Settling In

The central region is warm all the time, with nights somewhere in the 80's. When we pulled up to the Peace Corps compound all of the host families were awaiting. There was one family per volunteer but each volunteer would have two families; one for the first five weeks and one for the final five weeks. Thus families and trainees were called up in pairs. The greeting of the family involves several hugs and kisses for each member. I became distracted for a moment by a small Cameroonian boy when I heard some fellow trainees calling my name. I looked over and they beckoned me up to the front to meet my family. I went up and hugged and kissed the fathers from my two families. Actually, they were not my families. My fellow trainees misheard. This elicited laughter from both groups and I humbly returned with a smile on my face to wait for my real family with the rest of the Peace Corps trainees. I met my two families shortly thereafter and went off to my new home for five weeks.

Packed on the bus to the Central Region.

My second host family in the small rural village.

My mom from the urban (first) host family.

My urban family consists of 8 people; a seven year old sister named Poupe, an eleven year old sister Princess, a thirteen year old brother named Jeannot, a brother my age named Olivier, a sister my age named Messina, a mother Dani, and the matriarch grand-ma Rosalie. Messina is my main contact. I eat meals with her and she knows my whereabouts each day. We converse daily in French and she has shown me how to cook, do my wash, do dishes, and find my way about town. I have one more older brother but I rarely see him and forget his name.

The house is great. The first thing one notices is the small canal that separates the house in two. My two older brothers live in the smaller section on the right, and the kitchen, bathroom, shower, living room, and the bedrooms are situated in the other section. The backyard is a small plantation garden to supplement their grocery shopping. They have cassava, manioc, sugar cane, plantain, prune, citrus, and a few other edibles growing. There is also a cooking shed for grilling fish and meat on a wood fire. This is also where they store petrol, but in a side room. The well is right in the middle of the backyard. Chickens, lizards, and a stray dog frequent the backyard.

My bed.

My desk.

Living room.

Dining room and younger brother Jeannot.

Kitchen

Poupette and Princess.

Front porch.

Cooking hut for meat and the well.

My first dinner was cous-cous and casava and it was pretty good. Much better than the cous-cous I have received at restaurants in the US.

Every night of the week we have prayer at eight at night. It usually lasts around forty minutes, and thus far I have heard about the sins of prostitutes eight days in a row and counting. It isn't particularly interesting but I use the time to reflect and think about the future. One night after prayer we had a hot dessert drink which was called 'boit du mais', at least I think. It is boiled maize which you take with sugar or condensed milk or both. I added a bit too much condensed milk, which made it super sweet. I didn't tell my family and simply finished it.

In my room is a desk, a bed with mosquito net, a chest, my water filter, and a bureau. I live with two cockroaches who I am too lazy to kill right now. They have woken me up once looking for my sugar.

During my first day of training I woke up early to go for a run and see the town. My brother Olivier went with me. We ran a loop right near my house that lasted for twenty minutes. Even after cooling down for half an hour and then showering, I was still perspiring. Training for the first week was pretty bland. It was essentially orientation for medical information with some agricultural orientation and three French classes. Most of the information was given to us already, so if you had read it, it was merely review sessions.

On Thursday September twenty third all of the trainees went to a ceremony in a nearby village where most of the health trainees live and the agro trainees will live. The chiefs from the two villages were both in attendance (a bunch of agros, myself included, will be living in a second rural village next to the first) to welcome and demonstrate their appreciation for the Peace Corps trainees. On the way I made a joke that there would be some Africans in grass skirts with body paint dancing around to tribal music. I was correct.

My right nipple area is tender. My first medical mystery.

(Update, the nipple is fine. It resolved itself on its own. At least I hope.