"Camp Mbunge" (or My Home In Bakaland)

I have had a couple of people ask me for a more in-depth description of where I am and what I am doing. To do so, I will lead you on a journey.

Our journey starts in the jungles of Cameroon, Africa, in the Eastern province of this multi-climate country. This part of Cameroon has been untouched by many for quite a while because of those who live here – whom people have somewhat derogatorily called “The Pygmy people”. It is an area bringing with it a little more political strife than some, because of the “protected” status of these people. The Baka, with whom the people on this station work, are part of this larger group (who live throughout central Africa). These people overall have a very interesting history as a Nomadic people. Here, though, the forest dwellers' old ways of life and the new ones being pressed upon them by these times are beginning to clash, and they slowly been forced to settle down. True to their “derogatory” name, most “forest dwellers” are shorter than the average American. During the first while I was here, and even sometimes now, I assume people to be younger than they are, just because they do not match up in height to the other missionary kids here. The other missionary kid living on the station here who is my age has found it hard in some aspects, especially in sports, being a giant by Baka standards at six feet.

The history of missionaries or foreigners here stretches back many many years, evident by the fact that there are typewritten Baka lessons still in use that were originally created by a Catholic Mission working with the same people group. The members of the missionary team on this station have cycled in and out throughout the years, leading up to the present, where there are 2 families, 2 single missionaries, and myself living on the station. In its beginning days, missionaries would come every other week from a close-by city; the station was started with a single house used by both families. Because of the slow growth of this station from its infant days, and the consecutive slow building of each of the houses, those same houses have a transient feel to them. They are not built completely with cement, as many other missionary houses throughout the country are, but rather with mud brick or wood. Also, the two buildings that now house the missionary families were built in sections as needed. To this effect, even the buildings that are now here have more of the basics than the elaborate – with pump bucket showers and plywood walls. Amenities have slowly been added along with time. The small house that I am staying in now has been there for quite a while. It has a sink with running water, but has not gained a toilet yet. It has, at times, had electricity, but it has depended on the distribution of solar panels throughout the team. Due to the fact that the Conrods just got a new shipment of solar panels and batteries, I may be able to get power soon (as other solar panels are shuffled around). As of today, though, I still walk to my house in the dark with my little solar lantern every night – and proceed to get ready for bed with my single light. It is not altogether that bad, and I may even prefer it in the future instead of harsh lights when I'm all alone.

My house consists of two rooms – plenty big enough for me – for I have it all to myself! As an extra bonus, I even have a double bed! The only downside I would say about my little house is the fact that it is not insect and rodent proof. I have hosts of sweat bees inhabiting my windows, and had a family of pygmy squirrels inhabiting my bedroom (as well as different lizards – or in one case, a baby monitor lizard!).

My jobs here in Bakaland (as it has been so dubbed by missionaries) are simple enough in writing, but get a little more complicated in action. They consist of the following: First, to help home-school the Conrod children in any way I am capable, and second, to observe the medical work happening on station. These are my official “reasons” for being here. This, I think, is the best way possible I could have spent my post-senior year. I get to return to my MK country, get to be integrated into a different missionary community, get time to observe and learn from others Spiritually and emotionally (as I learn to become an adult), and also get to try my hand at both of the “careers” I had looked at for my future.

Now that I've given you a not-so-short overview of why I am here, let me explain a typical week for your pleasure. Monday through Friday are school days. During those times, I am literally in a position of “teacher”, doing as much of the schooling as I can so that Laurel can get away to do other things. I work with the kids doing stuff ranging from Math practices, to reading Science and History, and even read-alouds in the evenings. Talking about “the kids”, I should explain a bit more. Meet the Conrod family – my surrogate family for this year. The three kids are in Grades 4, 6 and 7. I call them “kids”, but the oldest is already 13 – not too much younger than myself! Anyways, each day I work with them one on one or in groups with different subjects. Then, on Fridays or Saturdays, I work on making their schedule for the next week. Mostly their assignments are predetermined, but once in a while we need to be creative, such as this last week. Their first writing assignment was coming due (a general guideline is given as to when they need to have certain projects finished), and I got the chance to look at all the material we had, and to come up with my own plan for their assignments. I actually quite enjoyed this part of the planning, as I got to be creative! After I have worked out the schedules for the next week, they are quickly scanned over by Laurel to see if any re-working is needed, then they are printed out.

Once Saturday comes, I am free from all scholastic requirements. During Saturdays, though, clinic is held by the missionary doctor and nurse living on this same station. Because I had expressed interest in this area, I have been welcome to come and see their work. I was over and beyond happy as they have let me be involved more than I thought. There are the mundane things, such as ear infections and pregnancies (they come to hear the baby's heart-beat), and then there are the rarer more serious things, one of which happened this last weekend. That morning, a woman had been doing wash here in the camp, and had happened upon a razor blade left in someone's pocket. This is not a North American razor blade – it is in the pure sharp form – just the blade itself. Slicing her thumb very deeply, it ended up needing stitches. As the missionary nurse was not on the station that day, and I was there to watch, I got put to work helping to staunch the bleeding and holding her wrist for the anesthesia. This was my first “serious” case, and as I had no idea how I did with blood or other serious things, I just dived in. Unfortunately for me and the doctor, I ended up almost fainting half-way through and got someone else to take my place. I have really enjoyed getting to see the medical work, though, especially the three pregnant women we have had come through – two of which are probably due next month!

Of course, besides my “duties”, there are many fun things to do around here. The two Mks belonging to the other missionary family are nearer my age, and we, along with the Conrod children, have had great fun in some exploits. There have been walks to the nearby village, forays in the forest etc. It was discovered that a large tree had fallen down a short ways away from the station, and so we went to explore it at one point, and ended up returning. Because it kept all of its branches as it fell (it seemed to have been completely uprooted by a storm or something of the sort), it has created something close to a giant jungle-gym, reaching high into the air above the forest floor. The second time we visited, we ended up playing tag on the many branches of the tree, sometimes literally play-acting at being monkeys in order to make it from limb to limb. At one point, one of the Conrod kids actually slipped off a branch, shooting straight down to the forest floor about 10 feet below... and sitting there a little stunned for a while before getting up and climbing back on, unhurt.

There are many things such as these that I am enjoying – being part of the missionary kid culture again, but reaching into the older, adult culture as well.

Because I am an older MK (missionary kid), coming back to my country after a long while away, I think I have gained a fresh and more mature view on some things than I remember having as a child. One of those is the realization of the gold-mine of languages Cameroon has to offer. My siblings and I were taught a little French and a little Oroko (the tribal language in our area) as we were growing up, but we got nowhere near to fluency. Now, however, I have a renewed interesting in learning languages, as I have found I enjoy the process. Also, I have come to realize that any language learning I do in my year here will definitely not have any negative effects on my future! To this end, I have worked on learning a little more French (as we are living in the “French” province, that being the trade language). As I settled into living here, though, it has become apparent that for communication with our close neighbors, the most efficient language is, of course, their heart language. This being Baka in our case, I have started to work on that language as well, even though I may never use it again after this year. It has been rewarding, though, to get the smiles and nods as I attempt to communicate – especially with the kids. Sometimes you just get outright laughed at though... but that's how things go.

So, that completes our journey through my life here in Bakaland at the present. Later on, I'm hoping to do a picture journey throughout the station, to show you this place through my eyes – although a camera cannot do it justice by any degree of the imagination.