Sannu everybody!
That means “Hey” in fufulde. So I am in Maroua today for a few hours and I luckily have internet for a little while. I’ll try to update as much as possible before heading back to Hina. School has been in session for two weeks now! I teach Terminale (like seniors in high school), Premiere (like Juniors), Troiseme (like Freshman) and Sixieme (like sixth grade). They kids are all really great and so eager to learn English. However, I have had to teach my classes mostly in French. They have never had an English teacher before, and their level of English speaking ability is nowhere near where it is supposed to be. But they are trying, and hopefully soon we can ease into speaking more English (and maybe they’ll start to be able to understand my American accented English).
Hina is certainly “en Brousse” as the Cameroonians would, say, meaning it is in the middle of nowhere, it’s hard to get there, and there isn’t much there. But the people have all been amazing- so incredibly accepting and welcoming and warm to me. I’m trying to learn more fufulde so I can talk with some of the women in village, as most of them only speak fufulde and no French. little by little. But for the time being, my friends are mostly guys. Like my neighbor, Yousouffa, who I eat breakfast with almost every morning. Or two guys, Alain and Chryso, who are from the Congo, and live in the Catholic mission, training to become priests. Chryso also teaches philosophy and French at the high school. I hang out a lot with the “Catholiques” as the Cameroonians say. At school, I’m the only woman, and it is certainly strange to be surrounded by men constantly. I’m obviously a bit of a novelty, and sometimes I feel like a zoo animal being stared at! This feeling is amplified especially when I teach the Sixieme class and a bunch of students who don’t have class at this time sat outside and hang I the windows to see the “nassara” teaching English. I can’t blame them, they are curious and desperately want to learn English.
I put up some pictures on facebook, but haven’t had time to label them. They are just of my house and other places around Hina. But I have to run, hopefully I can update more soon! I am doing well and I hope everyone else is as well!
