Visit from a Volunteer and Women's Day

After PST-Reconnect, I traveled with Angelique back to my site for Women’s Day on March 8^th. We arrived in my village the day before the holiday and I showed her my small but adorable little house. The next day we got dressed in our Women’s Day pagne, I had the pink version and Angelique had the yellow version, and we went to the field. We went to watch the ceremony, hear the speeches, and see the march-pass. I greeted everyone that I knew and introduced Angelique to them. I tried to find the women’s group that I had been working with but I could not find them in the crowds. There were many speeches given. I was surprised that only two speeches were given by women. I wondered if it was a planning oversight or if all of the other capable women’s leaders were too shy. I was also surprised at how much bigger Youth Day celebrations had been compared to Women’s Day. It seems as though they should be celebrated with equal enthusiasm. The ceremony followed the same pattern that all Cameroonian holiday ceremonies follow. Near the end Angelique and I left so that we could get supplies for dinner.

               During her visit Angelique gave me some tips on how to cook since I did not know how to prepare much and had been making myself sick due to poor food prep. She also got to meet my cat who she now calls “psycho-kitty”. I swear that my cat is not that poorly behaved…

               Anyway the visit went well and at some point I will go to Angelique’s site as well. I saw her house because we stopped there on our way to my village but we only stayed the night so I did not get to see where she works or much of her village.

This is me in my Women's Day pagne with Olive, a friend of mine who is from Menji but is currently going to school in Yaounde.