we are approaching august, which means a number of things.
1) road trip to Arizona with friends Sarah, Brandon, and David- where she will begin studies at ASU and all will begin life in a new place. we're driving from good ol' De Pere, WI all the way to Phoenix, AZ. we are planning to move them in, explore Phoenix (hiking, nightlife, etc), take an excursion to Southern California, and then a few day camping trip (around Sedona). it will be a much needed vacation, and i have never road tripped with friends before! can't wait to see some mountains!
2) peace corps will be right around the corner! it IS right around the corner! less than two months! :) :) :) i completed my vaccination paperwork, printed off passport photos, filled out my financial loan forms, and will be receiving my 2010 elections absentee ballot by mail. the only thing i am not looking forward to are the good byes :( i will post the address of where i will be as soon as i get staging information/ more concrete details! along with this will be packing packing packing and alot of organizing! but i have a little bit of time to relax. (however it will be about a month left once i get back from AZ!!) can't believe it's almost here.
hope all is well with everyone.
i'll share a poem by emily bronte, as my parting words:
No coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heaven's glories shine,
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.
O God within my breast,
Almighty, ever-present Deity!
Life--that in me has rest,
As I--undying Life--have power in thee!
Vain are the thousand creeds
That move men's hearts: unutterably vain;
Worthless as withered weeds,
Or idlest froth amid the boundless main,
To waken doubt in one
Holding so fast by thine infinity;
So surely anchored on
The stedfast rock of immortality.
With wide-embracing love
Thy spirit animates eternal years,
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.
Though earth and man were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou were left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee.
There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou--THOU art Being and Breath,
And what THOU art may never be destroyed
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Other interesting facts:
[courtesy of Wiki & The US Dept. of State
French & English are the official languages.
It is described as "Africa-in-miniature"- a microcosm if you will.
Religions: Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous African 40%.
Government Type: Republic; strong central government dominated by president (currently Paul Biya)
Independence: January 1, 1960 (from France)& October 1, 1961 (from Britain).
Natural resources: Oil, timber, hydroelectric power, natural gas, cobalt, nickel, iron ore, uranium.
Agriculture (2009): 19.8% of GDP. Products--timber, coffee, tea, bananas, cocoa, rubber, palm oil, pineapples, cotton. Arable land (2005 est.)--12.54%.
Cameroon has a number of private newspapers, radio stations, and private television stations. Censorship was officially abolished in 1996, but the government has on occasion seized or suspended newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. In recent years the harassment and arrests of journalists has increased.
Approximately 140 Peace Corps volunteers continue to work successfully in agroforestry, community development, education, and health. The Peace Corps plans to double the number of volunteers in Cameroon by 2011. The Public Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde organizes and funds diverse cultural, educational, and informational exchanges. It maintains a library and helps foster the development of Cameroon's independent press by providing information in a number of areas, including U.S. human rights and democratization policies. The Embassy's Self-Help and Democracy and Human Rights Funds are some of the largest in Africa.
I'd like to hike Mt. Cameroon, visit the black sand beaches in Kribi, and go to Waza National Park during service.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
clock's a tickin
So some things.
My invitation said that staging would be September 15/16 and depart for Cameroon on the 17th.
Word on the street is that it will be moved back to September 21/22 and be in country the 23rd. There is a group of about 10 volunteers leaving in August to begin intensive French language training and the rest of the group will come in late September. I will keep everyone posted as to whether or not this is INDEED fact, when I hear from the country desk! For now I must focus on financial deferment papers for my student loans, getting my Yellow Fever vaccination, and brushing up on my French wouldn't be a bad day. If we do leave a week later I think I'll be both relieved and angsty at the same time. I have been waiting for this for so long, the application process alone took over a year, and then a 4-5 month gap between invitation and staging. It has been a good cushion with a number of events occurring: graduating and moving and needing to make money and wanting to experience and do things and see friends and family before leaving.
I wanted to mention some of my preferred French films (for anyone looking for entertainment or to practice) I feel like film is a great medium to learn a language because it's both pleasure and educational. :)
(in no specific order):
1. Amelie
2. Le Papillon
3. 8 Femmes
4. Le Placard
5. Persepolis
6. Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran
My invitation said that staging would be September 15/16 and depart for Cameroon on the 17th.
Word on the street is that it will be moved back to September 21/22 and be in country the 23rd. There is a group of about 10 volunteers leaving in August to begin intensive French language training and the rest of the group will come in late September. I will keep everyone posted as to whether or not this is INDEED fact, when I hear from the country desk! For now I must focus on financial deferment papers for my student loans, getting my Yellow Fever vaccination, and brushing up on my French wouldn't be a bad day. If we do leave a week later I think I'll be both relieved and angsty at the same time. I have been waiting for this for so long, the application process alone took over a year, and then a 4-5 month gap between invitation and staging. It has been a good cushion with a number of events occurring: graduating and moving and needing to make money and wanting to experience and do things and see friends and family before leaving.
I wanted to mention some of my preferred French films (for anyone looking for entertainment or to practice) I feel like film is a great medium to learn a language because it's both pleasure and educational. :)
(in no specific order):
1. Amelie
2. Le Papillon
3. 8 Femmes
4. Le Placard
5. Persepolis
6. Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran
Thursday, July 14, 2011
i open at the close
i know that everyone feels that harry potter is overrated.... or that it is god's gift to this earth. i'll agree with the latter.
can't wait for tonight!
can't wait for tonight!
Monday, July 4, 2011
cuisiner
recipe for gallo pinto:
Gallo pinto is a traditional dish of Costa Rican and Nicaraguan cuisine. Though many variations exist, the dish at its most basic is composed of pre-cooked rice and beans fried together. It is considered the national dish of these two countries, and is eaten as a part of any meal, although mostly for breakfast.
Cook the beans, reserve 1/2c of the bean juice, then sautee some onion and pepper with a smidge of garlic, then add in the beans and cook them for about 5 or 10 minutes, then add in cooked rice
it's REAL simple! all you need is a a few tablespoons of oil to fry.
This will bring me back to the Nica days, ate that every day multiple times a day. It got old, but it was delicious and I definitely crave it. Can't wait to try it out! :)
I was researching Cameroonian cuisine a bit. Food, like (it seems) everything else in the country is varied and quite diverse, one of the most in Africa.
Merci "Wikipedia":
The national dish of Cameroon is ndolé, a stew consisting of fish or beef, nuts and bitter greens.[1] Staple foods in Cameroon include cassava, yam, rice, plantain, potato, maize, beans, and millet. The French introduced French bread and Italian pasta, which are not as widely consumed, however, due to their price. The main source of protein for most inhabitants is fish, with poultry and meat being too expensive for anything other than special occasions. Bush meat, however, is commonly consumed, some of the most sought after species being the pangolin, the porcupine and the giant rat. There is also a thriving trade in such exotic bush meat species as chimpanzee and gorilla."
Bushmeat... that alone will be an adventure!
There is very fertile soil throughout Cameroon so that means gardening will hopefully be successful (unlike my peppers and squash here- damn heat... this is WI!). There is a large variety of vegetables and fruits.
"Wiki" encore:
Among Cameroonian specialties are brochettes (a kind of barbecued kebab made from either chicken, beef, or goat), sangah (a mixture of maize, cassava leaf and palmnut juice) and ndolé (a spicy stew containing bitterleaf greens, meat, shrimp, pork rind, and peanut paste).
I've read vaguely about the Peace Corps diet and although everyone tends to lose weight during training; males lose weight throughout service and female volunteers tend to gain. Can anyone speak truth to this and if so, why does this phenomenon occur?
Gallo pinto is a traditional dish of Costa Rican and Nicaraguan cuisine. Though many variations exist, the dish at its most basic is composed of pre-cooked rice and beans fried together. It is considered the national dish of these two countries, and is eaten as a part of any meal, although mostly for breakfast.
Cook the beans, reserve 1/2c of the bean juice, then sautee some onion and pepper with a smidge of garlic, then add in the beans and cook them for about 5 or 10 minutes, then add in cooked rice
it's REAL simple! all you need is a a few tablespoons of oil to fry.
This will bring me back to the Nica days, ate that every day multiple times a day. It got old, but it was delicious and I definitely crave it. Can't wait to try it out! :)
I was researching Cameroonian cuisine a bit. Food, like (it seems) everything else in the country is varied and quite diverse, one of the most in Africa.
Merci "Wikipedia":
The national dish of Cameroon is ndolé, a stew consisting of fish or beef, nuts and bitter greens.[1] Staple foods in Cameroon include cassava, yam, rice, plantain, potato, maize, beans, and millet. The French introduced French bread and Italian pasta, which are not as widely consumed, however, due to their price. The main source of protein for most inhabitants is fish, with poultry and meat being too expensive for anything other than special occasions. Bush meat, however, is commonly consumed, some of the most sought after species being the pangolin, the porcupine and the giant rat. There is also a thriving trade in such exotic bush meat species as chimpanzee and gorilla."
Bushmeat... that alone will be an adventure!
There is very fertile soil throughout Cameroon so that means gardening will hopefully be successful (unlike my peppers and squash here- damn heat... this is WI!). There is a large variety of vegetables and fruits.
"Wiki" encore:
Among Cameroonian specialties are brochettes (a kind of barbecued kebab made from either chicken, beef, or goat), sangah (a mixture of maize, cassava leaf and palmnut juice) and ndolé (a spicy stew containing bitterleaf greens, meat, shrimp, pork rind, and peanut paste).
I've read vaguely about the Peace Corps diet and although everyone tends to lose weight during training; males lose weight throughout service and female volunteers tend to gain. Can anyone speak truth to this and if so, why does this phenomenon occur?
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