October 2007

October 2007

I am still alive!

Motorcycle accident

Have you ever seen someone die?
Ed and I were eating lunch a Sunday afternoon in Maroua, when we heard a loud noise outside. When I rushed out, I saw a motorcycle that was still sliding across the pavement. I couldn’t see the driver around, but there were already people running towards the scene. The first person who got there rushed towards the “canivaux” (the sewage system which I once walked into and cut my leg). He reached in the three-foot deep sewer and pulled out a young man by the armpits. He was obviously unconscious, as his body was not moving at all. I knew from basic first-aid that you shouldn’t move a body like that, since the accident could have caused spinal damage. But I don’t think basic first aid is taught or practiced here... Anyways, as the body was dragged out of the ditch, people started forming a circle around the injured man. His face was bleeding pretty badly, probably from its contact with the asphalt. The first man who was “tending” to him obviously didn’t know what he was doing; at one point I saw that he was covering the injured guy’s mouth and eyes. (Note: I later learned from a doctor that this a traditional method - in Cameroon - of assuring that a deceased person’s eyes and mouth remain closed after he passes. Unfortunately, this is sometimes done when a person is not completely dead, asphyxiating him within a few minutes.) A second, more competent, man eventually showed up and checked vital signs. It looked like he knew what he was doing. He then proceeded to give mouth to mouth for a few minutes. Since he stopped, Ed and I assumed that the man was dead. It was really hard to watch all this happen, but I thought that I would rather know what happens than to go back to my isolated little lunch. One of the worst things is that we didn’t know what to do. Who do you call? How do you call them? Is there someone who comes when you call? I think by the end we figured out that the answer is no. There is no “911” here. There are no ambulances like the ones we have at home. So what if it was Ed who was in the accident? Or me? What do you do? Well, we learned that you find the closest car, and ask the driver to bring you to the hospital. As odd as that would seem on a north American street, people here would do something like that in a heartbeat. It is still scary to think that it’s up to you to get to the hospital, no matter what.
Therefore, our accident was no different, we had to find a vehicle to bring the man to the hospital. After a few minutes, a pickup truck was flagged down. Four men carried the body into the truck, and we assumed that he was brought to the hospital. We asked strangers on the street if the man was dead. They said: “not yet.”
Seeing that completed changed whatever was happening for us that day. You sort of tried to change the subject, talk about something else, think about your plans, but it was pointless. Ed and I both felt like that. We were just shocked. It was a poignant reminder to wear your helmet. The man in the crash didn’t wear one (just like 99% of the people here). Maybe if he did he would have survived. But the sad reality is that most of the people here can’t afford a helmet.

Good friend

My best buddy here is Benjamin. He is a very nice, trustworthy guy. Very polite. I feel like I can trust him. It takes a while to be able to trust someone here. With him, I know his intentions are good. He often comes to visit me at my place. We go out for a drink sometimes on Thursdays. We go to Mokolo for market day on Wednesdays. I taught him how to use the computer and the internet. We created an email account for him last week. He is very pumped about that. I sent him an email with some pictures, and he loves it! He just doesn’t have anyone to email yet. If one of you guys could send him an email, he would be so happy! His email is benjamimbelawadzai@hotmail.com. Send him a hello from Canada! Thanks.

Role at work

Finally, I think I can define it better now. Why I am here? What am I doing? Here goes: I am a facilitator that is seeking to mobilize the education community in Soulédé to find solutions to their problems in education through participatory tools. What do I do every day? First off, let’s make this clear: I don’t work a 40 hour week. I am not sure if anyone does here. I think on a typical day (if there are any), I could either visit a school, do classroom observation, organise a formal meeting, attend a meeting in one of my schools, in Mokolo, or in Maroua, or work from home. Working from home could involve transcribing meeting minutes, writing a report, inputting data, preparing for a meeting, etc. All other time could be written off as “integration in the community.” As unofficial as that sounds, it is a key area to my success here. There is so much important information and knowledge I pick up outside of formal work times.

Other activities
Besides work, what do I do in Cameroon?
-Play basketball in Maroua
-Read a book (brought a few)
-Buy food at the market
-Hang out with friends
-Go on a hike
-Go out drinking with volunteers
-etc...