Weekly Update

Back in K-Town for another weekend. First the weekly rundown and then to the fun stuff. Standard Procedure.

As for the project, work was slow last week. The plumbers were busy connecting pipes to the standtaps and finishing the concrete to make it look nice. The girls were busy working on their filters, training men to build them and having meetings with the women for usage and maintenance.

Monday we began to cover the pipeline enough to test by tuesday. After testing, the task of covering the remaining parts of the pipeline still remains but we have made some progress. Rain inhibited work for two of the days, leaving only small time in the morning to get work done. We made some formwork for the valve boxes and poured concrete for one valve box and cover for the two high points. After the heavy rains, much of the initial covering we had done on monday had washed away.My first reaction to seeing the empty pipeline after covering the day before was witchcraft was the cause. People here still believe very much in witchcraft and it seems to be a popular topic of discussion lately. Its interesting to see how much you begin to think like a villager when you live in the village.

Work remaining for this week is to pour concrete structures (forms are ready and waiting) and attach the lid of the collection chamber. We are standing firm on the notion that we cannot turn on the water until the trench is completely filled. That should get the community mobilized and ready to go. If all goes well, we can be finished by Wednesday (thats Friday in African time).

Gunshot and The Game traveled to a neighboring village and havent returned for over a week. We joke that they are in jail for not having their ID cards. I hope that is not the case though. Some people are angry as they feel they abandoned the community work that is not finished. But they are Area Boys, so what else can you expect. The journalist from UD arrived in the village thursday, delayed by heavy rains on wednesday, and he got to talk to some people and get a feel of the village life. He is writing a piece for the UD quarterly, basically trying to get money for the univ. but if it gets the word out there and brings in money for the ETHOS Program, I am all about it. Thursday night we had a crucial match and I think it ended in a draw, 3-3. Some of the guys take these football matches so seriously, but I cannot even do that.

We worked Friday morning, and then rushed back into town only to find that the appointment with the Senior Divisional Officer was cancelled. It was nice to have the afternoon open though, so we strolled through the market and ate some soya (small pieces of cow meat served with pepper and raw onions). Its one of my favorite things to get here on the roadside and I get it from one of the two best vendors in town. The meat has no fat and is better than many of the stuff these other guys sell. Compare filet mignon to Mc Donalds big mac.

saturday we had a match with the other university students from the Immersion group. Some other Cameroonians helped to make the squads even and everyone enjoyed themselves. The final score: 7-7. Dr. Amin was the referee. Its funny, I was taking a motor bike (also called Okatta) up to Fiango to visit the family I lived with the last two years and another okatta man behind called for me to say he saw me playing in the match theh previous day. Its interesting because he didnt call for my attention with the standard "white man" like he could anyone else, but called me "Barombi Man". I have no idea how he managed to find out that I was living in Barombi, buts its pretty cool to have natives referring to you as a man of the land, as opposed to white man.