I found one advantage to the grainy bird photos I'm taking: they are VERY fast to upload over this slow internet connection. But that's about it. I am seriously thinking of how I can have my nice camera sent over here from the States!One thing that deserves mention is that at my house here in Bandjoun, I have a couple of resident Blue-shouldered Robin Chats. I think they're just gorgeous (black/rufous with a bit of sky blue on the shoulders), and not too shy either. One was just singing at dusk this evening from a wire, and then swooped in to land right in a yellow-flowering bush in front of me! In Bafia, I only saw them during early morning hours, and they did not sing at all. Here is one I photographed early morning near the building where we had Peace Corps training in Bafia. I have not been quick enough here in Bandjoun to get the photo, but I'm working on it!
Another species I did not see in Bafia but have a lot of here in Bandjoun is the Baglafecht Weaver. They are also a bit skittish, and the only photo I have taken is this rather blurry one. It doesn't look much like the field guide other than the black mask and yellow eye, but between my two books and process of elimination, I am fairly confident in this ID.It has been overcast, so between that and my digital zoom, it has been challenging to get decent photos of birds!
(Many) thanks to Cristina, here are some of the African Gray Parrots that were hanging out by the lycee in Bafia. That morning, there were three in this Acacia tree on my street, and three in the treetops of another Acacia across the street, and this photos is about the best one that came out. At least, they look like parrots more than just blurry spots! You can *almost* make out the red tail on the one on the left.On more work-related topics... today I managed to get one more computer in working order... ironically by removing the A/V software that was using 100% of the 32 MBs of memory! I shudder at just about every component of that sentence. I also got the server connecting to the internet, another outlet installed and a couple of UPSes working. Better than that, I managed to find a good/affordable electrician I will definitely use again.
I still have one more box to fix tomorrow, and a few more to scavenge after that. I need to try to piece together at least 4 more functioning computers out of 6 already-parted-out boxes: the 6 that are PIIIs (the best available in the pile of non-functioning stuff). I've been given the goal to have 30 functioning computers by the beginning of school on Monday, and I am only 50% there right now. There is a pending shipment of 10 new (donated) PCs that should come next week. So fingers crossed on that! I'm not sure what kind of miracle I can pull out from a pile of dusty computers with Windows 98 stickers on them.
On another note, I did finally break down and buy a gas canister for 30.000 CFA... Tonight, I enjoyed steamed rice with green beans/carrots/onions and sweet and sour sauce (made from mango juice). I made spaghetti with fresh tomato/onion sauce a few nights ago, and scrambled eggs and hash browns this morning. So I think it was worth it!
Hi Miss Adventure! My name is Jon and I am a student at CU Boulder. I am currently in a Reporting 2 class and I am writing a story about what future peace corps volunteers can expect to see if they leave for a West African country. The story has to have a science or environmental theme to it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, it's obvious that some of the stuff you write about has a lot to do with my story and I was hoping you could answer some of the following questions if you have the time: What vaccines did you have to get before and while volunteering? What diseases and/or general illnesses are common in your country? Have you been sick at all? What different creatures, animals, insects, etc. do you encounter (or not want to encounter) during your volunteering? Also, if there is anything else you could share about the environment you live in, that would be great. For instance, is it stifling hot? Or too rainy?
Thank you so much and I (as a hopeful future peace corps volunteer) look forward to reading more of your blog.
p.s. this story won't be printed, it is just for my class
Hi Jon,
ReplyDeleteGlad to help, and good luck with your class and your Peace Corps ambitions! I must say that it has been worth it so far. It's not an experience for the faint of heart, but it's also not an experience you would ever have Stateside!!
Here are some replies to your questions:
What vaccines did you have to get before and while volunteering?
> A lot. Before going, we had a series that included Tetanus, Hepatitis C, and a few others. We had a couple more at staging, and then we had a lot more throughout training: Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Rabies (series of 3), Hepatitis A and B. According to my vaccination card, I've also had shots for Menengitis, Diphtheria, Rubella, Mumps and Measles. We also have to take a malaria prophelaxis the entire time we are here, which in my case is one pill once a week.
What diseases and/or general illnesses are common in your country?
>Many! There was a recent Cholera outbreak. Those that I mentioned are here, plus water-borne illnesses like Schistosomiasis and Filiariasis in all fresh water. There are all kinds of intestinal parasites. Tragically, HIV/AIDS is common here also though I don't know the exact rate for Cameroon. You have to be diligent about protecting yourself: cooking food thoroughly, boiling/bleaching/filtering your water, not swimming in fresh water, washing your hands, and not petting stray animals.
Have you been sick at all?
> I'm lucky to have just had diarrhea. That's common since your body has to adjust to the new cuisine, etc. My training included 43 people, and among us we had one hospitalization for malaria, 8-10 for typhoid (though the diagnosis was suspect, we were told), and many cases of intestinal worms. All treatable and treated quickly!
What different creatures, animals, insects, etc. do you encounter (or not want to encounter) during your volunteering?
> I live in the most densely-populated part of the country, so I mostly encounter insects and birds. The biodiversity is still incredible: many many species of butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, fireflies, cockroaches, beetles (including dung beetles!), bees, spiders. There was a lizard at Bafia that was colored like a rainbow (I think I posted a photo of it). There are many snakes here, though I haven't seen one and don't really want to encounter one: most are venemous and we're told the hospitals don't stock anti-venom!
Also, if there is anything else you could share about the environment you live in, that would be great. For instance, is it stifling hot? Or too rainy?
> This is a really diverse country. Where I am in the West (near Bafoussam), it is higher elevation and it's been 65-75 F and both sunny and raining every day (sunny mornings, rainy afternoons). It's very comfortable. It is also the rainy season, but I was told only December and January are dry here. In Bafia (where we did training), it was usually in the 80s but humidity was extremely high and uncomfortable. After swearing-in, some volunteers were sent South and East where it's even lower elevation and *very* hot/humid, and others were sent to the Extreme North and Adamawa regions which are hot and arid (up to 110 F in summer, but dry heat). So it depends!
I should also add that most of us were sent to villages. I, for example, live only 10 minutes by car from a major city, but where I live is pretty quiet and rural. I also have another Peace Corps volunteer only a few minutes walk from me, which is very comforting and convenient! Others are the only volunteers in their villages and some have a very long way to go to get to a city (one person I can think of has a 10 hour trek to get their bank!) So it just depends on your post.
I hope this helps. Again, best of luck!
-Christine