Ayo

I've been back for two weeks if you hadn't heard. I want to thank anyone who followed this blog.

Officially turning my swag off,
Steven

Bushwacked

OK. Since I last wrote, I have been in the thick of my research on the socio-economic impact of diamond mines in the south-east of Cameroon (copies will be available at bookstores by you in the near future). First I returned to Yaounde and took the neccesary medicines to get over my scare with Cholera-esque diseases. While I was there, I continued to conduct interviews write and explore Yaounde. Before leaving for the East, I went out to a place called the village, which is a musical-rastafarian-jam-festival that occurs occasionally in Yaounde. I listened to drumming, looked at cool african art and had a pretty sweet time.

I then began Bobo and Steven's Fantastic Adventure. My buddy and 5"6 bodyguard, Bobo,
and I took public transportation to Youkadouma, a process which lasted 55 hours. During that time, we had to get out of the bus 9 times to push it out of muddy ditches. We also spent four hours, during the night, watching as truck after truck, including our bus got stuck in a ditch the size of a small whale. We spent a night bromancing in the bush at a little auberge in the middle of nowhere. But we finally arrived in Youkadouma with most of our limbs intact. After arriving, there were some logistical difficulties (including a lack of a supervisor for my trip, an unneccesary day of bush-taxi-ing to the diamond site only having to return to Youkadouma that night). During this time, I also began to experience the real beauty of this isolated city, Youkadouma. When you arrive in Youkadouma, you have been travelling through the dense jungle for two straight days before there is a sudden opening and a little city full of logging trucks, the WWF and every type of trafficker you could consider. During my time in Youkadouma people attempted to sell my: diamonds, uranium, gold, sapphires, guns, cars and sex. Actually the prostitution aspect of the city was the most irritating as I attempted to eat my dinner at the local dining hall and was constantly harrased by drunken prostitutes. Going out to a bar for a drink after work was nearly impossible for the same reason. I did, however, begin to have fun with the repetitive attacks of aggressive prostitutes and came up with quizzes, fun questions and dismissals for them, (one of my favorites was, "you don't look enough like Rihanna for me, sorry.")

Finally, I left with my advisor, Victor, for the village before the diamond site. I spent four nights/five days waking up at 4 am and going to sleep at 11pm as I did interviews, reunions and travelled. We hung out at the chief's house, shared beers and bushmeat with the police commisionner, talked to all sorts of sketchy people and met everyone in town. Then we ventured to the diamond site: a two-hour moto ride through the jungle to miniature deserts where they had begun to explore diamonds. There I took some unauthorized photos, learned about some crazy koreans and watched as the moto broke down with an impending rainstorm (which we later outran, through the bush, going mid 60s--so cool). Also took a quick detour into the Central African Republic, check.

I then returned to Youkadouma to interview the local authorities, companies and NGOs. This lasted another four days. I also met some mercenaries and talked to them about their work over beers and AK47s. Finally I was ready to begin writing and have started at this point. Yesterday I caught a ride back to Yaounde in a 4x4 (you can't imagine the difference) with an american and some ngo workers. I spent the night, briefly in Lomie, saw the headquarters of geovic and then woke up at 1:30 am to catch the public bus back to Yaounde.

Unfortunately, my photos from this are limited for personal safety reasons (I feel like I sacrificed photos for all my organs). Other Highlights.
Saw: Black Mamba, pangulin, monkeys, boa constrictors mating, grey parrot. Lots of corruption.
Ate: Monkey, elephant, mamba and boa constrictor and a few different types of antelope. macaroni and plaintains with each of these things.
No mobile service or internet.

Back from a war zone,
Steven

Prend-ca

OK. Since last time, I spent the rest of a lovely week in the northern city of Ngaoundere. Very Muslim, very cool. Ive been doing a lot of work for my research on diamonds. Then we went to the Extreme North on a four day excursion. We camped and went into a game park. Saw giraffes, monkeys, lion tracks. Moderately exciting. Then we came back and I got food poisoning and three other stomach problems (viruses, bacteria, all the good stuff) Been basically out of commision for a couple of days (but it wasnt cholera). We have since returned to Yaounde using the same two-day bus ride, although I was asleep for the vast majority of it. On thursday, I head to South-Eastern Cameroon to do research that has never been done before: On diamond deposits (possibly larger than those in South Africa). It may be difficult to update in the coming weeks, but fingers crossed, you'll get a gout of my biznizes from time to time.

Celtics=81-1

Gone North

Since I last checked in, we returned from the beach and had a couple of days in Yaounde where I ran around conducting interviews for my research on diamond mines by the Congo. I've met some pretty cool people and seen some really crazy gemstones. After that, we took a full two day bus trip to the north of the country through the bush and mud. Multiple times we had to get out of the car and push out of muddy potholes in the middle of the forest. Pretty unique. Total driving time: 27 hours. Since then I have moved in with my new family here in the north of Cameroon: traditionally Muslim country. My new homestay father is a professor at the local university. Yesterday we saw a traditional Muslim doctor who also read fortunes. Not exactly his expertise.

Check in if we go to the extreme north.

Peace,
Steven

Nightclubbing, The Beach and Ankle Location Change

Since I last checked in, I have had a great deal of work: African midterms. during the weekend I went nightclubbing and to a casino where my good luck continued and I won 25,000 francs ($50). Then we went to a nightclub and hung out with the African equivalent of the Backstreet Boys. On Sunday we traveled to Kribi, a beautiful sandy beach resort town and got awell-deserved rest. Very relaxing until I dislocated my ankle yesterday (our last night), in the water.

Happy to be alive, (Yankees Suck)
Steven

Check In

Yo Team,

Here are some pictures from my first couple of weeks in Cameroon, unfortunately the internet is not fast enough here to really upload photos, thus you'll have to wait. Riveting. Since I arrived back in Yaounde I have been quite busy. These two weeks I have been visitng Development organizations around the city including: World Bank, US Embassy, WWF, Ministries of Government etc. The week has been super intellectual. On Saturday, I took a break and went to Cameroon's game against Togo for a spot in the World Cup. This time, I sat in the "crazy fan" section. IT lived up to its reputation, in order to buy security of people around me I purchased alcohol and beignets and distributed them. Every time a goal was scored, my comrades formed a wall around me. Cameroon won 3-0. That evening I had an encore at a Petit Pays concert, the most famous Cameroonian singer. The concert was unlike anything I had ever seen, a hybrid between a super-sexual hip hop concert and a evangelical church where people were being saved. Samuel Eto'o showed up to the concert and danced on stage as well. Celebrities travel in packs here.



Since then, the Sox have let me down. My 2 to 5 AM clandestine radio sessions were not enough to power them to any semblance of dignity.

Going to the beach for a couple of days. Then the extreme north (Cholera, see the news).

Alo Alo Alo Alo Aloha

Picture

Soccer Game

And My Little Brother Doing Karate in my room.

Yaounde

Yaounde

Yaounde

Last Supper in Dschang and Fru Ndis

So my final nights in Dschang passed in spectacular fashion. My mother, who was heartbroken to see me go had to leave early to go back to the village for a reunion. Thus it was just the man of the house remaining. This got weird. First, I've yet to mention that my dad is like an average fifteen year old boy in the U.S.: He likes video games, musical instruments and porn! Hes the sweetest man on the planet and you wouldnt see it coming. Anyways we passed the nights listening to country music until he passed out at the dinner table until the last night. I came home and there was no electricity in the entire neighborhood so we lit some candles and sat down for what I thought was dinner. Turns out Papa Woulalou had a 30 minute ritual for me: Included in this were the beating of drums and shouting "You are my son," the climax was when he smacked me in the face a couple of times with a broom. All by the light of a single candle. Africa.

Friday and Saturday were spent in Bamenda where we talked to secessionists and John Fru Ndi, the Cameroonian Al Gore (Leader of the Opposition Party, he won the presidential election in 1990, but Paul Biya, my favorite dictator, kept power). Later that night, Ben Fru Ndi, his son, took out the whole group to a Cabaret and a Night Club and ended up paying for everything or it was all free, you never know with celebrities.

Back in Yaounde after an enormous Bus Ride.

Gotta Catch Em All.

(Photos this week, I promise)

Dschang, Noupa-Loop and the Chef

Since my last intellectual outburst, life has been moving pretty fast in the Western province. Classes this week have focused on the Bamileke, and as excursions we went to some waterfalls, where I purified myself under the crashing blows of a fifty-footer; we also visited a Chefferie: a traditional tribal chiefs palace and shared a feast, some music and some mint milk (just what it sounds like, but with alcohol). My french teacher, Bamileke instructor and certafiable badass, Monsieur Noupa, who I call Noupa-Loop (he didnt approve of Snoop), has also been teaching us Pidgin English, with anecdotes about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky being his primary instructing tools. We have also been going to a restaurant/bar after class for a beer every once in a while at a place we know as the "Viper Bar," because our first visit there included the owner pulling out a five foot dead viper, throwing it on the ground and asking us if we were hungry for some viper steak. My family here in Dscahng has been awesome, my father and mother have been stuffing me full of delicious things like Hansel and Gretel and I will be sad to leave. However, the next couple of days mean a trip to english-speaking bamenda and then back to Yaounde.

The Sox have crept in, and I stay awake thinking about them,
Steven

21 and other stuff

This week, I went to a brewery in Yaounde; where we toured the factory in a disney-landesque train and drank free beer. The rest of the week was spent in similarly super fashion as we moved to Dschang, a university town where I have moved in with a new family and met some awesome new people. On the Friday before we left, I attended a pool-party at a house that resembled something from the movie ¨Blow.¨ There was a pool with a map of Africa on the bottom and the country of Cameroon entirely in gold. The owners were two brothers in their mid-twenties one of whom was a Harvard Grad. Turns out if you know Paul Biya (Do some Research) you can have a pretty ridiculous life here. Hopefully I'll hunker down at some point with a speedy internet connection and post some photos. Currently, not possible. I turned 21 in nightclub in Dschang full of fifty-plus men chasing down the american girls of my group. I hope to recelebrate upon my landing in Logan in December.

Tom Brady needs to invest in some cojones,
Steven

gorillas

gorillas

gorillas

gorillas

The Indomitable Lions Fans.

More to come-slow internet connection.

The Latest

This weekend I went to the Gorilla Sanctuary outside of Yaounde and got to experience the raw power of animals as they beat their chests. Pretty awesome. I also got to experience my first soccer and basketball matches against the Cameroonians. Although I got absolutely destroyed at soccer, Team USA impressed against Cameroon. My acquaintaince, Eric, the self-proclaimed African Kobe Bryant, is going to be my meal-ticket for the rest of my life, when I bring him back to the US. On Saturday night I went to a party with my Cameroonian father. The "party" was in reality, forty construction workers inside a huge building they are constructing listening to music and drinking. A little different experience than my European stuudy abroad counterparts I hope. Pictures to follow shortly.

Strive Hard (Mr. Perry)

Full Week

First Week in Cameroon, 10 km run on saturday and sunday morning with my host father who is making me into a trophy son. My family is also composed of my host mother, and my younger brothers Arno, 7 and Jojo, 1. Life is good; the Indomitable Lions, Cameroon's soccer team won on Saturday, leading to celebrations throughout Yaounde. They play Gabon again on Wednesday. Trying to get tickets, especially in the nosebleeds.

Also, we have eaten most of our meals with this sauce called "sauce a noir" which translates as black sauce and has the consistency and taste of tar. On the other hand, my Barack Obama gifts might has well have been gold ingots. Hopefully I'll have pictures soon, I haven't had many opportunities to pull out my camera.

Go Sox,
Steven

Landed yesterday. It's hot. Orientation.

Updates Later,
Steven

1

I depart for a semester abroad in Cameroon. I will try to keep in touch via this intergalactic instrument.

Thank you,
Steven