quotes on the wall in Candlelight Association documentation [copy center]. talking to Mr. Ngwa about them. about taking them down. the 1st one really got Maggie's goat. both annoy me. gotta convince him first, i guess. otherwise taking them down just because we said so doesn't make a difference. does it?

(too much) to do

things to do on 9/19/2002:

GTTC [Govt Teacher Training College]
-Present HIV/AIDS Awards
(invite 5 winners to meeting Sat. 3:30pm)
-Announce EE Club meeting
(explain elections and GLOBE)
-Assign questions on EE article
(notebooks collected Friday by 9am)
-Record time-table!

GHS [Govt High School]
-DM: HIV/AIDS?, clearing garden plot.
-Chindong: Maggie and I meet w/him to discuss EE Club
-VP: Health Club? HIV/AIDS point-person?

GBSS [Govt Bilingual Secondary School]
-HIV/AIDS and/or EE?

GTHS [Govt Technical High School]
-HIV/AIDS and/or EE?

Medical Center: HIV/AIDS meeting
Alain: pay him for the GLOBE post, discuss mounting box
Maggie: EE Club and library (curriculum and scheduling) meeting

insha'Allah!

another blah (staff) meeting

9/12/2002: Staff Meeting

Calendar of Activities / Timetable to be finalized by Monday...

...yeah, another blah meeting. seems the VP is boycotting them. he may be boycotting work under Auntie totally. DS' [dean of students] chance, i guess. he's agreed to give Paul and i a slot on the timetable for our lecture. Wednesday October 23 or 30th? i forget. i hope the 30th. moms is coming on the 30th of this month and stay for 20 some days. God Bless Her Soul.

GLOBE will be off the ground shortly, insha'Allah. Alain, Maggie and i spoke to Mr. Nanji and scoped out a spot. students will meet me here [at the house] Saturday for an intro/prep meeting. video and all.

to do in school tomorrow:
-speak to DS about HIV/AIDS slot for seminar on Tues.
-look for my letter
-speak to GHS DM about Yo! poster.
-look up Margaret in the dictionary

dreams don't last past waking...

9/8/2002:
Mirabelle and the kids left early this morning. we ate ndolé at Maggies last night. this journal will have to do. mama wants to come visit by late September. i wonder about the thin line b/w patience and fatalism, although i'm flirting with it rather awkwardly. i just finished Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children a few minutes ago. school starts tomorrow. i pray that i'm productive, hard-working and gratified. yet pessimism and optimism still see-saw like infinitely tireless children. there's a newly assembled photo album on my salon's table. i flip fondly through its pictures when songs deem it appropriate. often. i love Isma'ilah... and Rabi'ah i will, too. as the road bent towards Maggie's last night i laughed at myself and Wum. my home. dreams are there but they don't last past waking. Bamenda is too big. who will help me clean? my phone, it is disturbing. and the rain... comme toujours.

tenant gripes, no change at school

8/27/2002:
on a different note... more frustrating. Kenneth [a friend, colleague and caretaker of the house i was renting] came over. we "discussed" house stuff. let's see... how to describe the dialogue?

not tense. not awkward. not loud. not angry, or bitter. i just kept repeating myself and Kenneth kept getting defensive... explaining away my gripes. so i kept repeating myself. and he grew frustrated. but he didn't really understand what i was saying.

i was saying that, against my better judgment, i need to and would pay rent. b/c i need to get the receipts to PC admin in Yaounde. but if it was up to me, i'd just hold on to the money until my door, water-heater and fence were fixed. the roof seems to be all right, for now.

so... in giving him the rent money i pleaded that it be used for all that. without much delay. b/c if it isn't done now... no rent again jusqu'à Décembre ["until December," as i paid quarterly rent].

again... our communication was off. way off! Maggie was in the kitchen. Kenneth actually wanted to get her in as a 3rd party [i.e. a mediator]. not sure why??? well, i am sure why... but i was cool as a cucumber. not angry, just persistent. we'll see what happens.

last note: there's been no administrative reshuffle at our school [GTTC Wum]. Auntie is our principal. the VP is the VP. both bad and good news, i suppose... still, a lot of us [teachers] are disappointed. will go on as planned with the workshops, insha'Allah. staff meeting on the 5th of Sept.

EE Camp

8/27/2002:

EE CAMP MEETING #2
Curric. Prep. w/Maggie

Schedule:
7:30-8am – Breakfast
8-9:15am – Activity #1
9:30-10:45am – Activity #2
11am-12pm – Demos and Games
12-1pm – Lunch
1-2pm – Guest Speaker

2 Groups:
-45 students (15 per school)
-23 & 22 per group
-Maggie, Me and Paul coordinate
-4 GTTC student-teachers per group

6 Activities total, associated with 6 Topics:

1. Introduction – Define Environment and Ecosystem
2. "Munch-line Monitors" – Food Chains & Energy Flow
3. "The Great Spec-tackle" – Air, H2O & Soil Cycles
4. "Connection Inspection" – Interrelationships
5. " ? " – Diversity of/in Ecosystems
6. "Magic Spot(s)" – Environmental Appreciation

Resources and Supplies:

• Ground Rules – Brown-paper for Rules, Schedule & Map; 45 Manuals/Pens
• Intro to Ecosystems – Brown-paper for Definitions & Topics Outline
• Munch-line Monitors – Brown-paper for Instructions, Plastic Plates, Small Chalkboard, Rope, Poster-paper, and Plastic Bags
• The Great Speck-tackle – Brown-paper, Stakes, Rope, Story Book, "Machine" (clay box), and Paper.
• Connection Inspection – Brown-paper, Rope (4 colors), and Long Stakes.
• Field/Forest/Marsh – Brown-paper, Long Stakes, Poster-paper, Rope and Labels
• Guest Lecture – Brown-paper, Markers, and Chalk
• Miscellaneous – Brown-paper, Markers, Chalk, Rope, Tape

To Do:
-Mohamad – Outline Introduction, Activities for any/all topics from different resources, and Definitions for key terms
-Maggie – Outline McKeever activities

Next:
-Thursday afternoon – scope out GBSS [Govt. Bilingual Secondary School], and discuss where activities can be held.
-Discuss guest speakers


Maggie and i met about EE camp curriculum. not so much a vague meeting as it was–hmmm... unfocused? i would've liked to identify key concepts in EE and then come up with relevant activities. we kinda went backwards. anyway, same result in the end.

it will be much work. logistics! preparation... scheduling people's time. students' time. one worries. especially here where the concept of time is–well... different. and the money issue, too. i just worry about these 1 day plus small projects.

the make you want to pull your hair out and just wish them over! anything you pull off–as a labor of love–is good enough. so we'll be scoping out the place on Thursday, insha'Allah. i need to look into more activities. we also need to discuss guest speakers: who & how... and what, as well!

about our crowds

8/26/2002: 3 of 5
back and so fresh and so clean-clean! all right, na'eeman 'alaya [an old arab greeting for some who's just bathed, shaved, or gotten a haircut]. what's next on the list?

2. dinner with the young crowd (under 30)... din-din heir. Maggie, Greg, Alain and Kelly. we did pesto/pasta and garlic bread. interesting conversation. cool hanging out with a young, educated, opinionated cameroonian crowd. not that my other "crowds" don't do it for me.

Maggie and i joke about our crowds, they're a little different. mine isn't as classy! ;)

going to Dschang

8/21/2002:
"l'homme propose... Dieu dispose."
this [italicized] part of the saying is the windshield border sticker on the green [toyota] hilux that took us from Esu to Weh the other day.

i've made up my mind to get to Dschang for swearing in. to see Mike and Todd off [on their close of service or COS]. to congratulate the PCTs [peace corps trainees] on becoming PCVs [peace corps volunteers]. and to touch base with Mirabelle, who'll also be in Dschang.

i'll leave tomorrow. spend a night in Bamenda. WHERE? je ne se pas? catch a ride to Dschang with my APCD... and back. and then back to Wum, insha'Allah. i've got a meeting with Maggie on Saturday morning–no, at noon. all about EE. so i gotta be back by then.

filled out my project report today. tedious. reflective. got some ideas and a little guilt-ridden motivation out of it. HIV/AIDS and HCN [host-country national] cooperation... need to do more of both!

in local news...

8/13/2002:

• Mu'aath is a new abu [father of] "someone"
• a good friend here in Wum wants a 100,000cfa loan
• another friend (and loanee) is MIA in Nigeria (3 months now)
• Maggie is a little down and small sick
• Mohamad is always in his head somehow

said seminar

7/22/2002:
good morning. in Wum. got in yesterday afternoon [from Babadjou via Bamenda]. off to run an errand or 2: post-office. market. SNEC [national water utility]. DDEDUC [divisional delegation for education]. hospital. the last 2 to do a little research on the 1st Aid Project.

tomorrow... Binjam [a small village not far from Wum] for the day with Ibrahim and Maggie. gotta find her today!














it's still raining. i'm eating. w/out Maggie, though... i think the rain held her up. today passed fine. spoke to Pa at the Delegation about the 1st Aid "seminar." that's what we're now calling it.

i'm trying not to let it get too big. small is beautiful (though i've yet to finish that book)... more tomorrow. about said seminar. Binjam also, insha'Allah.

all is well in Wum

7/7/2002:
back in Wum. in my own bed. spent most of the day with Maggie. a lot to catch up on! a lot... talked about peace corps, of course (PCV talk). but also family, relationships, motivation and work. so good to see and talk to her. good to be back.

and all is well in Wum:

• Paul is here and OK. the house is fine. clean. Muhammadu was checking on it.
• nothing is fixed, though. the caretaker hasn't "taken care" of anything. need to see him... when?
• MTN is up in Wum. we are now connected! well, not me (i'm on Orange) but we. Wum.

birthday, good day

5/14/2002: HAPPY [25th] BIRTHDAY TO ME!
good day. not bad. not lonely. happy. healthy. glad i'm here. got gifts from moms and maggie... Buba even brought me some pears [avocados]!

that's all. PEACE.

finding time

finished The Thief and the Dogs yesterday...

5/3/2002:
did my laundry last night. actually quite an accomplishment in terms of motivation. unfortunately my ambition fell short of writing a few letters... to mom, omar and the kids. unfortunately, this [mechanical] pencil is running out of lead.

i'm at GPS [govt primary school] this Friday morning. nice morning. we have a post-[teaching practice] conference around noon. then prayer, for me. social call @ Maggie's with Ibrahim and Muhammadu. i want to play ball. write. read. relax. and maybe even find time to eat.

...remind me to write about 'Mangoes in the Moonlight.'

eric's farm

 
5/1/2002:
May Day. Labour Day. 13 days to my birthday. a few days since i've written... all is well. teaching practice. classes. weekend excursions. 1st and 2nd year are opening up... well, actually, i'm opening up.

last Sunday Maggie, Paul and i went out to Lake Wum with the students. talked about eutrophication. good trip. big turnout. probably due in part to the award given to Chia Robert the Friday before, 5000 cfa. and also b/c our last trip was successful. this week we go to Lake Ilum.

today, Maggie and i went out to Mbong Eric's farmstead. 16 hectares: with live fencing, alley cropping, improved pasture, apiculture, fruit / medicinal / timber trees, etc. the works when it comes to agroforestry practices!

nice place, good guy. so easy to be around. intelligent yet uncomplicated. hard-working yet practical. family man... brothers, sisters, kids. living off the land. always in the process of improving.

unfortunately, my bike chain chakara [broke or busted in pidgin] up the hill to eric's place. my fault b/c the gears and chain are so dusty/dirty. we ate fufu at his place. loaf and 1/2. with cowpea [leaf] njamma-njamma. good stuff. fufu is better early in the day.

talking trees

4/23/2002:
teaching practice all month. out early. busy all day. at schools. practicing schools. my school. at meetings. EE stuff w/Maggie. lesson note marking. work in the evening. all this and, yet, somehow not too gratified of a feeling at the end of the day. tired, yes... gratified, not so much.

tomorrow Maggie and i will start visiting the schools to plant more seeds and talk trees:

• GTHS & GTTC [Govt Technical High School and Govt Teacher Training College] tomorrow...
• GBSS & GHS [Govt Bilingual Secondary School and Govt High School] the next
• and the nursery school, too... MAYBE.

i'm gonna talk importance of trees, in general. Maggie will do agroforestry:

in the field

4/21/2002:
good day today. excursion in the morning. maggie, me and 1/2 a dozen students trekked out to a water catchment area on the hills behind my house. 2 catchments, to be exact. one on each side of the hill.

great view. light climb. a little wet on the ground. no rain. really very informative. a few grumbles b/c of the terrain. but i believe everyone learn something. even me. a lot. all in all, a success. got a drink at Flo's place afterward.

next week, Lake Wum insha'Allah! we'll talk lakes, run-off, eutrophication, etc. maggie really did a good job today... she's great with people out in the field. we make a good team! we talked about doing tree stuff next week with the different EE Clubs. more seeds. quick presentation on trees; uses of and agroforestry.

other potential excursions include other catchments (like Ukpwa's), Lake Ilum, Menchum Falls, Mbong Eric's farm, etc. insha'Allah this keeps going well.

chatting in wum

4/20/2002:
kay is here. we sat and chatted for a while today. she wan't feeling well... stomach issues. i went out to Upkwa quick in the morning. then her and i talked about homosexuality for quite a while. my views. her views. our experiences, etc. interesting conversation.

she left in the afternoon... belly still ached. hope all went well on her ride back to bamenda. we (kay, maggie and i) all stayed up pretty late last night chatting, ask well. been sleeping in after fajr as a result. not tomorrow, insha'Allah.