November 15

8:30 pm—Sitting on the back porch of our house, listening to the chirping crickets and (for some probably religious reason) the distant sounds of people clapping in unison. Tomorrow, Clara and I head on vacation, our first so far (and probably our longest hiatus from class all year, apart from Christmas break). I’m excited to go—to take a break from Buea, to see something very different, to speak French, and to remember that I am here to experience something ...

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How can we stop the persistent increase of malaria in Cameroon? What causes corruption? What traditional medicines can cure snakebites? How can Cameroonian culture be protected from the influences of modernity?

These questions, and many others, comprise the myriad searches our students have conducted using Google this past week, as they continue online research for their projects. Clara and I have also collected a fairly large database of news articles and PDF files about t...

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Since arriving in Buea Town about two months ago (wow! It’s hard to believe it has been that long already), it has felt wonderful to be gradually welcomed into the local community. We now have a Mami in the market whom we know to go to whenever we want to buy tomatoes, okra, potatoes, or veggies, and another Mami we seek out for pineapples, coconuts, oranges, and “pears” (the local term for avocados; and by the way, “Mami” or “Auntie” is a term of respect for...

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After 45 minutes of Google searches and Wikipedia pages, our students needed a few minutes to stretch and regroup before finishing up their research for the day.  I asked them to pull eyes away from computer screens and stand up.  Last week, we broke up work by playing speed ‘Simon Says’ (high schoolers look indignant when you explain the rules of this apparently childish game, but then find themselves racing to touch elbows or toes, hop up and down one foot or touch t...

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Yesterday, we decided to move our daily run to the late afternoon, rather than complete it in the morning as we usually do. Our regular three-mile route takes us to the outskirts of Buea Town and then down a steep verdant hill into a neighboring village, and then back again. It is always a beautiful run, but yesterday evening was especially gorgeous. The sky was clear enough to see the enormous volcanic mountain rising up just behind town; the setting sun shone deep orange off of low-hanging ...
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