ETHOS: Boa Bakundu

Last Picture Update

2009-08-02T15:51:00.007+01:00

I promised this update and here it is. I'll write some about my overall experience later this week.

Left: A typical taxi to the village.

Left: Cocoa trees with ripe pods on them.

Left: Backfilling bucket brigade at the tanks.

Left: Tap stand at Boa Camp. This quarter is already enjoying the water.

Left: An awesome waterfall we found on the last couple of days in the village.

Left: Becoming an elder in the village.

Left: Giving money to the performers.

Left: Traditional African juju dancing.

Left: The three of us with Mr. Benjamin, the engineer.

Left: Our big happy village family.

Left: The outside of the Raf-cut Motel (where we stayed in the village.

Left: The inside of our room.

Left: Jugs full of palm wine.

Left: One for the road on our last day in the village.

Safe and sound in the USA

2009-08-01T21:49:00.001+01:00

I got back on US soil yesterday afternoon. It's been a crazy couple of days between catching up with family and friends. I'll probably post pictures tomorrow afternoon.

What a sendoff

2009-07-31T13:00:00.000+01:00

Friday July 24, 2009

I was excited but also a little depressed that today was the last time we would be walking the pipeline. I will miss hearing the children shouting “Good morning Uncle Ben” as we walk past their houses. I will also miss the serenity of a foggy morning on the road. It seemed even more calm than usual considering it was just the three of us walking the line. Since we had no work to do, we got the chance to explore. Near the aeration chamber the stream passes over a big waterfall. We had heard the waterfall before, but this was the first time we had the chance to see it. Some people in the village want to harness hydroelectric power from falls such as this one.

We also had the chance to view the tap stand at Boa Camp. The carpenters did a great job and the people of this quarter are enjoying clean water. Before returning to the village, we decided to check the flow rate at the tanks to see how much it had increased since the mud was removed from the line. Much to our surprise, the flow was about 2.5 L/s. This is an even greater flow rate than predicted by the original feasibility study done in 2002. At this rate, both tanks can be filled in less than 7 ½ hours. The three of us celebrated the success of the project on our hike to the house.

Dibamba Quarter provided us a small sendoff in the evening. It was a very intimate occasion held in the compound opposite to ours. It was very nice but also sad to realize we were leaving our home in Cameroon. I gave a small speech thanking them for their kindness and hard work. The palm wine was especially tasty tonight.

Saturday July 25, 2009

Our official sendoff (and “Launching Proper of the Boa Bakundu Water Project”) has come and gone. It was a wonderful ceremony. The festivities were supposed to kick off around 10 AM. Adding African time made the actual start time around 11:30. The sendoff began with a prayer and singing of the national anthem. Next, the emcee introduced all the elders, officials, chiefs, committee members, and other notables present at the chief’s palace. Then, immersion coordinator James introduced Dr. Amin, Brian, Mark and I.

The chief’s speech was first, followed by the chairman, Mr. Benjamin, Dr. Amin, Mark, and the divisional officer’s representative. The chief and chairman had representatives read their speeches. I thought Dr. Amin’s speech was particularly well written. He challenged the young people of the village to fight to improve the lives of fellow villagers. Mark’s speech got plenty of laughs as he talked about our experiences in the village such as drinking at palm wine bars, playing for Veterans FC, and Brian going to church for the three of us.

Near the middle of the scheduled activities the chiefmaker appointed us as elders in the village. It was a very special experience. I felt honored to have the opportunity to become an elder. Due to my elder status, I had to dress like one. Therefore, I walked out of the chief’s palace clothed in African wear and a cap. Mark, Brian, the chairman, Mr. Benjamin, and Dr. Amin also received the same treatment. Next, the committee began the “launching proper” of the Boa Bakundu Water Project. “Launching proper” is the pidgin way of saying “fundraise.” Each invited guest would walk up to the committee’s table and donate money toward the next phase of the project. As donations were turned in, the emcee would announce the name of the donator and how much money they contributed. At the end of the day the committee had raised 407,000 CFA (about 10% of what they need to complete the phase from the tanks to the school)

No Cameroonian celebration would be complete without music and dancing. Throughout the program various song/dance groups entertained everyone. TK wrote a song for us. It included verses about the storage tank, catchment, and connecting of pipes. He also sang about Brian, Mark, and I by name. Even Mr. Benjamin was included in the song. (I will get the lyrics the next time I talk to TK) The masquerades and other traditional dancers also made and appearance. Everyone would cheer for us when we stood up to go dance and give money. It was an absolute blast.

After the ceremonies at the chief’s palace, all invited guests went to the Raf-cut Motel for a huge lunch of traditional Cameroonian dishes. We posed for tons of pictures with friends, neighbors, officials, and random villagers. I also learned that two members of the media were also in attendance. One woman was with Lakeside Radio in Kumba while a man from STV in Cameroon covered the event. Our night started at the chairman’s place with more free beer. This meeting gave each of us the opportunity to thank the water committee and talk about our time in Boa Bakundu and Cameroon. The beer we were offered was a symbolic “one for the road” in Cameroonian culture. One elder pulled out a bottle of whiskey. When they opened the bottle, they “snap the neck of the chicken” according to local traditions.

Then, we strolled to the Safari Snack Bar in Bakassi Quarter to enjoy our last drinks in Boa Bakundu with our friends. It was a wonderful ending to a great day.

Sunday July 26, 2009

We didn’t want to, but we had to leave Boa Bakundu today. In the morning we packed our things and cleaned up the house. Men were still working on the finishing touches at the Raf-cut Motel for its grand opening today. Bossman and his assistants were painting. The audio equipment had arrived and was being tested. I drove TK’s ocada one last time up to Bakassi to say goodbye to his family. Other last goodbyes followed back at the house. We’ll miss all the people of Boa Bakundu. They have been our second family here in Cameroon. When our taxi driver James arrived, we had our true “one for the road” at Lillian’s palm wine bar.

The ride back with James was interesting to say the least. His taxi has gotten much worse than when we first met him. Something in the rear suspension was loose. He tied it up with a strap, but that didn’t help much. Every time we descended a hill a loud banging sound erupted from the back of the car. He also had to stop multiple times to fill the radiator with water so that the car didn’t overheat. I will miss the fun of Cameroon taxi rides.

Back at Pa’s house on Soba Street we had a large family dinner. We also took some family portraits that we will send back to the family. Our family in Kumba was so wonderful. Ma and Glory cooked the best food. The boys (Fritz, Clinton, and Brandon) kept things lively around the house. Pa was always there for intelligent conversation or to enlighten us about Cameroon culture. I will miss them all deeply.

We all truly enjoyed our last night in Cameroon. :)

Once more to the village

2009-07-29T13:00:00.001+01:00

Wednesday July 22, 2009

Before we could get back to Boa Bakundu, we made a stop at Bai Panya. Bai Panya has talked with Mr. Benjamin in the past about expanding their current water system. Bai Panya wasn’t much better than Bolo. (Other than Bai Panya having a piped water source already) The village follows two different chiefs. It has no water committee. The most frustrating part is that they don’t maintain their current supply. Tanks have not been cleaned in years. Air release valves are broken and cocoa farms surround the catchment. After seeing these problems, we made a list of suggestions for the village to show ETHOS that they are serious about this project. These recommendations should be easy for the village to implement within a couple of months. Hopefully, they will realize how fortunate they are to have a system in place already. Mr. Benjamin told us that the native dialects have no word for “maintain.” Perhaps that is why it is a difficult concept of this village to grasp.

Everyone in Boa Bakundu was excited for our return. Many of our friends said the village did not feel the same while we were gone. The Raf-cut Motel (our house) is coming along nicely. The only work that remains before it opens on Sunday evening is painting, installing some doors, and moving in audio equipment. Rafael also bought a huge generator to power the whole compound. Since we had plenty of light, we played cards with friends until well past 10:00.

Thursday July 23, 2009

Today was our last day of community work. Each quarter was assigned a section at the storage tanks to backfill. While Mark attended the water committee meeting, Brian and I supervised and participated in the backfilling efforts. As usual, some quarters were well prepared while others didn’t even have enough shovels to be effective. Eventually, we organized a dirt moving assembly line of sorts for each quarter. Villagers would begin the process by filling buckets with dirt. Then, buckets were passed from person to person until they reached the tank. After spreading out the dirt, the buckets were passed in another line back to the beginning. It was a very efficient system if the quarter had enough buckets available. Some quarters (especially our quarter, Dibamba) had difficulty understanding the concept of an assembly line. Men would carry full buckets all the way to the tank instead of passing them down the line. Other workers would just leave their station without having someone to replace them. At the end of the day all quarters except Carrefour and Tombei finished their backfilling.

After the work ended, we trekked to the chief’s palace to sit in at the water committee meeting. By this time the meeting was about five hours long. The committee had much to discuss concerning the sendoff on Saturday. In addition, they were short about 80,000 CFA (~$160) to pay for the party. So, much of the meeting was dedicated to locating sources for this funding. The preferred sources were people who had not paid previous fines or collections. The funniest case of the day was a man who was accused of stealing two plastic chairs. The committee fined him 10,000 CFA, 2 plastics of beer, and one goat. That would be the equivalent of a council in America deciding that you should give them $20, two cases of beer, and McDonald’s for everyone. When the man finally came to pay his fine, it was reduced to two plastics of beer and 5,000 CFA. The beer was put to good use as each of the committee members had one for themselves. If only council meetings in the US were run in the same manner. The meeting was still going on when we left at 2:00 PM.

Traveling around with Mr. Benjamin

2009-07-27T11:39:00.002+01:00

We are officially moved out of Boa Bakundu village and on our way back to the US. The past week has been incredible. (Pay attention to the blog this week to find out more) We will fly to Paris this evening for a few days before returning to the US on the 31st. I'm sorry I won't be able to post pictures this week due to some problems with my camera. I'll be sure to have a big picture update on the 1st.

Monday July 20, 2009

Nothing much happened for us today. But for the immersion students, it was a very sad day. We met them at the Azi Motel before they drove to Duoala to catch their flight. Many of the girls were crying, especially when they had to say goodbye to their host families. I’m sure it will be tough for me to leave next Monday. We also went to the market to buy a few more things for our families and friends back home. A local tailor is sewing me a shirt to take back as well.

Tuesday July 21, 2009

Early in the morning, we traveled with Mr. Benjamin to the taxi park in Fiango. (A section of Kumba) We were traveling to two villages that have potential water projects for next year’s group. Due to the low number of people traveling in our direction, we waited almost two hours before we left. The trip to the village of Weme lasted over an hour on a relatively good road. The Weme project is quite large. An NGO estimated the cost at 35,000,000 CFA (~$70,000). However, many of these estimates are inflated so that when the NGO and/or village receive funding, the NGO can eat the extra money. An option for this project is to split it into phases like Boa Bakundu has done. ETHOS might be able to complete one phase like we did this summer.

Weme has a water committee and some small funds saved for the project. That’s much more than can be said for the next village we visited. The village of Bolo is along the road back to Kumba. Bolo had no water committee, no estimate, no funds, and few answers to our questions. We became so frustrated that we left after perhaps fifteen minutes of discussion. Villages must prove that they are serious before ETHOS or Mr. Benjamin would consider working with them.

One of the most interesting aspects of this journey was the road itself. At one time the government wished to make the road into a major highway. (If we continued to follow the road, we would eventually reach Nigeria) Many of the bridges we crossed were a result of that project. But between the villages of Weme and Bolo we saw a literal “bridge to nowhere.” We crossed a one lane bridge that runs parallel to a four lane structure. The bridge was perhaps 80% complete when the project was abandoned or funding disappeared. Now the bridge sits covered in all types of vines and trees. It stands a poignant symbol of Cameroon’s problems with infrastructure and corruption.

Semme Beach and Celebrations

2009-07-26T23:00:00.000+01:00

Saturday July 18, 2009

Our last day in Limbe began with plenty of rain. We sat around most of the morning in the hotel. I thought there was no way we would have the chance to enjoy Semme Beach. I was almost ready to call it a day and head back for Kumba when the rains slowed to a mist. We decided to attempt the beach. I am so glad that we did. As the taxi drove us to the beach, the skies lightened and the rain stopped. The resort is located about 20 minutes outside of Limbe proper. Admission was 1500 CFA per person, which included a free soft drink.

Semme Beach was my first experience on a black sand beach. The black sand comes from the lava rock that covers this area of the country. The sand is fine and soft. The water was incredibly warm and the waves were excellent. Swimming in the ocean made yesterday’s van ride ordeal worth it. It was a great way to celebrate our successes this summer. After a couple of hours of swimming, we hopped back in the taxi and headed to the Limbe park to grab a van back to Kumba. (This ride was much better than yesterday’s nightmare trip)

Sunday July 19, 2009

This morning we decided to get some much needed laundry out of the way. Washing laundry by hand is tough work. It took the three of us about an hour and a half to wash about 1/3 of our things. (Lack of experience was probably also a contributing factor) I have a new-found appreciation for all the laundry Julius has done for us while in the village. The women of the house had a good laugh over our attempt at washing clothes. They also provided helpful tips and guidance along the way.

In the afternoon Mark and I stopped at Spirit’s shop to get our hair cut before the big celebration this evening. The three of us sat down and prepared for the speech we were to give at the party. We left for the Azi Motel after 7:00 PM. (The supposed start time of the party) After arriving at the motel; we proceeded to wait 2 hours until the program actually began. We were waiting for government officials to arrive. (Typical Cameroon) After brief introductions and speeches by Dr. Amin and the immersion coordinators, Mark, Brian, and I spoke to the 100+ people in attendance. Mark discussed ETHOS and past projects. I talked about the Boa Bakundu project. Brian covered our experiences of life in Kumba and Boa Bakundu. I think our speech went over really well. The immersion students spoke after us. Their presentation even included some small skits. After the presentations, the Senior Divisional Officer gave a short speech.

Finally, it was time for dinner just before 10:00. Mark, Brian, and I were asked to serve drinks. By the time everyone was served, it was after 10:30. I was soooooo hungry. We spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking. Most of the immersion students left the party by 1:00 AM. ETHOS closed the place down sometime after 3:00 AM. I’ll just catch up on my sleep when I
get back to the US. :)

Left: Late night at the immersion going away celebration

Limbe here we come!

2009-07-24T13:00:00.000+01:00

Thursday July 16, 2009

We woke up early this morning to begin our trip back to Kumba. We took the Greyhound of Cameroon, Mondial Express. We took a full size bus direct from Yaoundé to Kumba. These buses seat 5 people in each row and can hold over 70 people when they are completely full. Stops were few and far between. We left Yaoundé at 9:00 AM and pulled into Kumba around 3:00 PM.

The bus ride gave me plenty of time to reflect on my time in Yaoundé and this summer in general. I’ve certainly become used to the culture and people of Cameroon. I’ve had the opportunity to see and do more things than I thought possible. This trip has also changed me in many ways, some of which I probably won’t know until I return back to the US. I now have a much different perspective on poverty, development, government, and family. I’ve also learned how complex relationships between Africa and the rest of the world have become. I’ll write more about overall impressions of my summer experience after I get back to the US.

Friday July 17, 2009

We spent much of the morning and early afternoon running errands around Kumba. Our most important stop of the day was at Mr. Benjamin’s office. We are starting to search for projects for next year’s ETHOS Cameroon group. (Hopefully, I’ll be one of the participants ;)) We met with him briefly and received information on a few promising projects. We would also like to find an NGO in country to assist us in providing logistical and financial support. The difficulty with NGOs is finding honest organizations that are not out for a quick profit. Another topic that was brought up was transitioning into other aspects of appropriate technology besides water projects. The key for any project is having great contacts in country. We have certainly found those for water projects near Kumba. We’ll have to search for those contacts for any other types of projects. Perhaps next year, students could even move to another division or region in the country.

We also started our trip to Limbe this afternoon. Limbe is a coastal city located in the Southwest region. It is a tourist destination for people inside and outside of Cameroon. We went to the van park at 3:00 seeking a ride to Limbe. When we pulled in, the two rival van service factions began yelling and fighting for our business. After the dust settled, we ended up choosing an unmarked blue van. Thus began our van ride from hell. Only 100 m down the road, we picked up a random passenger. Apparently, it is less expensive to hop onto the bus outside of the park. The driver also saves money because he doesn’t have to pay for that person when he leaves the park. Within a few minutes the bus was completely full.

The next issue occurred at a wildlife checkpoint outside of Kumba. They questioned the driver as to the discrepancies between his ticket from the park and the number of passengers in the van. They ripped up the ticket and entered into a 30 minute argument with the driver. After paying a bribe, the driver got us back on the road. We continually stopped to pick up and drop off various passengers the rest of the way to Limbe. At one stop some passengers were fighting with the driver concerning their fares. When we were actually driving, I feared for my life on a number of occasions. Cameroonians are not used to such nice roads and take curves far too quickly. The 1.5 hour ride ended up lasting closer to 3 hours.

A taxi drove us from the Limbe park to our place for the night; the lovely, charming, and CHEAP Samaritan Hotel. Julius and his friend Ramos negotiated us a price of 3500 CFA (~$8) per room, per night. The rooms weren’t elegant by any means, but they served their purpose. The closest thing I can compare them to is a dorm room at college. The rooms were probably 10’ x 12’ and held only a bed and nightstand. The bathroom was pretty beat up as well, but the toilet worked. It was just what we needed, CHEAP!

After settling into our rooms, we strolled to the waterfront. Limbe is definitely a tourist area. The waterfront even has a boardwalk of sorts for a short distance. The only eyesore was the large oil rig under construction in the bay. It’s another sign of “progress” here I guess. I couldn’t believe it was so close to the shore. We had a delectable dinner of goat meat pepe soup with roasted plantains and roasted fish with cassava. Nothing beats a traditional Cameroonian meal. The six of us ate dinner for less than $10.

For the nightcap we headed out to the bars. The first bar recommended to us was nice, but it was too white for our tastes. In addition, the beers cost twice the normal price. We found a nice place called Las Vegas that had much more style and local flavor. Next, we took ocada to the nightclub called Mooove. It was a very modern club. Like all Cameroonian clubs, the walls were covered in mirrors. We had a great time dancing the night away. It was another late night in Cameroon.

mmmmm....beer

2009-07-22T13:00:00.001+01:00

Wednesday July 15, 2009

Today marked our last day sightseeing in Yaoundé and our last day traveling with the immersion students. First, we visited a monastery at the top of another huge hill. The monastery was initiated in the 1960s by Swiss Benedictine monks. It was an expansive campus. The monastery has its own woodshop to help pay for maintenance and upkeep of the grounds. The woodshop produces beautiful beds, cabinets, and chairs. We also got the opportunity to tour their museum dedicated to traditional African culture. One of the founders of the monastery collected a number of masks, beds, pipes, sculptures, and jewelry and started the museum. It was an impressive collection of all authentic goods. Yet again, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the museum. I’m still not sure how these objects could be placed so close to a chapel. Some of the items in the collection were used in witchcraft and animal sacrifices. I guess the monastery is fine with the situation. As we left the monastery, we discovered that Pope John Paul II prayed there during his visits to Cameroon.

The American Embassy was cool, but the highlight of the Yaoundé trip for me was the tour of the Brasseries du Cameroon. (Breweries of Cameroon) The brewery is one of the largest businesses in the country. The Cameroon government has a 30% stake in the company, while the majority of the shares are held by one French man. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the brewery in order to protect trade secrets. Our knowledgeable tour guide walked us step by step from raw ingredients to finished product. We started in the warehouse where corn, malt, and hops are delivered and stored. Next, we went to the brewing room. There were barely any areas off limits on this tour. I could look directly inside the large vats as they mixed the ingredients. After brewing, the beer is filtered and pumped into large fermentation tanks for a length of time. (Longer time = higher alcohol percentage)

Next, we followed the beer from the fermentation tanks to the opposite side of the road. The bottling and soft drink section of the factory are located in this area. CO2 produced during fermentation is harvested for carbonation of soft drinks. Then, the beer is filtered for a second time. At this point, the tour guide allowed us to taste Castel beer directly from the pipeline. (No need for a “born on” date for this beer) On a typical day, this brewery alone produces about 45,000 bottles of beer per hour. Surprisingly, they make far more beer than soft drinks. The plant is one of five found throughout the country.

Bottling is by far the most impressive part of the brewing process. All bottles are used then returned to the factory. Conveyors moved bottles at breakneck speed from one station to another. First, the interior of the bottle is thoroughly washed. Then, the bottles are filled with beer and appropriately labeled. Finally, the bottles are placed into crates and loaded onto trucks to be shipped throughout the region. All of this action was taking place only a few feet in front of me. If I didn’t fear being kicked off of the tour, I would have reached out and pulled a fresh bottle directly from the conveyor. After the tour was over, each person was allowed two free Brasseries products of their choice. The Brasseries creates a wide variety of beers and soft drinks. (Including: 33 Export, Castel, Coke, Sprite, etc.)

Our final stop of the day was the house of a former minister in the government. He is also a leader of the Nationalist party that opposes the rule of the current leadership. While in office, he worked in the areas of economics and development. He was involved in the national government from the very start of Cameroon as an independent country. It was as though we were talking to the Benjamin Franklin of Cameroon.

By the time we returned to the hotel, I was exhausted. We had the same exact dinner for the 3rd night in a row. The only thing truly Cameroonian was the fried plantains. The immersion students are clearly missing out on Cameroonian culture when it comes to food on these trips. I could really go for some good pepe soup or even some snails.

First hot shower in 7 weeks

2009-07-20T21:54:00.003+01:00

Monday July 13, 2009

Two weeks left in Cameroon starting today. We had a couple more pages to print this morning for the embassy proposal. Then, we made two copies of the 30+ page submission. The immersion bus pulled out from Azi Motel in Kumba sometime around 10 AM. For lunch we stopped at 3813. 3813 is a business center/restaurant/hotel located along Buea Road. It’s owned by a Cameroonian couple who live in the US. After passing through Duoala, there wasn’t too much to see other than picturesque farms, hills, and valleys. The most depressing aspect of the trip was seeing signs along the road that said “Here XX deaths.” In some places the numbers were as high as 15. Development (including nice roads) can come with a heavy price.

Finally, we reached Yaoundé just before dusk. The city is enormous and spread out over a large area. Due to numerous traffic jams, we didn’t reach the hotel until well after dark. Yaoundé is a much more modern city than Kumba. It is home to national government offices and corporation headquarters. Many high rise buildings greeted us as we drove through downtown on the way to our hotel. Yaoundé even has its own Hilton Hotel.

I can’t wait for my first hot shower in 7 weeks tomorrow morning.

Tuesday July 14, 2009

That hot shower was fantastic. (Other than the yellowish tint of the water, no way am I drinking that stuff) After breakfast, we loaded up the bus and headed downtown with the immersion students. We were allowed to roam the city center for a couple of hours. The three of us took the bus driver and walked around the central business district. The only problem was that you are not allowed to take pictures of any government buildings. Government police are authorized to immediately seize your camera if you are caught taking pictures of the wrong buildings. With almost every other building being some government ministry or office I decided against taking pictures.

After lunch, we proceeded to the large congress hall. It sits atop a big hill that overlooks much of the city. Yaoundé stretches almost as far as the eye can see. From this vantage point I was also able to see the President’s palace. Needless to say, it was opulent and enormous. (No pictures allowed yet again) The city contains approximately 2.2 million residents.

Inside the congress hall I got to act like a government delegate at the large conference tables. The hall is a meeting place for numerous governmental functions. Yesterday, the building hosted a meeting discussing national finances. Cameroon President Paul Biya has his own office in the building. However, he is the only one who holds the key. When he comes to the hall, he sends the key over a few hours before his arrival so they can prepare the room. When he leaves, he takes the key with him.

The American Embassy was a short drive from the congress hall. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed in this area for security reasons. It was awesome to set foot on American soil in another country. The complex itself is beautiful. The embassy has taken steps to plant all types of native plans and flowers within the grounds. After going through the second security checkpoint, we entered a small meeting room. The US Ambassador and one of her assistants soon entered for our discussion. They began the meeting by briefly describing what the embassy does. A question and answer session followed. At this point, we presented our application for additional funding for Boa Bakundu and a copy of UD magazine that highlighted last year’s project.

The Ambassador was very frank in her answers to our group. However, she’s also a good politician as she deflected fully answering some tough questions. Overall, it was a great meeting. It’s not everyday that you get the chance to meet the highest ranked US official in a country. Her assistant was already reading over our application before we left the meeting. I hope that is a good sign that the Embassy can provide additional funding for the Boa Bakundu water project.

Left: The view from our hotel room.

Michael Jackson is alive, he's living in Cameroon!

2009-07-18T13:00:00.000+01:00

Friday July 10, 2009

The rain continued to fall we woke up this morning. I was very doubtful we would make it to Kumba at all today. We spent much of the morning organizing and packing our things. The next time we return to the village we’ll hand out much of our clothes, shoes, pants, etc. We’ve already given away plenty of things to our friends and neighbors.

Somehow a taxi driver agreed to come out to the village in the rain and haul us back to town. Julius would ride on the roof due to Franklin and Catherine joining us on this journey. The car slid from one side of the road to the other as we climbed the first hill heading out of the village. The road finally became too much for the car a short time later. Julius and Franklin hopped off and out of the car to help push us back onto the road. Oddly, a person riding on the roof of the car isn’t a violation at most of the checkpoints. Some of that may have been due to the fact our driver seemed to pay a few bribes.

Julius came back into the car before the police checkpoint. This time they stopped us because they wanted to "check our bags for cocaine." We had our paper, but for some reason the taxi driver paid the officers a 2000 CFA bribe. It’s frustrating to think that even though they know we are doing great things in a nearby village, they can’t let a single car pass by without at least attempting to get a bribe. In order for Cameroon to be considered more than a developing nation I believe the culture of corruption in the government must be eliminated.

After talking with Dr. Amin today, Brian and I decided to join the immersion students and Mark on their trip to Yaoundé. We’ll come back on Wednesday and head to Limbe next weekend. We also began filling out all the necessary paperwork for the embassy application.

We were supposed to head to the vigil for Mark’s former host father at 9:00 PM. Elaine was also coming to the vigil so he stopped over at the house. He told us about a Michael Jackson tribute party that was happening one street over from the vigil. It was being hosted by the human rights organization workers. When we finally found the place, the party was just about to begin.

There were perhaps 25 or 30 people there. Organization workers come to Kumba from around the world. They had partnered with a few local radio DJs to emcee the party. An entire program awaited us. Whiskey and gin packets were the drink of choice. The night started with an excellent MJ dance routine by one of the DJs. Next, it was a capella MJ for anyone who was brave enough to try. More individuals and groups of impersonators danced to various Michael songs. Then, they opened up the floor and everyone danced their hearts out. I can’t believe how many great songs he wrote.

We really didn’t want to leave, but we pulled ourselves away around 11:30 to head to the vigil. It was by far the biggest funeral I’ve ever seen in person. Tents were setup inside and around the family’s compound. Hundreds of people were still there and would probably remain there past daybreak. The tents could easily seat more than 2000 people. There was plenty of singing, drinking, and dancing. I don’t think we made it back to the house until after 1:30.

Saturday July 11, 2009

Today was our shopping day. We went to the market to buy gifts for our families and friends. It was a lot of fun bargaining with the sellers. On the way home we got some ice cream from a cart on the street. During the afternoon, Mark went to the funeral service while Brian and I stayed behind to work on the application.

We also attended a party hosted at one of the immersion student’s house on Alaska Street. It was a pool party. I couldn’t believe that a pool like that would exist in Kumba. In the evening we went out with Elaine, Julius, and a couple other friends. For a change of pace, we hit up the Bamboo Bar for some live music. The band was amazing. The lead singer/guitarist was blind and could really tear it up on the guitar. I love going to different places each night. It keeps things interesting. We finished up the night at the Canton Bar followed by another trip to Olabi Maze.

Sunday July 12, 2009

Much of the morning was spent working on the embassy proposal. We’ve spent a good portion of our weekend preparing it. I hope that all this work results in funds for the village. The afternoon brought the annual Kumba vs. Dayton football match. It is always held in the Fiango section of Kumba. I played midfielder for the entire first half and much of the second half. Dayton ended up pulling out a 6-5 victory. Mark scored a goal and I should have had at least two by myself. The field was nice enough that I even played shoeless in the second half so that our brother Fritz could play with us.

After returning from the match, we printed out all the paperwork for the application and I wrote a ton of blog entries. We leave for Yaoundé tomorrow with the immersion students. It should be an awesome time.

Left: Mami Carine and her two sisters.

Bawk, Bawk

2009-07-17T13:00:00.002+01:00

Wednesday July 8, 2009

More surveying today, yesssssssss. We stopped for puff-puff and beans for breakfast on our walk up to the storage tanks. Over the course of the day, we surveyed from the tanks to the school, Ngolo quarter, Carrefour quarter, and Tombe quarter. We’ll finish surveying all the other quarters tomorrow morning. Two visitors arrived today. Julius’s cousin Franklin and Carine’s sister Catherine will stay with us in the village until Friday. We bought a chicken to butcher tomorrow to welcome our visitors and celebrate completion of the project.

Our first interquarter match as members of Veterans FC was supposed to begin at 4:00. We went to the pre-match meeting a little after 2. (It lasted forever) The game before ours didn’t even begin until 3:30. All the players were excited for the white Wheeling Jesuit mayos that we would sport for the match. These jerseys will also be part of the reward for the team that wins the whole tournament. Most of the rules for the tournament were pretty normal. They even imposed fines when players receive yellow or red cards. The funniest rule by far was a ban on using juju magicians to aid your team. If a team was caught using juju magic they would lose a point in the standings.

The match itself was unreal. I’ve never played a sport in front of so many spectators in my life. Perhaps 1500 villagers surrounded the field. Veterans FC is made up of former/older players from all quarters of the village. The inclusion of whites only added to the excitement and interest in the match. All three of us started the match and played the entire first half. I played defender until about 15 minutes before halftime when I was moved to midfield. We scored the first goal as the result of a throw in from Mark. The goalkeeper misplayed the ball after it was headed by one of the Veteran players. The whole village went crazy. They couldn’t believe that Tombe was down 1-0 to the old guys and the whites.

Tombe ended up scoring about halfway through the first half to even the score. Brian, Mark, and I chose to come out after playing about 10 minutes in the second half. The match ended in a surprise tie at 1-1. Many villagers predicted Veterans FC to lose 3-0 or worse. At the postgame meeting, we collected all the jerseys and the club elected its management. There were at least 10 leadership positions for a team that will only exist into early August.

Thursday July 9, 2009

We completed the survey in less than 2 hours this morning. Finishing the survey was cause for celebration (as just about anything is in Cameroon). Naturally, we had a couple of beers at the chairman’s place and a couple of cups of palm wine at Lillian’s bar. After a short nap, I awoke to see Franklin butchering the chicken while Carine and Catherine prepared spices and side dishes. Tonight we had the best meal since I’ve been in Cameroon. The chicken was beyond excellent. We also had boiled potatoes and rice.

The celebration continued into the night. We invited over some friends since it was pouring outside. Spoons was by far the most popular game. Everyone was scrambling for spoons, yelling at each other, and laughing. I’m sure we sounded pretty crazy to the villagers walking by outside. It was great way to end our last day of work.

Left: Typical Cameroonian meal including plenty of veggies, fish and some hot pepe :P

Back to Barombi Mbo

2009-07-16T13:00:00.001+01:00

Sunday July 5, 2009

Today we headed off to Barombi Mbo to visit the village that ETHOS and Mark worked in last summer. There were no canoes waiting for us, so we took the path that encircles the lake. It takes close to an hour to make the journey to the village (not including walking up and down the hills on the way to the Kumba side of the lake). When we finally got to the village, there wasn’t a big celebration or ceremony (which was a relief). We met with two of the system caretakers, George and Emmanuel. After a short rest stop, we headed off with them and The Game to the catchment. The Game is one of the many Area Boys from last year. They are all close to each other and us in age. All of them have nicknames. Later in the day we would meet Sexy, Gunshot, and many others.

Last year’s students will be happy to learn that the system is still functioning well and has only had a few small maintenance issues. Seeing the project in person gave me an entirely new respect for the complexity and size of last year’s venture. I can’t believe they were able to complete it with such a small workforce in comparison to what we have this year. Once we were back at Emmanuel’s Pa’s house, Mark began to hand out all types of presents for his friends. The most desired items were the UD Magazines highlighting the project. Many of the people we were talking with were mentioned or pictured somewhere in the article. Julius also handed out letters to the Area boys from Justin Forzano (an ETHOS participant in Cameroon for the previous 3 summers). All of the Area Boys loved their letters.

One short nap later we headed back to the house for some palm wine and music. For the night’s festivities we went to a small bar/room in the lower part of the village. Here we met up with most of the Area Boys as well as Mr. George. The dancing began in a dance-off format. Individuals or duos would request a song then dance. If they were good enough, we would give them 100 CFA. Yet again, Cameroonians are some of the best dancers I’ve ever seen. After an hour or so of the dance-off, the whole dance floor filled with people and we partied the night away. I can see how it was easy for last year’s group to fall in love with the villagers, much in the way I love being with the villagers of Boa Bakundu.

Monday July 6, 2009

Typical Cameroon waiting was the theme of the morning. We hoped to leave around 10 or so. We didn’t make it back to Kumba until after 3 in the afternoon. The first wait was for Julius to find us some breakfast to purchase. Next, we waited for a couple of hours to get some Barombi fish for our Ma in town. At least we were lucky enough to have canoes to take us across for our return trip. The journey via the lake was pretty scary. Dugout canoes aren’t the most stable vessels. Combine that with a lack of lifejackets and the expansive size and unknown depth of the lake and you have the ingredients for a nervous experience. I think after a few trips though, the anxiety would go away. Mark acknowledged that the village seemed empty on our trip. Most likely, many villagers stayed more often in Barombi Mbo last summer to assist with the project.

In the afternoon we stopped at the Hardware Man’s and Mr. Benjamin’s office. We picked up replacement materials for the broken air release valve as well as surveying equipment. This week we will complete the survey for the next phase of the project. The last item we picked up was an application for funds from the US Embassy in Cameroon. Hopefully, we can get the villagers even more money through the Self-Help program.

Tuesday July 7, 2009

Back to the village we went. Nobody was around to help us today, so we headed up to the broken air release valve on our own. While I ventured to the catchment to turn off the water, Mark and Brian began to dig up the section of the pipeline near the valve. Upon my return, Mark and Brian told me that the ground near the valve was dry and there were no visible signs of a leak. Benjamin must have been looking for a more complex explanation than our hypothesis of dirt clogging the line. In addition to no signs of a leak, the water had resumed clear, full bore flow at the aeration chamber on Sunday.

Upset Alert: defending champions Bakassi lost to Tombe 1-0 on Sunday. We discovered that Dibamba lost 1-0 as well. Today was the first day I’d played football in what seemed like forever. We played with many older men from the village. Mark ended up talking us onto their veteran team so that we could play in some matches before we head back to the US.

A very memorable 4th of July

2009-07-15T13:00:00.000+01:00

Saturday July 4, 2009

Happy birthday America. We celebrated by welcoming the UD immersion students to the village. Their first stop was the chief’s palace for a small welcome and introductions. I found it quite funny that they probably didn’t understood much of anything since it was all spoken in Pidgin. I’ve come a long way with Pidgin since my first day in the village. Speaking of which, I don’t think these students get the same level of immersion that the ETHOS program provides. They live in huge houses in Kumba when they aren’t traveling. This was their first experience of any village life. They are also much more protected and shielded than us. I can’t imagine how bored I would be if I had to spend everyday in Kumba.

Anyways, after the introductions we strolled up to the storage tanks. I hope it was interesting for the students to see our daily commute. It was a very hot and sunny day . Most of them were huffing and puffing by the time we reached the tank. At the tanks Mark explained some of the engineering behind the project and the steps required to bring water the water to this point. Dr. Amin asked Brian and me to describe our experience with village life and what we thought of Cameroon. After the storage tanks, we headed up to the aeration chamber to observe the water flowing into it.

However, when we turned on the flow, the water was very muddy. In addition, the pipe was now flowing full into the tank. The water continued to flow muddy even after we walked the short distance to the stream crossing. Brian, Mark, and I all assumed that it was probably just a buildup of mud in the line that had broken up. That would explain the dirty water as well as the change to full bore flow. If dirt had been blocking the line, it would have prevented full flow from reaching the chamber. Mr. Benjamin didn’t feel the same way and walked up toward the catchment to try to find the answer for the muddy water.

When we got back to the village, the students came to our house to see the way we live. I offered them some palm wine, but only a couple of them had enough courage to take a small sip. The final part of their trip to the village was a traditional meal at the chief’s palace. We returned to Kumba a short time after they left. Benjamin apparently found the problem and informed us that the second air release valve was leaking. It was the same one we had trouble installing a few days earlier.

The ride home was an eventful one. We decided to take ocada this time as we could fit all our things in book bags. Julius, Brian, and I rode on one bike while Mark and Carine took another. Travel tip: Do not ride 3 people and a driver on an ocada. You will get stopped at every checkpoint. We were pulled over approximately 7 times before we made it home. Wildlife checkpoints, taxation checkpoints, and of course the local police/military all had their lectures for us. Of course they wanted money from us. Somehow, we managed to make it all the way to the edge of Kumba without paying a dime to them. But a man at a taxation checkpoint took our driver’s key and made us dismount until we split up onto two ocadas.

The immersion students invited us to the July 4th party at the Dsonge motel. The motel is probably the largest in Kumba and is where many well-to-do visitors stay. All the immersion students were there as well as the coordinators and Dr. Amin. The club was really nice (although the drinks were expensive) The DJ was excellent and after a couple of beers, everyone was dancing. Carine brought here twin sister Catherine to the party as well. Catherine told me I was the 2nd best dancer there. (I tend to disagree) The bartender had trouble making any change. So, I was given a slip with a balance on it. Every time I purchased a drink, she would scratch out the old balance and hand the slip back to me. Good old Cameroon.

The immersion students were hauled home sometime around midnight, but the ETHOS group’s night was far from over. Olabi Maze (a nightclub) was next on the list of places to go. Buying a bottle of whiskey got six of us inside and also bought us four Cokes and bowls of peanuts. The place was almost empty but we still managed to have a lot of fun. Brian and I were tired out by 3:00 AM. (The bars/clubs here can sell drinks 24/7, some night we’ll probably stay out until the sun rises) We headed home while Mark and Julius stayed another hour.

Much to our surprise, we found the gate to our compound was locked. We had told Clinton it would be a late night and to leave the gates unlocked. Apparently, the message didn’t get through to Fritz who actually locks the gates. So, in my drunken, tired state I decided to hop over the gate. It was no easy task sober. There were few places to hold on the 9 ft tall gate. After three tries and a little help from Brian, I made it over. But on my way over, I managed to kick a nearby dead light bulb, showering glass pieces all over the sidewalk. I then unlocked the gate and let Brian inside. We ran as fast as we could to our rooms to avoid the dogs barking as much as possible. Mark came back an hour later and slept in my bed because the door to his section of the house had been locked as well. Needless to say, it was a memorable night.

Obama and bongo drums

2009-07-14T13:00:00.000+01:00

Wednesday July 1, 2009

We had light work today. We turned off the valves at the catchment and aeration chamber. We noticed that the valve at the aeration chamber was also cracked and leaking. However, the water flowing into the aeration chamber was now perfectly clear. In the afternoon we had a meeting and dinner scheduled with Barack Obama himself. I should clarify. One man in Bakassi is known as Obama and he invited us for dinner at 4:00. (see picture at left) We talked to him, his father, and other guests for quite some time. But, no food showed up on the table. At 5:30, we gave up on getting dinner and headed to the chairman’s to discuss the community work scheduled for tomorrow.

Thursday July 2, 2009

The end is in sight. All but two quarters completed their backfilling. Bakassi quarter helped Mark fill sandbags at the catchment instead of backfilling. Melima quarter didn’t show up at all for some reason. Nobody seemed to want to work today. I did my fair share of backfilling along the line. We also helped dig a trench for the overflow pipe at the aeration chamber. Workers were trying to leave for home as early as 8:00 AM. I almost had to pull teeth to get Carrefour quarter to fill sandbags for the stream crossing. I probably carried hundreds of pounds of gravel 100 m in order to fill the bags. It took some time, but the bags eventually spanned the stream and will protect the pipe from damage.

Josephat the hardware man stopped by the house to tell us he would be getting all new valves to lessen the chance that any others crack. Tomorrow the plumber will replace them and finish all his work at the storage tanks so we can turn on the flow for the full line. TK came by to take me to my first bongo drum lesson. It was at the huge Presbyterian Church in the village. I learned a few basic beats, but it was much more difficult than I expected. TK and I hope that with a couple more sessions, I’ll be able to play with his singing group at the going away celebration.

Friday July 3, 2009

Our project is essentially finished. We followed the plumber along the line and replaced all the valves. On our way back to town, we taught four villagers how to maintain the system and operate all the components. The four men have worked with us consistently for many days. Mr. Linus, Mr. Peter, Mr. Moses, and T.O. were excellent choices for maintaining the line. We also measured the flowrate at the aeration chamber. With a flow of about 0.6 L/s the tanks will take about 30 hours to fill completely. We turned on the water at the storage tanks and heard the sweet sound of water splashing to the bottom. It was very satisfying to realize our mission was accomplished. We managed to bring water to the tanks in less than five weeks. However, today was also bittersweet as I recognized that our time in Boa is now very short.

The interquarter football cup begins on Sunday. We were asked to play for our quarter’s squad, Dibamba FC. Tonight we attended the organizational meeting across the street. The team is very well organized with about eight different management positions within the club. After quite a few speeches, Mark was asked to speak. We had decided to give Dibamba one set of Wheeling Jesuit jerseys (called mayos in Pidgin, thanks K-Man). When Mark made the announcement, the whole place went crazy. Everyone was jumping up and down and shouting the team’s chant, “Dibamba…show dem!” Brian and I were also required to make an inspirational speech each. After looking at the schedule, it doesn’t appear that we will be able to play any matches with Dibamba. We’ll try to find another way into the tournament.

Left: A large pile of ripe cocoa pods. Most villagers make a living selling cocoa beans.

Success!!!

2009-07-13T13:00:00.000+01:00

Monday June 29, 2009

Well the US almost pulled out their biggest football victory in their history. We found a small house in the village watching the match. The US’s first 2 goals were not enough to hold off the powerful Brazilian squad. The final score was 3-2 Brazil.

Today was a very wet day. We did some more clearing by the catchment and small amounts of plumbing. Bakassi worked with us at the catchment and moved hundreds of large rocks. The other quarters were partially backfilling the trench. By completing a partial backfill, we will ensure the pipes will not shift when we turn on the water for testing. Boa Camp managed to royally screw up today. They placed pipe in the trench that was supposed to be elevated so that the plumber could place an air release valve on the line. I spent much of the rest of the morning helping them dig the pipe back up and place it onto supports. If they had only asked a simple question instead of just making their own choice, they would have saved themselves hours of work.

Plumber John and his assistant Edison arrived in the afternoon and cemented a few pipes at the sedimentation tank and aeration chamber. The three of us headed to the palm wine bar to celebrate passing our FE exam. The results came via email while we were in Kumba.

Tuesday June 30, 2009

The rain was heavy overnight and continued in the early morning. It had rained for almost 24 hours straight. We saw the true power of the storm when we reached the tanks. The whole area was flooded and mud was piled up behind the tanks. The mud had flowed down the pipeline as no vegetation existed along the trench. We worked quickly with the plumbers at the aeration tank and headed up to the catchment.

At this point, I understood the difference between appropriate and inappropriate technology. The NGO that had supposedly helped design the catchment made many mistakes. First of all, there was no way to stop the water from flowing out of the catchment. We had to use plantain stems so that we could connect the pipes in a somewhat dry condition. Secondly, the village has no method to clean the catchment if it gets dirty. The oddest decision though must be the placement of the sedimentation tank. It sits about 2 meters from the centerline of the catchment. Therefore, you have to bend the pipes severely to make them fit. The final head scratcher was the original use of a 75 mm pipe at the outlet of the tank when the feasibility study clearly called for 90 mm pipe. The NGO did a good thing by designing the catchment and tank, but they never thought about the end users’ future problems.

John made some pretty interesting bends in the pipe as well as homemade reducers using the blowtorch. We installed the valves and turned on the flow. Much to our surprise, one of the valves had cracked and was spewing water. We will have to replace that valve when the plumber returns. Our next plan of action was installation of air release valves at local highpoints along the line. These valves discharge any air that is in the line. If air was allowed to build up long enough, it will block water from flowing through the line. The first air release valve went on without a hitch. However, the second one gave us multiple problems. The gasket provided was too large to fit in a precut groove. So, we used Mark’s knife to cut out the plastic groove so that the gasket fit properly. Then, we found out that one of the bolts was about a 1/4” too short. Out came the hacksaw and Mark’s knife once again as we cut more plastic to make it work. We probably spent well over an hour installing a very simple piece of the system.

Before we could proceed to the last valve, John informed us that the pipe did not lay down in the trench at the previous high point. There was no way to move the pipe now due to the partial backfilling. The solution was to cut the pipe and make a new bell end so that the pipe would lay flat in the trench. But, it can never be that easy. The blowtorch gas had been leaking from its tank most of the day and was now finished. Have no fear though; John and Edison started a bush fire with palm leaves to heat the pipe. Once the pipe was heated, they slid a piece of 90 mm pipe inside to create the large bell end. The bush fire worked well and we were off to the last air release valve in no time.

We met Mr. Benjamin along the way. Somehow, he was managing to wear a sweater in 90+ degree heat. The last valve went on with ease. We decided to test the line to the aeration chamber since all necessary fittings were in place. Mark walked up to the catchment to turn on the water. Brian and I waited at the aeration chamber to hopefully see the first water pass through the line. I still had some small doubts about the water even making it to the aeration chamber. The wait was agonizing. It was probably well over 45 minutes of sitting and thinking about the project. After 45 minutes, there was still no water and Mark had walked down to join us at the aeration chamber. At this point I was legitimately worried, but Mark said he could hear water running in the line as he walked down.

Then it happened. It sounded like a burp at first. I asked around and everyone else heard it too. Then, water made its way into the tank. It was a great moment to see muddy water slowly flowing out of that pipe. The water was extremely muddy due to dirt that was inside many of the pipes because villagers placed them into loose dirt along the trench. The flow wasn’t full, but it was a good sign. Everyone was shaking hands and congratulating each other.

The walk back to the house was much happier than normal today. T.O. (one of the hardest workers and a law student in Yaoundé) made me realize the significance of today. For as long as the system is operational, people will have access to a clean reliable water source thanks to our efforts. We stopped for some celebratory Exports at the chairman’s bar. In the evening we went out to the local bars to celebrate some more. I felt like I was back at Tim’s dancing and having an awesome time. The first bar we went to had to close because they ran out of beer. So we traveled down the road and continued the celebration well into the night. Good day. Good night.

Time is running out

2009-07-13T00:37:00.002+01:00

Well only two more weeks to go in Cameroon. Tomorrow, I head for Yaounde with the immersion group. The project is complete. The water now flows from the catchment to the tanks. To find our what I've been up to the last two weeks, keep tuned to the blog. I'll probably set it to post updates everyday.

Small work, weekend in Kumba

2009-07-08T13:00:00.000+01:00

Thursday June 25, 2009

It has been very nice to work with small crews this week. We’ve really gotten to know these men very well. They are also consistently hard workers. Our first job was to clean out the sedimentation tank near the catchment. It had about six inches of dirt, mud, and leaves that had collected inside over the last seven years. While Moses finished cleaning, we cleared the area around the catchment. We pulled roots, cut down plants, and moved hundreds of rocks. The experience took me back to my childhood days of building dams in the stream in front of my house. (Shout out to Carl and Zane) The area looks much better now as you can tell from the picture.

Friday June 26, 2009

The same small crew, the same positive results. Today we dug out a section of line near a 90 degree bend, chiseled out a pipe at the sedimentation tank, and completed some rough plumbing at the aeration chamber. We also learned of the death of Michael Jackson on our walk up to the catchment. People in Cameroon loved his music as much as people in the US, if not more. We didn’t believe the news at first, but more people confirmed it later in the day. The walk to the catchment is how we get most of our news. On our hike the day before we learned that the US soccer team made it to the finals of the Confederations Cup.

As we trekked back home, we met up with Benjamin, Josephat, and plumber John. So, back up the hill we went. (Another 10 km day, yay!) The plumber looked the work over and Benjamin seemed very impressed with the job we did at the catchment. Plumber John’s first offer to do the remainder of the plumbing was 115,000 CFA. We felt this was still too much for maybe a day’s worth of work. Our counteroffer was 50,000 CFA. Surprisingly, he accepted. (Pretty dang good negotiating if you ask me)

Monday will be a big work day for the project. The plumber will arrive and begin his work. We have required that he finishes by Tuesday at the latest so that we can test the line on Wednesday. Villagers will be doing some community work as well. Partial backfilling by each quarter will keep the line in place during testing. Other groups will be filling sandbags for areas near the stream crossing and catchment. Finally, another team will be clearing some brush in front of the sedimentation tank. We hope that by Wednesday, the water will be flowing. J

We returned to Kumba in the evening.

Saturday June 27, 2009

I finally got around to checking my email today. It’s hard to believe how much you miss when you are away for two weeks. Most of the day was filled with running errands. First, we all got haircuts at Spirit’s shop. Then, we stopped at the Amin’s place briefly before changing out the last of our project funds for CFA’s. We then strolled over at Josephat’s hardware store to make our final payment. He was extremely happy to see us today. In the evening, he treated us to Classy Burger. This time, we even had a real hamburgers. Delicious.

After getting back to the house, we met with Dr. Amin and Derrick at a local bar. They were interested to hear our opinions on village life and how the project/experience was going. They were surprised to learn that we plan to have water flowing to the tanks by next weekend.

Sunday June 28, 2009

Today will be very boring and relaxing. We plan to have lunch with Mark’s friend who works for a local NGO. After lunch, we will pack up for the village. We are returning to the village this evening so that we can be there when the major work starts tomorrow. We will have to find a place to watch the big soccer match tonight. I’m sure we’ll have many friends cheering for the USA. Until next time…

Above left: My favorite snack, snails on a stick

Above right: Boa Bakundu's version of the 3 rivers. The Allegheny is on the left and the Mon is on the right

Finishing the line

2009-07-06T13:00:00.002+01:00

Tuesday June 23, 2009

Happy birthday to my sister today. I celebrated by laying 161 pipes. We had a much younger crew today and plenty of pipe glue. Sunny weather was also a welcome sight. Our only major obstacle was the stream crossing area. That quarter returned to dig through the mud as we connected the pipes. After conquering the stream crossing, we really rolled. By day’s end, we had reached Boa Camp with the pipeline. All of this took place in under five hour’s time. I was sooooooo tired after today. We’ve put in two long days of work with at least a couple more days to go.

Wednesday June 24, 2009

Pipe joining = finished. Today we connected the last 124 pipes and were back to the house by 11:30. I still can’t believe we were able to connect the entire pipeline in three short days. Benjamin stopped out to inspect the work and was very impressed. Mark was in Kumba today for the immersion group’s reception. He was also talking with Josephat about some additional supplies as well as finding a new plumber.

I tried to play some soccer in the evening. Within a few minutes I realized how much the work had worn on me. I made a lazy play on defense and essentially gave up a goal. I quickly subbed out in embarrassment and trudged back to the house. We chilled at the palm wine bar across the street after dinner. Mark, Brian, Julius, and I sang songs back and forth with some local girls. Each group would take its turn and try to out do the other. Some of the highlights included Backstreet Boys, Usher, KC and JoJo, Journey (of course), and for our grand finale….the Macarena!

Above left: Making pancakes in the morning

Above right: Our friend Wally the wall gecko visits us every night

Below left: Gary and fish soup, a traditional Cameroonian meal

Trip to Bombele and starting the line

2009-07-03T13:00:00.003+01:00

Sunday June 21, 2009

Our day began with an early wake up call for the 7 AM water committee meeting. The meeting started well after its scheduled time. We were probably only needed for the first 30 minutes of the meeting. The rest of the time was spent arguing over community issues that had no bearing on the water project. These meetings stay organized for at most 45 minutes. We decided to head for the house at 9. (The meeting was still going strong)

TK came to the house around noon to take me on a motorcycle ride to some nearby villages. We were joined by his friend Percy. TK allowed me to drive his bike on all but a short section of the road from Boa Bakundu to Bombele. TK and Percy were both impressed with my riding skills. The roads are rough and require absolute focus to spot rocks, holes, and muddy areas in time to avoid them.

After arriving in Bombele, TK directed me to a bar where he bought Percy and me a beer. TK then drove us to a nearby bridge over the river Meme. Meme is a fairly large river that can turn extremely dangerous during the rainy season. We also walked up a hill just past the bridge that led to the next village. It was another section of road that I can’t believe vehicles are able to navigate. On our way back to the house, we stopped at TK’s compound and I met his family. I think TK is my favorite Cameroonian thus far. He is a legitimate nice guy and our personalities match up very well.

Monday June 22, 2009

Pipe joining began in earnest this morning. We had a small crew numbering perhaps ten including ourselves. We started at the catchment in some moderate rain showers. At the start, it took some time to develop a good system. This would also be the most difficult section to connect due to changes in elevation and using all 90 mm pipe. When we ran out of pipe glue, we had connected 86 pipes. After today, it was pretty obvious we didn’t need a plumber to help us connect pipes. Our only issue was with the way the pipes were laid out along the line. Mark talked to the water committee to have a quarter lay out the pipes correctly tomorrow in order to speed our progress.

The evening brought another torrential downpour, so I had some time to reflect. It’s nice to be away from TV, the internet, and videogames. Cameroon is just so relaxing. I may have said I was stressed or frustrated in earlier entries, but that’s only for a passing moment. The stresses of school and other priorities are gone. Tonight, I had nothing more pressing to do than to lie in bed and listen to the rain pound on the roof above me. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Blisters and plumbing

2009-07-01T13:00:00.001+01:00

Thursday June 18, 2009

Today was supposed to be the last day of digging. The three of us carried pipes up to the catchment before starting work. I stayed at Boa Camp’s section for most of the morning. We all dug as much as the quarters would allow. At the end of the day, only Boa Camp was not finished digging. They had a short section to finish the following morning. I returned to the house covered in dirt and with blisters all over my hands.

Kevin and Peter came over for the first time in days today. We learned that there is practically a ban on people visiting us in our house. We want to make many friends, but it’s not going to happen if people can’t come visit us. Mark is going to talk to the water committee about lifting these sanctions. If we don’t want someone coming over, we’ll tell them ourselves.

I made a great goal saving tackle on Kevin tonight, my best play yet. We also went out to a local bar with some friends from the village. 18 drinks for 6000 CFA, you can’t beat it J

Friday June 19, 2009

Rain was the theme of the day. It poured all morning, so we couldn’t begin to connect pipes until the afternoon. When we finally began connecting pipes, we ran into trouble. The first two slid together perfectly. But after that, we couldn’t get any pipes to join up with others. It was very frustrating. Mark called Mr. Benjamin and asked him to come to the village to see what we were doing incorrectly.

Saturday June 20, 2009

Saturday was another stressful and frustrating day. Benjamin, Josephat, and Simon the plumber came to inspect the work and diagnose our problems. We walked all the way to the catchment. Then, they decided they wanted to connect some pipes. At this point, I had to walk all the way back down to the village and back up to the stream crossing with supplies. So, I got my 10 km hike in before 11 AM. Simon showed us what we were doing wrong. We weren’t using enough glue. The glue acts as a lubricant to help the pipes slide over one another. (A 45 minute round trip to get supplies for a 2 minute demonstration) I’m not going to lie, I felt pretty stupid.

We returned to the house to discuss the cost of plumbing. We would need to buy additional supplies for air release valves. In addition, we talked with Simon about pricing up the labor to install all connections at the tanks. Simon said he would do the work for 250,000 CFA (~$500). He wanted to do the entire pipe laying with us in addition to the connections. We wanted him to only help us lay pipes for part of a day. If we were laying the pipes correctly, he could then focus on the connections. We figured at most, it would be 3 days of work. I couldn’t believe his price. It was outrageous for the amount of work he had to do. All the supplies were already purchased.

Simon would not budge from his 250,000 estimate. He also could not provide us a break out of how much he was charging for each section of the scope of work. At this point, I believed he was trying to pull a fast one and make tons of money from the whites. (Although he contested that he was helping not for money, but to “make a connection” with the program) In the end, we decided to lay the pipes ourselves and worry about acquiring a plumber sometime next week.

The pipes arrive...

2009-06-29T13:00:00.001+01:00

Tuesday June 16, 2009

There was no community work today. However, that didn’t mean a day of rest. We traveled up to Carifu Quarter’s section of the line to inspect their work. Their quarter head hoped we could find an alternate path that avoided many of the rocks they were hitting. No such path existed. So, we told the quarter head to dig as deep as physically possible in that section of the line. I guess that’s the disadvantage of having only manual sources of labor. A storm in the afternoon transformed our street into a small river.

A surprise was waiting for us after dinner. Despite the terrible roads, the pipe and supplies were in the village. It took the villagers a short time to unload the truck. After unloading, the truck got stuck in the mud. A small contingent of villagers pushed and pulled until the truck was free.

Wednesday June 17, 2009

Our first task of the day was to move all the pipes from the soccer field into the school house. Our small group worked quickly and we put the last pipe in the classroom by 8 AM. To celebrate, we headed off to the chairman’s place for a free beer. Only in college and Cameroon is it acceptable to drink beer at 8 AM.

Since we had no other work to be done on the pipeline, we stopped at the storage tanks to assist the carpenter in mixing/placing concrete. Mr. Willie is the carpenter for the tanks. He is a very knowledgeable man when it comes to construction practices in Cameroon. It’s amazing what these men can do without machines. All the concrete ingredients are mixed on the ground. Then, the buckets of fresh concrete were passed via a line of workers up to the top of the tank. Other men placed and finished the concrete. The result was a tank that wouldn’t look much out of place in the US.

We played some more football today. The game came down to penalty kicks after tying in regulation. The goalkeeper made an excellent save on my shot. Mark was the only one of the three whites to score in penalty kicks. In the evening, all of us (including Carine) visited the local “movie theater.” This movie theater is nothing like those in the states. The small room was filled with benches that faced a 19” TV. The place was packed when we arrived. The cost was 50 CFA (about 10 cents) for one movie or 100 CFA for the double feature. (We arrived too late to see the first half)

The movie itself was a Nigerian soap opera. (Cameroon is not yet developed enough to have their own movie production studios) Like all soap operas, Nigerian soaps are overdramatic, terribly acted, and poorly written. In addition, the sound quality is marginal to put it nicely. Doors close with loud bangs and voices go from inaudible to booming in seconds. Overall, I find the films to be hilariously bad.

The plot of this particular film centered on a man who was dating three girls at the same time. The girls happened to be best friends and when they found out the truth, things got nasty. A girl was raped, someone was killed, and people were thrown in jail. But in the end, everything turned out just dandy. The good guy got the girl and the bad guy was put behind bars.

Left: Standing in front of a felled Boma tree near the storage tank

Canoe race and more

2009-06-28T15:28:00.004+01:00

Sunday June 14, 2009

Today was the big canoe race at Barombi Lake near Kumba. Julius drove us part of the way. When we reached the road to the lake, we hopped out and hiked the rest of the distance. The hills were enormous leading up to the lake. Only the strongest of vehicles and ocada could make it to the lake. The road was also in pretty poor condition with plenty of potholes and muddy sections. A huge vertical cliff greeted me as I neared the lake.

Barombi Lake is a crater lake that reaches to an unknown depth. When nearby Mount Cameroon has a period of high volcanic activity, the lake gets so warm that fish die and float to the surface. The lake is also the source of Kumba’s water supply. Many Kumba residents also come here on weekends to relax and swim.

The race itself was a huge production. All the local dignitaries showed up. (Some of them quite late, causing a couple hour delay in the start time) The organizers even had a DJ who played the Cameroon national anthem before the races began. It felt like a regatta in the US. Guinness had a small beer tent set up and hundreds of people lined the banks of the lake. Everyone from Barombi Bo (located on the opposite shore of the lake) recognized Mark, Carine, and Julius. They can’t wait for us to visit the village.

The final race of the day was quite exciting. It pitted boats from Limbe, Duoala, Kumba/Barombi, and some other city. Barombi’s boat was far outmatched. While the other teams paddled modern fiberglass vessels, Barombi struggled to keep up in a dug out canoe. On the other hand, Barombi did have the largest cheering section by far. The teams raced two large circuits around the lake. It came down to a sprint to the finish line. Limbe edged Duoala by a half boat length for the win. Barombi finished about twenty minutes later. We were worn out after a long day and decided to head home before the big after party began.

Monday June 15, 2009

We headed back to Boa Bakundu for another two week stay. Somehow, we managed to leave at the time we planned. After reaching the village Carine and Sabine (one of the immersion coordinators) decided to follow us up to the catchment to see how the work was progressing. Some quarters were already done digging for the day by the time we reached the storage tanks. On our way back from the catchment, we helped one quarter move an enormous rock out of the path of the pipeline. The girls were exhausted after walking up and back.

I played a little Frisbee in the afternoon and had two cups of palm wine before heading off to play some soccer. Traveler’s Tip: Don’t drink two cups of palm wine just before playing soccer. I played ok at midfield, but my stomach was in knots. I left the game early and headed home to take some Pepto Bismol and rest. Lesson learned.

In the evening, we introduced Cameroon to the card game “Spoons.” Everyone seemed to enjoy the frantic nature of the game. Our only interruptions were some kids yelling at us from outside and some random drunk person coming in to complain about a fine. After we told him we could do nothing about his fine, he begged us for food. Hopefully, these types of visitors don’t become an everyday occurrence.

The boys are back in town

2009-06-27T08:52:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone! Congrats to the US soccer team on making it to the finals of the Confederations Cup. (hopefully we'll get to watch it in the village) I just wanted to post a quick update. You can expect a bigger, more picture-filled one later today and some more over the next couple of weeks. We are back in Kumba until Sunday night.

Everything is going very well here. We joined 371 pipes in 3 days this week. We have a plumber coming early next week to finish all the connections. Our hope is that by Tuesday afternoon we'll be able to test the line. If everything goes well with the test, our work will essentially be finished. We'll spend the rest of the week doing some small jobs and educating the maintenance personel in operation of the system.

Plans for the 4th of July are to host the immersion students (5 boys, 7 girls) at our place in the village. It should be an awesome time. Hopefully, village life won't be too much of a shock for them. The interquarter football/soccer cup also begins this week. Each of us will be playing for a different quarter. The next time we'll be back in Kumba looks like around July 10th or 11th. I hope you all still enjoy reading my updates. I always like hearing back from you. :)

Adventures in Kumba

2009-06-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

Friday June 12, 2009
On Friday, we returned to Pa’s house in Kumba. Boscoe was our driver again. This time we had the great honor of inhaling exhaust fumes coming from an open hole in the dash. Friday afternoon was calm as we just hung around the house. It rained again (I guess that’s why it’s called the rainy season) so we stayed at home.

Saturday June 13, 2009
Saturday was quite the adventure. Julius had his uncle’s car for the weekend so he agreed to show us more of Kumba. We rode three people per ocada to his aunt’s place. Our first challenge was to get the car started. After a few tries Julius managed to get it going, but we still had to buy petrol to fill the tank. Traveling tip: don’t ever expect a Cameroonian to know how to drive or shift. I’m pretty sure Julius has never had a formal driving lesson. The only gears he used were second and reverse.

Julius also doesn’t have the knowledge of how to avoid or reduce the effects of the enormous potholes in the road. Brian and I literally bounced all over the backseat as Julius slammed into every bump, rock, and gulley along the way. Julius also becomes easily distracted when he tries to direct our attention to a good looking girl along the road or an interesting landmark. (more often the former than the latter) This results in us slowly veering into oncoming traffic. I feared for my life on many occasions today.

However, we did manage to accomplish our goal of seeing more of Kumba. We traveled through the area known as Fiango and also passed through the Oakwood of Kumba, Alaska Street. (for those not from UD reading this blog, Oakwood is one of the richest sections of Dayton) In the afternoon, Josephat treated Benjamin and us to dinner at Classy Burger. It is a small restaurant in Fiango that serves meals as close to fast food as you can get in Cameroon. We had fried chicken and French fries. It was a nice taste of home. (other than the fact my water glass smelled of fish) Someday, we’ll go there for the burgers. Tomorrow we head off to Barombi for the big canoe races before heading back to the village on Monday.

Chin-chin, gran nut, popcorn

2009-06-19T13:00:00.000+01:00

Tuesday June 9, 2009
Tuesday was a relatively easy day. The three of us went up to the line to move the string marking the pipeline route. The jungle was peaceful compared to the previous day. On our way back down the hill, we met up with Mr. Benjamin and Derrick at the storage tanks. We trekked back up the hill to show them the progress that had been made. Tuesday night was pretty normal as we played cards in the living room. This was the first night we met Marie from Limbe.

Wednesday June 10, 2009
After getting almost no sleep due to constant wailing outside, Mark and I sat down to crunch the numbers and prepare the order for pipe and other supplies. After breakfast, Mark headed off to Kumba to place the order as well as run some general errands. Brian and I relaxed for most of the day. We learned that the wailing was from the death of an older woman who lived across the street from our place. Brian and I attended the funeral. It was nothing like a funeral in the US. Very few people cried. Other than a few somber words from the reverend, it was a celebration of the woman’s life. Songs of joy rang out for most of the evening and will continue for one week after her death. The next couple of nights we heard them singing and drinking palm wine into the early hours of the morning.

Thursday June 11, 2009
Thursday was the second day of community digging. Yet again, each quarter had a great turnout of men to continue the work. Mark was attending the water committee meeting so I took charge of the quarters toward the catchment while Brian started near the tanks. No sooner did I reach Boa Camp’s section of the line than it started to rain. By rain, I mean it was a torrential downpour. Within minutes, I was soaked to the bone. But that didn’t stop me from digging. After about 20 minutes with no end to the storm in sight, the leaders of Boa Camp decided to “close” for the day. As we walked back toward the tanks, many other quarters quit for the day as well. It was far too muddy above the stream crossing to get any more digging done.

Below the stream crossing, it was a different story. The quarters in this area had less rain and less mud. These quarters continued digging the rest of the morning. I stayed with two quarters for the remainder of the morning, digging whenever I could. Angola quarter had the prestigious honor of being the first quarter to complete their section of digging to the required depth. They were very determined to finish on Thursday and celebrated the occasion with some palm wine.

Thursday night we went out with Marie and Peter to a local bar. We played a mix CD created by Justin Forzano (an ETHOS Cameroon alum) for Wise Dog at the bar. They got part of the way through it before switching back to their video CD’s. (oddly it was right after they played “American Boy”) Apparently, it was at this gathering that Marie fell madly in love with Mark. Since that day, she’s texted him a few times and sent him three emails professing love at first sight. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time any of us receive confessions like this.

Judging by the amount of trench completed on Thursday, we estimated it will take a little more than one day to finish digging. Trench completion should occur by next Thursday. Pipe is scheduled to arrive Tuesday or Wednesday and will be delivered directly to the village. The timing looks promising for us to begin installation next Friday. We will most likely form a small crew and start gluing pipes on Friday and Saturday. All pipe should be in place by the 22nd. The next step will be installation of more complicated piping at the storage, aeration, and sedimentation tanks by a plumber. After that is complete, we’ll leak test then backfill the trench.

Our hope is that the next time we are in Kumba (weekend of the 26th) the line will be in place from the catchment to the storage tanks. It may end up that the tanks will be the controlling factor in our schedule. The carpenter seems to be taking his time finishing the last large concrete placement. This aggressive schedule will allow us a week of wiggle room if needed. It will also give us plenty of time to research projects with Mr. Benjamin for next year’s ETHOS Cameroon group. So until next time, this is B-Square (nickname courtesy of Wise Dog) signing off from wet and wonderful Cameroon.

Left: Making chin-chin (a mini doughnut) snack with everyone including Marie.

Right: Water committe member, myself, and Moses after Moses used a Stihl size 70 chainsaw to cut through a tree along the path of the pipeline

Commence the digging

2009-06-16T13:00:00.002+01:00

Saturday June 6, 2009
Saturday and Wednesday are the 2 market days in Boa Bakundu. Mami, Brian, and I headed off to buy some more food for the next couple of days. It’s not much of a market and Mami became angry when they tried to sell her anything at white man prices. Saturday afternoon, I was talking to one of the local ocada drivers, Caleb. I told him that I have a motorcycle back in the US and was fascinated by the riding culture here in Cameroon. He asked if I wanted to try riding his bike. (Heck yes I did!) Because he doubted this white’s ability to ride a motorcycle, he would start me off riding around the soccer field. I proved his assumption wrong on my first lap. The only major differences with Sanili 125’s and American bikes is that Sanili’s shift all down and there is a severe lack of braking power. (I later saw that the front brake cables on all these bikes are cut, I’m still not sure why) My last lap around the field I hauled Julius and continued with him on the back as I powered my way back to the house.

Saturday evening, we played soccer again. This time my team and I played much better and the match ended in a 1-1 tie. I managed to get the only yellow card of the game when I tripped up Mark on a breakaway to the net. Saturday night was spent playing cards in the house.

Sunday June 7, 2009
Sundays have been very relaxing so far in Cameroon. This Sunday, we learned how to play draft. Draft is a modified game of checkers. The two major differences in draft are that all pieces can jump backward and that you MUST jump your opponent when you have the option. It definitely adds another level of strategy to normal checkers. Mark and I split the 2 games we played against each other.

The early afternoon was spent drinking palm wine with our fellow residents of Dibamba quarter. A friend in Angola quarter invited us to his bar to watch the Cameroon/Morocco World Cup qualifying match on TV. Cameroon controlled the match but failed to score. The 0-0 tie left a sour taste in many people’s mouths. Sunday night we hit up a local bar for a drink. One drink quickly turned into three. Soon, Mark and I were on the little dance floor feeling the beats.

Monday June 8, 2009
Impressive. That’s the only way I can describe the first day of community work. We ascended the hill toward the catchment with an army. Our army was equipped with picks, shovel and digging tools of every shape and size. Each quarter was assigned a section of the line to dig. Mark started at the tanks while Brian and I would start near the catchment. We had perhaps 300 men digging with us that day. Our primary job was to make sure the men knew the depth to dig in each section of the line. But we didn’t stop there. All three of us got down in the ditch and dug alongside our friends and neighbors. Just like when I used the machete, it shows them that we aren’t here simply to supervise the work.

I’m not even sure how much dirt was removed in 5 hours that day. I know it was a lot. I was worn out and so were many of the people who dug with us. When I got back to the house, I ate the best tasting orange I will ever have in my life. It was the perfect snack at the perfect time. (more pictures of the digging to come)

New format and more info from me

2009-06-14T09:23:00.003+01:00

We leave for the village again on Monday June 15, 2009. We don’t plan to return to Kumba until the 26th. So, I’ll be setting the blog to autopost for me over the next couple weeks so you’ll all have something to read. I’ve changed the format a little bit to go on a day-by-day basis. I’ll include some pictures along the way. :)

Thursday June 4, 2009

Of course, we were supposed to leave Kumba for the village at 8 AM, but that did not happen. Our driver didn’t show so we were forced to scramble a new ride. The taxi ride was our worst yet. It was cramped and very dirty, but it just makes you smile and know you are in Cameroon. When we arrived in the village, we unloaded and headed up to survey a new route. We were hoping that this new route would prove to be easier to dig as well as more economical than the original trace.

Our new trek followed the path of the stream more closely. By more closely I mean we literally waded through the stream. We trudged over marshes, mud, and fields of cocoa yams. My shoes and pants were soaked. At the end of the day, the route proved to be no better in shaving off distance. In addition, it would have been nearly impossible to lay pipe in this area.
After resting and drying out for a few hours, Julius, Brian, and I headed off to the soccer field to throw around a Frisbee we brought. Within minutes, we were surrounded by hundreds of residents of Boa Bakundu. Almost everyone who tried to throw it failed miserably the first time. Many of them were amazed when one of the whites would toss it a couple hundred feet. As it began to get dark, the kids of Boa Bakundu became just like any other kids. They started to fight over the Frisbee after each toss. So, before anyone got hurt, we picked it up and headed home.

Friday June 5, 2009
Friday brought more surveying for us. This time, we were resurveying the original route to pinpoint areas that would require deeper digging. The problem area occurs within 100 m of the catchment. After reviewing the original feasibility study, it was obvious the engineers who performed the first survey somehow ignored or missed this high area. In the afternoon, we (by we I mean “Mark Awot and guests”) were invited to nursery school graduation. (the school principal came and forcibly took us to the ceremony) We were given seats of honor and treated like royalty. It’s nice to be treated this way, but it also makes me feel guilty. The only thing that’s different about us is our skin color. All three of us are poor college students and we haven’t even completed the project yet.

Anyways, this nursery school graduation was a test of endurance. I thought UD graduations were long at a few hours for a couple thousand kids. I was wrong. With only about 10 graduates leaving for primary school, the ceremony lasted over 3 hours (and we even came late) Each child had to show/tell us what they learned that year in school. There were also repeated requests for donations throughout the festivities. We had to scrounge up what little CFA’s we had to place in the pot. I feel that was probably one of the main reasons we were invited. Many Cameroonians feel that all Americans are rich due to the celebrities they see on TV. The principal was even so bold as to give us his address so that we could send more money when we get back to the states. (we were the only guests to receive this paper)

Friday evening we played football on the pitch. I played defender for the shirts team while Brian was a midfielder. All the kids laughed when I slipped and fell during the match. It was really fun. Mark made the whole village break out in laughter when he ran onto the field in short red shorts and no shirt. The game ended in a 2-1 loss for my team. I guess I’ll have to learn this whole football thing before I leave Cameroon.

Back from the village for a day or so

2009-06-02T16:55:00.006+01:00

Here I am back in town for a day or so. Lucky you, another blog update, this time with more pictures :)

So after church on Sunday we came back to Elias's house to relax and prepare for our trip to Boa Bakundu. We had time to play some modified football/rugby with the kids outside in the street. Mark brought out the frisbee as well and everyone had a great time. After we were done with American football, it was time for world football, also known as soccer. The kids played on the rocky uneven street. (which also included some broken glass bottles and a car antenna to make it all the more exciting)

At best, kids played in sandals. One boy didn't have any shoes at all. The ball looked like it had seen better days as it was half deflated and rolled awkwardly over the bumps and rocks. Despite all these problems, all of the kids were excellent players for their age. Clinton plays attacker while Brandon focuses on defense. The "goals" were 2 empty wine bottles placed at each end of the "pitch." (now it becomes obvious where all the broken glass came from) A team scores when the opposing squad's bottle is knocked over by the ball. Brandon's goal celebration and dance was priceless.

When we finally returned to the house, I had the opportunity to eat real sugar straight from the sugar cane. Sugar cane has a tough bark on the outside. The first step is to peel away this cover with either your teeth or a knife (I used my teeth, like any real African would ;)). Then, you pull out the straw-like fibers with your teeth and suck on them. The sugar juice is within these fibers. After the juice has been sucked out, you spit out the straw fibers. It takes a little work, but you'll never have better sugar, I guarantee.

Monday saw us up early to meet Mr. Benjamin and head off to the village. We also picked up our supplies from Josephat's hardware store. As usual in Cameroon to this point, we were late in leaving the Amin house. I've come to accept that promptness is not held as highly in this country as in the US. Elvis was our taxi driver again. This time, we piled 7 people (including Brian, Mark, Mr. Benjamin, Carine, Julius, Elvis and I) in his car. The trunk was so full, Elvis had to tie Brian's bag in so it wouldn't fall out on the way. Then we were off on the 30-45 minute ride to Boa Bakundu.

I'm sure everyone has had a limb fall asleep on them now and again. But what I experienced on that car ride I hope never happens again. With 4 of us crammed in the back seat, my left leg quickly fell asleep despite my best efforts to keep blood flowing. Of course, we were yet again stopped by the police at the checkpoint (foot slowly dieing at this point). While Elvis talked with the policewoman behind his car, an ocada slammed into our trunk and ran into Elvis's leg. Apparently, the man had no brakes. Luckily, Elvis was fine and the policewoman yelled at the ocada and eventually let us go. With another 20 minutes of road to go, I have absolutely no feeling along my entire left leg. Its ok though. Everyone else in the backseat (except Mark) has the same problem.

Mr. Benjamin heard our cries for help and Elvis pulled over just before the road to Boa Bakundu. We all rolled (literally) out of the car to get some feeling back in our legs. (at this point, no feeling below my waist on the left side) It took a few minutes for me to pull my leg and twist my foot so I could even get out of the backseat. The ocada at the intersection had a good laugh at our expense as we shook and stomped our feet trying to get some form of feeling back in them. I was fine until the pins and needles hit me. It was excrutiating. But after about 10 minutes, I could wiggle my toes. I was just glad my leg still worked. We squished back in the car and off to the village we went.

Mondays's small crew had been waiting patiently for us to arrive in the village. After a half hour or so to settle in to our new home, we headed off to the tanks and catchment to begin work with our small group of about 10 people. It felt like we had been walking for miles, all of it uphill and over various terrain. Most of the proposed route for the line was either jungle or cocoa trees. At one point, the route crosses a stream. The only way to cross it without taking a swim is via a few carefully placed logs. It was a balancing act I'll probably have to perform many times before the project is complete.

After what seemed like hours, we reached the catchment. In the picture to the left, you can see Moses (no really, thats his real name) standing on a rock (in reality concrete) with water coming out of it. (very ironic I know) The catchment has 16 pipes coming out of it. All of them flow at least half full and a few flow completely full. It is the most amazing sight to witness in person. The catchment has been here since 2002. The village has been waiting for a long time to get access to this water. The amount of flow from this structure could handle 10 villages of Boa Bakundu's size.

We began the survey from the catchment using the outlet pipe as a base elevation of 100 m. Brian and Mark ran the level. My primary jobs were recording data for each point (backsight, foresight, length of segment, and elevations). However, I also assisted directing the men with machetes and using/adjusting the level when necessary. The whole route from catchment to tanks totaled 2182 meters. The change in elevation was about 51 meters. Over the course of the day, I managed to do the following: suck on a cocoa bean, get bit by an ant, sweat off a few pounds, and learn a little Pidgin English. We finished up around 6 in the evening which is only an hour or so from dark here. Monday will probably be the latest work day we will have. Mark says most villagers will probably work till 2 or 3 due to the extreme heat and other factors. A typical 40 hour work week probably doesn't apply here.

On our way back to the village, we were treated to a breathtaking view of Mt. Cameroon. It is the 2nd tallest mountain in Africa. I wish I had my camera with me to take a picture. When I get a clear shot, I will be sure to post it on the blog. I was worn out after such a long day. We went to the water project chairman's bar to talk with some of the village leaders and put back some beers. They argued over what quarter we should play for in soccer. It was finally agreed that the three of us would be chosen by teams at random from a hat. I realized that I am slowly picking up more and more Pidgin as I listen.

Today, we laid out the line along the points we placed yesterday. We placed stakes 40 cm apart at each point and connected them with string. It took a little while, but soon we had a great system going. Mark's crew would place all the stakes to avoid large trees, rocks, and other obstacles for digging while Brian and I commanded our own crews that would create the string lines. These lines will efficiently mark the extent of the trench when the digging begins tomorrow. Eventually, my group ran out of string and caught up to Mark.

At this point, I took a crew of about 20 men with machetes ahead to clear a path along the roadway for the pipeline. We cannot run the pipe in the roadway due to the amount of rocks we would have to dig through to reach a depth of 70 cm. Some of the men were just standing around watching the others work. So, I took matters into my own hands. I asked one man to hold my notebook while I borrowed his machete. Then, I started hacking away. All of the men were suprised that I took the machete and started cutting. I think it really showed them that we are all in this project together. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. As we progressed down the road, I took a few more stabs at clearing brush. I think I gained a lot of respect from the villagers today. (just wait till I get a shovel and pick in my hands :-P)

We reached the tanks rather quickly. Mark's group was the last to arrive at the tanks. After today, the villagers who worked with us understand how to run the string and set stakes if necessary for any phases of the project in the future. We were back in the village by 11:30 AM. Mark, Julius (pictured at left) and I even had enough time to join our neighbors across the street for some palm wine before we returned to Kumba.

Tomorrow we'll meet with Mr. Benjamin and our plumber, Simon. After discussing things with them, we'll place the pipe order and pick up any supplies we may need. Tomorrow, the villagers should begin digging the trench in earnest. Our plans are to head back to the village on Thursday morning. We'll stay through the weekend and all next week. You shouldn't be hearing from me again until next weekend. Hopefully by that time, we'll have the whole trench completed and the pipe delivered to the site. Wish us luck.

Carine (aka mami) and her boys in our common area. She will take good care of us while we are in the village.

Picture Update 1

2009-05-31T13:32:00.009+01:00

I am sure it's hard to understand some of the things I've talked about without seeing them in person. Hopefully, these pictures will help :) This is also my last short update before heading to the village tomorrow.

We went out in Kumba last night and I met and talked with my first fellow white man. His name is Austin and he is working for a local human rights agency. He is a grad student at Pitt majoring in international development. His focus this summer is waste management in villages and education of village councils on conflict resolution. I find it funny that I'm thousands of miles away from home but the bars here play almost the same music. When I said this, Julius asked the waitress to play some P Square for me. P Square is a Rap/R&B duo from Nigeria. They are insanely popular here in Africa. I'm very suprised their music hasn't made it to the US yet.

This morning we woke up and went to mass at St. Anthony's. It was Pentacost Sunday, so the place was packed (and extremely hot/sweaty). Since I'm not Catholic, I just played a game of follow the leader to understand when to stand, sit, kneel, and pray. In addition to not knowing the motions, the mass was completely in Pidgin. So needless to say, I probably didn't get much from the experience spiritually. Brian, a lay Marianist noted some small differences between this mass and ones in the US. Today's mass was much much much longer. It lasted almost 2 and a half hours. In addition, it seemed much livelier than masses I've been to in the US. Singing and dancing are huge parts of culture and religion over here.

The tanks are almost completed.

Mr. Elias's house in Kumba (where we are staying when in town).

Dancers in the village.

Playing cheque with the other kids in Elias's house.

Eating dinner in Boa Bakundu.

One of many random Obama signs/banners and posters.

An okada on his motorcycle.

The market before it got busy.

Mark, Clinton, Brandon, and I after church.

The village chief and all the honored guests.

De White Stuff

2009-05-30T17:19:00.002+01:00

Two blog posts in one day! How exciting J Friday was the big day. It was time for us to go visit the village of Boa Bakundu. We were supposed to leave the Amin’s house at 9:00 AM sharp to arrive at the village by 9:30. However, we didn’t leave until sometime after 10. (I guess this is the concept of African time)

This trip was my first ride with Elvis. Elvis is a taxi driver. His steed of choice is a late 80s or early 90s 2 door Toyota Camry. (Toyota produced a long-lasting and rugged Camry, as any visitor to Cameroon will attest) The car doesn’t have inside door panels and the windows barely rolled up. The backseat was torn and I am pretty sure it wouldn’t pass inspection in the US. It was a bumpy ride on what I can only describe as the worst road on which I have ever ridden. Surprisingly, it is one of the major roads out of Kumba. From now on I will refer to it as the Minefield of Car-Swallowing Potholes Road, or MCSPR for short.

Then, I encountered the small cowpath that led to the village itself. It was even worse as we bounced and plowed toward our destination. As we neared the village, we saw village ocada, or motorcycle riders, riding toward us. The village had sent them to search for us, assuming we had gotten lost along the way. These ocada formed the front of our “parade” into the village. A group of school students led us by song and dance toward the chief’s house. We felt like some kind of celebrities in the back of that beat up car.

The reception began with introductions. First, the MC introduced the village chief, council members, water committee representatives, and respected elders. Then, James introduced the three of us from Dayton University (as the villagers called it). Mr. Benjamin explained how we came about choosing the Boa Bakundu project. Villagers surrounded the whole porch of the chief’s house. There was no breeze to be felt at all. After the introductions, the same singing group returned to the porch where we were seated. They sang a song which I can only guess was called “Welcome to Boa Bakundu.” In Cameroon, it is customary to give a dancer or singer a small donation to let them know that you appreciate them. During the songs, villagers would place money at the feet or on the forehead of the group leader. I was chosen to represent the ETHOS group. So I danced my way up to the group leader (to much laughter from the surrounding mob of villagers) and placed some Central African Francs on his head.

Our next stop was the site of the water storage tanks. We piled into the back of Elvis’s car once again and made our way up an even worse road to the tank site. The path passed directly through the two largest trees I have ever seen. Each tree was at least 6 feet in diameter. I can’t imagine how long it would have taken to cut the road through them. The tanks are nearing completion. The last items to be finished are plastering the walls and adding a roof. The village will use two tanks to increase capacity (the village somehow suddenly grew from 4500 to 7000 villagers??) and allow for one tank to be in use during periodic cleanings. We did not have the chance to see the catchment because it is a short trek away. On our way back down to the village, Elvis’s car miraculously carried 12 people in and on top of it. No car should be able to do that.

Next stop was our new digs in Boa Bakundu. When I say new, I mean the last of the concrete was still drying when we visited. Our place has 3 separate lockable bedrooms: 1 for Brian and Mark, 1 for Julius (He requested me as a roommate. We already have a secret handshake that looks eerily similar to the Chris Wright/Charles Little Flight Club handshake ;)), and the final one reserved for Karine who will be the house mom for ETHOS again this year. The living quarters also has a large common area for eating, conversing, and holding meetings.

We held the first working session for the project in the big common room. The committee and various community leaders were there to discuss the schedule of the project. There were some heated words, but the consensus became clear. Benjamin, Mark, Brian, and I will survey the proposed route on Monday. On Tuesday, one quarter from the village will begin digging the trench while we run a string to mark its location. On Wednesday, all quarters will begin digging in full force. The village leaders agreed that all digging will be finished within two weeks.

After the work session finished up, we headed back to the chief’s house for a meal and to say our goodbyes. The meal was good other than the meat (which on second thought may have been all fat) which was very chewy. I had another “33 Export” (quickly becoming my beer of choice here). At the meal, both James and the chief spoke about how the villagers must work very hard to accomplish this goal. I also got my first taste of the famed “white stuff,” or palm wine. It is even better than Mark made it out to be. I sipped down my first cup with ease.

The finale of the day was a traditional African dance complete with costumes. One person wore burlap sacks from head to toe (how they didn’t die from the heat, I’ll never know), and two others wore palm leaf skirts and hats. All of them had their faces covered. We danced with them from the porch to the waiting vehicles and were on our way. Everyone waved at us, but only after a white man waved at them first. I guess we are still pretty scary, especially to the little children.

The ride home was anything but ordinary. It began raining soon after we hit the main road. The clay road turned into a soupy mess. Rain leaked all over us through Elvis’s car. The car also stalled a few times before Elvis was forced to stop and get some oil. Then, we managed to get stuck climbing a hill in the mud. Eventually, we made it over the hill only to encounter our final obstacle, the police.

The police stopped us at a checkpoint very close to Kumba. The most likely reason for stopping us was to get a bribe from the “rich” whites in the car. The police said they stopped us because they thought Benjamin was snapping pictures of them. The argument got very heated. It was a little bit scary. But I felt safe because we had James, Julius, and Derrick on our side. Eventually we were allowed to pass. I take it for granted passing easy from place to place in the US. When you are a white in Cameroon, you don’t go on any trip without a native and your passport handy.
Last evening was very relaxing. It rained most of the night so we chose not to go out to experience Kumba’s nightlife. We played cards yet again. However, this time we played a team game called signs. The object of the game is to let your partner know when you have 4 of a kind via a physical or verbal sign. It was very fun. I also introduced Clinton and Brandon to American football. I tried to teach them some more about it this afternoon with the football I brought with me. However, it ended up turning into a modified form of rugby. I guess the NFL should start slow if they ever want to go into Africa.

Today we traveled to the market to buy some supplies to take to the village on Monday. These supplies included: toilet paper, fruit drink mix, 2 shovels, 2 pickaxes, string, and bed sheets (for future reference: buy spray paint in Duoala, there is none in all of Kumba). The market was very crowded and had almost everything you could want (except spray paint). Everyone in Cameroon bargains. No price is set in stone and people expect you to bargain with them.

Tonight I hope to enjoy more of Kumba in a different setting. We will probably go to a few of the many bars and possibly hit up one of the two nightclubs in town. Sunday will be a day of preparation and relaxation. We leave early Monday morning for the village. We plan to stay there all week and through next weekend. This may be my last post for quite some time. I hope you all enjoy reading about my experiences in Cameroon thus far. (Thanks for all the wonderful comments :))

Calm before the storm

2009-05-30T13:52:00.001+01:00

Hello once again from wonderful, warm, and wet Cameroon. A lot has happened the last few days, so I’ve split today’s blog entry into two parts so you can read them on different days. (It might be a week or so until I am able to blog again).

On Thursday, we met with Mr. Benjamin to discuss the project in general. On our way there, Mark saw another friendly face. Kumba reminds me of UD because you can meet someone new everyday but you still see friendly faces wherever you go. Mr. Benjamin believes our section of the project may only take a few weeks. As I said before, this may allow us the chance to do more phases of the same project or even research new projects for next year. Ordering pipe will take 5 to 7 days and hopefully that will coincide with completion of the tanks and finishing the trench.

We also made a stop at the local hardware store owned by Mr. Josephat. Mr. Josephat is our go-to-guy for pipes, fittings, tools and any other construction materials we may need. He has worked with ETHOS in the past and will provide us with good materials at fair prices. Corruption is very common in Cameroon. Throughout the country I have witnessed countless half-finished buildings and projects. So, we are fortunate to have a supplier we can trust. Then, we walked back to the house for a short rest.

Brian and Mark both needed haircuts. So, we headed down to Spirit’s barber “shop” at the end of Soba Street (the street where we live). His shop was an 8’ x 8’ room with two couches and one barber’s chair. The barber’s chair was made out of an old car seat and other reused parts. After Mark got his hair cut, he met up with our friend Julius to go pick up a phone that we can use over here.

Spirit began to cut Brian’s hair as I talked to another man in the shop, Leonel. Leonel was originally from Duoala and moved to Kumba as a child. However, he is just in Kumba on summer vacation as he studies hospitality management in Bangkok, Thailand. Like most Cameroonians, Leonel is very interested in the United States and is up on all the latest news about our government. Everyone in Cameroon feels that Obama’s election to the Presidency was a victory for them as well. Leonel said that many people stayed up all night watching the results on television. By the time the election was final, it would have been at least 4 or 5 in the morning here. People celebrated in the streets much like after a victory for the national soccer team. Posters and calendars of Obama hang in many businesses, including Josephat’s hardware store and Spirit’s shop.

Anyways, back to the hair cutting story. As I talked with Leonel, Brian apparently became quite hot. (Spirit had a large towel around his neck to catch the hair) At some point Brian passed out and when I looked up, his head was back over the chair. It scared Spirit, Leonel, I half to death. Spirit had his assistant run and get Brian a bottle of water while Brian slowly came to. After Brian calmed down, Spirit anointed both Brian and I with holy olive oil and made us lick it off our hand. He said he sensed we were both holy men and invited us to his church (needless to say, I don’t think I will be attending) So after our wonderful trip to the barber shop, I walked back with a face dripping in olive oil combined with Brian’s hair clippings. Yum.

We had dinner with Pa and learned that he has a farm a short distance away. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to visit it when we are in town some weekend. After dinner, we played cards with the other young people in the compound. The kids included Clinton (age 12), Brandon (age 10), and Gloria (age 17). All of them are very fun. However, they are ruthless when it comes to playing card games. They introduced us to a fun game called “Cheque.” The game is played very similarly to UNO only you must use a deck of playing cards with four jokers. This was the calm before the storm of craziness the next day would bring.

My new place in Kumba

2009-05-28T12:44:00.002+01:00

Here I am again. This time typing with an American keyboard :) So after touching down in the airport I walked off the plane. Cameroon greeted me with temperatures and humidity in the 80s. It also had the pungent combination of body odor and sweat. We walked down to pick up our bags and Mark reminded us not to let anyone take or carry our bags. After getting my first passport stamp, I walked into the baggage claim area. It felt like I was in a cage fight. There was an elevated area around the room where people were shouting to friends and relatives. It was crowded and everyone was bumping each other trying to get their bags from the conveyors. 1 fight even broke out while we were there.

We found our bags and repeatedly refused offers for others to carry them. But then, Mark allowed some guy to push our cart. Brian and I passed right by customs as they examined one of Mark's bags. Outside the airport it was even greater chaos with hundreds of people yelling and clamoring for our bags. Finally, Mark spotted James. James is our logistics and safety coordinator while in Cameroon. He and Derick (another safety guy only a few years older than us) helped carry our bags to a waiting taxi. At the same time, we were being followed by kids begging for coins and asking to help with our bags. When we reached the taxi, we were surrounded by people. James told us to get in the car and he told the beggars to leave. We were quickly whisked away to our hotel for the night.

The next day, we travelled to Kumba in a van through pouring rain. It took us about 4 hours to get here. We had a wonderful meal at the Amin's house. It included: fish, chicken, rice, greens, fruit salad, and of course beer. It was delicious. At the meal we met David, the head of the water committee in the village, and Benjamin, the local rural engineer. The plans for the next couple of days were laid out at this meeting and then we headed to Ma and Pa's house.
Pa and Ma are Mr. and Mrs. Elias. They have a gorgeous, enormous compound/house that overlooks much of Kumba. All 3 of us have our own bedrooms and will stay here when we are not living in the village. We chatted late into the afternoon and evening with Pa and James about themselves and Cameroon. There was still no power at this point as it had been turned off earlier in the day for some unknown reason. The problem was that the big game between Manchester United and Barcelona FC for the UEFA Championship was last night. One of Cameroon's national soccer heroes plays for Barcelona.

Luckily the power came on in time and we watched the game at the house. It was very exciting as Barcelona won 2-0 and the Cameroonian scored the first goal. The town's reaction gave me chills as I could hear them erupt in excitement. The cheers were so loud it felt as if the game was being played in town. Parties continued on late into the night and morning.

Today we met with Mr. Benjamin to discuss the project. He believes we can finish it rather quickly. If we finish early we will have the opportunity to do another phase for this village or even research other possible locations for ETHOS students next year.

That is all for today. I wish I could write more. Perhaps I will go day by day after I return to the states. My journal is filling up quickly and there are so many other amazing stories to tell already.

We travel to the village tomorrow for a reception and to meet with villagers. Saturday and Sunday will be spent in Kumba. Monday we will start our real work in the village. I am so glad I came. Cameroon is wonderful. I hope all is well with you :)

Staying in Douala for the night

2009-05-26T20:44:00.001+01:00

Hello all. made it here safe and sound. flights went well. douala airport was an experience i will never forget. hopefully i will write more about it tommorow on the blog. we are heading to kumba tommorow morning. hot and humid weather. off to eat a late dinner. :) some keyboard buttons are in different places, so be patient the rest of the summer

More about Boa Bakundu and our project

2009-05-24T17:35:00.003+01:00

I will now go into greater detail regarding preparation for the Boa Bakundu project and the scope of our work this summer. Mark Ewalt, Brian Baker, and I were enrolled in EGR 330 – Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology. EGR 330 is a course that helps prepare students for ETHOS immersions. The class focuses on topics such as travel safety, vaccinations, cultural awareness, and researching appropriate technologies (among other topics). Students must complete a full technical report upon return from their placement to receive a grade for the class. I am glad UD offers this class with the ETHOS program. The advisors reminded me about upcoming requirements for things like vaccinations or visa applications. We also used this time to fundraise for our trip. In total, we managed to exceed our goal of $20,000 through grants, family, friends, and corporate contributions. I want to say thank you to all of the people who donated so that we can make a difference in the lives of the villagers of Boa Bakundu. This money will fund our travel expenses and purchase construction materials. EGR 330 also taught us how to get the most of immersion experience. The motto on the back of our ETHOS t-shirts sums it up best: “Change the world, let the world change you.”

We wouldn’t be able to start our journey without one of our advisors, Dr. Julius Amin. He provided additional assistance and coordination for our trip. Dr. Amin lived in Cameroon before moving to the United States. Dr. Amin’s contacts in country were invaluable to us. Moreover, Dr. Amin will lead an immersion group on a tour of Cameroon during the same time period. The village we will be living and working in is Boa Bakundu in the Meme Division of the Southwest Province of Cameroon. We will travel to the nearby city of Kumba as necessary. ETHOS has travelled to Kumba the last few years and has established great contacts within the city. Some of these connections include a hardware store, plumbers, and many friends willing to provide assistance.

In addition to performing research and talking with advisors at UD, we have been in contact with Mr. Feh Benjamin. Mr. Benjamin is a Rural Engineer for Community Development in Kumba. ETHOS has worked with Mr. Benjamin on projects in the past, including last summer’s water project in Barombi. Mr. Benjamin helped us narrow down the choices for this year’s project. He proposed we choose to work in one of three villages. Ultimately, we chose the village of Boa Bakundu. It is a village of approximately 4500 people located 15 km from Kumba. The village is separated into 8 quarters, each with its own quarter head. The village is headed by a chief who is elected democratically. Currently, the village gets its water from nearby streams and a spring that is polluted.

The village has split their project into 4 phases. Boa Bakundu has already created a catchment, or dam, to collect water from a spring in the jungle which is phase 1. They have also raised funds to assist in buying materials for construction. Phase 2 is construction of a large tank in the first quarter of the village and running a pipeline from the catchment to the tank. We have been in contact with Mr. Benjamin and we are hopeful that the tank will be complete by the time we arrive. Our primary goal for the summer is to place approximately 1.2 km of pipe from the catchment to the tank. Phase 3 is running pipeline to the second quarter of the village. Finally, phase 4 connects the rest of the village to the water supply. The villagers have established a water committee, which is essential to continue with other phases of the project and maintain the system once it is in place. Mr. Wakouwa David is chairman of the local water committee. Villagers have pledged to assist in all phases of construction.

Our first goal upon arrival in the village will be a thorough assessment of current conditions. This will most likely include a tour of the village itself, visiting the spring location, talking with the water committee, and a complete survey of the proposed pipeline route. After completing our study, we will be able to design the system. The pipeline will be a will be a gravity flow system, meaning that gravity is the only source of energy provided to move the water through the piping system. Gravity flow systems eliminate the need for pumps that would require a power source. Mechanical pumps would greatly increase maintenance costs for the pipeline. After design, we will have to travel to Kumba to order the necessary pipe, valves, tools, and any other supplies. Acquiring materials can be a hassle in a country such as Cameroon. Concrete is especially scarce (and not nearly the same quality as in the United States).

While waiting on materials to arrive, we will most likely begin excavation along the route. After placing pipes, we will need to leak test the system to ensure that no contamination will occur as the water travels through the pipeline. After testing, we should be able to turn on the tap and fill the tank in the village. It sounds pretty simple now. I just hope it ends up being that simple in real life. :)

We would have liked to implement filtering like the ETHOS Cameroon group did last year. However, we have a group of engineers that is half the size and Boa Bakundu is over 10 times larger than Barombi. Perhaps for next year, a group could return to Boa Bakundu to implement either a large central filter or smaller individual filters for each home. I feel the project will be a great success if we can get the pipeline to the tank and provide the village with an adequate source of clean water.

My personal goal is to use this experience to learn more about myself and another culture. I hope this will be a life changing summer. Stay tuned to the blog for more information. The next time you hear from me, I should be in Cameroon. :-P

The last year

2009-05-22T16:49:00.012+01:00

Now that I've updated you through last summer, I'll focus on what I've done the last year. Last summer I took a required summer surveying class. The class should be beneficial to me when I'm surveying in Cameroon this summer. After completing my surveying class, I continued to live on campus and worked for Ulliman Schutte Construction in their Miamisburg office. My primary tasks in the office were to estimate architectural aspects of jobs, scan/copy bid documents, and assist other engineers obtain quotations from vendors/subcontractors. Although I didn't like office life as much as being on the jobsite, I worked with fun, intelligent people and tried to learn as much about the bidding process as possible.

In the fall semester, I moved into my second UD house at 218 Lowes Street. I was living with 3 new roommates in a much smaller house but it was just as much fun as the previous year. I was taking another full load of 18 credits in the fall. At this point, I was getting into the meat of civil engineering classes. The classes were tough but it was exciting to see how civil engineers go about designing various systems that we use everyday. After taking these classes, I can't help but be amazed when I walk into a complex building or drive along one of the interstates. It boggles my mind to think about the impact engineers have on our daily lives that we take for granted. We just assume our cell phone will receive calls, our car won't break down, and that buildings will remain standing. I think thats partially why I chose engineering in the first place. I wanted to better understand how the world around me worked.

It was in the fall semester that I first began to seriously look at the ETHOS program at UD. My roommate John had lived and worked in Peru the previous summer. He helped a local school that was interested in advancing its computer technology. Another influence for me to look at ETHOS was 6 fellow civil engineers who had traveled to Cameroon last summer and worked on a water project. You can read about their trip in UD's Quarterly magazine. To summarize, the ETHOS program at UD was started when students decided they wanted to use their technical knowledge to serve others. Since its founding, ETHOS has sent engineering and science students all over the world. These students immerse themselves in the local culture while improving the lives of those around them. After hearing about my friends' rewarding experiences with ETHOS, I applied, interviewed, and was accepted into the program in the fall semester. I was told I would be working with friends and fellow engineers Mark Ewalt and Brian Baker in Cameroon on a water project.

In addition to ETHOS, I was involved in a lot of other interesting activities during my 4th year at UD. In January, I had the opportunity to travel to Denver, CO for a youth leadership conference for the American Society of Civil Engineers. I had been recently elected vice president of our student chapter for the 2009 calendar year. I also travelled with ASCE down to the regional student competition in Bowling Green, KY. We participated in all events again this year, including concrete canoe and steel bridge.

In case you didn't know, I'm also a huge Dayton Flyers fan. I especially love going to volleyball and men's/women's basketball games. Without a doubt, Flyer fans are some of the most loyal and best travelling in the country. I had high hopes for the men's basketball team this past year and they did not disappoint. My former cross-hall neighbor Chris Wright and his boys ended up making the NCAA tournament. Due to my consistent support of the team throughout the season, I had the chance to get tickets to the first and second round games in Minneapolis, MN. I knew I had to go. So 4 friends and I piled into a Chevy Malibu and made the 12 hour drive through the night to Minneapolis. I could probably write a few entries about that weekend alone. It was definitely a classic road trip. We got to Minneapolis (which was a pretty neat area if you ever get the chance to go) and watched our Flyers pull the "upset" over WVU on Friday. It was amazing to be there to witness the first NCAA tourney win by the Flyers in nearly 2 decades. We hung around on Saturday and went to the Mall of America and a local casino where I proceeded to win $50 in video poker. Sunday's game against Kansas didn't turn out the way we had planned, but nonetheless it was still an amazing adventure.

In addition to my "normal" classes in the spring semester, I was also enrolled in CEE 450: Senior Design. This class is a comprehensive design exercise that requires students to use knowledge gained throughout their studies to design a "real world" project. I decided to be a project manager for our senior design class. The other project manager and myself would be responsible for monitoring 34 fellow civil engineers, a few visual arts students, and some mechanical engineers during design of a vast church campus located in West Dayton. This was by far the most time intensive and challenging course I've ever taken. We began working on the project in October and finished up in mid April. I put in hundreds of hours as did many of my fellow classmates. It was an eyeopening semester. The key to good project management is learning about the members of your project team. I really believe that the class will help me in the future. As a class, we became a very close knit group and even hung out on the weekends. I've included a snapshots of the work the visual arts students put into the project showing the buildings and site work that we designed.

After CEE 450 was finally done, it was time to study for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. In order to become a licensed Professional Engineer, an person must meet certain experience and academic criteria. One of those criteria is to pass the FE exam which shows a basic level of engineer knowledge. I was very worried I wouldn't do well on the test, but it turned out UD had prepared me well. I haven't gotten the results back, but I believe I did well enough to pass.

After another finals week, it was time for graduation for many of my friends. It was tough saying goodbye to so many great people that have come into my life since enrolling at UD. Many of them said I was lucky to have the opportunity to come back to UD next year for my "victory lap." I couldn't agree more. After graduation, I headed to Daytona, FL for Dayton to Daytona. Dayton to Daytona is another unique aspect of UD. This year over 2000 UD students made the trip to Daytona, FL for our own little spring break trip. It was so much fun hanging out with many of my friends at the beach. I even got the chance to hang out with some people I hadn't been with since freshman year. It gave me the chance for extended goodbyes to some of my best friends. (free beer everyday wasn't too bad either) Everyday was about 90 degrees and sunny. It was tough to land back in Pittsburgh with 40 degree temps. After touchdown, I would have 2 weeks to finish preparation for Cameroon.

Tomorrow's post will go in depth about our project and the steps we've taken to prepare for our trip.

My first foray into blogging

2009-05-20T19:40:00.008+01:00

Hello everyone. Well, this blog marks my first attempt at being journalistic in any way. I was the sports editor for my high school yearbook, but that job mostly consisted of writing captions for photos (which I was quite good at, I must admit)

I'll start off with a little about myself. I'm currently a senior in civil engineering at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH. UD has been the most amazing experience of my life. I've met so many great friends and have taken advantage of some unique opportunities along the way. It was a huge adjustment moving from small hilly town of Kittanning, PA to the relatively flat city of Dayton, OH. I was all alone in a new place, but so where many other kids at UD. I immediately made new friends and realized that UD would be my new "home" for the next 4 (or in my case, 5) years. I always tell people that UD is the greatest university in the world. That is not a lie, but I might be a little biased. I encourage anyone considering colleges to put UD on your list.

Anyways, after having a blast freshman year making the hike up the hill to Stuart Hall through rain, snow, and sleet, I came back home for the summer. I was sad to leave, but I managed to get a summer internship with the Gateway Engineers in Pittsburgh. I had a great summer working with Gateway and learning about municipal engineering. In addition, I helped my buddy Carl with his sprint car race team and hung out with old friends. I can see why people love college. UD has a remarkable sense of community. It was odd to realize I couldn't just walk down the hall and find someone to hang out with during the summer.

In fall 2006, I moved into Virginia W. Kettering Hall the day after Carl won his first feature race. (what a great way to end my summer) VWK was nice and it was an easier walk than Stuart Hall. That semester was a wakeup call to how difficult engineering would become. I had 17 credits, all of them math, science, and engineering. After struggling through the first half of the semester, I began interviews for co-ops for the winter semester. For those that don't know, co-ops allow students to gain valuable work experience while they are still in school. They also pay pretty well and I liked the idea of taking a semester off of classes :). I interviewed with 5 companies and received 5 offers. It was a difficult decision to make, but I finally chose to work for Ulliman Schutte Construction.

Ulliman Schutte Construction is a general contractor based in Miamisburg, OH (just south of Dayton) that specializes in construction and renovation of water and wastewater treatment facilities in the Eastern US. After a much needed winter break, I moved to Roanoke, VA to begin my assignment to a project that was expanding a wastewater treatment plant. I had my own small apartment paid for by USC. It was pretty exciting to be living on my own 6 hours from home. Roanoke has a small town feel. The city itself is situated in picturesque mountains and would be my home for the next 5 months. At the jobsite, I was in charge of purchasing materials, renting equipment, tracking submittals, and other miscellaneous tasks. Traveling around the city to pick up pipe, bolts, equipment, and other supplies allowed me to learn the ins and outs of the area quickly. I can probably still tell you how to get to the 2 nearest Lowes in the area from anywhere within a 20 mile radius. Roanoke is a great outdoors city and the weather is gorgeous most of the year. However, the jobsite I was working on was almost complete and I would be co-oping through August.

I had been working with a project engineer at Roanoke for most of my first term. During my stay in Roanoke, he became project manager of a new wastewater treatment plant near Culpeper, VA. Adam decided that I would be a good fit on his jobsite. So plans were made for me to move from Roanoke to Culpeper via Washington, D.C. at the end of April. For a month, I commuted over an hour fifteen minutes from a USC owned apartment in Alexandria, VA to Culpeper, VA. The drive stunk but it was pretty awesome living in D.C. Myself and a fellow co-op had a lot of fun. We were pretty close to the metro station and I hopped on it a few times to travel into the city to catch a Nationals game as well as see all the sites downtown. I wish I had been 21 so I could have experienced the nightlife in the city, but it wasn't that big of a deal to me at the time.

During my month in D.C., I was the only engineer on the jobsite full time. Adam would travel up from Roanoke for a few days each week to check on progress and attend meetings. Adam had full faith in my abilities after working together in Roanoke. He put me in charge of tracking progress of concrete placement, equipment deliveries, rentals, purchase orders, piping layout drawings, subcontracts, among various other responsibilities. (I even got to run the excavator, which was much easier than I anticipated once I got the hang of it) I also worked with the superintendant and foremen on a daily basis. It was during this summer that I recognized that I wanted to become a project manager in construction. It was exhilarating to watch the new wastewater plant being built and knowing that I played a large part in that. I couldn't have asked for a better project manager, superintendant, and project to work with. I moved to Culpeper at the end of May and lived with the new project engineer for the rest of the summer. I was sad to leave the jobsite in August but I was also eager to get back to my friends at UD.

In fall 2007, I moved into my first UD house. For those non-UDers out there, UD has a completely unique housing system for upperclass students. UD owns hundreds of houses. Students apply through a lottery system based on academic credits and discipline violations to choose their houses. All of these houses are located in tight knit residential areas. These areas are affectionately referred to as the "Ghetto" and "Darkside." All houses are college students so it makes for some fun filled weekends, especially when the sun is out. I would be living in 108 Woodland on the Darkside with 6 new roommates. We figured out that it was the largest non-frat house that UD owns. We also made good use of the basement that has since been locked up by UD facilities. (Check out this link to take a peek inside) Junior year brought its own set of challenges as classes became tougher. I still managed to do quite well despite turning 21 halfway through the year.

That takes me through the end of my "Junior" year at UD. More to come about my adventures during my 4th/Junior Part 2/Senior year tomorrow.