Chickens, Vitamin A and a Snake

The dry season has finally arrived.  It’s been windy and the dust is beginning to make it’s appearance. We have been working like crazy on our hen house …. new roof, wind breaks, all troughs (water and feed) bought, dragged home and put in place, a wood burning oven made from a large barrel to keep the little one day old chickies warm till they get their feathers. We disinfect everything on Sunday and then on the 6th we go to Bafoussam to pick up our baby chicks and bring them home via bush taxi (all in one piece hopefully).

They will take constant care. Every day, besides food and water and constant heat, they get vaccines, or vitamins, or dewormer, or anti stress or antibiotics….one or more of these every day for 21 days. They get their vaccines by dunking their little heads in water mixed with the vaccines so it gets either into their little beaks or enters thru their poor little chickie eyes. There are many threats that can end it all, so we have to be on constant watch, making sure to lead the weaker ones to water and food. Let the adventure begin….God help us...and them.

Life outside of the Chicken world continues also. A fellow PCV (Health) came in from her post in Bapi to help me with an all day HIV/Aids presentation for the edification of the community of Batie.  It was well attended despite the fact that the Mayor decided at the last minute that he needed the presentation room for political reasons and we had to cancel one day before the greatly publicized event.  I made a big scene in the middle of town which I am sure embarrassed him greatly….which was the idea. It was a selfish and unreasonable thing for him to do, so now everyone knows it. I’m not real popular with him right now….eh, c'est la vie. Anyway, my friend Kate (the health volunteer) was nice enough to return the following week to do the presentation and she kicked ass. We created a nice group of “Peer Educators” who can now go forth and educate their fellow students, friends and family. As you probably know, AIDS is a huge problem here and carries a heavy stigma. Men wield most of the power and are not inclined to use protection.  Luckily, there were several men and male high school students in the audience, so hopefully we impacted them.  

Last week was SASNIM which is an acronym (in french) which basically means the week of health and nutrituion for new mothers and their children. I went door to door in my neighborhood with a Mama volunteer and we gave polio drops (by mouth) and vitamin A (for rickets which is a real problem here) and vermifuge (dewormer) to all the kids up to age 5 and vitamines to the new mothers. It was quite an experience and I had the opportunity to meet some really incredible women and children.

On a sadder note, the latest stage (the class right before mine to arrive in country) is finishing service in about a week and is leaving the country which means I am losing some really great friends to whom I have become quite bonded….boo hoooooo. This makes my stage the oldest in country and the next to complete service…..but that won’t be for another 8 months. Of course, a new stage has arrived to fill their slots and that will be fun...but….

As if my life here isn’t exciting enough (sarcasm), there was a four day period very recently where many birds were pecking at my windows trying to get in and then it stopped just as suddenly as it began….don’t ask, no idea...but the day after it stopped a black snake was waiting for me at my front door and scared whatever poop was left in me right out. Luckily two mamas were visiting me at the time and after we all finished screaming they beat it to death (I resumed screaming) with a chicken feeding trough that just happened to be right there. (PHEW...what luck!)

A la prochaine alors….Pamela

                                           Polio drops….that's me under the hat.

                                               " Can you believe how cute this kid is?!"

                                         I finally found some "mamas" that were older than me.

                                         The one on the far right is 104.

Chickens and Elections

Bonjour. Well, it’s still rainy, but now we are having some sunny mornings before the rains invade again.  This means the seasons are slowly changing from rainy to dry.  It’ll be a while yet, but it is good to see the sun.  All that gloominess can get a California girl down. 

I haven’t been working out (power walks on beautiful hilly footpaths) much because my knees are still sore.  I am experiencing some soreness in many of my joints.  I have finally discovered that the soreness is due to the constant cold dampness inside and out.  There is no escaping it.  This house is like a damp cave and my clothes and bedding are all damp. I guess any arthritis that might be in my joints after all those years of working out is now showing itself. On those few sunny days we have had, my joints feel miraculously better!.  Who knew? Here’s to dry season!!! and  back to doing damage to my joints in those beautiful hills! I realize now how important exercise is to my mental health. Well, I guess I always knew it, but doing without has really brought it home.  

The grant money for my project arrived about a week ago!!! I’ve finished the business training with my mamas and they have decided who will do what (management, bookkeeping, inventory etc.). We have drawn up our action plan and work has begun on the hen house.  We are very excited. I have even found, with the help of my new counterpart, Joseph, a local, successful chicken raising farmer who is willing to guide us through our first round. According to the mamas, who are experts on how to handle men here, we must pretend not to know too much in order not to offend him. This way he will give us all of his knowledge rather than holding back.  Huh? OK.  Hey, we all have our fields of expertise, this is one of theirs. I’ll go along with it. (Besides, I get it…. …. Bah!)

This weekend there are the legislative and municipal elections. There have been many “election rallies” around town. The RPDC party seems to be very popular here (Monsieur le President, Paul Biya’s party). I have been invited to a few of these events and there is much…. folderol.  It has actually been a lot of fun and a good way to get to know more people. But this is a time to keep one’s mouth firmly shut….I have no opinions. We have to stay at post,  or wherever we are, during this election weekend.  All will probably go without any problems, but it’s smart to be on the safe side and stay out of the way.

Next week, some trainees will be doing site visits, so I will have a couple of them for four days.  It’s fun. They are usually adorable. This will be their first venture into the real Cameroon to get a taste of what a post looks like and how we live.  (They live with host families during training and have very little freedom). They are all ears and big eyes.  Was I really that green? (I think not….I do have a few years on them….but….) Anyway, they will soon be my fellow volunteers and it will be fun getting to know them.

Update:  Spent yesterday helping a friend vaccinate his pigs. The pigs were not amused. We had a nice warm beer afterwards as a reward.

Things are looking up!

                                         Traditional dancers at election rally.

                                         Miss Posh was there!

 My sentiments exactly.