On the 22nd, we all swore in at a ceremony in Bangangte, where all of our host families and town officials came to support us. The chief, the mayor, and a representative from the embassy came. It felt like graduation, and essentially was a sort of graduation. I’m the only volunteer really close to Bangangte, so when I presented myself and named my program and post, I got a big round of applause. I sort of felt like a celebrity (?). Afterwards, there was a lunch for the volunteers and their host families. It reminded me of high school, where after graduation, a bunch of families went to Toby’s restaurant to celebrate. I tried to tell my host mom that I got déjà vu of my experience after high school, and I think she got it, but who knows? My host parents have called me twice now to make sure I’m okay and I’m not too lonely. Aren’t they awesome? After dinner, I was approached by the mayor of my post, who said he considers himself my second papa and that I can go to him if I have any problems. I was also approached by a woman from Bangangte, who worked with the volunteer I’m replacing. She has a center in Bangangte for girls who have quit school for one reason or another. She teaches them a trade so that they’ll be able to work. Essentially my job would be to teach them English and maybe some computer skills. I think I’m meeting with her in a couple of weeks. We’re encouraged to have secondary projects, and this one sounds pretty interesting. If it doesn’t work, I’ve got some options in my village. One of my post-mates (remember there’s a married couple in my village), is thinking about starting a girl’s club. So, depending on the amount of work I’ll have, I think I’d like to be involved.
I’ve been in my village since Saturday and so far, everyone’s been really nice. My counterpart, the vice principle at my school, was responsible for setting up my house. It’s been painted, cabinets have been built, and modern toilets were put in (with two flushing options.) I know, right? I have to say it’s a bit fancy. It’s also pretty big so it’s awkward having a big house with nothing in it. I’ve got a bed and that’s it. It’s also not my bed because the school is building me my own bed with a table and some chairs, but it’s not done yet.
Yesterday I went to the provincial capital to do my banking and found a few things I knew I wouldn’t be able to find in Bangangte or Bazou. I found a really nice iron, a stove top, frying pan, peanut butter, cinnamon, various spices, oatmeal, some utensils, cheese, and a few vegetables you can’t find around here (cucumbers, zucchini, and eggplant.) I’d love to able to fry some eggplant but I have no gas for my stove yet. That’ll happen tomorrow in Bangangte. Market day’s tomorrow so I’ll see what I can find. Oh, so to give you an idea of what buying things in the market place is like, I’ll include a passage I wrote to Elliott, describing the process:
It was weird walking around the market buying things. I had to bargain, which really sucks. Like, I go up to the guy I bought a few things from and I’m like, “How much is this?” Referring to the frying pan, he was like 7,000. So, I do what my host mom would do and I gasp and say, “That’s a ridiculous price!” Then I say, “My friend, give me the good price,” and he goes “6,000,” and I gasp again, and say “2,000.” He says “5000,” and in the end, I pay 4 and buy a few things more from him, telling him if he gives me good prices, I’ll buy more and come back to him for other items… so he did. He gave me a stove top for a really decent price. Twelve thousand. Really not bad for a stove. And that’s how you do it… for everything! So, it takes forever. Sometimes you have to walk away. Buying my pillow and sheets took at least half an hour because the vendor wasn’t negotiating, but when I’d walk away, she’d take a little off… until I said, “This is my offer. And that’s it.” And she said, “Ok, give me the money.” It’s so funny and annoying. But I feel like I have to bargain. I can’t stand being ripped off.
I’ve also placed an order for a couple pieces of furniture for the kitchen: a piece for the stove and gas and a large shelf for foods and utensils. I suppose after that’s finished, I’ll start to worry about a bookshelf and some furniture for the living room. It won’t pay me to go extravagant here since I’ll only be here for 2 years… and I did have plans to live modestly. I already feel like my house is a bit too much, especially since I wanted to live like the people around me and since I knew I’d be living alone. But if you look at my neighbor’s houses, I think you’d agree that there’s a difference. But, it’s a nice place and it fits the Peace Corps requirements for security.
School here starts September 8th but I was told not to expect the students to show up for a week. That’s fine. I’ll use the time to get books, resources, and set up schemes of work and lesson plans. I really need to start thinking about my job as an educator. It’s a complicated process here. Lots of paper work and things to consider. But, it’s essential to plan, right?
So far, I really have no complaints. I live in a nice house in a beautiful village with nice people and two super nice volunteers who help me a lot. My counterpart’s great. I’ve made a few friends in the market who told me where to find things. There’s also a restaurant, where I’ve been eating my meals and the guys there are really nice and they know how I like my coffee. I don’t even have to tell them anymore. They also know how to season my omelets and bean sandwiches, without it being too peppered. In general, the people around here season their foods A LOT, even more so than Cajuns. I’m serious. You’d think being from Acadiana would have prepared me for spicy food. No. Everything is incredibly spicy. I’ve also got two pepper bushes on the side on my house. One is a yellow pepper that’s really popular. It’s just referred to as “pimont,” and there’s another bush with tiny red peppers. I was told these are extremely hot. I’m wondering if they’re chipotle peppers? I’ve seen some pretty cool plants here. I’ve got a ton of banana trees all around my house. I’ve got a papaya tree and I think there are some sweet pea plants around my house. Lantana grows a lot here and so does hibiscus. Mango season is over. Ugh. But I hear the pineapples get better after rainy season. Also, the watermelons are coming up. I can’t wait till they’re nice and sweet.
Well, that’s the gist of my move to post. It really wasn’t bad. And I’ve been sleeping well, even if it’s on a thin piece of foam. Oh, let me take this opportunity to wish my sister, dad, grandmother, and A’mya happy belated birthday! I hope I didn’t forget anyone. Oh, I’ve got a different phone number at post, since MTN doesn’t really work well here. You can e-mail me for the number. Love you guys!
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