The project is as follows: a simple gravity-flow water supply system. Water is collected from a stream 200ft above the village less than a mile a way and will be piped in galvanized iron and PVC pipes to three tapstands in the village. The village provides all of the manual labor, and all members of the group from UD raised over $15,000 last year to provide for construction costs. All materials are purchased locally and we are working with an engineer from Kumba to make sure no stone in unturned (literally).
Update...
yea things are moving smoothly here with respect to the project. i am
just back from the village where we went to discuss with the water
committee the tasks for the first week. includes transportation of
sand and gravel and clearing of the catchment area. the village is on
a lake, so that makes it very difficult to transport materials.
anyway, i am spending the next few days in the city just taking care
of some things like getting money here and ordering some more
materials. The other members of the group are coming in to town
wednesday and we will brief them and by friday the pipes should be at
the lakeside. we will accompany them to the village and construction
should start by monday. at that time ill be in the village all week
long, coming to Kumba on the weekends (where you could expect an
post).
dont know if i told you we went to the club on saturday night and it
was clownin....didnt get in until after 4am and defiantely didnt make
it to church (that was my moms request, not my own). just danced and
had a pretty good time. there are mirrors all around the dance floor
and people here love to look at themselves dance. naturally, i
followed suit. last night i went to a meeting with one of my friends
here its for this org that is trying to do some good things here in
kumba. it basically seems to be an excuse to party and all the members
are from well off families that sponser a few kids thru school and
party down every sunday night after their meeting..ate some snails (just one of my favorites from the cuisine here) and drank some cheap red wine (tasted like juice) and a couple bottles of my favorite beer, Mutzig.
I think I'll join the organization.
Listening to some great music from the Ivory Coast called cope de kale (or something like that) and also Cameroonian markosa. Last night I heard good life by Kanye and had to wild out. and a few other joints you would find funny, such as "i wanna make love in this club' or whatever that song is called.
just enjoying the heat (sweating every minute) and riding the okatta (motor bike taxis) all around town which is pretty fun i must say.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Week One Review
24 May 2008
Yes it has been one week since I have been in Cameroon. AH! I am
finding the place as I left it and still am loving every minute of it.
The past few days have been very busy and it is 9pm that I am having
the change to make it to the internet to give some information. We
went to the village on thursday and re-traced the pipeline. It took
two days so we stayed in the school house thursday night and returned
to Kumba friday. We had an initial meeting with the chief, elders,
some women, and members of the water management committee. I spoke
excellent pidgin in they got my message and no one had to translate
anything (I was pretty happy with that).
We made our way back to Kumba and have been working to sort out
details with the engineer as far as purchasing pipes, sand, and
gravel. Because the village is on the opposite side of Barombi Lake,
this presents a problem as for the transportation of materials. We are
working to figure out these details. I played football in the village
(they have a great pitch) and I am excited to fit some of the guys
with the shoes I have brought. I am slowly dispersing them out to
friends and they are very grateful.
Working on the project has left me very busy with little time for
meeting with friends (Its great that I can move about town and see
people I have known from years past as if I am in my own place like
Wheeling or UD). Again the food is great and I am loving the beer.
Tonight we are giong to the club OLABI MAZE (Its funny because the
owner was on my soccer team in Dayton and I am only mad that I did not
get some free passes from him HA!).
I think thats all. Tomorrow I will go to the 630 am Catholic mass with
Mother and Liz (the other white here with me) and then play football
and REST!!!!!
And take my malaria pills...I cannot even describe how great it feels
to be back here...its as though I never left and I am having more fun
than any previous year....
Yes it has been one week since I have been in Cameroon. AH! I am
finding the place as I left it and still am loving every minute of it.
The past few days have been very busy and it is 9pm that I am having
the change to make it to the internet to give some information. We
went to the village on thursday and re-traced the pipeline. It took
two days so we stayed in the school house thursday night and returned
to Kumba friday. We had an initial meeting with the chief, elders,
some women, and members of the water management committee. I spoke
excellent pidgin in they got my message and no one had to translate
anything (I was pretty happy with that).
We made our way back to Kumba and have been working to sort out
details with the engineer as far as purchasing pipes, sand, and
gravel. Because the village is on the opposite side of Barombi Lake,
this presents a problem as for the transportation of materials. We are
working to figure out these details. I played football in the village
(they have a great pitch) and I am excited to fit some of the guys
with the shoes I have brought. I am slowly dispersing them out to
friends and they are very grateful.
Working on the project has left me very busy with little time for
meeting with friends (Its great that I can move about town and see
people I have known from years past as if I am in my own place like
Wheeling or UD). Again the food is great and I am loving the beer.
Tonight we are giong to the club OLABI MAZE (Its funny because the
owner was on my soccer team in Dayton and I am only mad that I did not
get some free passes from him HA!).
I think thats all. Tomorrow I will go to the 630 am Catholic mass with
Mother and Liz (the other white here with me) and then play football
and REST!!!!!
And take my malaria pills...I cannot even describe how great it feels
to be back here...its as though I never left and I am having more fun
than any previous year....
First Email Home
To make this easier Ill copy the first email I sent to the fam telling them I made it safely.
21 May 2008
Ah there is so much to tell you. I guess I will just start that I am here and safe. All is very well. My bags did not arrive until the day after me. We arrived in Douala on Saturday and then moved to Kumba on Sunday. I took a public transport (bus) to Douala on Monday with my friend Derick to pick my luggage on Monday. It was very interesting and a long day. The road from Douala to Kumba has been graded and they are preparing to pave it. Its great because the travel time is much less then the previous years. The first year I was here it took over 5 hours to travel to Douala. Now it takes only 3. You can imagine the difference. Yesterday was the National Holiday in Cameroon. There was a very long parade and we received invitations to sit in the grandstand and watch it all. It was also my friend Derick's birthday. His ID says he is 24 but I dont know if that is actually accurate.We had drinks and just a great time. I exercised my pidgin and was told by numerous people that I am a "true Cameroonian" . Something I could agree with. We have our meeting with the engineer today to discuss the project and make arrangements for our program and prepare orders for materials.
Its great to be back and I am seeing many good friends and my pidgin is getting much better. I am sure that by the time I leave here I will be talking fine. I got a killer haircut complete with a carving on the side. Pictures will tell more. The family we are staying with are wonderful. Our father is a doctor who has studied in India, Scotland, and China. He is a very smart man and knows a lot. It is different here because we have eaten every meal with them, The food has been out of this world too, even better than anything last year. I de chop fine-o. (some pidgin for you)
Thats all I guess. I have really just been enjoying my self too much and soon I must get serious and begin this project (like in one hours time).
21 May 2008
Ah there is so much to tell you. I guess I will just start that I am here and safe. All is very well. My bags did not arrive until the day after me. We arrived in Douala on Saturday and then moved to Kumba on Sunday. I took a public transport (bus) to Douala on Monday with my friend Derick to pick my luggage on Monday. It was very interesting and a long day. The road from Douala to Kumba has been graded and they are preparing to pave it. Its great because the travel time is much less then the previous years. The first year I was here it took over 5 hours to travel to Douala. Now it takes only 3. You can imagine the difference. Yesterday was the National Holiday in Cameroon. There was a very long parade and we received invitations to sit in the grandstand and watch it all. It was also my friend Derick's birthday. His ID says he is 24 but I dont know if that is actually accurate.We had drinks and just a great time. I exercised my pidgin and was told by numerous people that I am a "true Cameroonian" . Something I could agree with. We have our meeting with the engineer today to discuss the project and make arrangements for our program and prepare orders for materials.
Its great to be back and I am seeing many good friends and my pidgin is getting much better. I am sure that by the time I leave here I will be talking fine. I got a killer haircut complete with a carving on the side. Pictures will tell more. The family we are staying with are wonderful. Our father is a doctor who has studied in India, Scotland, and China. He is a very smart man and knows a lot. It is different here because we have eaten every meal with them, The food has been out of this world too, even better than anything last year. I de chop fine-o. (some pidgin for you)
Thats all I guess. I have really just been enjoying my self too much and soon I must get serious and begin this project (like in one hours time).
Introduction
Ayyy Greetings from the Motherland...
I created this blog to tell the stories as they go down and avoid long email lists and the like.
Theres much to tell but I'll keep it short. This is my third time in Cameroon, sponsored by an engineering program (ETHOS) at the University of Dayton. Cameroon is a country on the west coast of Africa. I stay in one of the two anglophone provinces, the other eight are francophone. The people here talk pidgin however, and that makes things interesting to say the least Theres way to much to tell of the history and current situations in Cameroon, so if you are interested google it.
The first two years I spent assessing the situations here and learning of opportunities for future civil engineering students to work here. I also spent a great deal of time getting to know the people and experienceing anything I could get the chance to do, just as any other Cameroonian would do. That included traveling to rural villages, playing football (soccer) daily, drinking great beer (brewed in country) and visiting the night club (thats a whole other story). This year, I am working (alongside some other students) to constructe a water supply system for a village outside the city where I stay, Kumba.
So this blog will serve as a template for project news as well as document some of my antics around town because after three years, as you can imagine, I am fairly well known as the "white man" who just keeps coming back.
I created this blog to tell the stories as they go down and avoid long email lists and the like.
Theres much to tell but I'll keep it short. This is my third time in Cameroon, sponsored by an engineering program (ETHOS) at the University of Dayton. Cameroon is a country on the west coast of Africa. I stay in one of the two anglophone provinces, the other eight are francophone. The people here talk pidgin however, and that makes things interesting to say the least Theres way to much to tell of the history and current situations in Cameroon, so if you are interested google it.
The first two years I spent assessing the situations here and learning of opportunities for future civil engineering students to work here. I also spent a great deal of time getting to know the people and experienceing anything I could get the chance to do, just as any other Cameroonian would do. That included traveling to rural villages, playing football (soccer) daily, drinking great beer (brewed in country) and visiting the night club (thats a whole other story). This year, I am working (alongside some other students) to constructe a water supply system for a village outside the city where I stay, Kumba.
So this blog will serve as a template for project news as well as document some of my antics around town because after three years, as you can imagine, I am fairly well known as the "white man" who just keeps coming back.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
