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.