Teacher's Day/Feast Week(end)

Or: My first Cameroonian Hangover. Oh stop it, like you've never had one.

Well, it has been a whirlwind week here! Last Monday, the 5th, is International Teacher's Day. So if you're a teacher, Happy Belated Teacher's Day! Everyone here was surprised to hear that it's not celebrated in the US...Maybe that will be a goal when I return! So, the day is celebrated by feasting, drinking, and marching. This year, I was recruited to help the women prepare the meal. Now, my inner feminist of course cries a bit at the idea that the women all get together to prepare food for all the men. But, at the same time, there is something special about a group of women working together, so I was glad to be included. Highlights of the morning included carrying a live chicken, watching that same chicken become no longer living, and later eating same chicken. Yes, it does taste better when it died that morning. No, I don't think I will be killing any chickens of my own.

So, then we went into town, where we met up with the men. Now, because I was helping with the food preparation, I didn't get to see the marching festivities—I'll make sure I make it there next year! My understanding is that all the schools march past the grandstand, where there are assorted VIP's. And according to another PCV in the area, marching is very serious, and more difficult to do than it looks! So it'll probably be good to take the next year to practice my marching!

Other fun fact: major holidays in Cameroon are usually marked with the production of a special fabric, that everyone purchases, and then wears all on the same day. So I now have a very cute dress made of the Teacher's Day fabric. Cute dress, fabric is a bit silly looking. There are pictures of teachers teaching, and a lot of little graduation caps. Pictures, someday.

Anyway, the school had reserved a nice bar, where we ate and then the drinking began. A note on beers here: they are big. .65 liters each. I don't know what that is in US measurement, but it is probably at least a beer and a half by US standards. Moral of the story: I had a bit too much. However, it made learning to dance Cameroonian style a bit easier and probably more fun! Also, discovered that my Pidgin English improves rapidly on drinking! In any case, the evening was fun, I made it home perfectly safe, and I don't think I did any permanent damage to my reputation—probably quite the opposite, as drinking is a major part of the culture here. I've not confirmed this myself, but I've had several Cameroonians tell me that Cameroon is only behind Germany in beer consumption!

Ok, so we lost a day of classes on Monday, then Friday marked the beginning of the feast of the Queen of the Rosary (That's Mary for the non-Catholic readers). (Mary is the mother of Jesus, for the non-Christian readers). (Jesus is a pretty important guy in Christianity, for the readers who live under a rock). So classes were cut to a half day, so that the school could dress itself up a bit—flags, a grandstand was constructed, and then the girls got together to practice figure marching—pretty awesome to watch actually! Friday night was the Inter-house quiz, and a social. Backtrack—the school is a boarding school, so the girls are divided into Houses, that they live in. Yes, like Harry Potter. But no magic! So, throughout the whole weekend of feasting, there were a number of competitions between the different houses—football, handball, races, marching, singing, dancing, the quiz, and a beauty pageant (I'll get there). The quiz was fun to watch—the girls are all very enthusiastic for their houses! Then the social—basically a dance. Which kicked off with a number of pairs of teachers leading into the dancing. Including me. Warning? No. Fortunately I had practiced dancing on Teacher's Day! And fortunately it was short lived. And the students are very kind. Anyway, it is a bit funny to watch a dance taking place with NO boys—a few male teachers notwithstanding. But the girls all really enjoyed themselves.

Saturday was athletic festivities, including the finals for marching, which I judged. Criteria included uniforms, spacing, and arm swinging. No, I am not making this up. Then there were a variety of picnic-type games—sack race, wheelbarrow, egg and spoon, etc. Handball finals followed—for those that haven't seen it, it's a bit like Ultimate Frisbee—lots of passing, and you can't really move with the ball. Saturday evening was marked by a “Mic Fight”, which I thought was going to be a rap face-off, but turns out to be a speech competition. Girls chose from some topics, without knowing what they would be speaking on in advance, and had to give a five minute talk. Topics were female education, AIDS, youth dressing (clothes), and personal hygiene. Very amusing! Then, there was the “Miss QRC” competition. A beauty pageant, in two sections—Western clothes, and African clothes. No, no swimsuit or talent. Interesting cultural notes—I was expecting something similar to Miss America—confident striding around, fast moving, and smiling. This is NOT what took place—the movement was sllooooowww, and emphasis was on subtle gestures. I'm sure a socio- or anthropologist could offer some treatise on the definition of beauty. I was a bit too busy trying to wrap my head around my role as a development worker judging a beauty pageant, something I'm mildly opposed to in the US. Another moment where my inner feminist cried a little bit. But what to do? It's a long-standing tradition here, and I'm sure it's not actually damaging anything. *Le sigh*

Sunday—mass given by the bishop, choral singing competition, traditional dance competition, football finals, and common lunch. Got to meet a bishop! That's another first! I really enjoyed seeing some of my “lower” students REALLY shining during the singing and dancing competitions. And the football match was played to a draw resulting in a thrilling shoot-out! So, a good morning of activity. Followed by the teachers joining the students in the refectory (cafeteria). Of course, once again the women teachers had spent all morning preparing all of this food (25 chickens!), though this time they judged it best that I go and participate in the festivities. Realistically, I'm sure I would have been more in the way than helpful in preparing that scale of a feast! After the lunch, several other teachers went out for drinks, and it was declared that I've now been officially “welcomed” to the village. And yes, there was dancing. And fewer drinks than the previous Monday. Resulting in better dancing, I think? Or so I'm told. And worse Pidgin. C'est la vie. Haha, better French!

And that brings us to Monday, today, where classes have been canceled for recovering from feasting weekend, much to the joy of students and teachers alike.

So, to summarize:
Firsts: Carrying a chicken, watching death of chicken, wearing the same fabric as everyone else, judging a beauty pageant, meeting a Bishop, Cameroonian dancing, drinking too much (oh wait, that's not really a first, is it?)

Assessment: While I have certainly enjoyed myself a great deal over the last week, I do get a bit concerned about losing so much teaching time! Especially since I'm also going to lose Friday and the upcoming Monday to attend a regional Peace Corps meeting! And I've heard that the number and frequency of holidays is even greater in the second 2 terms of school....so it's a bit distressing to know that interruptions of classes will be increasing. Difficult to get through all the material I'm supposed to get through! So, all remains to be seen.

But, I'm feeling more and more settled in and “integrated” with the other teachers here! And that's good—I'm starting to enjoy myself more. Yay!

I think that's a long enough blog for now. Hoping all is well in your own corners of the world! Sending love!

In light of several requests to give a wish/birthday/Christmas list...here we go. *Feels slightly uncomfortable begging for stuff, and would be just as happy if not more so with receiving letters, text messages, emails, or prayers*

Wish List
Card/Small games—Uno, Pass the Pigs, Mille Bornes, or similar. (I still have “Set”)
Scented candles/Incense
Movies (Maybe a memory stick full of movies I “should” see *cough GREG cough cough*)
Photos—of friends, fam, etc...what you've been up to since I left
Stationery—especially if you'd like to get a letter. Prefer paper and envelopes to cards.
Body Spray/Perfume—I like Bath and Body works light florals
Dr. Bronners magic soap (Baby/unscented)--it really is magical
Tresseme moisturizing conditioner (the one with the orange writing)
Suave curl cream (in a teal tube)
Tea—Good Earth Original or Jasmine Green, Tazo Black and Green Chai, Celestial seasonings Bengal Spice, Mandarin Chamomile, or Mint
Clif Bars—Easy fiber and protein
Dried Fruit—peaches, apricots, cherries, berries, apples, etc...
Pilot G2 Pens—In fun colors to buck the system
Loofah/Body Pouf—Exfoliating is important
Aveeno Body Lotion—the kind for itchy skin, blue writing, think it contains menthol?
Aveeno Face lotion—Positively radiant, SPF 30
Aveeno Sunscreen—Babies, SPF 50, or Active spray-on, SPF 70(C'mon, I live 4 degrees from the equator!)
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal—if you're feeling generous
Resistance Bands—exercise-type
Spiritually uplifting stuff—books, music, cards, decorations, etc

A lot of people have asked about donating equipment for the school, or what the needs are there. I need to hold off on projects like that for now, until I have a better understanding of the needs of the school, and the requirements for projects of that nature. Remember, everything I do is supposed to be sustainable, and have community buy-in and participation. So having my friends and family upgrade the computer or science lab doesn't qualify at the outset. But, please feel free to check out the Peace Corps website for donation opportunities, even in Cameroon—there's a section where people who have created said sustainable/bought in projects can list their needs, monetary and otherwise.

Sending love from Africa! Look for a post soon documenting the celebration of teacher's day! Includes silly looking fabric turning into a rather nice dress.