The North

For the past two weeks we have been in Ngaoundéré, a city located in the "Grand North" of Cameroon, not far from where my family lived. There is a much greater influence of Islam here than in the other places we have stayed but ironically the project I am working here for the next month is related to Christianity. I am living with Muslim host "parents", Hawa and Awal, who are the same age as me, and who live in a compound with Awal's extended family and a friendly horse. We live conveniently right next to the main mosque; the morning Call to Prayer works well as an alarm clock. Hawa has been busy making me into a Cameroonian, sewing me a Cameroonian outfit, drawing with henna all over my hands and feet and giving me household tasks that usually involve sifting, grinding or plucking. I have even gotten used to bucket showers and a toilet that consists of a hole in the ground.

We recently got back from a short trip to Waza, in the "Extreme North" of the country, where we went on safari, meaning that I finally have pictures of giraffes, which may or may not legitimize my experience. I spent the first half of the day sweating and bumping along on the back of a safari truck through the desert fantasizing about cold water. In the afternoon, however, I rode on top of our bus, which was a thoroughly pleasant experience. As we drove through the desert at sunset with the breeze in my hair, surrounded by sand and exotic animals, I couldn't help but succumb to the to thrill of seeing this beautiful, albeit cliché, part of Africa.

What seems to best characterize my time in Ngaoundéré so far, though, is being surrounded by religions. Last week students from my group put on a Passover seder at the house of one of the Muslim host families, which ended up to be a very multicultural event. Everyone seemed to enjoy learning about each others' traditions, and we ate a delicious meal, making culinary substitutions when necessary. After eating, singing, and storytelling, we went around and named a marginalized group in the world today or something that we would like to see change. We ended with one of the Cameroonian Muslim family members, who said that he wants an end to religious conflict and peaceful coexistence of all different faiths. Looking around the room, I could not have thought of a better image of this.