dimanche 30 octobre 2011

So if you happen to be in Cameroon and are looking...

So if you happen to be in Cameroon and are looking for places to visit, you should definitely consider Banyo. It’s in a strategic location particularly if you want to travel north but avoid taking the train. From Bafoussam, just take an agence car straight to Banyo (about 10 – 12 hours – have some music). Once you arrive, spend a day or so hanging out in town. Here are some of the ‘hot spots’ to see….

The market

Now only when you up for peopledisturbing you and trying to get you to buy their products at for much more than you should (just because you’re white of course), you should take a stroll through the market. There are all kinds of boutiques and sometimes you really can find a great item like clothing, fabric, shoes, household supplies and food. The busiest days are Tuesday and Friday but it’s open all week during the day (just try to avoid afternoon prayer times as many of the shops close)

Djouta Fada

The main strip and only stretch of paved road in town – Djouta Fada. The pavement starts right around the market where you can do all your fresh food shopping. Then along the actual road, there are restaurants, bars, the bakery and lots of other boutiques in between.

Chez Denise

If you’re looking for a decent restaurant that isn’t right on the road for everyone to watch as you eat, head to Chez Denise just down a little alley way. It’s still right one the main strip and there’s even a sign to point you in the right direction. It’s private, has a television, cold drinks and usually pretty good chicken and rice.

Dandy’s

For nights out, Dandy’s is the place to go – the biggest, most hoppin bar in Banyo and it’s location is ideal. It’s right in the center of the strip and has lots of good street food mommies who come out at night with dishes like fish, meat, omelettes and fries. The music can be a bit loud sometimes, but there are always cold drinks and a nice atmosphere.

Oasis Boulangerie

A little down the road from Chez Denise and Dandy’s is the fairly new bakery – Oasis Boulangerie. It has nice outdoor seating, a great spot for people watching and if everything there is running smoothly, you can get ice cream, slushies, rotisserie chicken, French fries, burgers and of course pastries like sugar beignets. It’s a nice place to hang out when you’re tired and want to relax but don’t want to be in a bar setting (like Dandy’s)


Lamidat

The chefferie or Lamidat is where the Lamido and his family and entourage live.It is full of history and in fact the current lamido has even written a book about the lamidat in Banyo that you can pick up for 10.000CFA.

The main mosque

The biggest mosque in Banyo and directly across from the Lamidat, it can be a sight to see any Friday afternoon and particularly on fetes like Ramadan and Fete de Mouton. Huge crowds gather here regularly for prayer and of course Fantasia.

Mt Djoumbaul

If you looking for some adventure and activity, you can always take the morning to walk up Mt Djoumboul. It’s not too bad a walk and takes approximately 4 -5 hours up and back. Also at the top, you can see remnants from when the Germans where in Banyo and used the top of the mountain as the location for prisoners.

Now these are just some of the more popular places to visit, but there are many hidden treasures throughout Banyo and nice places to just take a stroll. It really is a nice town and although it’s a bit removed from the major cities, it does have a lot to offer and is worth visiting.

vendredi 14 octobre 2011

Presidential Elections 2011

Although they're not completely over (as the results haven't officially been announced) all the campaigning and voting is finished for the presidential elections in Cameroon and so far everything has been calm and kind of interesting to observe.

So here's how things went in Banyo...
Leading up to elections, there was various campaign meetings and about a week before elections, tons of campaign posters (mostly for Biya) went up all over town. And the day before, there was a little parade through the middle of town with motos, trucks, cars, posters, loudspeakers, etc.

Parade for Biya in Banyo

On the day of elections, polls were at various schools throughout town. And I actually live right near two schools that we holding elections so I had the opportunity to see 'democracy in action' as some people said. At the schools, lists were posted with the voters registered for that particular locations (they're name, birthdate, profession, etc). Voters brought their voting cards and got in line. I believe the way it worked is that they picked up pieces of paper for each of the candidates then went behind a curtain to make their decision by putting one candidate's paper in an envelope. Then they put their vote in the ballot box. Oh also during the day, nothing was open in town - apparently an order from higher up - not even moto taxis or anything out. So for the whole day, just stayed at home basically. But after polls closed around 6:30pm, was able to go out and about.

So now we are about 9 days from the date that the results are to be announced so be on the lookout...


Voter card - the boxes on the back are for the voter to be fingerprinted once they vote

Women lined up to vote - awesome to see so many of them out

Woman putting her vote in the box

vendredi 7 octobre 2011

School: Year 2

Well the 2011- 2012 school year is well underway and the first grading period is almost finished. With a new year, there are new teachers, new students, new classes. At the start of the year, I thought that we would have even more English teachers than last year. But I was mistaken and in fact it’s quite the opposite – this year it’s only me and one other English teacher for a school with approximately 1,000 students spread over 7 grade levels (6th- 12th grade). Needless to say, we are both teaching more classes and hours this year but of course it still isn’t enough and there are still classes without an English teacher yet. That’s Cameroon.

So this year I am teaching one class of 6eme, all of 5eme (divided into 2 sections), seconde, premiere and I am about to pickup a class of terminale. Most of the classes have about 60 – 70 students although I did luck out with seconde this year – there are only about 20 students and wow what a difference a smaller class size makes. But even though my other classes are still big, it’s not as bad this year because I know the majority of them. So particularly knowing names already helps some with classroom management. Resources are still limited of course but I’m really trying to make more photocopies for students since maybe 8 out of 60 have the book.

There are also lots of new teachers and a new principal all of whom really make it a much more pleasant atmosphere this year. And unfortunately there is still amicale but I’m hoping it will also be better this year – we will see. Oh and teacher’s day came and went this past Wednesday. I bought the tacky fabric again but there weren’t really to many events because of the upcoming elections. So that is something to watch out for – Sunday Oct 9 – presidential elections….