On my way from Douala to Paris I spent most, if not all, of my time looking back on my 12 weeks in Limbe, trying to make sense of it all. When you're too close to something it is hard to see the bigger picture. I was 3 months deep in this one and could barely see what was right in front of me anymore. Even on my way from Limbe to Douala International Airport I could feel myself starting to let go and my thoughts clearing.
I have been having trouble figuring out if I accomplished all or nothing of what I set out to and found myself getting more and more confused about what I had just experienced. Then I arrived in Paris and was surprised to see two familiar faces waiting for me at the apartment. My parents! My 2 amazing parents have been in Paris for the past week touring and waiting for me to arrive to surprise me! Spending the day with them, touring the Palace of Versailles and the Eifel Tower really helped to clear my head. Sometimes in order to make sense of something as complex and significant as spending 3 months in Africa, you have to completely forget about it.
I can assure you that as I burried my teary eyed face into my fathers shoulder, the only thing that mattered was the fact that I was with my parents.
I can see clearer (not clearly just yet) that my 3 months in Cameroon were a success not despite the frustrations but because of them. All of the situations I did not see coming, were not prepared for, or made had me react in a questionable way were what made up my unique experience. It may not have been the romanticized and picture perfect 12 weeks I dreamt about, but nothing ever is. And it was the 'imperfections' that pushed me to learn and experience even more than I ever thought I could.
The world was not made in a day, it was not destroyed in a day, and it certainly can not be fixed in a day (or in this case, 84 days). We learn to work with what we've got. We do what we can. We give what we can. I spent 12 weeks in Cameroon trying to learn and share and teach and experience and I got it all, for better and for worse. The more I think about it, the less I seem to remember. The solution I have thus concluded is to stop thinking about it and bask in the sheer wonder that I am in Paris with my beloved parents and that I have 3 weeks ahead of me of visiting friends and travelling Europe.
The lessons learned aren't going anywhere, my blog and thousands of pictures will help make sure of that. I am taking it for what it is and accepting it all as the amazing experience I signed up for. Now for the second phase of the adventure ... Europe. First stop Paris. Second stop Venice. Third, London, then Edinburgh, the Amsterdam, then Toronto. THEN, the most important part of it all, the afterglow. The shining, beautiful moments that follow the experience where it all starts to make sense. The further away from the adventure you get the more the reality of how the lessons can be applied to life are realized.
I learned that one from the Big Bang Theory.
Sunday 14 October 2012
Friday 12 October 2012
So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
It is all over. 12 weeks have come and gone, and I am confused. The following is my attempt at trying to succinctly sum up my thoughts and feelings on the past 3 months.
...
It is odd to think about, but now that I am in my final hours in Cameroon I feel like I have gone back to where I was in my first week here. Because I know that after tomorrow, the sites of Cameroon will only be a memory and I suddenly want to take pictures of everything because I know it might be the last time I see it! I have also pondered how in my final days here I feel just like I did in my final days in Toronto, insofar that I have an amazing mix of emotions. I am nervous, scared, anxious, excited, happy, sad, elated, and excited!
There were a lot of very difficult days here. There were a lot of frustrating moments. There were a lot of times when I thought to myself "what the hell was I thinking when I signed up for this?" There were also moments when I thought to myself "this is the most rewarding experience of my life.”There were phenomenal moments, and phenomenal achievements. At the end of any experience, once all the dust settles and all goals and objectives have been met, all we are left with is the trail of decisions we made along the way. Some decisions we are proud of and others we wish we could take back. Some of those decisions led us closer to our goals and others further away. But observing and analyzing what has already happened can only get us so far. We learn from all of our decisions, good or bad, and we take what we can. BUT at the end of the day, it is insane to focus on anything but what was accomplished and how far we've come, because even the lessons learned should be seen as an accomplishment.
...
I would be lying if I
said I have not spent a lot of time thinking of things to say in this last
post from Limbe, and clever ways of saying them too. I have had a few decent ideas, but none
stuck. I have been in Limbe, Cameroon
for exactly 12 weeks now and it is time to move on. It is time to move on to bigger and better
things and to, most importantly, finally stop pointing out all of the lessons I
have learned BUT to go home and APPLY EVERYTHING I have learned and
experienced to my life and career.
Since I got here, all I
have talked about with people is how difficult development work is because of
all the cultural differences and the lack of resources here in the developing
world. But every job has its
challenges. Every career presents
obstacles. And everything worth achieving
can be (or even should be) a big pain
in the ass in some way. Climbing Mount
Cameroon was one of the most difficult physical feats I have ever taken on but
it was also one of the most rewarding moments of my life reaching the
summit. I literally overcame my
obstacles. It is odd to think about, but now that I am in my final hours in Cameroon I feel like I have gone back to where I was in my first week here. Because I know that after tomorrow, the sites of Cameroon will only be a memory and I suddenly want to take pictures of everything because I know it might be the last time I see it! I have also pondered how in my final days here I feel just like I did in my final days in Toronto, insofar that I have an amazing mix of emotions. I am nervous, scared, anxious, excited, happy, sad, elated, and excited!
There were a lot of very difficult days here. There were a lot of frustrating moments. There were a lot of times when I thought to myself "what the hell was I thinking when I signed up for this?" There were also moments when I thought to myself "this is the most rewarding experience of my life.”There were phenomenal moments, and phenomenal achievements. At the end of any experience, once all the dust settles and all goals and objectives have been met, all we are left with is the trail of decisions we made along the way. Some decisions we are proud of and others we wish we could take back. Some of those decisions led us closer to our goals and others further away. But observing and analyzing what has already happened can only get us so far. We learn from all of our decisions, good or bad, and we take what we can. BUT at the end of the day, it is insane to focus on anything but what was accomplished and how far we've come, because even the lessons learned should be seen as an accomplishment.
Development work was just
one small piece of the puzzle of lessons that made up my experience here; but I
am very lucky to have learned as much as I have about the field and its
obstacles. One of the biggest lessons I
learned about development is that it requires COLLABORATION. Ego's ruin everything. If you walk into a development situation and
expect that everyone around you should bow down to your ideas and processes
then you are contributing to the problem.
Everyone has thoughts and opinions and development workers need to
understand that personal opinions are just that, and not fact. People who work on a development project,
whether they are volunteers, coordinators, facilitators, teachers, economists, coaches,
or full time employees of any NGO, need to be able to provide insight, receive
insight and be willing to reach THE MIDDLE GROUND; the compromise that allows
the best of all ideas to flourish. A
very wise lady once told me about development work that "it is not
necessarily about changing the local culture, but simply understanding
it." In my 3 month experience I can
confidently say that truer words have never been spoken.
With regard to
collaboration and development workers working together, the personalities of
the people involved obviously have a lot to do with that. When a volunteer on a football coaching
project admits to "not liking or having no interest in working with
children" ... that is a problem.
Teamwork is something that I have stressed at every training session for
the last 12 weeks. Teamwork, I was once
told, is defined by a group of people all working together to achieve a common
goal. When there is a lack of teamwork,
nothing gets done because there is no collaboration and everyone is pulling at
the same string in a different direction.
Like I have told my players and students here, you are all on one
team. Whether you’re on the field or off,
you need to know who and where your teammates are. A teammate is someone you can trust, someone
you can rely on; someone who will help you out of a jam or overcome an obstacle
at a moments notice, and who you would do the same for.
I have learned here that
in any profession people learn to adapt and work with what is around them. You can only do what you can. You can only give what you have. You can only provide support with the
experience you have. You can only do so
much on your own. With the help of the
people around us obstacles become smaller, frustrations become opportunities
and lessons are [always] learned.
Through lessons learned people grow and develop and become who they
are. We learn not only about ourselves and
who we really are, but who we want to be, and what we can and want to
accomplish. I know fully understand why
the dreaded “Experience” has so much
power and influence on our resumes because it is only through our experience
that we shape our understanding of our surrounding and better understand who we
are and what our are goals in life are.
I am extremely lucky to
have a great team behind me. So many
people contributed to my experience here.
The list goes on but I feel obligated to single out a few individuals
both in Cameroon and back home in Canada who provided significant support when,
and how, I needed it most.
My close friends, Ray,
Steve, Ben, Peter, and Jason. You guys
have always been there and have always said exactly what I needed to hear and
always knew when I needed a stern talking to and when I needed a laugh. You guys are the best. I look forward to all of us being in the same
city again soon.
Dr. Laura Cousens from
Brock University. If it was not for you
this blog would not exist. This
experience would have taken on an entirely different role in my head. You helped me sift through the confusion and
point out the obvious and help me realize what I needed to in order to help me
move forward with my goals. All of my
accomplishments here were in some way touched by you.
Humphrey, when I met you
I was lost, confused and scared.
Through getting to know you my comfort level grew and so did my
confidence in my abilities and passions here.
You showed me Seme Beach as well as the truth in life and the
difficulties in Africa. You provided
support, friendship and guidance. Thank
you!
John Molua, you were
always at the field with me helping me with the kids and my message. You were always there with a laugh, kind
words, and were just as excited about the power of sport as I am. I loved talking to you, I loved collaborating
with you, I loved hanging out with you, and I will miss you.
The staff and
coordinators of the African Volunteer Football Academy for the Less Privileged
(AVFAL) and Challenge Charity. Nathan,
John, and Coach Lucas, you guys made this possible with your vision and effort
with AVFAL. It may be a thankless job at
times but when the kids score that winning goal, the look on their faces is the
only thanks we need. Thank you for coordinating this experience and facilitating my lessons learned.
The employees of the Fako
Divisional Delegation of Sport and Physical Education. You guys helped me add a component to my trip
that brought a level of experience I could have only hoped for. Understanding not only local football but
also local Physical Education has allowed me a unique insight into Cameroonian
athletics and education. I can not thank
you enough for the opportunity and for presenting me with the chance to speak
at your Annual Fako Division Physical Education and Sports Seminar on October
10! I had a blast and truly cherished
the experience. I am so happy that I was
allotted the opportunity to share my experiences and passions about sport and
development. You gave me that
opportunity.
Jessi, your positive
outlook on life and development was just as useful at your tough love. Your words always seemed to make sense and
help with the frustrations and make me see that there really is beauty in it
all.
Adrienne, your constant
support, kind words, and consistent encouragement was always welcomed and had
an everlasting positive affect on my state of mind here.
Now for the heavy hitters
...
To my Grandmother,
Estelle. I am not convinced that I will
ever truly be able to express how much your love and support means to me and I
am confident that with you in my corner I can accomplish and overcome
anything. Your 2-3 daily emails were
ALWAYS a cause for a smile. You learning
how to use facebook was another entertaining and touching expression of your
support. I love you and will forever aim
to provide the love to my family as you have to yours. You are my inspiration and I Can Not wait to
see you in November!
To my parents; so much to
say, such little space. It is really
quite simple. If it was not for you,
NONE of this would have been possible.
This trip would cease to exist and I would not be the person I am
today. You guys continue to provide
support in every possible way, providing insight and ready to jump into my
corner for any reason at any time. You
were always taking time out of your busy day and schedule to talk to me about
every little detail here. To send me
beautifully worded hand written letters further providing your support and
helping me arrange donations for this charity and sending them over brought a
smile not only to my face but to about 45 Cameroonian teenagers as well. These past 3 months have really just been you
two casually being the amazing, loving parents you have always been. Before I left you told me that by the time I
got home I would have a new appreciation of my life. You were right. It was also the understatement of the
decade. My life, my family, and my
friends are all amazing. My parents are
amazing. I know you wanted me to stop
using the word ‘amazing’, but it fits.
Saying thank you in my blog does not even come close to expressing the
true substance with which it is being offered.
I love you guys. Thank you for
everything. I know that everyone says
that they have the best parents in the world, but I am confident that I would have
a very strong case for Mr. And Mrs. Budish.
And to everyone else who
provided their support either through comical emails or facebook messages. To those that have read my blog and to those
that I have talked to. Thank you to you
all. I love you guys and can not thank
you enough for your support. Looking
forward to seeing you all when I get home!
The people we work with
and surround ourselves with have a very significant effect on our direction in
life and what we can accomplish. There
is still a lot to achieve in sport and sport for development.
Sport can be, and is
used, as a medium for broader messages simply because of its global
attraction. There is not a society,
country, group of people, or tribe on earth that does not have some kind of
recreation activity associated with its culture. A book I recently read called The Ball by John Fox attempts to answer
the question “Why do we play ball” ... ‘We’ being humans. In his research he interviews a tribal chief
from an aboriginal tribe in North America.
With regard to their traditional sport of Lacrosse, the chief mentioned that
when his team plays another tribe they do not see it as strictly competition
and they do not rate the success or failure of the game only on goals scored or
winning or losing. In fact they put a
higher priority on playing with a pure mind and heart and they view the event
more as a chance for old friends and family to come together and enjoy a
traditional display of athleticism and respect.
A coach once (wrongfully) told me that
he believed that there was no room in coaching for NOT emphasizing only winning
and scoring ... and winning. I believe
that sport has more to offer our society and our youth than teaching them that
if you lose you are nothing. You have to
win in order to be worth anything. Sport
teaches us so much more than that. It
teaches discipline. Teamwork. Unity.
Trust. Patience. Communication. Problem solving. Sportsmanship. Conflict resolution. Not to mention having huge health
benefits. And also not to mention being
able to use football (or any other locally popular sport) to discuss with kids
about making good life choices with regard to drugs, alcohol, smoking, HIV/AIDS
and so on. The point is that Sport is
what we make it. It is what we believe
it is. We can use sport, much like any
other powerful tool in life, for good or bad.
We can use sport for anything we want because the power is there.
I am not totally sure how
to wrap this up. I am confident that no
matter how much I write or no matter how many times I read, re-read, edit, and
repeat; I will think of 20 more things that I wanted to mention in this
post. So how do you sum up 3 months of
life-altering experiences, adventures, triumphs and frustrations? The truth is that it’s really hard. But here goes
nothing ...
I got what I came for.
...
So, for the final time,
THANK YOU to everyone who has followed my adventure here and to everyone for
their love and support. I am a very
lucky man. I send my love to you
all.
See you all on the other
side.
Affectionately,
Josh
P.S. I trimmed my beard today because technically I shaved the day I left Toronto which was Friday July 20 which makes TODAY exactly 12 weeks of growing. Soccer's beard has come and gone.
Thursday 11 October 2012
Delegation Seminar Continued...
During my presentation.
Me and the Delegate of Sport and Physical Education, Mme. Ekombe. She so kindly granted me the opportunity to work with the delegation and some of the schools in the area. I could not be more grateful that she allowed me to add this unforgettable aspect to my experience here in Limbe!
Delegation Seminar
My personal trainer...
Good Friends!
Obi was on vacation with his brother in Douala for the first few weeks of me being here. However, once he got back to Limbe and started training again with AVFAL, we hit it off instantly. He has joined me a couple of times at Mr. Chicken, a resturant near his house, where we chat about life, sports, and anything that comes to mind! I will miss you Obi!
The Final 48
I still remember the final 48 hours before I left Toronto on this crazy adventure! I tried very hard to take mental pictures of significant moments over the past 12 weeks because I knew that no matter how slow time seemed to move at times, that come my departure date it would all be a blur. My mental pictures have been erased by a lack of memory BUT I did take over 1500 real pictures. That should help.
Today is Thursday. Yesterday I presented at the Divisional Delegation of Sport and Physical Education for the Fako Division at their annual seminar for Physical Education teachers. They asked me to present on using sport to send a message and for social development. It went very well! I got a long list of interested parties that asked me to email them once I get back to Toronto with research, documents, activity ideas and any other useful resource! I was so happy to see that so many were touched by the notion of using sport for development. It was a very nice way to spend my last week here! I was a little nervous but all went well!
Now that I am looking ahead at my final 48 hours in Limbe I don't know whether to look ahead or backwards at what I have to look foward to or what I have accomplished! I am confused. I am happy to be moving on, but sad to be leaving. I am excited for what lies ahead but nervous for my future endeavours. I have learned so much and now I need to apply it.
So much to do. So many people to say goodbye to. So many friends to thank and family members to hug. So many facial hairs to trim. These next couple of days will be very busy! I should probably pack.
Much love to all and once again thank you to everyone for your continued support.
Josh
Today is Thursday. Yesterday I presented at the Divisional Delegation of Sport and Physical Education for the Fako Division at their annual seminar for Physical Education teachers. They asked me to present on using sport to send a message and for social development. It went very well! I got a long list of interested parties that asked me to email them once I get back to Toronto with research, documents, activity ideas and any other useful resource! I was so happy to see that so many were touched by the notion of using sport for development. It was a very nice way to spend my last week here! I was a little nervous but all went well!
Now that I am looking ahead at my final 48 hours in Limbe I don't know whether to look ahead or backwards at what I have to look foward to or what I have accomplished! I am confused. I am happy to be moving on, but sad to be leaving. I am excited for what lies ahead but nervous for my future endeavours. I have learned so much and now I need to apply it.
So much to do. So many people to say goodbye to. So many friends to thank and family members to hug. So many facial hairs to trim. These next couple of days will be very busy! I should probably pack.
Much love to all and once again thank you to everyone for your continued support.
Josh
Thursday 4 October 2012
Sport For Development realized
About 3 weeks ago my coach here in Limbe gave me a manual about using Football to teach kids about HIV/AIDS. With my older group of AVFAL players, aged anywhere from 15-18, I have employed a couple of these drills in the past couple of weeks. My 3 months here have provided A LOT of amazing experiences where I was able to see my efforts making a difference somewhere in the community but few have been as perfect as this...
On Tuesday October 2, 2012, I ran a training session with 10 of the older players. We took full advantage of the half of the Victoria Centenary Stadium pitch, which we rarely get to use, to run a full-scale ball possession drill. A strictly football-related drill.
Once we were kicked off the field by the Limbe Premier League team, I arranged another drill with an area of about 20'x20' for the players to roam. I gave out 7 balls to 9 players and one other player was not given a ball and asked that he represent HIV. The balls represented condoms. The player representing HIV had to run around trying to touch the players without a ball. If a player was touched by HIV without protection (a Condom/Ball), then they were infected. If a player with protection (a Condom/Ball) saw another player being chased by HIV, they had to pass the condom to their teammate to protect them.
From a football point of view this drill emphasized ball control, communication, proper passing techniques and awareness of where your teammates are on the pitch. From an HIV/AIDS awareness point of view, it emphasized the importance of using condoms in preventing contraction of the disease as well as a basic understanding of the progression of the disease. I.e. if you were touched by the HIV player twice without a condom, you progress from healthy, to HIV, to AIDS.
It was pretty amazing to be able to use football to send a message like that. I came to Africa to see programmes like this implemented and it was truly rewarding to see my goals and objectives realized right before my eyes. The best part of it was that the participation level was so high, all of the players bought into it, asked questions, and understood the drill from a football and HIV/AIDS awareness perspective.
When I return to Toronto I will be able to look back on this 3 month adventure and be proud of a lot of my accomplishments, but this one will stand out.
Sport for Development Realized ... and it feels good.
On Tuesday October 2, 2012, I ran a training session with 10 of the older players. We took full advantage of the half of the Victoria Centenary Stadium pitch, which we rarely get to use, to run a full-scale ball possession drill. A strictly football-related drill.
Once we were kicked off the field by the Limbe Premier League team, I arranged another drill with an area of about 20'x20' for the players to roam. I gave out 7 balls to 9 players and one other player was not given a ball and asked that he represent HIV. The balls represented condoms. The player representing HIV had to run around trying to touch the players without a ball. If a player was touched by HIV without protection (a Condom/Ball), then they were infected. If a player with protection (a Condom/Ball) saw another player being chased by HIV, they had to pass the condom to their teammate to protect them.
From a football point of view this drill emphasized ball control, communication, proper passing techniques and awareness of where your teammates are on the pitch. From an HIV/AIDS awareness point of view, it emphasized the importance of using condoms in preventing contraction of the disease as well as a basic understanding of the progression of the disease. I.e. if you were touched by the HIV player twice without a condom, you progress from healthy, to HIV, to AIDS.
It was pretty amazing to be able to use football to send a message like that. I came to Africa to see programmes like this implemented and it was truly rewarding to see my goals and objectives realized right before my eyes. The best part of it was that the participation level was so high, all of the players bought into it, asked questions, and understood the drill from a football and HIV/AIDS awareness perspective.
When I return to Toronto I will be able to look back on this 3 month adventure and be proud of a lot of my accomplishments, but this one will stand out.
Sport for Development Realized ... and it feels good.
Monday 1 October 2012
Mr. John Molua
In the last string of pictures I posted, there was one of my good friend John Molua and I. I wanted to go into a little more detail about our friendship and what has transpired.
A couple of weeks ago John showed me an article in a local paper from last year where he was interviewed about a football tournament he organized. I had no idea he was so involved in the community.
Currently, John is as a second division football player in Limbe. His is only paid for his time to get to and from matches. This tournament helped to keep him busy, put a little food in his stomach as well as provide a valuable service to his communtiy.
He told me about the goals he has set out for himself with the tournament and as a football player and I wanted to help in any way I could. I have already introduced him to my personal trainer here in town, Theodore who is from Yaounde. He is currently working on a scouting system in Cameroon that would help get local players noticed by international clubs. But I also wanted to help with the direction of his tournament.
I gave him some of the articles I had printed off and brought with me that talk about using sport for development in Africa which he has devoured and thanked me numerous times. I discussed my frustration with tournaments here in town that say things like "Football Tournament to Tackle HIV/AIDS" and then do NOTHING to tackle HIV/AIDS. I offered a solution. I have with me a great manual written by the UK Charity 'Tackle Africa' that provides the reader with great ideas for football drills that can be applied to the football pitch as well as HIV/AIDS awareness. I have already employed a couple of these drills in my practices with AVFAL. They went great!
I offered John a list of HIV/AIDS facts and some True and False statements to help with awareness that he can print on pamphlets and give away to spectators and teams at the tournament. I also offered to arrange for condoms to be shipped from Canada to him in Limbe so that he can distribute condoms to those involved and interested.
John has been a consistent source of support and friendship during these past 10 weeks and I think he summed up our friendship beautifully the other day when I asked him to write me a message in my journal.
"It took a day to know you but it would take a lifetime to forget you!"
Now those of you that know me well know that I am not poetic enough to make that up. John is one of my closest friends here in Limbe and I was happy to help him with his goals and aspirations in any way I can!
A couple of weeks ago John showed me an article in a local paper from last year where he was interviewed about a football tournament he organized. I had no idea he was so involved in the community.
Currently, John is as a second division football player in Limbe. His is only paid for his time to get to and from matches. This tournament helped to keep him busy, put a little food in his stomach as well as provide a valuable service to his communtiy.
He told me about the goals he has set out for himself with the tournament and as a football player and I wanted to help in any way I could. I have already introduced him to my personal trainer here in town, Theodore who is from Yaounde. He is currently working on a scouting system in Cameroon that would help get local players noticed by international clubs. But I also wanted to help with the direction of his tournament.
I gave him some of the articles I had printed off and brought with me that talk about using sport for development in Africa which he has devoured and thanked me numerous times. I discussed my frustration with tournaments here in town that say things like "Football Tournament to Tackle HIV/AIDS" and then do NOTHING to tackle HIV/AIDS. I offered a solution. I have with me a great manual written by the UK Charity 'Tackle Africa' that provides the reader with great ideas for football drills that can be applied to the football pitch as well as HIV/AIDS awareness. I have already employed a couple of these drills in my practices with AVFAL. They went great!
I offered John a list of HIV/AIDS facts and some True and False statements to help with awareness that he can print on pamphlets and give away to spectators and teams at the tournament. I also offered to arrange for condoms to be shipped from Canada to him in Limbe so that he can distribute condoms to those involved and interested.
John has been a consistent source of support and friendship during these past 10 weeks and I think he summed up our friendship beautifully the other day when I asked him to write me a message in my journal.
"It took a day to know you but it would take a lifetime to forget you!"
Now those of you that know me well know that I am not poetic enough to make that up. John is one of my closest friends here in Limbe and I was happy to help him with his goals and aspirations in any way I can!
Sunday 30 September 2012
Climbing the rope ladder out of the rainforest to the Debunscha Lake
P.S. I wrote a Blog Post for my 10 week mark called "10 down, 2 to go" I have since posted a lot of pictures and the post has been pushed to page 2 of my Blog. Please scroll down and enjoy the post! Sorry for the inconvenience. Next time pictures will come first, promise.
Obi enjoying AVFAL's new keeper gloves!
FYI - Obi's nickname is Mr. Official because of the one day he forgot his shoes and acted as the match's official. He gave me 3 yellow cards.
John Molua and Josh
I met John in my first few weeks in Limbe. Since then we have sat down and had many conversations about football in Africa and Cameroon and some of the opportunities that are present there. He has been an amazing source of support and friendship during my time here. I have shared my experiences with him and vice versa. I have also shared my views on sports and the power of sport that can be used in development. We share a lot of the same goals and passions and that has led to a great friendship! We have shared many a fish together.
10 down, 2 to go
It is currently 9:42 am on Sunday September 30 and yesterday marked exactly 10 weeks here in Limbe. I still remember a time when August 1 seemed like a lifetime away and now here I am on the cusp of October and it's weird.
These past 10 weeks have provided me with an unbelievable adventure, memorable moments, valuable life lessons as well as frustrating interactions, cultural misunderstandings and missed opportunities. Here in Africa, apparently things are done differently; lesson 1.
I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to come and volunteer my time here in Cameroon and am so proud of how far I have come. The 10 months that I spent in Canada planning and applying pressure to this trip alotted me sufficient time to prepare myself mentally for what lay ahead, which I apparently did not do correctly. I was so intent on learning about using Sport for Development and assumed that everything else would fall into place that I overlooked so many possible complications that I could have never anticipated until I got here.
Learning to work with people from around the world and how to adapt to not-so-ideal situations are just 2 parts of this experience that became apparent very early on. The unfortunate reality of life is that we learn more from our mistakes and the difficult or annoying situations than from the easy ones where everything goes perfectly and no adaptation is required.
Three months in Africa's 2nd most corrupt country and one of its poorest too, seems like a long time. Ten weeks ago when I de-planed at Douala International Airport, clean shaven and naively excited, I looked ahead at the 12 weeks I had to go as an almost insurmountable amount of time. i suspected at some point it would end with me lying to my insurance company so that they would send me home. That day never came and now on the last day of Spetmeber I do not see myself backing out now. In the past couple of weeks I have met many awesome volunteers including Tjeerd and Johan from Amsterdam, Julia and Franzika from Germany, Laura from England and many others. I have loved hearing about their volunteer work and how working for different organizations provides a plethora of different experiences. Most of the volunteers I have met from Germany are here for a full year with a government-run organization and they all told me that it usually takes at least 3 months before you really start to get the hang of everything. It's so true. While I am very excited to fly from Douala to Paris and then spend 3 weeks travelling around Europe visiting friends and family and then go home to Toronto to see my Bubbie, I am also extremely angry that just now as I start to find my groove and hit my stride, I'm prepping to go home.
All I can do now is make the absolute best of my final 1 week and 6 days here in Limbe and come back to Toronto and actually APPLY what I have learned here to my life and my career. It would be such a shame to see all of the lessons learned here go to waste because I decided to forget them once I am reminded of what a hot shower is and enjoy a cheeseburger again ... but that is not going to happen. I have spent 10 weeks coaching, learning, teaching, reading, meeting people, climbing mountains, trekking through rainforests, playing the harmonica, and embracing the adventure for all that it is, both good and bad, and done all of it thousands of miles from my home, my family, my friends, and my entire support system. Sometimes you need to shock the system to really get it moving.
Two weeks from right now I will be in Paris, France wanting to write a summation blog but probably sleeping instead.
Love to all.
These past 10 weeks have provided me with an unbelievable adventure, memorable moments, valuable life lessons as well as frustrating interactions, cultural misunderstandings and missed opportunities. Here in Africa, apparently things are done differently; lesson 1.
I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to come and volunteer my time here in Cameroon and am so proud of how far I have come. The 10 months that I spent in Canada planning and applying pressure to this trip alotted me sufficient time to prepare myself mentally for what lay ahead, which I apparently did not do correctly. I was so intent on learning about using Sport for Development and assumed that everything else would fall into place that I overlooked so many possible complications that I could have never anticipated until I got here.
Learning to work with people from around the world and how to adapt to not-so-ideal situations are just 2 parts of this experience that became apparent very early on. The unfortunate reality of life is that we learn more from our mistakes and the difficult or annoying situations than from the easy ones where everything goes perfectly and no adaptation is required.
Three months in Africa's 2nd most corrupt country and one of its poorest too, seems like a long time. Ten weeks ago when I de-planed at Douala International Airport, clean shaven and naively excited, I looked ahead at the 12 weeks I had to go as an almost insurmountable amount of time. i suspected at some point it would end with me lying to my insurance company so that they would send me home. That day never came and now on the last day of Spetmeber I do not see myself backing out now. In the past couple of weeks I have met many awesome volunteers including Tjeerd and Johan from Amsterdam, Julia and Franzika from Germany, Laura from England and many others. I have loved hearing about their volunteer work and how working for different organizations provides a plethora of different experiences. Most of the volunteers I have met from Germany are here for a full year with a government-run organization and they all told me that it usually takes at least 3 months before you really start to get the hang of everything. It's so true. While I am very excited to fly from Douala to Paris and then spend 3 weeks travelling around Europe visiting friends and family and then go home to Toronto to see my Bubbie, I am also extremely angry that just now as I start to find my groove and hit my stride, I'm prepping to go home.
All I can do now is make the absolute best of my final 1 week and 6 days here in Limbe and come back to Toronto and actually APPLY what I have learned here to my life and my career. It would be such a shame to see all of the lessons learned here go to waste because I decided to forget them once I am reminded of what a hot shower is and enjoy a cheeseburger again ... but that is not going to happen. I have spent 10 weeks coaching, learning, teaching, reading, meeting people, climbing mountains, trekking through rainforests, playing the harmonica, and embracing the adventure for all that it is, both good and bad, and done all of it thousands of miles from my home, my family, my friends, and my entire support system. Sometimes you need to shock the system to really get it moving.
Two weeks from right now I will be in Paris, France wanting to write a summation blog but probably sleeping instead.
Love to all.
Sunday 23 September 2012
75%
So I am trudging through the rainforest of Debunscha on my way back from the remote lake whose name I can not remember, and one of the other volunteers I was with said, "hey look, a monkey!" Well the Rapid Intervention Batallion (BIR) soldiers, from Cameroon's military force, sprung into action arming their assault rifles getting ready for the hunt. I tried desperately to keep up with them because it is every little boys dream to catch on video 2 African soldiers shooting a monkey out of a tree with assault rifles for dinner that night. Well, the other volunteers, being vegetarians, scared the monkey away with a hand drum. It was still fun though.
After one of the most stressful weeks I have had here in Limbe, I was offered to join Bantu and some other volunteers in Limbe to go on a trip to Debunscha, the wettest place in all of Africa, for some music playing and hiking and sightseeing. SO HAPPY I WENT! It was just the little vacation I needed!
I got to talking to the other volunteers and we compared experiences and confirmed my thought that each volunteer experience presents similar frustrations as well as some unique ones. Regardless, it was amazing to get to know some other people and talk about development experiences from different points of view. It was also great to get to know other people while exploring a new village and taking in some great sights and adventures! Not to mention playing my harmonica for a bar full of Cameroonians!
About 6 weeks ago my lovely parents sent me a lovely package. Inside that package was a group of toiletries that I ran out of a month ago (I received the package 4 days ago) and my favourite brand of cookies that lasted 4 minutes, and an external hard drive filled with my favorite shows. This package came at the most amazing of times. It was at the peak of my stress here in Limbe. The package included a lovely hand written letter from my parents and now I can go to sleep after having had a good laugh to Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock. THANK YOU ALAN AND DIANNE.
I now have my hands on some coaching manuals that will help me learn more about how I can use football for development in Africa. Tackle Africa is a UK based charity that published an amazing manual on how to use football to talk to kids about HIV and AIDS awareness. I plan on taking full advantage of my 3 weeks left here by putting a few of these drills to good use. I have already talked to one of my players about this and he thought it was a great idea.
Throughout my trip I have spent an unhealthy amount of time reflecting on my thoughts before and after my departure and also about my experiences here thus far. I have been thinking a lot about corruption. Wanting to learn about the field of international development, corruption is unfortunately a big part of that. Cameroon, being the second most corrupt country in all of Africa, I was warned about social and general dealings in Cameroon because of that. However, when I am told that Cameroon is a very corrupt country while sitting in the comfort of my Toronto bedroom, it was easy to shrug off. No one will ever truly understand how a corrupt government really affects all of the people of that country until they get over here and experience it on their own. We all know what a corrupt government is by definition but we do not know what the affects of that government is on everyday life here. I now have an idea, and it sucks.
My relationship with the Delegation of Sport and Physical Education is going amazingly. I work with Saker Baptist College on Mondays and Wednesdays and Ibolyka Szabo Foundation on Fridays. I have been helping these schools organize and run their PE programs and am having a blast! The delegation has also asked me to speak at a seminar on October 10th for all of the PE teachers in this division. Very exciting!
I would like to take this opportunity to send a shout out to the Sport Development class at Brock University being taught by Dr. Laura Cousens who has been a tremendous source of support these past 9 weeks. I am so looking forward to coming to St. Catherines to speak to her class about my experiences!
Before I end this post, I wanted to share yet another thought about using sport for development that has become evident to me. Using sport or physical activity to send a message, be it HIV/AIDS awareness or teamwork or trust and understanding, can be extremely effective. However, if sport is going to ever erect any kind of long term sustainable change, the system and organization needs to not only want to change, but implement and support change. Tournaments, coaching clinics, grassroots leagues, feeder systems and field scheduling ALL need to be better organized and governed. Despite the overwhelming passion surrounding all aspects of sport, especially here in Cameroon, there seems to be a lack of effort to really organize any kind of long term system that uses sport to better the community. For example, when I first arrived in Limbe the AVFAL players were in a tournament called the Paco Melville Junior Football Tournament. It was a lot of fun and the community support seemed pretty good for a junior tournament. BUT, a few weeks after the tournament ended I saw a banner for the tournament that said "2012 Paco Melville Junior Football Tournament to end HIV/AIDS" A tournament aimed at HIV/AIDS awareness is an amazing concept, but no one knew that was the objective. I certainly didn't and there was not a single event within the tournament that had anything to do with HIV/AIDS. The opportunity is there, in abundance. The execution is not. IF that is going to change, it needs to change at the top with the organizers and coaches and community. It needs to filter down. People need to realize the potential of these kinds of social institutions and make sure that the potential is reached. Football academies that function within a fractured system, within a fractured country can only accomplish so much. But, like I have learned, we adapt and learn to work with what we have and do our very best everyday. That will only be enough for so long....
Off to bed now because je suis fatigue. Bilingualism here I come!!!!!
Cheers and love to all.
Josh
After one of the most stressful weeks I have had here in Limbe, I was offered to join Bantu and some other volunteers in Limbe to go on a trip to Debunscha, the wettest place in all of Africa, for some music playing and hiking and sightseeing. SO HAPPY I WENT! It was just the little vacation I needed!
I got to talking to the other volunteers and we compared experiences and confirmed my thought that each volunteer experience presents similar frustrations as well as some unique ones. Regardless, it was amazing to get to know some other people and talk about development experiences from different points of view. It was also great to get to know other people while exploring a new village and taking in some great sights and adventures! Not to mention playing my harmonica for a bar full of Cameroonians!
About 6 weeks ago my lovely parents sent me a lovely package. Inside that package was a group of toiletries that I ran out of a month ago (I received the package 4 days ago) and my favourite brand of cookies that lasted 4 minutes, and an external hard drive filled with my favorite shows. This package came at the most amazing of times. It was at the peak of my stress here in Limbe. The package included a lovely hand written letter from my parents and now I can go to sleep after having had a good laugh to Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock. THANK YOU ALAN AND DIANNE.
I now have my hands on some coaching manuals that will help me learn more about how I can use football for development in Africa. Tackle Africa is a UK based charity that published an amazing manual on how to use football to talk to kids about HIV and AIDS awareness. I plan on taking full advantage of my 3 weeks left here by putting a few of these drills to good use. I have already talked to one of my players about this and he thought it was a great idea.
Throughout my trip I have spent an unhealthy amount of time reflecting on my thoughts before and after my departure and also about my experiences here thus far. I have been thinking a lot about corruption. Wanting to learn about the field of international development, corruption is unfortunately a big part of that. Cameroon, being the second most corrupt country in all of Africa, I was warned about social and general dealings in Cameroon because of that. However, when I am told that Cameroon is a very corrupt country while sitting in the comfort of my Toronto bedroom, it was easy to shrug off. No one will ever truly understand how a corrupt government really affects all of the people of that country until they get over here and experience it on their own. We all know what a corrupt government is by definition but we do not know what the affects of that government is on everyday life here. I now have an idea, and it sucks.
My relationship with the Delegation of Sport and Physical Education is going amazingly. I work with Saker Baptist College on Mondays and Wednesdays and Ibolyka Szabo Foundation on Fridays. I have been helping these schools organize and run their PE programs and am having a blast! The delegation has also asked me to speak at a seminar on October 10th for all of the PE teachers in this division. Very exciting!
I would like to take this opportunity to send a shout out to the Sport Development class at Brock University being taught by Dr. Laura Cousens who has been a tremendous source of support these past 9 weeks. I am so looking forward to coming to St. Catherines to speak to her class about my experiences!
Before I end this post, I wanted to share yet another thought about using sport for development that has become evident to me. Using sport or physical activity to send a message, be it HIV/AIDS awareness or teamwork or trust and understanding, can be extremely effective. However, if sport is going to ever erect any kind of long term sustainable change, the system and organization needs to not only want to change, but implement and support change. Tournaments, coaching clinics, grassroots leagues, feeder systems and field scheduling ALL need to be better organized and governed. Despite the overwhelming passion surrounding all aspects of sport, especially here in Cameroon, there seems to be a lack of effort to really organize any kind of long term system that uses sport to better the community. For example, when I first arrived in Limbe the AVFAL players were in a tournament called the Paco Melville Junior Football Tournament. It was a lot of fun and the community support seemed pretty good for a junior tournament. BUT, a few weeks after the tournament ended I saw a banner for the tournament that said "2012 Paco Melville Junior Football Tournament to end HIV/AIDS" A tournament aimed at HIV/AIDS awareness is an amazing concept, but no one knew that was the objective. I certainly didn't and there was not a single event within the tournament that had anything to do with HIV/AIDS. The opportunity is there, in abundance. The execution is not. IF that is going to change, it needs to change at the top with the organizers and coaches and community. It needs to filter down. People need to realize the potential of these kinds of social institutions and make sure that the potential is reached. Football academies that function within a fractured system, within a fractured country can only accomplish so much. But, like I have learned, we adapt and learn to work with what we have and do our very best everyday. That will only be enough for so long....
Off to bed now because je suis fatigue. Bilingualism here I come!!!!!
Cheers and love to all.
Josh
Sunday 16 September 2012
8 Weeks
8 weeks down and 4 to go. 2 months down and 1 to go. No matter how I look at it, I still can not believe that it is September 16 already. There was once a time when I did not think I would be in Africa to see September. But here I am!
It seems like every time I write a blog I go on and on about all of the obstacles I have overcome and how its frustrating but I learned a valuable lesson and I had written a whole long blog for today that I realized after did more of the same. I have instead decided to focus this blog on something different.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I work at 2 schools here in Limbe. On Monday and Wednesday I am at the all girls school in New Town called Saker Baptist College. On Friday I am at the Ibolyka Szasbo Foundation. And of course Monday - Friday I train the AVFAL kids at 4, after school. I am very busy. ALSO, I met a guy last week at the Delegation for Sport and Physical Education (where I made these school connections) who has offered to be my personal trainer for my final month here and make me "sexy". It should be exciting.
I have been trying very hard to develop as a coach and I think I have accomplished that. Learning new drills and all about the sport of football itself is obviously a very important aspect to the field of sport for development because when implementing a program football is usually the sport used.... Working with new people from different cultures is a great way to learn because everyone comes with their own experiences and ideas. Coaching and development should be a collaboration of ideas and cultures to move forward with sustainable change. It does not always happen that way which is why it is very important to surround yourself with people that you know and trust and who share similar goals as you.
It is inevitable that you will need to work with some people throughout your career that seem to make accomplishing your goals difficult but they too have valuable experience and knowlege and all you can do is learn what you can and move onto the next life experience.
With 4 weeks left and the other volunteers already gone, there is a lot of emphasis on my coaching ability now. There will be a lot of times when my presence is the only one at the field and it can be intimidating coaching a group of 15 teenagers who are clearly better footballers than you, but this trip has been about overcoming mountainous (literally) obstacles and teaching what you can while learning what you can.
One of the valuable coaching AND life lessons that I have learned while I have been here is that sometimes you need to adapt to what you have and learn to work with whatever resources you have available to you. You won't always have the personnel you want, you won't always have the necessary equipment and you won't always have the space to maneuver the way in which you might need to ... but things can always be accomplished with what is there and the way I see it, it's impossible to TRY and fail.
Off now to say goodbye to Domenqiue who is heading out of town for school .. sad to say goodbye but it has been really awesome coaching him! He is a great kid! On that note, I just received another message from Leonel who is doing his best and loving school!
Cheers and love to all!
Josh
It seems like every time I write a blog I go on and on about all of the obstacles I have overcome and how its frustrating but I learned a valuable lesson and I had written a whole long blog for today that I realized after did more of the same. I have instead decided to focus this blog on something different.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I work at 2 schools here in Limbe. On Monday and Wednesday I am at the all girls school in New Town called Saker Baptist College. On Friday I am at the Ibolyka Szasbo Foundation. And of course Monday - Friday I train the AVFAL kids at 4, after school. I am very busy. ALSO, I met a guy last week at the Delegation for Sport and Physical Education (where I made these school connections) who has offered to be my personal trainer for my final month here and make me "sexy". It should be exciting.
I have been trying very hard to develop as a coach and I think I have accomplished that. Learning new drills and all about the sport of football itself is obviously a very important aspect to the field of sport for development because when implementing a program football is usually the sport used.... Working with new people from different cultures is a great way to learn because everyone comes with their own experiences and ideas. Coaching and development should be a collaboration of ideas and cultures to move forward with sustainable change. It does not always happen that way which is why it is very important to surround yourself with people that you know and trust and who share similar goals as you.
It is inevitable that you will need to work with some people throughout your career that seem to make accomplishing your goals difficult but they too have valuable experience and knowlege and all you can do is learn what you can and move onto the next life experience.
With 4 weeks left and the other volunteers already gone, there is a lot of emphasis on my coaching ability now. There will be a lot of times when my presence is the only one at the field and it can be intimidating coaching a group of 15 teenagers who are clearly better footballers than you, but this trip has been about overcoming mountainous (literally) obstacles and teaching what you can while learning what you can.
One of the valuable coaching AND life lessons that I have learned while I have been here is that sometimes you need to adapt to what you have and learn to work with whatever resources you have available to you. You won't always have the personnel you want, you won't always have the necessary equipment and you won't always have the space to maneuver the way in which you might need to ... but things can always be accomplished with what is there and the way I see it, it's impossible to TRY and fail.
Off now to say goodbye to Domenqiue who is heading out of town for school .. sad to say goodbye but it has been really awesome coaching him! He is a great kid! On that note, I just received another message from Leonel who is doing his best and loving school!
Cheers and love to all!
Josh
Thursday 6 September 2012
SUMMIT!
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Mount Cameroon ... you just got Summitted. Mark the time, 7:41am September 5, 2012.
Mount Cameroon
13,255 ft. up and down in 2 days. Mount Cameroon has been conquered by yours truly.
Tuesday September 4, Andy and I rose at approximately 6am to be ready to make the trip to the nearby town of Buea to begin our climbing of Mount Cameroon. We reached the base of the mountain and met our guides and porters and started to hike at just after 9am. I was tired after 15 minutes. I was A LONG way from being finished.
The hike starts off up a steep hill and through a prison that apparently still has prisoners in it, I was not allowed to take pictures. We then entered the forest. It rained. Our path turned into a river. That is when the struggle started.
By the time we reached Hut 1, we were wet, tired, and sweaty. At Hut 1 we met James. James lives in the area and climbed up to Hut 1 under his own accord and has been living there for almost a month. He came up there to pray. He has a scrapbook full of people who gave him pictures of themselves or wrote down requests for James to pray for them. I asked James if the Mountain holds some kind of significance with regard to prayer ... he said no. I decided not to push any further. He did make us the most unbelievable cup of tea ever. So.....
Once we left Hut 1, we were totally oblivious to the Hell that awaited us in the Savannah of the mountain. Once we made our way out of the forest the Savannah was beautiful. After having your whole environment for 3 hours be crushed by trees and branches and dense forest, any open space is warmly welcomed. After about 18 seconds of climbing the Savannah, we were all wishing for the forest. The Savannah is about 5000 ft. of slippery rock and grass on a severe uphill slope. Every step I just wanted to sit down and rest. Everytime I caught my breath, I had lost it again after 2 steps. Everytime I thought my leg muscles were going to explode I had to take another step, then another, then another, then about 1000 more. At each resting point I welcomed the concept of sitting down on something that wasn't a wet sloped mountain side, but then we were off again in 15 minutes.
The last 45 minutes leading up to Hut 2, I was struggling. Our guide, Matthias, is 59 years old and beat Andy and I up and down the mountain. He patiently waited for me and encouraged me along to Hut 2. Once we reached Hut 2, the sight of where we were started to sink in. The sun started to set and it was BEAUTFIUL. But the best was yet to come.
We finally ate some dinner and was told that if we wanted to reach the Summit and then make it all the way back down again that we would have to wake up at 3:30am and start hiking by 4. I was in my sleeping bag at 7:30pm. Finally, 3:30am rolls around and my 28 minutes of sleep really got me ready for the long day ahead. None of the porters of guides thought I was going to be able to make it to the Summit. WRONG.
We started hiking in the pitch black of night and still sore and tired from the day before, Andy and I were moving slowly. The minutes and hours ticked on and the next thing we knew the morning sun was peaking up over the horizon seemingly at arms length. It was beautiful.
One thing I should mention is that the most amazing views we had while on the mountain were either so minute or of the stars at night so I could not even take pictures of them! On that note, I have never, and would be shocked if I ever did, see such a beautful starry night again in my life. Being 9000 feet up, there is no light from the city, no cloud cover and nothing at all that stands in between you and the trillions of beautiful shining lights in our night sky. It was unforgettable, irreplaceable, and impossible to capture in anything but my memory.
By the time we could at least see the Summit, nothing else mattered except reaching that peak. Each step was agony and each step all I wanted was to be in bed with 2 people rubbing my freezing cold and sore feet, but nothing was stopping me from reaching this goal. Andy reached the top first and waited just steps shy of the landmark so that we could conquer the mountain together. WHAT A FEELING! To be able to say that I climbed a mountain, is something I am very proud of. Considering the physical and emotional toll that the mountain takes from you. It was amazing!
The way down, sucked. It was rainy, dangerous, frustrating and physically exhausting. Every step I could feel my leg muscles twitching and begging for a rest. Every step I thought I was going to slip either from lose rocks, wet grass, or basic muscle exhaustion. But with each step I could feel myself getting closer to my goal ... BED.
The mountain had this very frustrating and almost rude way of presenting you with a landmark or resting point so that you THINK that it is close when really, after you walk and struggle for another hour, the resting point seems just as far away as it did an hour ago.
But eventually you get home and get to bed and it is glorious! Then you wake up this morning and you can not move your legs. Small price to pay.
So that is that, enjoy the pictures I can post from here and hopefully I can share the videos with you when I get home!
Tomorrow I have my first day at the school and I am SO EXCITED!!!! Can not wait to start working with and get an understanding for how physical education is taught here in Limbe!!!!!
Off to bed! Much love to all!
Also, in case any of you were wondering, I just received a facebook message from Leonel who has safely arrived in Bamenda and is excited to start school!!!
Tuesday September 4, Andy and I rose at approximately 6am to be ready to make the trip to the nearby town of Buea to begin our climbing of Mount Cameroon. We reached the base of the mountain and met our guides and porters and started to hike at just after 9am. I was tired after 15 minutes. I was A LONG way from being finished.
The hike starts off up a steep hill and through a prison that apparently still has prisoners in it, I was not allowed to take pictures. We then entered the forest. It rained. Our path turned into a river. That is when the struggle started.
By the time we reached Hut 1, we were wet, tired, and sweaty. At Hut 1 we met James. James lives in the area and climbed up to Hut 1 under his own accord and has been living there for almost a month. He came up there to pray. He has a scrapbook full of people who gave him pictures of themselves or wrote down requests for James to pray for them. I asked James if the Mountain holds some kind of significance with regard to prayer ... he said no. I decided not to push any further. He did make us the most unbelievable cup of tea ever. So.....
Once we left Hut 1, we were totally oblivious to the Hell that awaited us in the Savannah of the mountain. Once we made our way out of the forest the Savannah was beautiful. After having your whole environment for 3 hours be crushed by trees and branches and dense forest, any open space is warmly welcomed. After about 18 seconds of climbing the Savannah, we were all wishing for the forest. The Savannah is about 5000 ft. of slippery rock and grass on a severe uphill slope. Every step I just wanted to sit down and rest. Everytime I caught my breath, I had lost it again after 2 steps. Everytime I thought my leg muscles were going to explode I had to take another step, then another, then another, then about 1000 more. At each resting point I welcomed the concept of sitting down on something that wasn't a wet sloped mountain side, but then we were off again in 15 minutes.
The last 45 minutes leading up to Hut 2, I was struggling. Our guide, Matthias, is 59 years old and beat Andy and I up and down the mountain. He patiently waited for me and encouraged me along to Hut 2. Once we reached Hut 2, the sight of where we were started to sink in. The sun started to set and it was BEAUTFIUL. But the best was yet to come.
We finally ate some dinner and was told that if we wanted to reach the Summit and then make it all the way back down again that we would have to wake up at 3:30am and start hiking by 4. I was in my sleeping bag at 7:30pm. Finally, 3:30am rolls around and my 28 minutes of sleep really got me ready for the long day ahead. None of the porters of guides thought I was going to be able to make it to the Summit. WRONG.
We started hiking in the pitch black of night and still sore and tired from the day before, Andy and I were moving slowly. The minutes and hours ticked on and the next thing we knew the morning sun was peaking up over the horizon seemingly at arms length. It was beautiful.
One thing I should mention is that the most amazing views we had while on the mountain were either so minute or of the stars at night so I could not even take pictures of them! On that note, I have never, and would be shocked if I ever did, see such a beautful starry night again in my life. Being 9000 feet up, there is no light from the city, no cloud cover and nothing at all that stands in between you and the trillions of beautiful shining lights in our night sky. It was unforgettable, irreplaceable, and impossible to capture in anything but my memory.
By the time we could at least see the Summit, nothing else mattered except reaching that peak. Each step was agony and each step all I wanted was to be in bed with 2 people rubbing my freezing cold and sore feet, but nothing was stopping me from reaching this goal. Andy reached the top first and waited just steps shy of the landmark so that we could conquer the mountain together. WHAT A FEELING! To be able to say that I climbed a mountain, is something I am very proud of. Considering the physical and emotional toll that the mountain takes from you. It was amazing!
The way down, sucked. It was rainy, dangerous, frustrating and physically exhausting. Every step I could feel my leg muscles twitching and begging for a rest. Every step I thought I was going to slip either from lose rocks, wet grass, or basic muscle exhaustion. But with each step I could feel myself getting closer to my goal ... BED.
The mountain had this very frustrating and almost rude way of presenting you with a landmark or resting point so that you THINK that it is close when really, after you walk and struggle for another hour, the resting point seems just as far away as it did an hour ago.
But eventually you get home and get to bed and it is glorious! Then you wake up this morning and you can not move your legs. Small price to pay.
So that is that, enjoy the pictures I can post from here and hopefully I can share the videos with you when I get home!
Tomorrow I have my first day at the school and I am SO EXCITED!!!! Can not wait to start working with and get an understanding for how physical education is taught here in Limbe!!!!!
Off to bed! Much love to all!
Also, in case any of you were wondering, I just received a facebook message from Leonel who has safely arrived in Bamenda and is excited to start school!!!
Monday 3 September 2012
Leonel
The following was written on September 2, 2012 at approximately 11:00pm.
Early on in my Limbe experience I got to know one of the AVFAL players on a
more personal level. His name is
Leonel. He is a great kid and a good
footballer. The first time we met up
outside of the football field he introduced me to fufu and eru a local
Cameroonian dish that is, for lack of a better word, gross. We talked about football and life and he told
me about his aspirations to work in development economics so that he can use
his knowledge to help Cameroon and Africa.
I instantly took to Leonel and vice versa. Once the tournament that AVFAL was playing in
ended I did not see Leonel as much as I would have liked. But I still made an
effort to see him around and we still hung out and I still stopped by to see
him and his dad running their corner clothing shop. Unfortunately, we had to say our goodbyes
tonight and it was a very emotional experience for him, but also for me. I am writing this post from my room because
the following story has JUST happened and I wanted to write about it while it
was still fresh in my mind.
This afternoon Andy, John, Humphrey and I were at a local bar called Mars
eating, drinking and watching the English Premiere League when I noticed that I
had missed a call from Leonel. Before I
was even given a chance to call him back he appeared at Mars and came to greet
us. He sat down next to me and quickly
mentioned that his father had just told him that he was being sent to Bamenda,
a city in the North about 10 hours away by bus, for school instead of staying
in Limbe as was expected. I asked him
when he was leaving and he said at 9pm tonight and he would not be back until
after I leave Cameroon. I immediately
told him that I wanted to take him out for dinner before we had to say goodbye. Once the EPL game ended we met up.
As we strolled around he told me about how he was still in shock about the
news and how he was upset about it because he wanted to stay and hang out with
me for my last 6 weeks and also so that he could continue to play
football. I assured him that we would
stay in touch through email and facebook and that the better schools in Bamenda
were MUCH more important than playing football or hanging out with me. He reluctantly agreed then asked me if I
would accompany him and his father to the bus station to see him off to
Bamenda, and of course said that I was honoured and that I would.
He took me to see his father who was at a bar drinking, and clearly had
been for some time. He was noticeably
drunk. Leonel said he was going to go
home to finish up some last minute packing but that his father would take me
there soon to go to the station. The
next 25 minutes consisted of Leonel's father explaining how he was happy that
Leonel had met me and that Leonel wanted to stay because he did not want to
leave me and the football team and his friends. He wanted Leonel to go
because the schools in Bamenda were better and Leonel's future had to be his
number 1 concern. I agreed and told him
that I would have told Leonel the exact same thing. After an uncomfortable 25 minutes of Leonel's
father pouring his heart to me about how he had to make his own sacrifices when
Leonel was born so that he could be a responsible father to Leonel, we
left. Despite his state of mind, I was
happy that he felt that way and acted on it.
It does not always happen that way in Africa.
His father then took me to their house.
We walked up a very slippery, unstable, crooked, and dark staircase to
the house where he almost fell over about 10 times. We made it inside and I found Leonel zipping
up his bag. I asked him how he was
feeling and he was still unsure. Just as
we were getting ready to meet the car that had been arranged to take Leonel to
the station, we found out that the driver had a "complication" and
was not coming. We had to take a
cab. Then just as I was getting up to
put my shoes on I was alarmed to learn that Leonel's father was not coming
because he did not feel well and wanted to stay home and sleep. Leonel left without a hug or goodbye from his
father. He will not return to Limbe
until December.
I got in the taxi with Leonel and we drove further outside the city, the
station was actually outside Limbe city limits.
We arrived at the bus station and it was pandemonium. I am going to re write that sentence with a
further emphasis. We arrived at the bus
station and it was PANDEMONIUM. Taxis,
people, bags, honking, yelling, rocks, puddles, no organization, no
identifiable people to assist in locating which bus was going where, or to help
shove another bag into the over-flowing compartments; it was madness. On top of all of this, Leonel realized that
he had lost his cell phone, presumably the only form of communication he had
with his father until he arrived in Bamenda.
He frantically tried calling it and looking for it before he gave
up. I grabbed him and looked him in the
eye and said "Leonel, do not panic.
It is ok. When you get to Bamenda
someone is meeting you right? [he said yes] And you know their number right?
[he again said yes] So, once you arrive you can find them and they will help
you sort everything out. You can call
them if you have to and you can call your dad to let him know you're ok! Our
only concern right now is getting you on that bus!" He agreed.
We tracked someone down to help us put his bag on the bus and then we went
to get him a seat. He told me to wait
outside while he put his backpack down and that he would be right back. He came back a few minutes later and he told
me he would help me find a taxi to take me the long way back to my apartment. We found one immediately and we all of a
sudden had 15 seconds to say goodbye.
I found myself in a situation that I was not prepared for and in no way
expected to have to handle in my time here.
Leonel, a terrified 17 year old, was about to get on a bus packed with
strangers for 10 hours to go to a city that he is unfamiliar with to go to
school for 6 months and write one of Cameroon's most difficult and important
aptitude tests; and the only person there to say goodbye to him was a volunteer
coach that he has known for 6 weeks.
We hugged and I told him that he could and should email me at ANY time with
ANY concern or question. He told me he
would. I then told him that I was really
proud of him for doing this and that it was the best thing for him. He nodded and began to walk back to the
bus. He then stopped, started to cry and
ran back for another hug. The taxi, full
of people, started to honk at us. I
promised Leonel that he was going to be just fine and that we would talk and
that he was going to be amazing! I
promised him again that he was going to be fine and that I was proud of
him. He backed off slowly wiping tears
away and nodded. I yelled once more that
everything was going to work out and that I was so proud.
He turned to go the bus and I got into the taxi. That was it.
I took the taxi home, ate a quick dinner, and then came home to write
this. I still don't know how I feel
about what just happened. I came almost
as close to crying as I did on my first night here when I actually did cry
(from shock!) but now I'm just sad and confused. I feel like I could have done more or should
have done more for him but I can't think of what that might have been.
All I can think of right now is my parents.
I am so thankful and grateful and lucky to have the family that I
do.
Sunday 2 September 2012
6/12
This blog post is unique for a number of reasons;
a) It is the first post, since my arrival, which is not being written at
the Hotel Miramare in the Limbe Botanical Gardens. I am sitting on the floor of my bedroom as I
write this ... the internet was being stupid today.
b) This post represents my 1/2 checkpoint.
This Saturday September 1 marks the end of my 6th week here in Limbe of
exactly 12.
c) This one is perhaps the most important, exciting, and my personal
favourite. It may not be posted on the
date, but it is being written on my father's birthday. I have never had any kind of internet
following before so I am excited to use this one to wish my father the happiest
of birthdays and mention that I can not wait to see him and the rest of my
family upon my return. Happy Birthday
Dad!
This week has been pretty interesting.
I spent most of this week looking forward to today because of the afore
mentioned reasons, and thus it went by fairly slowly. The way I see it, a slow week just means that
I got to savour all the moments in it!
That double edged sword provided me with some lovely moments to remember
and some tough ones to swallow. The
memorable moments were for the most part captured either by my memory or my
camera and the tough ones were, as they all have been thus far, something I
tried to learn from and take in as all part of this kind of experience.
With regard to my ambition to work with some local schools, I went to the
Delegation of Sport and Physical Education to speak with the Delegate about how
I could not afford to pay the money that I was told was required to run the
kind of program I was proposing. I then
proceeded to explain to the delegate and one of her associates some of the
games and activities I was planning on using and they loved them so much they
offered to let me "observe" a school during Physical Education period
and offer any input and participate in some games as well. This was all I wanted to do in the first
place. Except this time it's for
free. Game. Set. Match.
This momentous Saturday also marked the start of Week 2 for the newest
AVFAL volunteer, John. Being with John
throughout his first week brought back a lot of memories from my adjustment
period here and some were good because I am proud of how far I have come and
others were painful because lets face it, the first week was pretty rough. But here he is in week 2 and here I am now on
the cusp of week 7! I learned some
valuable lessons there in playing a new role for John as well as self
reflection on how I handled some of my own frustrations here.
Andy and I are gearing up, literally, for our ascent up Mount
Cameroon. We leave Limbe at 7am on
Tuesday September 4 and return to Limbe in the evening on Wednesday September
5. We climb up the mountain on Tuesday
to what is called 'Hut 2' at approximately 9000 Ft. We are staying the night there in their
luxurious cabin complete with a tin roof and wooden floor and nothing
else. It's ok, sleep was starting to
annoy me anyway. Once we wake up, or
more likely just notice that the sun is starting to come out, we begin the
final ascent to the Summit of the mountain at just over 13000 Ft. We will spend some time up there, snap a few
photos, and hopefully get a cloudless view from above. The view from above part is kind of up in the
air, literally, since in the 6 weeks that I have been here there has not been a
cloudless moment that was not rudely interrupted by rain within 10
minutes. So ... I'll get back to you on
that one. All I can really hope for is a
safe trip there, up, and back, a decent nights sleep, and the experience of
eating cooked beans out of a can in front of a fire like a cowboy or one of
those Hobos that carries all of his possessions in a bandanna tied around a
stick. Joking aside, beans really are
awesome. Beans aside, I am very excited about
this mini adventure within my adventure!
As the rainy season here comes to an end it is starting to rain more and
more. I know most of you are thinking
that I am attempting humour or cleverness here but I am not. Because that is the truth. I was looking forward to the end of August
and beginning of September resulting in me running out of sun block in 36
hours, but instead my rain jacket is getting its best use since July! It is ridiculous! Andy and I are actually a little worried
about our early trip up the mountain, because we all remember what canoe trips
were like when it rained. Well imagine a
canoe trip, except instead of a canoe you have a guide and a porter and a
mountain in Cameroon, and instead of a tent you have 'Hut 2' (see picture), and
instead of a hilarious, fun filled, organized-down-to-the-hour excursion you
get a once in a lifetime 2-day trip up a MOUNTAIN IN CAMEROON. I think I made my point. But just in case missed it because you were
getting yourself a sandwich, here it is again; I AM GOING TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN
IN CAMEROON AND IT IS GOING TO BE AWESOME.
Some of the players were at the apartment today and I love it when they
visit because they are hilarious. They
love my music and I find it amusing to watch them dance to Foo Fighters or Led
Zeppelin or Lenny Kravitz like I've really put on whatever it is that they
listen to here ... Hip Hop I think they call it? Not too sure.
The point is, it makes me think that they don't even listen. For example, Junior was cha-cha-ing to 'The
Crunge' by Led Zeppelin earlier tonight.
He threw in a little Michael Jackson, but that is too be expected. Actually, now that I think about it, I am ok
with all of it.
Last night Andy and I joined Alex and his lady friend at a Cabaret in New Town. This Cabaret had some very amusing
entertainment. They were playing music
and serving drinks and people were talking and dancing as if they were in a
place I would be used to BUT the in-house entertainment was just someone on a
stage with a fake microphone who was dancing and lip syncing to whatever song
they played. And people gave them money
and it was very good and entertaining. I
even joined a guy named GodGive (totally not joking) on stage to dance and lip
sync to Bob Marley's 'Buffalo Soldier'.
I learned a very important lesson on that stage; that I do not know the
words to that song. It did not matter
because we got cut off about 49 seconds into it. But it was a very enjoyable 49 seconds. ...
My 6 weeks here have provided enough ups and downs to last me a while but
there has been one solid consistency; reflection. From week 1 to week 6 reflecting on what I
left behind in Toronto, what I have to look forward to here in Limbe, what was
frustrating here in Limbe, how much more comfortable I am now in Limbe, and
being blown away by how fast or slow time seems to move here have all been
topics of conversation throughout my time.
I can sit here and reflect all I want but at the end of the day I just
need to enjoy it. I’m here and I have
had 6 great weeks coaching and I can’t wait for the next 6 weeks!
Please stay tuned for pictures and by the end of this week a Mount Cameroon
account.
Much love,
Josh
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