51 Things that a 25-Year-Old Single WOMAN Really Wants For Christmas

I was a bit frustrated after reading and article called, "51 Things that a 25-Year-Old Single Girl Really Wants For Christmas". I saw this and thought, "YAY! This is for me!" But was tremendously disappointed in what the list was comprised of. I saw tons of comments pouring in from from women (even some men!) around the world complaining about the list... so I decided to make an attempt in correcting the list to better reflect what it is that we, 25-Year-Old Single WOMEN (not girls!) really do want for Christmas. Some of these things we may already have, but its always good to remind ourselves how important they are.

1. Solitude. Self-care is critical.

2. Everything on our Amazon book wish list!

3. Temporary commitments (ie: dog or cat, but only when you want it - not all the time).

4. For people to stop asking the same dreaded questions: "Why don't you have a boyfriend" "Are you ever going to settle down?" "Don't you want children?"

5. A French press (or some sort of coffee device).

6. Wine. Enough said.

7. An end to street harassment.

8. To be acknowledged and appreciated for our thoughts instead of our looks.

9. And end to slut shamming and victim blaming.

10. A pay raise.

11. For the American Government to stop supplying weapons and funding to Israel.

12. An "around the world" plane ticket.

13. Diving certificate.

14. A weekend, week, or month at a Yoga retreat.

15. The truth.

16. The ability to let go of relationships that no longer serve us.

17. Recognition of Palestine as an independent Nation-State.

18. Form more relationships with women that are not toxic, bitchy or competitive.

19. A subscription to the Economist or Time.

20. Student loan debt (or any debt for that matter) - GONE!

21. More wool socks (if you live in the Northern states) - More swim suits (if you live in the Southern states)

22. A professional massage.

23. #22 whenever we want.

24. Permanent removal of all unwanted hair.
*And if you want that hair, and end to shamming natural hair!

25. To cultivate a male-friendship (or two) that is not based on the possibility of him 'getting laid'.

26. Feel safe walking home alone regardless of the neighborhood, time of day, or clothes we are wearing.

27. Compassion.

28. Quitting the job we hate or getting a promotion in the job we love!

29. Completely deserved holiday bonus.

30. Periods without cramps. Forever.
*And if you don't get a period, that's cool too!

31. A group of friends whom value us for who we are and what we think.

32. The same group of friends (see 31) also makes us want to be better people.

33. Opportunity to further our education FOR FREE.

34. A warm beach within a 10min walk.

35. A snowy hill to go sledding and make snow angles within a 10min walk.

36. Dismantling of the socially constricted gender roles and expectations. In America but also Worldwide.

37. A carpet that vacuums itself.

38. Respect.

39. Infinity scarves in every size, shape, color, patter, fabric.

40. To stop seeing things as failures and instead morph them into learning opportunities.

41. A $100 Etsy gift certificate.

42. More time to volunteer.

43. Laundry that irons and folds itself.

44. Motivation and tools needed to learn a new language.

45. More conversations with family members.

46. A birth control made for MEN.

47. Appreciation.

48. A bigger more copious vocabulary.

49. Gratitude.

50. A visit from an old friend.

51. __________________ Your turn to fill in the blank! Let me know what you think the list is missing!

N'DEP - Yoff, Senegal

Yoff, Dakar, Senegal

The N'DEP Ritual of Yoff, Dakar, Senegal

There are some people who believe in two worlds: the :”human world” and the “spirit world”. The human world is the world that we live every day. It's tangible, factual and real. Things in the human world are consistent, practical and often times provable. In this world which we all know and embrace, most things are simple and clear - just as night and day. But, many Westerners have not heard of the spirit world and most of those who have are not able to conceptualize what it actually means therefore it is easily written off and disregarded. The spirit world is and entire other world inside of our own. Here, things are less tangible; ghost, spirits witchcraft, fetishes and more. For most, the idea of ​​a spirit world is quite preposterous and even comical. But to their disbelieve, the spirit world is much more than beliefs and superstitions - it's tradition, a lifestyle and a way to stay connected to their ancestors. For those who believe, there's lot of respect and fear of this world. I am convinced that those who don’t believe because continue to do so because they chose not to understand.

In the village of Yoff, in Dakar, Senegal, I experienced the spirit world with my own eyes for the first time. Previous to this experience, I had had several encounters with friends and colleagues telling “stories” of the spirit world, but to me, there were just that - stories.

My first night in Yoff, I was invited to an N'DEP by Djibi Mbaye, my new friend who was a traditional Griot drummer. Griots are found throughout West Africa and are essentially a member of a class or society who are poets, musicians and/or storytellers and their purpose is to maintain the tradition and oral history. Often times, most so historically, they are the lower and uneducated class and it’s a profession passed from father to son. Djibi was to pick me up at 22:00 - I didn't know what to wear, I didn’t know where we were going, I didn’t what to expect. I clung to the one sentence of advice I received was from and friend who had studied abroad a in the same area a few months before I arrive: "Be ready for some crazy shit." With empty hands, Djibi and I left my compound. 

That night was the first night of the ritual of the N'DEP and it was to continue for the rest of the week (5 days total), twice a day (once at noon and once late in the evening). Our pace was slow but I was still sweating, it was hot season and unless you engulfed yourself with air-conditioning, there was no escaping the sweltering heat. As we wove through the narrow alleyways I could feel the hot sand between my toes. Yoff was so close to the Atlantic Ocean, it was nearly covered in sand. Suddenly, I could hear drums in the distance. We followed suite. Soon we arrived to a circle type gathering of about 30 people. Djibi took his place among the drummers and motioned for me to sit on the bench with the other drummers. I was feeling insecure, clueless and frankly a bit frightened but nobody seemed to pay attention to me. All of the drummers were Griot and played together in some sort of "band" where they are hired for various ceremonies such as an N'DEP or a SABAR. The size of those watching began to get bigger and drumbeats became stronger. Women wearing radiant colors and patters started dancing while they would give a kick and cause sand to go everywhere. The atmosphere was tense and I could tell the ritual was ready to begin.

Seven women with the same fabric but different styles of clothes entered the corner from the crowd. I didn't know where they came from but a man was following them. The women chanted in the microphone and danced around the circle. At this point, my French was terrible and Djibi didn't speak English so we weren’t able to really communicate. He leaned over to me and explained that all of the women in the fabric had at one point been cured by an N'DEP, or at least that’s what I got out of our broken French. Suddenly there was a cry from the back and two young women, both looking to be about 20 years of age, appear in the corner wearing darker pattered dresses and cowrie shelled headbands. 

"Who's that?" I ask Djibi motioning towards the two young girls. Before jumping into the next song he muttered, "Elles sont malade dans le tete, elles ont besoin l’N'DEP” meaning: Those girls are sick in the head, they need the N'DEP. And there it began.

The N'DEP is a ritual of drums, dancing and singing and is used for what the Western world might call a mental patient. The purpose of the ritual is to extract the “wrab” from the person who is sick. A wrab is a lost ancestral spirit who sometimes possesses a person, often a young woman. The wrab attacks the person with a physical or mental illness of any kind. Occasionally, there is even a sacrifice, for example, a chicken, in addition to the N'DEP. The N'DEP is headed by a female religious specialist sometimes know as a witch doctor. This is preformed twice a day and between 3 -7 days to ensure full recovery and full extraction of the spirit. This was all information I learned prior to my experience but I thought I should share before continuing with my written account of what I saw. Djibi’s friend explained to me that wrabs are more dangerous during the day, especially if you are young woman. The wrab can seep into your hair and you will become possessed just like that. Since the objective of the N'DEP to remove the evil spirit, sometimes the spirits are expelled and look for another host to posses right then and there. As she explained these details, she wrapped a bracelet of cowrie shells around my hand. “These” she explained, “will protect you from spirits and witchcraft.” Griot drummers are hired for these ceremonies because the beats which they play remove the wrap. The witch doctor which prescribes the ceremony often times will do a protective blessing for the drumming group to ward off any bad spirits. These were all things I wish I had known before hand but were useful for my research regardless.

The drumming became more intense and so did the dancing. The djembe drums shook the sand, I could feel the vibrations internally. One of the women seemed to fall into some sort of trance and crashed into the sand. She twisted and rolled across the sand as if she was having a seizure. She paid no attention to her surroundings. The drumbeat got louder then faster still. The possessed woman pulled at her hair - she was clearly distraught. Meanwhile, another woman fell into a trance as she leaped forward in the sand and began trying to swim. The music was so loud I couldn’t even hear myself think. I could feel sweat dripping down my body. The drummer to my left hit his drum with such force that his sweat splashed onto me nearly every note.  

Another cry burst out - but this time, it came from the crowd. While I was searching for where it came from, the woman fell into a trance. All of the women were doing something different at this point. One was rolling in the sand, another jumping around the circle waving her arms and another was being held by a woman to ensure her safety. After a few minutes, the drums became slow and the women grew tired. The beat stops and everyone took a few moments to recuperate. A cup of water was passed to everyone in the drumming group to refresh themselves; they looked exhausted.

At this point, I noticed something very strange and symbolic. Every drummer dipped their drumstick (which was essentially a stick from a local hard wooded tree) into the water cup before they drank it. Perhaps it is for protection against the spirit; I was never able to figure that out due to my poor French. Someone called into the microphone and the drums began to play again. Quickly, another woman fell into a trance: that was the 4th woman to 'lose it'. I thought it was odd that neither of the two young ladies whom the N'DEP were for had fallen into a trance. I looked at my watch and saw that it was about 01:00. A woman began passing around two bottles of coke to all of the women helping to preform the N'DEP. Suddenly they began fighting for it. The older woman won and began pouring the soda all over her body and throughout her hair.

One of the women in a mad manner stumbled up to a drummer, grabbed his drum like the horns of a bull and began violently shaking herself up and down in a ‘head banging’ sort of manner. The woman who had won the Coke battle was rolling and twisting about in the sand. Each and every inch of her body was covered in specs of sand.  As if the heat was too much and her shirt too constricting, she removed it from her body and threw it across the sand covered platform. The others came to her rescue by tying a piece of fabric around her waist as they slowly pulled her to the side. I was finally able to take my eyes off of the N'DEP and turned to look at the crowds reaction to all of this. It seemed as though no one was surprised by any of the behavior. I suppose that sort of ceremony was quite common in Yoff. I was still oblivious to what everything meant and due the language barrier between Djibi and I – I had no other choice but to wait patiently and soak in every single movement and gesture which I deemed significant or puzzling.

A small, old woman stood up from the crowd and began dancing as she was cheered on by laughter. The two young women finally made their appearance running wild around the circle with a rope of cowrie shells above their heads. In an uncontrolled manner, they were jumping and twisting about as they ran around the open circle. Their wraps had finally seemed to be coming out; they were now on the ground rolling about. The older women helped keep them sage and under control with the same fabric wrap around the waist.

Due to my proximity to the drummers, I internally noticed as their beats began to subside. The vibrations of the drums on my skin diminished and the intensity of the atmosphere dropped. It seems to be the end of the ritual. The same woman who had brought them into the circle at the beginning carried out the young girls. It was as if they had vanished. Djibi signaled for me and we like that, we were gone.

My mind was racing as we meandered the narrow paths of sand in Yoff. Due to the extreme heat during the dry season, many people were still awake. We passed a man sleeping on a mat outside his home. Before dropping me off, Djibi and I made plans for later that day. There was another session of the N'DEP to take place around noon. Just as my head hit the pillow, I was out.

I awoke to the sound of my fan, legs tangled in my sheets, and ears ringing from the intensity of the drums just hours earlier. Soon noon was upon me and my friend Abdul Aziz accompanied me to the N'DEP. Again, we could hear the drumbeat getting louder and louder. My heart began to beat faster and faster as we approached. I turned to Aziz and said, “Come with me today.” He replied saying, "I don’t believe in those things. Plus, they are only for women and children. I cannot go.” He told me the men of the neighborhood would strongly disapprove if he went: it would be a risk of their masculinity and their reputation they were seen there. According to him, things of this are for women because they are the guardians of traditional religion. As I turned to part ways, he stopped me to advise me, "Antonia, you have to wear your hair up. Do not allow anyone to touch your hair and do not talk to people who are not friends with Djibi. This slightly confused me and I wrote it off to paranoia. In hindsight after my research, I realize he was trying to protect me from the wrab.

I followed the drumming and arrived at the same location where we were the previous night. I snuck in through the back as the N'DEP was already underway and greeted Djibi who was out front playing the talking drum. I took my seat next to drummers. It was mid day and the sun was at its highest. Fortunately for us, the tarp over our heads deflected the worst of the brutal midday heat. A woman was circling around selling frozen hibiscus juice; it failed to cool me off.

 

The women who were the most hysterical yesterday sat on the side watching with a surprising calm demeanor. This change really had me puzzled. I had so many unanswered questions about this ceremony and I began to challenge my own preconceived notions and understanding of the spirit of the world. After about an hour of the ritual, similar to the night before, I looked for the nearest exit; I needed to collect my thoughts. At first, I thought this entire experience was hysterical. But in a very short period of time my ignorant laughter had been turned into fear and subsequently reconstructed into curiosity and I became intrigued. Then it dawned on me, I had witnessed the most extraordinary and idiosyncratic occasions of my life and its events have remain vivid in my mind ever since.

Keeping an open mind is at the heart of acceptance, tolerance and infinite knowledge. During this transformative period of my life, I was able to generate thoughtful questions which I hoped would give me clarity on what I had seen so I could find closure and understanding. To my dismay, often times my questions were unable to be really elucidated. The unexplainable is sometimes frightening but I encourage everyone to embrace it. It would be unjustifiable to totally write off what I had seen as if it were some sort of theater piece or a make believe fairytale. However, it is also foolish in the eyes of many Westerners to believe that ancestral spirit can possess a person and that drum beats will cure them. For those who have lived only to the human world, I would urge you to open yourself up to an alternative world - the spirit world. Embrace mystery, discover alternative thoughts, listen to the stories of others and always keep and open mind and an open heart.

Read more about my travels in Senegal.

Reverse Culture Shock and Reflection

It's been about 10 weeks since I left Cameroon.

10 weeks since I've heard "Madam, please! Please, Madam!" from my students.

10 weeks since I've had my favorite drink, Booster.

10 weeks since I've seen my best friends and family that are still there.

My last days in Cameroon went quickly and include one of the best days of my life. My 25th birthday was June 27th and we combined the party to serve as my "send off" as well. In Cameroon, if its your birthday or your event, you are supposed to 'sponsor' AKA pay. I knew this long ago so I had put money aside for my send off/birthday party. We had 10 crates of beer and food for 60 people. I invited about 100 people, several of whom I knew wouldn't be able to get to town. Older friends and colleagues came between 5-7 to enjoy the meal while some of my other younger friends just came out for a drink in the evening. The party went well into the morning and there was no shortage of great music and dancing.

I believe there were about 80-90 people total although many only stopped by momentarily to bid me farewell. I can't describe the love I felt that night as people from all over the country came to say goodbye. Some friends brought me a gift to 'remember them' by and others just brought themselves. I was so happy to be surrounded by these people that I wasn't even able to feel an ounce of sadness knowing it was one of my last days. That was the best birthday of my life and one of the best days of my life. I will never forget it. 

Although I'm 5,604 miles (yes, I looked it up) away from Buea, my connection feels stronger than ever and there hasn't been a day that's passed where I haven't yearned for something 'Cameroonian'. I had a whirlwind of activities when I first got back to the states. I visited people all over Wisconsin, my sister's family in Idaho and then a few relaxing weeks in the last place I called home: Arcata, California before I started on my next chapter of graduate school in Vermont. Everything happened so fast.

I took a look around and realized I hadn't experienced the reverse culture shock I always do. You know, the one that hits harder than the initial culture shock of getting to a new country. I wasn't overwhelmed at the size of grocery stores, I enjoyed my hot showers and I wasn't particularly bothered at the ignorance, passivity or disengagement of my fellow friends/Americans. I've been on a high since I got home where I just can't stop smiling and loving everything and everyone and every situation I'm in. People would often ask me, "How is it being home? How are you adjusting?" I would respond by telling them, "I haven't had any negative reactions or felt reverse culture shock yet. I dont know if I've just dealt with it so many times that I'm use to it; or maybe I've been too busy to have it hit me yet and when it does it will be like a semi."

The one word I can't get out of my mouth is...
"Ashia"

This is the one word that keeps me connected to Cameroon. It's an everyday reminder of my time in the country and the overwhelming hospitality of nearly every single person I ever met. Ashia has several different meanings. Generally it means 'sorry' but its a much more weighted word than the English translations. This word comes packed with empathy, sympathy and genuine concern.

You can use it in nearly every situation:
When you see someone carrying something
If someone is walking someone
Someone is late to an event
A person has lost a loved one
The person is sick (malaria, flu, etc)
You forgot to do something for a person (their birthday, bring them something, visit them, etc)
Anytime someone complains about something (studying, traveling, no money, etc)
You offend someone

As I explained, I'ts more than saying sorry. It's acknowledging the situation of the person and feeling for them, showing compassion and empathy towards the situation. It's beautiful :) The correct response when someone says "Ashia" is simply "Thank you".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I've started my self designed Masters of Arts in Intercultural Service Leadership and Management at the School of International Training (SIT Graduate Institute) I wont have too much time to write on my blog. I do intent to update it here and there with relevant papers that I wrote for school as well as translating old essays from my Study Abroad in 2011.  In 9 months, after I finish the on campus part of my MA, I will have to go abroad for my "Reflective Phase" or my Practicum. Its minimum 6 months but something tells me my posting will be at least a year. I've also applied to be part of the Masters International program with the Peace Corps. If I decided on this, I would be placed in the PC for 2 years as my practicum. Alternatively, I want a paid job (as most people). Some interesting things about my school and colleagues:

• We are the 50th anniversery class for SIT Graduate Institute, PIM74.
• SIT started as the training grounds for Peace Corps Volunteers
• Amongst my 135 (total) colleagues, we have 18 countries represented through international students and 48 languages spoken on campus. 
• The school is part of World Learning which, well, just click the link. THEY ARE AMAZING.
• I got a work study position working with my Cameroonian sister as the Admissions Assistant for Africa/Middle East in the SIT Study Abroad office. Check out all of their programs!
• My colleagues are hands down the coolest people on the planet. Some speak up to 8 languages, some have traveled to 34 countries (when they are only in their 20s), several have started their own NGO/non-profit and more.
• I am constantly surrounded by intelligent people who are all working to make the world a better place. Good vibes all around.

SIT

Enjoying the outdoors before the snow hits!

My house! Affectionately known as The Sunflower House.

Multi Media Advocacy Camp

On the morning of the first day of the camp, when I arrived to the cyber I was met by 6 students who were there.. already… before me… over 30 min early! It was a miracle! On the downside, the interns were not there yet meaning I had to be two places at once (again): Inside setting up the camp (projector, documents, etc) and also outside with the students to keep them entertained, active and most importantly not bored!

Finally the interns arrived in the middle of a camp we were playing so I was able to go into the cyber to set up. Charles was surprised to see me, and I was surprised to see that all the cyber was filled with clients on the computers. Although I confirmed on Saturday with him about the camp, he was confused and thought I was going to “call him to confirm” so luckily, he really likes YAN and what we do and he secretly went into the backroom to ‘disconnect’ the internet so all of his clients would leave and the students could come in.

After the interns completed the game and were waiting for the cyber to clear out, they went over the rules/regulations of the camp, expectations of participants and talked more about the itinerary and YAN in general. By that time, we had 8 participants. We played a name game before entering the cyber and quickly began our lesson: introduction to modern technology. For the majority of our lessons, we stick pretty close to the lessons throughout the year but only kept it to the necessary things.

We then moved onto setting up emails – this was simplified because we made all students choose Gmail – there wasn’t an option of YAHOO. I was able to use the projector to show students exactly where to click and what to type. The interns circulated to check and answer questions.

After lunch, they started come up with up topics to research. We had 9 students who chose a total of 2 research topics. This is the full list of ideas they had, the 2 bolded ones are the chosen ones:

Low soil fertility/low agricultural activity

Bad customs and transitions in Cameroon (it ended up also including the good traditions which should be promoted more to the youth)

Early Marriage

Shortage of Water in Buea

Homosexuality and Lesbianism

Hypertension

Sick Cell

Black inferiority/White superiority

Malnutrition

Witchcraft

Deforestation

Infant Morality

Low Industrialization

Unbalanced development in Cameroon

High birth rate

Illiteracy

The students went into their respective research groups and begin their ‘web based research lesson”. These lesson were so much easier having a projector. I could just explain what was expected from students while showing them exactly where they could do what I was asking them to do on the screen.

After just over an hour of research, groups chose one person to create the website. This was to be the person who had the most research created already. Using the projector, I showed the 2 students step by step how to create a new website on Wordpress. After the websites were created I passed out the homework which titled “Preparing to make your YAN website” and included a small blurb about themselves, their topic and 7 research facts. The interns played a “end of the day” game with them called Dragon Tagon which requires every student to answer a question relating to the material they were taught today before they are excused to go home! They laughed and were really challenged for the activity. It was a good way to show what they had retained and where they were still a bit confused.

All students remained attentive the entire class. It was a great change to the last few months teaching at Lycee and GHS. The students were quite shy and were really difficult to pull out of their shells. Students in Cameroon, and most of Africa from what I have noticed really are not encouraged to really guess, or try or do anything.

Day 2 started just like day one: as I entered the cyber 35 min before students were to arrive, Charles had set the 7 of them up on computers already! While I set up I had everyone practice signing into their emails, write me and email, and then continue their research. I told the students “Tell me why you wanted to join YAN” in their email and here are their responses:

There were several complications but still, it was a fabulous day which ended very successful. First, the Power Point for Photography, our first lesson, wasn’t downloading properly or fast enough. I decided to skip it for now and move to podcasting so that it would have some time to download. Well, that didn’t seem to be working because 40 min into the lesson when the students started actually working on their script in groups, it had cancelled due to an error. So, I put the interns in charge as I went to my house to collect the soft copy from my computer. The students did an “emotional voice” activity once they had completed writing and assigning who says what. This activity is funny as well as educational. Interns emphasized the concept that the way their voice is (tone, tempo, etc) when speaking can play an important role in the message you are trying to give listeners. They gave examples of saying a simple sentence in 3 or 4 different emotions. Then, each student chose a sentence which they would say twice with 2 different emotions.

Charlie helped me convert the powerpoint and finally we were able to start the photography lesson. Since it switched places with podcasting, we were only 40 minutes behind schedule. On the 5^th slide of the Powerpoint, the power went out!!! So I orally went over a few more things then I decided it was best if the students took their lunch and came back to the classroom and waited for the power to come back to finish the presentation. As they ate, they took notes on photography and soon went outside for their scavenger hunt after they finished their quiz. Next on the agenda was Facebook – everyone’s favorite!! We had some trouble setting up accounts due to the requirement of cell phones. I had to run to the roadside and buy two SIM cards for Facebook accounts. A random person who works next door allowed me to also use her phone number so finally everyone was able to create their accounts. But, soon after the accounts were created – some were disabled. I attempted to retrieve them and even emailed Facebook but we couldn’t spend too much time on Facebook as we had other more pressing lessons.

The students then went back into their groups to work on their video proposal. Once the lesson was given and the worksheet reviewed for everyone, they got to work on their proposal with the interns making their rounds helping them with ideas and to be sure things were complete. Once the interns approved a proposal, I then looked at it. Once I approved the proposal, they moved onto the storyboard. This lesson was quite short due to being behind schedule. No one had time to start their storyboard because we had to jump into the “Modeling Advocacy” lesson plan. This was even a short lesson as well due to time. The “Modeling Advocacy” worksheet and the storyboard were homework for all students. I divided it up like this: each member of the group (there were 4 and 5 members of the two research groups) had one section of the storyboard to complete. We had: introduction, body (interview), body (group discussion) and conclusion). Then every student had to come up with TWO forms of advocacy at each of the 4 levels (individual, community, national and international) which we discussed in class. This was due the following day when students would start their filming. Before students left, I collected yesterdays homework so that I could type it at home to ease the workload of the students and make things go a bit smoother when uploading things onto their websites. Dragon Tagon was played again and the students were excused.

 

There were several complications but still, it was a fabulous day which ended very successful. First, the Power Point for Photography, our first lesson, wasn’t downloading properly or fast enough. I decided to skip it for now and move to podcasting so that it would have some time to download. Well, that didn’t seem to be working because 40 min into the lesson when the students started actually working on their script in groups, it had cancelled due to an error. So, I put the interns in charge as I went to my house to collect the soft copy from my computer. The students did an “emotional voice” activity once they had completed writing and assigning who says what. This activity is funny as well as educational. Interns emphasized the concept that the way their voice is (tone, tempo, etc) when speaking can play an important role in the message you are trying to give listeners. They gave examples of saying a simple sentence in 3 or 4 different emotions. Then, each student chose a sentence which they would say twice with 2 different emotions.

Charlie helped me convert the powerpoint and finally we were able to start the photography lesson. Since it switched places with podcasting, we were only 40 minutes behind schedule. On the 5^th slide of the Powerpoint, the power went out!!! So I orally went over a few more things then I decided it was best if the students took their lunch and came back to the classroom and waited for the power to come back to finish the presentation. As they ate, they took notes on photography and soon went outside for their scavenger hunt after they finished their quiz. Next on the agenda was Facebook – everyone’s favorite!! We had some trouble setting up accounts due to the requirement of cell phones. I had to run to the roadside and buy two SIM cards for Facebook accounts. A random person who works next door allowed me to also use her phone number so finally everyone was able to create their accounts. But, soon after the accounts were created – some were disabled. I attempted to retrieve them and even emailed Facebook but we couldn’t spend too much time on Facebook as we had other more pressing lessons.

The students then went back into their groups to work on their video proposal. Once the lesson was given and the worksheet reviewed for everyone, they got to work on their proposal with the interns making their rounds helping them with ideas and to be sure things were complete. Once the interns approved a proposal, I then looked at it. Once I approved the proposal, they moved onto the storyboard. This lesson was quite short due to being behind schedule. No one had time to start their storyboard because we had to jump into the “Modeling Advocacy” lesson plan. This was even a short lesson as well due to time. The “Modeling Advocacy” worksheet and the storyboard were homework for all students. I divided it up like this: each member of the group (there were 4 and 5 members of the two research groups) had one section of the storyboard to complete. We had: introduction, body (interview), body (group discussion) and conclusion). Then every student had to come up with TWO forms of advocacy at each of the 4 levels (individual, community, national and international) which we discussed in class. This was due the following day when students would start their filming. Before students left, I collected yesterdays homework so that I could type it at home to ease the workload of the students and make things go a bit smoother when uploading things onto their websites. Dragon Tagon was played again and the students were excused.

Infant Mortality Research Group

 The final day was filled with so much editing and a tiny bit of filming. Each group went to film their conclusion first things in the morning once our YAN interns had arrived. This time, the interns went along with them to supervise and to also encourage them to make good use of the time so that an entire hour wasn’t spent doing just the conclusion. As I was trying to organize the certificates, the drinks (small top), and everything else, the interns were helping the groups edit. I had them focus on a couple things, make sure one person in the group isn’t ‘hogging’ the mouse and be sure to give every student a chance to edit and secondly, don’t help them too much. I told them to take a step away and let the students full creativity come out.

Good and Bad Traditions in Cameroon Research Group

The students were excused for a short lunch break but quickly came back to finish editing. Maddy came just after noon and helped chaperone the student groups who were editing. As 2pm approached, the students were wrapping up their videos with Maddy. I was in the backroom discussing with the interns the best way to do their small “graduation” party. We arranged who would call names, who would distribute certificates and who would shakes hands. I decided to take pictures so that the interns could be fully participating in the distribution of certificates. As we waited for the movies to export from iMovie, we began the ceremony. By the time that had finished, we took tons of pictures outside and finally gave each students a small drink to have during the presentation of the two movies.

9 graduates, 3 student interns, 1 assistant teacher and myself!!

My special thanks goes out to my three YAN student interns :: Samuel, Fadimatou (Fadi) and Veronica Etone!

This is for fun:

Here is the sweetest little baby girl who's mom works next to the cyber I worked at all year. Whenever she would see me around she would follow me into the classroom and walk around with me as I taught until I brought her back to her Mom. SUCH A CUTIE!!

YAN Graduation

After months of teaching, electricity black outs, random unannounced public holidaus which closed schools, weeks and weeks of preparation, and an “all nighter” the day before - I was finally able to take a breath and admire the success, hard work and accomplishments of my 42 students.

On May 24^th 2014, the YAN Class of 2014 had their graduation ceremony.

Of the 42 students we had 19 from the Government High School in Buea Town,  16 from the Bilingual Grammar School in Molyko and an addition 7 from BGS Molyko who were part of the first ever Advanced YAN. (Please see the end of the blog for individual results)

The night started out as expected, everyone that had anything to do with graduation was late. This I had foreseen so it didn’t stress me out too much. I can say the only thing that was on time was the food! I loaded a taxi from the market with all of the drinks and made my way up to the city hall. As I wanted with a friend for the DJ/sound system to arrive (who came 75min late) I was arranging the interior of the Council Hall and attempting to set up the projects/computer. Oh, that was another obstacle l I had to jump over: when I picked up the projector from ActiveSpaces, I found out that it was compatible with PC computers – not Macs (me and everyone I work with and know have a Mac). Luckily a friend of a friend was in town and let me use his PC.

Soon by 4:40 a couple of the students started to arrive and I sent them down to Mami Promise’s house to collect the food she had prepared. After the sound system was set up I was able to test the projector and arrange the films to be shown. The previous night I had stayed up until after midnight grading the last papers and then was forced to pull and “all nighter” in order to finish the YAN 2014 video. The final week of classes I went around to all of the students to ask three simple yet loaded questions: What was your favorite part of the YAN class? What was your best memory in YAN? How will the skills you learned in YAN benefit you and your community in the future? I had a wide variety of answers which I incorporated into the YAN video along with pictures taken throughout the year. In the background I played popular regional music like Jovi (Cameroonian), P-Square (Nigerian), Gasha (Cameroonain) and several more.  

Suddenly, as we were waiting for more students to arrive, the Principal of BGS Molyko herself arrived!!! She is the first female Principal of Lycee Molyko (aka BGS Molyko) which is the first and largest high school in the Southwest Region of Cameroon! She is an extremely busy and highly respected woman in the area. We were truly blessed to have her in our presence. 

Soon we started the program where I first introduced the Principal and asked her to sit at the high table (something to recognize that she was an important person). After a short introduction of YAN and showing appreciation towards the students and those who attended the graduation, I passed the mic to the first speaker from Lycee Molyko: Koi Blessing Amezang whos speech was so well planned it even surpassed mine! She ended with “Long live BGS Molyko, Long live Madam Antonia and Long live the YAN Club!” The mic was then passed to the Principal and our Country Director, Walters Chin who alternated between announcing BGS Molyko students and congratulating them with their certificates.

Blessings of Lycee giving the first student speech of the evening.

Etone Veronic accepting her certificate by the Principal of Lycee!

Next on the agenda was Henry Ekema from the Advanced YAN class who also gave an uplifting speech and again passed the mic onto the Principal to award her students with the certificates they all earned.

 

Henry speaking on behalf of the Advanced YAN class

From GHS Buea Town we had Ketline Yatuh who gave a thoughtful and quite nostalgic speech bringing up events and memories from the year we spend together. I announced the names and gave the certificates from Buea Town as their Principal was not able to make the event. 

Ketline rounding up the student speeches

Kadija accepting her high honors certificate for a job well done!

The evening was already passing quickly so I welcomed students and their guests to begin taking their food and drinks.

On the menu was Fufu and Eru (a Cameroonian favorite) and Jollof Rice
(which is made throughout West Africa with several different variations depending on the area)

After nearly everyone had taken their food I began to announce the Special Awards which were given to the following students:

Best Introduction(tie): Poverty with David Abunaw
Best Introduction(tie): Climate Change with Fadimatou Isa and Samuel Kinge

Best Interview: Nature Conservation with Abah Cardine

Best Conclusion: Water Pollution with Malange Clinton, Precious Claris Namondo Wose, Asawure Fidele and Kfu Patience.

Best Editing and Best Overall: Practical Education with Mpako Mbappe Darios, Koi Blessings Amezang and Muluh Victory Ngwi.

Best Overall: Political Problems with Ketline Yatuh

Most Original Research Topic: High Birth Rate with Ngala Nadia, Asawure Irene and Ekah Judith

Best Attendance Achieved: Precious Claris Namondo, Kadijatou Mohammed and Fadimatou Isa tied from Government High School Buea Town and Kamgwam Lecrivain from Bilingual Grammar School Molyko

Every time I announced an award for a section of a video or the video itself, we played it for everyone to watch. Once the awards were finished, the majority of people were through eating. The last hour or so was spent taking photos and dancing. As 8pm approached I took turns selecting random students to help clean up areas and bring things to the dumpster outside. I found our 11 interns one by one, congratulated them on their accepted applications (we had 25 applicants) and informed them about our meeting on Monday. One of the students, before I could even congratulate him on this acceptance into the internship ran up to me holding his certificate and a very proud, happy and surprised look on his face saying, “Madam! I did it!! I got highest honors!!” When I told him about his internship, he literally began jumping up and down!!

Rose from Lycee and Fadimatou from Buea Town :: new friendships!

During this period our intern Maddy was taking DVD orders from the students which we would deliver at a later date. At 8:30pm the man who transported all the chairs arrived to collect them and by 9pm the Council Hall was spotless and all of the students were heading to their respective houses. 

 
Family photo!!

What a successful night it was. I think the most rewarding part of the graduation, at least for me as their teacher, was seeing Buea Town YAN members and Lycee members bonding and making friends with each other. One girl, Rose from Lycee who also happens to be my neighbor, joyfully told me the following morning how she had given out her email address to some of the girls in Buea Town. Later that day she came to my house to collect their phone numbers.

2014 YAN Graduating class of Government High School Buea Town

Student	Form	Degree
Awa Queeniva	LSA	Participation
Ngala Nadia	4A	Honours
Daniella Ndkia	4B	Graduate
Fadimatou Isa	4A	Highest Honours
Benardine Boyeneben	LSA	Participation
Nyuimuh Ketline Yatuh	LSA	Highest Honours
Nyuydini Ndze Betrand	LSA	Honours
Malange Clinton	4B	Honours
Precious Claris Namondo Wose	4A	Honours
Samuel Kinge	4A	Honours
Langwa Emill Asheri	4	Graduate
Mbessang Emmanuel Kelvin	4A	Graduate
Asawue Fidele	4A	Graduate
Khadijatou Mohammed	4A	Highest Honours
Claudia Enanga	4A	Participation
Rubby Mamondo	4B	Graduate
Asawure Irene	4A	Honours
Ekah Judith	4A	Honours
Kfu Patience	4A	Graduate

2014 YAN Graduating class of Bilingual Gramar School Molyko

Student	Form	Degree
Akontor Rawlings Ayuk	4B	Graduate
Bah Bobda Romaric	4D	Highest Honours
Andy Azinwi Tabid Tante	4A	Participated
Kamgwan Lecrivain	4C	Highest Honours
Ndive Annette Nanyongo	4A	Graduate
Muluh Victory Ngwi	LS1	Highest Honours
Nkemta Queency	4B	Honours
Dielle Etone Veronica	4A	Honours
Koi Blessings Amezang	LS1	Highest Honours
Mpako Mbappe Darios	LS1	Highest Honours
Ekoajeei Eudes Achuranjoh	LS1	Graduate
Enongene Christian	LS2	Graduated
Akuphe Dieudonne	LS1	Participated
Makuitche Takoutsing Sheilla	LS1	Graduate
Rose Enanges Mingeley	4B	Graduate
Achu Simon Mofor	4D	Honours

2014 Advanced YAN Graduating class of Bilingual Grammar School Molyko

Student	Form	Degree
Abunaw David	4	Honours
Agwe-Tang Deril MB	4	Participated
Cardaine Abah	4	Participated
Achocho Shemilove	4	Participated
Jean Patient	4	Participated
Henry Ekema	4	Highest Honours
Balemba Bekumaka	4	Honours

Blend of Lycee students in the regular club and the Advanced club.

Madam Maddy and Madam Antonia

Mostly Buea Town YAN students but also a few guests for the graduation!