I realize I've been pretty MIA with the blog posts recently. To be honest, it's because I've been in a weird place of adjustment and what my mother calls, "an emotional rollercoaster". I really feel like I've got most things figured out in village at this point and am pretty used to everyday life in Danfili. It feels great to feel more like I have a place in Danfili, but it also means the excitement is wearing off. Things that used to be shocking and exciting are not even noticeable to me anymore. With this change, the realization of living in a tiny rural village is finally hitting me. For someone who has an incurable case of wanderlust, being stuck in a village with 5,000 people and limited recreational activities is taking a toll. I try to stay busy with work, but there are inevitably days when there is just no work to be done. All in all, I am happy here, but have been missing you all at home a lot lately! Thus, the title of this blog post: It's not chocolate. One of my friends, Bamanga, uses this saying to express that something is not easy.
On a lighter note, I've had some really great days over the past few months as well!
- Learned more about traditional medicine: The lake near my village, Mbella, is known for its healing powers. All of the traditional healers go to a certain spot in the lake to get the water that they use to make their "remede". There is another lake not far from Mbella that I was told not to go to. Apparently, spirits live at the second lake and anyone who goes there doesn't come back!
- Saw a chameleon: When we asked where the kids were taking it, they replied, "To Grandma's house so she can use it to make the 'remede' (traditional medicine)"!
- Practiced a lot of Fulfulde: I am finally understanding and speaking Fulfulde a lot better. Sometimes, I've even been able to joke with people at the market. Grandma told me the other day that I've become a Fulbe of Danfili! (Although I've also been told I'm a Gbaya of Danfili because of the amount of cous cous de manioche that I eat. The Gbaya are known for mostly eating manioche, rather than corn.)
- Celebrated the end of Ramadan: a.k.a. spent several days eating only a mixture of rice and spaghetti with meat. At the end of Ramadan, everyone makes this "special" meal and anytime you visit someone's house they will serve you this. Sometimes, friends will even send food to your house, just in case you didn't get your fill. The best way to explain it, is the equivalent of Thanksgiving. Except, imagine that you visited all of your friends on Thanksgiving and ate at each of their houses.
- Learned more about the Mbororo: The Mbororo are the group of people who live "en brousse" and raise cattle. We visit several of their camps during vaccination campaigns. I learned that they make the floors of their homes out of termite mounds. They crush up the mounds, add water (I think), spread the mixture out, and pound it into the ground until it becomes almost cement-like.
- Learned how stools are made: One night while going on a little walk through town, I saw one of the tailors in town. He was in the process of making a stool out of reeds. It was pretty cool to watch and he was happy to explain the process.
- Did some goal 2 activities: Thanks to my parents, I have pictures of snow in Wisconsin and postcards from up north. When my friends insist that I put socks on because of the cold, I pull out my photos of snow to explain that to me, this weather does not qualify as cold. People's reactions are pretty fun and they usually exclaim that they would die if they visited Wisconsin in the winter. I also showed my counterpart a postcard of a bald eagle and explained that it was our national bird. In typical Cameroonian fashion, his next question was, "And do you eat it?"
So, although Peace Corps is not chocolate, that makes the good days that much sweeter!
