From Coleraine to Cameroon

Don't be too proud to accept help

2011-09-11T20:35:00.002+01:00

Something we had to do in Cameroon was rely an awful lot on other people. We needed picked up from the airport. Even if we had decided to get a taxi, we didn't know where to ask the driver to take us and we didn't have the local currency. Coleraine Post Office doesn't do Central African Francs. We needed someone to fill

The East Coast Mainline

2011-08-07T14:12:00.002+01:00

Before or after reading this, take a look at 'The Bus to Kribi' or 'This is Not a Journey, This is Suffering', to compare the East Coast Mainline with our experience of public transport in Cameroon. York railway station is a big place. However, is is well laid out and signposted. Screens in various places tell passengers which platform their train will leave from. Little shops will sell you

Good news for everyone?

2010-12-21T18:47:00.004Z

While standing in Coleraine town centre yesterday, watching council workmen hack their way through ice in an effort to clear pathways, and watching UTV record this grand event, my mind couldn't help but drift back to 30°C of Cameroon. Watching people look hassled as they search for Christmas presents made me wonder if, for our society, how much of Christmas is about the good news of God made

Personal relationships

2010-09-05T13:25:00.001+01:00

Soon after arriving in Cameroon, we noticed that the locals did a lot of standing around, talking to one another. 15-minute tea breaks would stretch out for quite some time. “Half an hour” for lunch was interpreted very liberally. To our Western, time-oriented eyes, this looked like a lot of people were neglecting important things that had to be done. It looked like we were surrounded by

This country seems strange

2010-07-31T19:00:00.003+01:00

Northern Ireland has not changed much in a year, but there is something we cannot quite put our finger on that feels odd.Maybe it is the things we miss? Things like: hearing chickens and the rest of the dawn chorus; not being up and about before 6am (and in bed soon after 9pm!); walking everywhere in blissful sunshine, having time to take in the neighbourhood, sometimes being followed by random

So, how was it?

2010-07-03T22:19:00.001+01:00

Less than a week back, and we were asked to stand up in church and answer a few questions. It was a good thing we knew the questions in advance and could script our answers – else, we'd have gone completely off-topic and have been there all day. At that stage, we were still gathering our thoughts – indeed, we still are! 1 – How has your journey been (asked to Clarke)Firstly, can I start by

All good things...

2010-06-20T15:20:00.000+01:00

This is our last post from Cameroon. There will be more posts to fill in some gaps and probably some reflections, but our time here is over. After a hectic couple of weeks (Graduation, then moving RFIS to its new site), we're done. We got to watch Cameroon v Denmark in a local establishment, surrounded by Cameroon fans. Sadly, the Danes won. We'll miss the enthusiastic supporters of the

The AA do not service your area...

2010-06-15T20:43:00.006+01:00

We enjoy visitors, whether they have come to see us or others we are working with. Last weekend, seven of us, including the visiting parents of Katie Weller (from England, pron: "Wellaaaaa") went to the Ape Action Africa primate sanctuary at Mefou, around 45 minutes from Yaoundé. Seeing and hearing of their conservation work, as well as having the alpha-male gorilla beating his chest at us was

Bananas

2010-06-03T17:10:00.002+01:00

These are bananas.In the UK they would cost around 20p each. I have no idea how much of that is divided between the supermarket, grower and various middle-men. Bananas are the UK's most popular fruit, apparently.If they are bought from a stall on the street, here in Yaoundé, four will cost 100 CFA (that is around 15p for four, or 2½p each). By local standards, that's expensive! They would

A nice clear glass of water...

2010-05-07T21:37:00.006+01:00

What is the most dangerous thing in your house?A knife? Some poisonous substance hidden away so the kids don't mistake it for juice? OK, they are dangerous but there is little chance of anyone using these on themselves unless they want to do damage.What about this?Maybe you are thinking “How can that be dangerous?”Well, if you drink the faintly brown stuff that comes out of our tap, you'll find

The SIL retreat!

2010-04-22T19:59:00.002+01:00

It's easy for us city-based people to forget that there are many SIL linguists and other personnel living all over Cameroon and the surrounding countries with limited opportunities to meet with people from their own native culture or language. This probably helps them focus on developing their skills in a local language and understanding the culture, though it is bound to bring about its own

Talkin' the way ye grew up, like!

2010-04-07T15:38:00.002+01:00

Anyone who has ever lived among foreigners will know how good it is to spend an evening talking your own language. Try as they might, even other native speakers of English (our American, Canadian and English colleagues) just can't talk Norn Irish like what we do. So, the thought of a night's “craíc” (crack) without being accused of drug-abuse, was an offer we could hardly turn down!After a

Oi mucker, are you out for a wee spin on yer bike, like?

2010-03-25T13:31:00.006Z

So there we sitting in our flat on Tuesday afternoon, 2 days into the Easter break. Alison was quietly reading Girl Meets God and Clarke was footering with revision notes for his Java class. The phone rang. It was Mary Endersby, from Co. Down (originally), now from-up-the-road. This is an approximate paraphrase of our conversation:“Hi – are you guys free this afternoon? You might want to

A Walk to the Shop

2010-03-19T16:33:00.002Z

On Saturday afternoon, after the longest shower since November (1 hour), I went for a walk to the shop. I then decided to write about it.--I come out of our apartment, which overlooks the road past 'New Land', down the stairs, through our part of the compound, greet the guard and out the gate. Lucy at the fruit & veg stall outside the gate greets me and I return the greeting. However, I don't

Visitors from Northern Ireland

2010-03-05T14:20:00.004Z

Almost two months have passed since the visit of Alison's mother, Ruth, and her Aunt Alice. Despite various mother-in-law jokes flying around, we were genuinely delighted to see them. After six months of interacting with a variety of foreign cultures and languages, it was refreshing to converse in “Norn Irish” again.So, while we could speak and be easily understood, our thoughts had been with

Are the people in the next church REALLY Christians?

2010-02-24T14:29:00.001Z

I'm not a fan of families washing their proverbial dirty linen in public – outsiders don't need to hear unkind words and such like, especially when they are spoken in the heat of an argument.However, it's not really a secret that in Northern Ireland, a lot of people in a lot of churches are suspicious of the people who go to other churches. Sadly, some churches have even made their name for

Ambassadors for Northern Ireland, Ambassadors for Christ

2010-02-20T12:10:00.006Z

One aspect of living here is that you have to interact with people who would not normally cross your path. The SIL community draws from a wide range of classes and nationalities. We are surrounded by the Cameroonians we meet on a daily basis, whether as work-colleagues, vendors or simply the people we pass on the street.Whether we like it or not, we are all representatives of our home nations.

The Nomaande New Testament Dedication, at Tcheckos

2010-02-12T16:25:00.005Z

In 1982, the Omaande people could not read or write their own language. At that time, SIL linguists Carrie Taylor and Terri Scruggs started working with them to develop written communication. Patricia Wilkendorf joined them a year later. The linguists had no pre-existing dictionaries to work from: in these scenarios, language-learning is often a case of sitting with people and figuring out

Far North 8 - Waza National Park

2010-02-09T19:55:00.004Z

After our stay with the Hollingsworths, we had a couple of days at Waza National Park. What follows is simply a summary – it's difficult to fully describe two days of spotting wild in a short space. We did learn some things there, such as why it takes months for David Attenborough & co to shoot half an hour of useful material – hardly anything stands still or wants to be found. We also noticed

Far North Adventure 7 - reflections on our time at the Hollingsworths'

2010-02-06T18:28:00.005Z

Before departing the Hollingsworths' home we took a few photos around their house to remind ourselves of where we had been. Although it is better-equipped than their local Pastor's, it is basic by western standards. They have no mains electricity: instead, a couple of solar-panels charge 12v batteries that power their computer, lights, food mixer and radio. No microwave – they probably do not

Far North Adventure 6 - a traditional welcome

2010-02-05T19:45:00.007Z

Christmas is a time for giving, for sharing, for remembering people who don't have as much as you. That's what we're told in Northern Ireland, isn't it?On Christmas morning we went to church, via the pastor's house. Next time you think of complaining about your kitchen's 5-year old work top, a wonky cupboard door or the microwave that isn't the latest-and-greatest, remember this image.So we

Far North Adventure 5 - a trip to hospital

2010-01-29T16:12:00.004Z

Before leaving the Hollingsworths, we had a chance to see the sort of thing I always think of when I hear of missionary work – hospitals.The Baptist Eye Clinic is near the Hollingsworth's home. They have window-grills in a similar fashion to Mokong's Good News windows.Matthew 9:27 – Jesus heals a blind man and a mute.John 5 – the crippled man healed at the pool of Bethesda.The eye clinic is part

Far North Adventure 4 - the Good News Bible like you've never seen it before!

2010-01-26T17:25:00.005Z

After the Christmas party, we had a wee lie down then talked some more about Ken and Judy's work. Ken and Judy have spent a lot of time in translation, especially the Bible, and explained some of the problems they have. For example, in Mofu there are four words for colour. One for red, another for all shades of green and blue, another for white and one for yellow. Their word for yellow is the

Far North Adventure 3 – Christmas Party

2010-01-22T07:38:00.003Z

It wouldn't be Christmas without a nativity play, would it? Each year, Ken and Judy invite the local children round to celebrate Christmas with them. So, on Christmas Eve they all gathered.They listened to the Christmas story in their own language, via a Proclaimer recording. Proclaimers are solar-powered devices with a recording of a language-group's Bible (or New Testament).Then they acted

Far North Adventure 2 – Rhumsiki

2010-01-19T19:15:00.003Z

If you leave the Hollingsworths' house and go north-west for a bit and then south-west for a bit more, in a car with excellent suspension, you eventually come to Rhumsiki. Look – we were there!The landscape is rather dramatic and includes the remains of long-extinct volcanoes. The name of the Mofu means 'People from the mountain'. This is the mountain they are said to have spread out from:This

Far North Adventure – part 1

2010-01-15T20:20:00.004Z

Just before Christmas, we went to the Far North of Cameroon. If you imagine Cameroon as being shaped a bit like a big triangle, the Far North is in the top. To the west, Nigeria. To the east, Chad. We spent our time with Ken and Judy Hollingsworth who have been working with the Mofu people for 30 years.Many groups in this area use Fufulde as a trade language. Fufulde is used by nomadic

Take a kid's photo, you get amusement for a minute. Teach him how to use the camera, you forget why you were in the village in the first place.

2010-01-08T16:16:00.005Z

So, while we were in the village watching the fishing we decided a few photos would be useful. The sight of the camera attracted the kids. So, one posed and we showed him his photo:Everyone else wanted to see and of course they joined in:Well, almost everyone joined in.It all got interesting when Joseph and his friend Ngolo took an interest in how the camera worked. This is them:This was their

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to build a dam, and you feed his entire village.

2010-01-04T08:20:00.005Z

If you drive south from Yaoundé for around 70km and leave the main road you eventually go up a single-lane mud road that thankfully is baked hard as brick at this time of year. A long way into the jungle, you find the village of Mvaamedzap. The main activities here appear to be football, fruit growing and fish farming.That's right - fish farming. It's not the first thing you expect to see in

All Nations' School – opening

2009-12-30T19:45:00.005Z

Rev. Daniel Youn is a very ambitious man. Around 16 years ago he arrived here from South Korea. Since then, he's opened dozens of churches and schools and intends to open a university in 2011.On 27th November we attended the opening of his latest establishment: All Nations' School in the village of Mfou, near Yaoundé.Largely funded by his denomination (MEEC) and the South Korean Government, it is

Our Christmas Message

2009-12-18T13:35:00.001Z

Happy Christmas everyone! You should be able to see a video file below. If it doesn't play automatically, click on it.Happy Christmas from Clarke and Alison on Vimeo.

Go down to the potter’s house

2009-12-04T13:59:00.006Z

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of

Did your mother never tell you not to stare?

2009-11-20T19:43:00.001Z

Have little children ever stared at you while you walk down the street? Since arriving in Cameron, it's an experience we have come to treat as normal. By their very nature, children are inquisitive and open to new experiences and they are good at spotting anything that does not fit what they know. Our white faces fit into the 'strange, different' category very well.So, we could be walking down

Big Bananas?

2009-11-17T13:31:00.002Z

What are the curvy things in the photo?If your first thought was “Bananas”, look again. To the left of the photo you should be able to see a Bic Biro. Photoshop has not been used to alter the size of anything in any way.They are Plantains, found in many parts of the Tropics. They are a relation of the Cavendish Banana, known as one of the world's most popular fruits. The difference? Bananas

Match of the Day: Cameroon vs Togo

2009-11-05T16:35:00.007Z

Anyone who remembers Cameroon's Indomitable Lions and Roger Milla at Italia '90 will equally remember the enthusiasm of the spectators. Before we came here, the first thing that sprang to mind for many of our friends when we said “Cameroon” was “Roger Milla”. Their first suggestion - “You have to go to a match.”Well, Milla has long since moved on and become a pundit (hey, if it can work for

C'est pas un voyage ca, c'est la souffrance (“This is not a journey, this is suffering”)

2009-10-30T10:48:00.003Z

The title of this entry is a rather uncharitable comment on the journey from another 'Bush Taxi' passenger. The Bush Taxi is the basic inter-city transport for millions of people in Africa. To picture it in your mind, think of a vehicle of similar construction to The Mystery Machine – Scooby Doo's Camper Van. There are initially 2 seats on the left, 1 on the right, for 7 rows (plus the back

No, it's not a movie script...

2009-10-24T17:17:00.002+01:00

…but it might have been. Lovely hotel that was mostly deserted (off-season); the same slightly odd man hoping to sell us lobster several times per day; lashing rain; bridge collapsing.Thankfully, we were not a group of teenagers stuck in an obvious plot where the slightly-dim character saw the obvious route of escape while everyone else was dissected in their beds. We were a perfectly charming

Our friends arrive

2009-10-21T18:01:00.005+01:00

Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery. The only thing missing: our beautiful friends!Lots of SIL people stayed in various places in Kribi – we happened to be at a central meeting spot. Walk along the beach and there we were, waving from the chairs outside the hotel.Some people (Sulee in particular!) were having a great time:Others just stood round and talked and gave us a chance to show you the

Beach traders

2009-10-17T13:09:00.003+01:00

Chutes de la Lobé (Lobé Falls) is one of the few waterfalls on Earth that pour directly into the sea. It is a lovely place and the UN are considering classifying it as a World Heritage Site. You can read about that on this page (in French).To get to it, come out of the Ilomba, turn left and keep walking. If you are fortunate enough to enjoy this walk, with your feet in warm waters, you will

The bus to Kribi

2009-10-15T08:22:00.003+01:00

After 8 weeks of 40-50 hour weeks, we were advised to use our half-term break effectively and go to the beach. So we followed the many, many, suggestions that we visited Kribi (it's a popular place and you'll see why). We shall tell of our adventure in several parts, including: the bus, the waterfalls, the collapsed bridge and the bus home.So firstly, the bus there. Anyone who has grown up in

Normal service shall be resumed shortly

2009-10-14T10:43:00.001+01:00

Apologies to anyone who has noticed the recent silence on this blog. The powers-that-be here like to have anything that is published checked over by a long-serving colleague. It's a perfectly sensible policy, considering the number of people SIL have coming and going from all over the world and the potential for misunderstandings between us, our foreign colleagues, our local colleagues and

A wee bit more about where we are living and what SIL do here

2009-09-12T21:19:00.003+01:00

First, an picture of the outside of our block.To get to us, go down the side, round the back and up the stairs. Part of this block is used for administration and part for living quarters. At the front you can see a banner. Let’s see what it says...Which raises the logical questions "What have SIL spent 40 years doing?" and "Why?"SIL have been in Cameroon since 1969. Most of their work is the

No Ferrero Rocher were harmed in the making of this blog

2009-09-02T18:34:00.005+01:00

What did you do at the weekend? We were invited out to a little gathering.I don't know what you have in mind when you think of meeting High Commissioners and diplomatic staff. My impressions were decided by Bond movies and TV adverts for Ferrero Rocher: black ties; waltzes; espionage; Eton old-boys who talk a language the rest of us don't understand. On the contrary, the Deputy High

Saturday morning shopping

2009-08-25T18:13:00.004+01:00

Until today we have either done our shopping locally on foot or gotten a lift with someone else working at RFIS to a town-centre supermarket. This morning we decided to be adventurous – we would make our own way into town. Instead of the easy option (taxi), we decided to walk. More time to look round, get our bearings and so on.So off we set, empty rucksacks on our backs. We got as far as the

Our apartment

2009-08-11T19:32:00.023+01:00

Here are some pictures of the place we will call home for the next year or so. As you can see, it's not what many people have in mind when they think of African living – many of our friends at home expect it to more closely resemble something Bruce Parry visited in Tribe. The reality is, Yaoundé is an expanding city combining a variety of colonial, traditional and modern architectural styles.

10 things my French teacher never taught me

2009-08-04T20:53:00.000+01:00

(or, why I now regret my teenage arrogance in thinking the rest of the world spoke English)In the supermarket:I am unable to locate matches, can you assist me? I am told 'Unalor' brand are particularly reliable.Will this cheap bleach clean my vegetables as effectively as 'Ajax'?Thank you for helping me to the car with my heavy groceries. Here is a 100-franc (10p) tip.In the market:Are you sure

It's been a long day

2009-07-30T11:27:00.000+01:00

Alison got home today and reached for the whisky bottle:Look carefully and you'll see it's full of peanuts, which is a common way to sell them here.Clarke, on the other hand, cheered himself up with a new shirt!

Orientation day 3: local food

2009-07-29T21:37:00.002+01:00

This was lunch:This dish is called ‘koki’ (KOH-key). The leaves are ‘folong’ – it was served with plantains (look like bananas, taste like boiled potatoes without butter) and a pleasant-tasting orange bean cake (the actual ‘koki’) that was a bit like mashed parsnip and carrot.We also met some more RFIS people, including Stephanie Angus's friend Ceci, and had dinner with the delightful Leblancs (

Orientation 2: African church

2009-07-27T07:00:00.000+01:00

The forest's song only broke our slumber at 6.00am: maybe we are used to it, maybe we were just exhausted. Today's hosts for all five of us newbies was Shirley Troyer's family, and husband Duane collected us and the Robinsons for bilingual service (French and English) at Grace Baptist Church. The people were friendly and welcoming and 180 people packed into the small building, all sat on

(Dis)orientation, day 1

2009-07-26T07:00:00.001+01:00

There was no need for an alarm clock today: the forest woke up at 4.30am and the calls of all sorts of animals woke us up. We have been supplied with a cupboard of food, mostly labeled in French. Breakfast was porridge (our grocery supply included Quaker oats!), once Clarke got the gas supply to the cooker turned on and the cooker working (neither of us are too familiar with gas cookers). Most

We have arrived!

2009-07-25T07:00:00.000+01:00

It is safe to say that yesterday was one of the most frantic, bewildering days of our lives! Check-in at Heathrow went smoothly and the flight to Zurich went well. After that, the out-of-comfort-zone experience steadily increased. We made our connection and met Alan and Doris Robinson, other RFIS newbies, while boarding. No doubt we'll say more about them in due course. Getting to the

The adventure begins

2009-07-23T07:00:00.000+01:00

This is being written in a London hotel room on Thursday 22nd July, although I have no idea when it will be posted. Alas, this particular hotel does not yet embrace free Wi-Fi for the customers. Nor indeed do they offer normal-sized beds: their 'double bed' was slightly wider than a single and hardly useful when you need a decent night's sleep. After a brief conversation with Zan at reception

The DHL man cometh

2009-07-08T21:16:00.000+01:00

Airlines offer around 20kg of luggage. All very well, unless you put in anything slightly heavy.By the time I added school-books, we were going to be over-the-limit (at £lots-per-kg).Solution - send stuff ahead. It's cheaper, plus we get to put other things in the box (sweets, tea-bags).Thanks to the DHL-man (whose legs you can see), the big box of things is on its way. 2 weeks from now, we go