NY BLOGG

www.pernillestankeromting.blogspot.com

IDUNN!

Idunn, min kjære nasara, husker du da vi var spente og uerfarne og lurte på hva det var vi kom til å møte da vi kom til Kamerun? At vi var så sykt gira, og vi var overbevist om at vi var det beste teamet i hele verden, selv om vi ikke ante hvordan teamarbeidet vårt i Kamerun egentlig kom til å se ut?

Vi møtte jammen uventede ting, selv om det som overrasket kanskje ikke var det samme som det vi trodde vi kom til å reagere på. Men jeg syns vi gjorde det bra. Jeg har satt stor pris på våre lattermilde øyeblikk, og til tross for våre relativt store forskjeller, så syns jeg vi har samarbeidet bra. Helt fra våre første to timer på kamerunsk jord, der hvem som helst kunne revet seg i håret og tenkt "OI-OI-OI! -Hvordan skal dette gå?"(Yes! Jeg fikk den med! Hihi).

Du har krydret min hverdag, fargelagt mine opplevelser og gitt tilværelsen gode nyanser. Det har vært gøy å erfare Kamerun med deg, du har vært en så bra teammate at det er ikke vits engang. Ditt søte smil, dine gode ord og tanker, ditt positive og sosiale vesen - og ikke minst din herlige latter når du ser på Friends med ørepropper - er noe jeg vil huske og verdsette lenge. 

Nå vet vi hva vi kom til, og vi vet hvordan teamarbeidet ble. Hadde bare lyst til å gi deg en liten hyllest sån i all offentlighet :) Jeg er fortsatt overbevist om at jeg ikke kunne hatt noe bedre team enn deg.

Friends

Making friends when you come to a new culture is not always easy. First of all, there is the language: conversations do not flow freely when you feel your communication skills are comparable with a three-year-old (luckily they have improved along with the length of my stay).

Secondly, you have to figure out the social and cultural codes: what do they talk about, what do they do? How are their lives, and how can you relate to them? And even more deeply; what does the world look like in their eyes?

Many times during my five months here in Cameroon, I have asked myself if I will be able to look back on my stay here and remember faces, names and friends. Often I have been discouraged, thinking that the answer would be no. Most of my relations are utterly shallow and superficial.

Thinking further, I find that maybe I have to redefine my conception of friendship a little. All friendships start with small steps. To grow closer takes time, and half a year is not so long after all. If I turn from how well I know certain people, and look upon how many people I have actually gotten in touch with during my stay, I find that I have many friends; names and faces that stop and ask how I am doing when we meet at work, choir rehearsal, volleyball or on the street. We actually have a relation.

Sometimes that is all it takes. That is how well you actually need to know people before you can go one step further. Tonight almost my whole choir came to our house to sing, pray, dance, laugh, play and eat "poff-corn", beignets and makala (different kinds of doughnuts) together. We had the most wonderful time, and I could really feel that these are my friends. My being part of that group makes a difference. They notice if I am gone, and care about my well-being.

I belong a little to them, and they will always stay somewhere in my thoughts and memories and e-mail adress list when I return to Norway. We are friends. Nous sommes ensemble.

You know Africa well

Bargaining is not one of my favourite things. How low should I go to get the price I want? Is it not rude to go too low? Really, I do not need to bargain, but then again, would it be rude not to? In Cameroon everyone bargains on everything. So to fit in, should not I too bargain?

Slightly uncomfortable, I suggest my price in a low voice. He whispers back, offers a new price, still more than I am willing to give. We discuss a little while, I smile and he laughs. Finally it closes in, and our suggestions differ only with a thousand francs (13 NOK). -Let's meet at the five hundred in between, I say, and he laughs, -You really know Africa well, don't you?

Maybe it was not that bad after all...

Meiganga

Thursday we set out for Meiganga, a village about four hours west of Ngaoundéré, together with Benjamin the contactperson and four Canadians. Their mission was to learn about evangelisation, as the Canadian church (together with many other Western countries) no longer seems to reach out to people in their own country.

The Cameroonian church is growing, while many of the countries that once brought the Good News to Africa now need to learn anew how to evangelize. In Meiganga we were attending a week of seminars, to hear and see how the church (EELC) empowers its evangelists.

We attended some of the seminars, visited the seminary of Meiganga, spoke with its students and visited them in their homes, and joined small groups of evangelists when they were having outreach Saturday. We went from door to door, visited those who were interested, talked about God with them and prayed together. Idunn and I also worked as interpreters, as our Canadian friends did not understand French. Amazing how much French we actually are able to understand and speak after some months here!

 

Students at the seminary of Meiganga studying in the library

 

 

The students' wives' class

 

Talking with David the theology student about evangelization

 

 

Visiting Philomene, the only female theology student at the seminary

 

The Canadians handing out gifts to the evangelists, as a sign of gratefulness for being invited to the seminar

 

 

"Filmez-moi! Filmez-moi, madame!" (If you have a camera, you have no choice:) )  

Fête de la Jeunesse

Thursday last week we celebrated Fête de la Jeunesse with our girls at Centre Socio Menager. So it was that we were dressed up in orange and yellow dresses of the latest fashion-model, and marched in front of loads of people. I even got the honorable assignment to carry the flag - something that did not pass by unseen: I was actually to be seen on national television on the evening news...

I encourage you to read more about this event and see the pictures on the Bischler family's blog

Picnic, African style

"The bus leaves at 06.30, and if you are not present by then, you are not going at all." The board of my choir, Gospel Singers, do not seem to appreciate the term "African time", but no matter how hard they seem to fight it, African time always gets its way. So by 09.15, we were actually on our way to the village Wak (we thought).

We also thought we were going in the Gospel Singers' bus,

but all of a sudden it went away full of other people, so we ended up sitting 21 persons in this shabby car with 15 seats:

 

Photo: Samuel Fomgbami

The lack of space, the hard seats or the loose door did not spoil the joyous mood. Nor finding out that we were not going to Wak after all. Someone important had decided that we were headed for a small place with possibilities to take a swim near the student village Dang (12 km from Ngaoundéré) instead. 

Photo: Samuel Fomgbami

For some, the fact that we had to walk for 45 minutes to get there seemed a bit overwhelming at first, but as we got there, the walk was already forgotten. After we had crossed the river,

 

we reached a place that resembled any Norwegian beach a random summer day (except that there were no beach): a lot of young people where enjoying a Saturday with friends, food, a bonfire, guitar playing and swimming in the COLD water. 

 

  

 

Some hours later, after having crossed the river on our way back, we spent a few moments in prayer and worship together with another choir that also was there, 

before we went happy, tired, laughing and singing back to Dang to find taxis going to Ngaoundéré.

 

In other words: a wonderful Saturday spent with wonderful people!

I want to go to Norway, because of all the chocolate

-You see, there is so much chocolate in Norway, so I woud like to go there, said one of the children as we were having the daily afternoon studies with the children at Rainbow orphanage. -And when are you going to show us your house?

Why not today, we thought, and so it was that Moussa, Miryam and Alise came with us when it was time to put aside the books, mini-blackboards and chalks for the evening. As our fridge still contains the marvellous Freia melkesjokolade, and we also had a 1-2-3 Sjokolademousse, it was the perfect occasion to arrange Chocolate and Ligretto Night.

Photo: Idunn Roaldseth

Teaching Ligretto to children, in French, is not the easiest thing to do, but we had a whole lot of fun, and everyone agreed that Norwegian chocolate is very good, and as we wondered how on Earth our stomachs could manage supper less than one hour later, we talked a bit with Lena the missionary's parrot before it was time for the three happy children to return to their home.

 

Photo: Idunn Roaldseth

What are we going to do today?

We have a schedule. We have an activity calendar hanging on our wall, where the coming events are written down. I also have a diary for the school year 2009/2010 where more or less my whole life is written down in details.

As if that could make my life in Cameroon predictable. No longer am I surprised to come to work just to be told that my boss is out travelling, or that there is no teaching this week ("everyone" knows that). Nor if my visitors bring guests I was not aware of. If, on the other hand, something actually turns out according to the plan, I almost get a bit puzzled.

You never know what the day will bring before it is over...

A different weekend

This weekend Idunn and I went on a trip with Benjamin the contact person, Mama Jeanne the extra mom and Aggée the driver. The goal for the trip was the women's center in Touboro, a village about a four hours drive from Ngaoundéré.

Centre Findinki Bebwe in Touboro resembles the Centre Socio Menager in Ngaoundéré, where we work twice a week. It is a school for girls where they learn practical skills as cooking and sewing, and also how to write on the computer. The centre in Touboro, though, is a bit newer and bigger, and focuses more on women's rights, and how they can live lives free from abuse and injustice. It was really interesting to visit, and if we find the time (not so much left now...), we hope for a whole week there in the beginning of the next month.

Saturday the five of us went to the great market of Mbai-Mbum, that is said to be the largest market in Central Africa. In spite of the lately decrease, it was still a lot to see (and we, the nasaras, were seen by many...). After having been here for four months, though, I did not find it very exotic, except from the people carrying swords, knives, bows and arrows, as if those were natural items to go shopping with. That is not something you see every day in Ngaoundéré (I did not dare to photograph them though)!

(not so exotic anymore)

Little boy selling pâte d'arrachide - peanut paste

For girls who like to travel, one of the peaks of this Saturday was to cross the border to the Central African Republic. We did not go far, only to the nearest village, but we were there! 

One thing I have learned here in Cameroon, is that guests are important (maybe especially if they are white), something we got to experience to the utmost in church in Touboro; we were placed on the podium, together with the preacher and the reverend, facing the congregation. No matter how hard we try to fit in, we are continually reminded that we are different...

Home in Ngaoundéré, we are reminded too, by being followed by nasara cries everywhere we go. They are used to us, but people shout anyway. In the small villages, though, we learned that we apparently are quite scary, as the children ran away as soon as they saw us (some even started to cry). But people in the countryside are friendly and welcoming too, as we learned when we visited Mama Jeanne's relatives on our way home. It seems like wherever you go, you are welcome if you want to stop by, and I am no longer surprised when dinner is served (even if the visit was unanounced).

This was a really refreshing weekend, full of different experiences. Different is good!

Fantasia

This weekend the lamido of Ngaoundéré celebrates the 13th anniversary of his reign as Muslim king of Adamaoua, our province. Idunn, Trude the missionary, Kristin the missionary kid, Thomas the new volunteer, his father and I went to town to watch the fantasia, a spectacular event which is quite hard to explain with words.

There were men riding horses decorated with colourful clothes, people in traditional outfits carrying spears, knifes and guns hailing the lamido, women dancing to the music from at least two different bands playing different songs at the same time, and a lot of people watching.

It felt a bit like being far, far away from modern civilization, as even the main language had changed from French to Fulani, even though we were still in the middle of town. In everyday life, my friends in town do not live so differently from any other modern person, but it is on occations like this I fully realize that Africa is different.

Different, not only as in dark skinned people, dusty roads, food, language or poverty. Different also in the sense of a rich culture developed in way other circumstances. Full of history, music, habits and interesting people. A culture worth experiencing.

 

 

 

 

 

Fasting

"Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

(Isaiah 58,6-7)

In about three weeks, the 40 days of the fast begins. Most of my life this period of the Church year has passed by without much attention, to be honest, it is not before the two last years I have even offered it a thought. What is the point of not eating for fourty days, anyway?

After having further studied the Word of God, I realise that it is not really about the food. It is about focusing on living a Godly life - to DO his Word, not only listen to it. Reading these verses from the Prophet Isaiah back in Norway, I thought, "wow, how will I be able to do this?" There are not so many hungry, poor or homeless in my neighbourhood...

In Ngaoundéré, on the other hand, my extended neighbourhood is the poorest part of the town. You do not see many streetkids or extreme poverty on an everyday basis, but life is tough for a whole lot of people, not only in Burkina (the poorest part of town).

Now, as I actually am in a place with the poor people, with the hungry, how should I fast? 

Feedback and ideas are welcomed with thanks! 

New beginnings

The holidays have gradually finished, and now we are back at work, and we are going to work more than ever. Before infield we had a feeling that we maybe had a little bitt too little to fill our days with, something that was confirmed to us by everyone on infield (Maria and Merethe, how are you doing now?)...

Anyway, today we started working at an orphanage called Rainbow Children's Fund, where we are going to work long Mondays and Friday afternoons. The place was founded by South Korean missionaries about a year ago, and is now the home of ten lovely children aged between four and twelve years old.

In Cameroon the chidren go to school in the morning every second week, and the other weeks they go in the afternoon. It works this way because there are not enough school buildings for everyone to be teached at the same time. Due to this, our days at RCF will vary a bit, since the schoolchildren attend a public school.

The plan is that we are going to do whatever the staff wants us to, and today that was to help the children with their homework and help out in the kitchen/learn how to cook Cameroonian food. Some days we will help out in the kindergarten too, where two of the orphans go together with other children, while the older ones are in school.

We were told that it was important that our clothes did not get dirty, so we got some other clothes to wear (they did not get dirty at all, as Pauline did everything that could make you dirty)

Idunn crushing white beans (HARD work!)

Pauline, our lovely teacher in the kitchen

It is not only in the working hours new things happen; I am proud to tell you that today I am going to have my first practice with the girls' volleyball team at Collège Protestante. If things do not turn out too bad, maybe I will write an update about that later...

Litter

Ngaoundéré is a clean town, compared to many other places in Africa. You can see rubbish in the streets and ditches, but there is a renovation company that continually cleans the town. The Norwegian camp is tidy too - the maids have one place they always empty our litter bins.

That place happens to be quite near our house, and so I become aware of the fact that throwing my trash in the bin does not make it go away. It is just moved somewhere else, so that my house is clean. But the more I use, the fuller that garbage hole grows. Is that the way it should be? Which right do I have to buy, spend and throw away so much that Mother Earth is afflicted?

Ashamed of being one of the Earth's spoiled litterers, who buys things I could manage without quite problemfree, I decide to try my best to think critically about what I buy and how it is packed.

I am troubled by the fact that I actually am in a position to choose whether I buy environment friendly packed food and other stuff - useful or not. Every afternoon, as they finish school, three or four boys on their way home stop by that rubbish hole. As I sit in my comfortable chair, listening to beautiful music on my Mac or iPod in my clean apartment, they are digging in my dirt. I bet they do not think about whether my litter will vanish in one year or a hundred, or if it will let out poisonous gasses. They jump into the hole with their clean school uniforms, hoping that they will find something of value. Some valuable leftovers from one of the World's fortunate litterers...

Holidays

Christmas came right after Infield Course in Kenya, and surprisingly enough the homesickness was not too grave. With Idunn's family and my dear Magnus visiting, we made Christmas cookies and decorated our appartement with snow-crystals on the window, candles in red and green,  and even a homemade Christmas cradle.

On Christmas Eve we had a Norwegian service in a little church outside of town. In my Norwegian eyes, it actually quite much resembled a stable more than a church. In addition to this, a little local boy wandered in during the sermon, whose name coincidentally (?) meant God has come to save... 

 Picture: Magnus Hagland

After the celebration of Christmas, we headed South for the beaches. The journey was long (three long days of driving) and the roads bumpy (picture the bumpiest road you have ever seen in Norway. Even now you are nowhere near imagining the main road that connects North and South in this country).

 Picture: Magnus Hagland

Nevertheless, the beaches of Kribi was worhwhile the shaky trip. Most of the days were spent on the beach with books, volley ball, swimming and playing in the water (which I must say, is not the worst way to spend the Christmas holidays). Pirogue trip up the Lobé river and loads of delicious seafood were other ingredients.

 

 

 

Pictures: Magnus Hagland

Back in Ngaoundéré, I still have some days left with my fabulous visitor before the everyday life sets in again. The recreation has been very good, and now I am ready to start off. I really look forward to spend three more months here in "Miniature Africa"!

Picture: Magnus Hagland