Getting to know all about Mengong

September 23, 2014

I can’t believe two weeks ago I was arriving at the hotel in Philly for staging. On the one hand it feels like just yesterday. On the other hand it feels like I’ve lived in Mengong forever. I would describe it as a good two weeks so far with a lot of stuff happening. Before I elaborate a bit, first I’ll address that I know many of you were concerned about my episodes. I had one at staging and one in the Brussels airport. That means I am at almost two weeks episode free. So rest easy my friends and family, I haven’t kissed the ground yet. ;-)

Mengong is in the south region of Cameroon about 15 km outside of Ebolowa (pronounced Eb – o – low – va) where the agribusiness volunteers are training. It is a very green, lush area, with dirt roads that are made extremely red by the iron in them. The area is mostly Christian. Many homes are part of mini-compounds. My host father is a cocoa trader and my host mom is a farmer. I live literally right next to the PC training center but some people live as much as 45 minutes walking. It is currently the rainy season. As I write this post there is an absolute downpour. I’m glad I made it back from the center of town before the rain hit.

This is a decent sized village but small compared to Ebolowa. The market is relatively small and many people say that to get better fabric/a better tailor you need to go to Ebolowa. Fruits are generally not available in Mengong and there is a limited supply of veggies (mostly peppers, green beans, and potatos). Pasta is quite popular for all meals of the day and rice is a standard. However peanuts and mambo (Cameroonian chocolate) are abundant!

My toilet is a latrine and that is also where I take bucket showers each day. Our kitchen is separate from the house and food is cooked over a fire in a brick room with only one window. Unfortunately that is as dangerous as it sounds as smoke fills the room quite quickly. I can only imagine the amount of carcinogens that people inhale cooking in kitchens like that every day of their lives. I often feel lazy in my home as others are already awake when I wake up at either 5:30 or 6:00 and are still awake when I go to bed by 9. I would stay up later and wake up earlier but I know my body needs its rest.

Monday morning – Saturday noon is spent with the other 21 health PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees)* at either the Mengong or Ebolowa training site. We study French, have tech trainings (learning about the health system in Cameroon), receiving more vaccinations (Hep B, typhoid, and rabies), and safety/security sessions about how to keep ourselves safe while serving. It more or less feels like school

 Today we visited the Health Center where pregnant women/new mothers and their children were receiving vaccinations and encouraged to breast feed. Maternal/Child nutrition is one of the three pillars of PC Health Volunteers in Cameroon, the others being malaria prevention and HIV/AIDS. I’m starting to feel much more confident about the type of work I will have the opportunity to do and how I might help my community establish sustainable health practices. Health care in the US is very different than here and that will merit a post of its own at a later date. But the differences are vast both in the system itself and facilities.

Good things to bring for your PC experience:

1.       Hand sanitizer and lots of it! (Anybody wanting to send me a care package, please consider including some hand sanitizer.)

2.       Your vaccination records

3.       A journal

Thanks so much for reading. I love and miss you all and look forward to hearing from you one way or another. <3

*I will be a PCT until I swear in on November 19 at which point I will officially be a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer). Prior to staging I was a PC Invitee and prior to that I was a PC nominee.