Football

As a teacher in Cameroon traveling on a whim is often not an option. Aside from Christmas break, Easter break, and summer holidays, there are few opportunities to take extended vacations. So when these breaks do occur it is important to take advantage of them. Limbe is an ideal choice for these occasions and was the destination for the past Christmas and Easter breaks. There are many sites and landmarks all over this town. One in particular that always seems to catch the eye is the new football stadium being built in preparation for the African Cup of Nations. On my most recent visit, to my surprise, I learned that this stadium had just been completed (well, more or less). I also saw banners announcing a match between South Africa and Cameroon, to be played during the weekend I was there. If not for this lucky coincidence I was convinced I would not be able to see a match here in Cameroon as most matches are played in Yaoundé, and traveling there isn't very convenient. Fortunately the timing of this match in Limbe could not have been better. The morning of the match was spent swimming in the ocean and relaxing on the beach. By the afternoon friends and I made our way to the stadium. However, our taxi was stopped a mile from the entrance. There was a massive road block and ordinary cars were not allowed through. We began walking, but by another stroke of luck we were picked up by someone who was important enough to be let through the road block. After he was waved through checkpoint after checkpoint we knew he must be someone with serious influence. We were taken all the way to the front gates, where we thanked our driver and got out. From there we made our way inside. As soon as we reached our seats we heard a large moan come from the crowd, South Africa had just scored. However, the atmosphere quickly picked up again as Cameroon increased their attacks. In the final minutes of the first half a Cameroonian striker played a long pass off his chest and buried it into the back of the net. The crowd went wild. During halftime we crossed to the other side of the stadium and found even closer seats that were unoccupied. We also took this time to look around and appreciate the amazing views. With the stadium being situated on the lower slopes of mount Cameroon, it provided outstanding views of the entire coastline, from Ambas bay with it's many small islands, all the way to the end of the famous six mile beach. And with the day being uncharacteristically clear, all of Malabo (the capital of equatorial Guinea, a 3000m island/mountain) was in clear view, from base to peak. Turning around provided no relief from the stunning scenery, with mount Cameroon looming high above eerily shrouded in a hazy mist. In front of mount Cameroon stands mount Mokinde (2000m “baby mount Cameroon”) as close as can be, with its base just the next village over. As focus is directed back onto the pitch the lions are able to quickly score a go ahead goal. But unfortunately, South Africa caught the Cameroonian goalie off guard and somehow were able to score from mid field. In extra time Cameroon seemed to score the final goal, but it was bicycle kicked out by a defender at the last minute, ending the match in a draw. With the match over we climbed down onto the field, and from the grass, watched the sun set over the Atlantic ocean. Slowly taking in the events of the day we all came to the conclusion that there could be no better place to have a stadium, and fortunately the representatives of FIFA Cameroon thought so as well.

School Exchange

One of the benefits of being a teacher in Cameroon is the social aspect. Every month the staff gets together for an afternoon of slaughtering goats followed promptly by an evening enjoying peppe soup with palmwine. Along with this, many schools also take part in staff exchanges. This entails one school visiting another for a weekend. Last year our school exchange was unfortunately cancelled, but this year was quite a success. We hosted a school from Bafang in the West region, with the exchange starting early on a Saturday morning in December. The staff from the Bafang unloaded from their bus all wearing matching navy blue track suits with their school's name on the back. These tracksuits were the envy of all teachers at our school, and so we made sure to purchase matching grey and black tracksuits of our own. The events of the day included touring through some of the local sites in Batibo, followed by visiting the school's campus. Students waiting to greet the visiting staff had prepared traditional dances and songs which they performed. After viewing the campus, the sports matches began. The first match played was handball, our team started out ahead but ended up losing in the second half. No one seemed overly concerned though, as football is what everyone is most interested in. I was slightly more confident in this game than I was in the student staff game earlier this year, but still felt sufficiently over matched. By halftime the match was still tied, and I subbed myself out. From the sidelines I had a great view of the twilight orange sky above a row of bright green banana trees lining the field. As I sat down at midfield I was immediately offered a hydrating beverage, palmwine. Our school was able to score a late goal which proved to be the deciding one. From here, we split the visiting staff up with local teachers to host them at their various houses. I ended up with about 8 people staying at my house. Luckily I had plenty of baguettes, avocados and hardboiled eggs, which we made into sandwiches, knowing dinner would likely be delayed. We then headed back up to school for dinner followed by dancing, which lasted until about 4am. The next morning we all gathered together one last time for breakfast and to say goodbye to our visitors. Soon enough however, it was time for the return visit. The drive alone was worth the trip. Seeing the landscape of Bafang and the surrounding areas was incredible. The town itself is situated amidst mountains, and in some ways is very similar to many places in the North West. We made sure to visit the chief's palace and then stopped to view a nearby waterfall. A quick visit to the school's campus followed by refreshments was the prelude to the football match. By now I felt somewhat confident and would say I played respectably. Unfortunately the match was ended early due to lack of daylight, and the final result was a draw. After this we identified our respective hosts and prepared to see Bafang by night. It was surprising how big the town was, and touring around it that evening was quite entertaining. We eventually made our way to a hall for dinner and dancing. It was somewhat sad to know this would be one of the last times I'd see teachers from my school at an event like this. But we all made the most of it. The next day we had breakfast together before finally departing. As we drove off I thought about all the similarities between Bafang and my village. In so many ways the cultures and geographies were nearly identical. The only noticeable difference was that French is spoken here as opposed to English. This helped to serve as yet another reminder that unfortunately African's have not been the ones to decide on the borders of African nations.