In the Village of Abuh

For the last few days I was able to explore the beautiful land of Abuh.

The Rolling Hills of Abuh

Abuh is about a two hour or so trek out into the middle of nowhere. I was able to explore this wonderful land because a wonderful woman named Sam has been living out there for almost two years. This three day adventure was courtesy of Brittany, who is in Peace Corps. She was planning on going out to visit her fellow Corps member out in Abuh, and she so kindly invited me and Kathleen to accompany her. Brittany’s friend Darcie was also coming along. I have to say I personally really needed to get away from Bamenda and take a much needed break with some new friends. The first thing you need to know is how not easy it is to get to Abuh. Abuh is located out in the middle of the Cameroon jungle. There is no electricity in this town, so that kind of gives you an idea how far out it is in the jungle. The road to get to the village is one that consists of slippery mud and jagged rocks sticking out everywhere. To get up to Abuh you have to first take a taxi out to Fundong, then you take a bush taxi out to the bottom of Abuh, and then for the rest of the way you take motorcycle taxis, walk, and or slip and slide your way to the village. By the time we got to the outskirts of Abuh, it was time for the motorcycle taxis. There were five of us, and three motorcycle taxis. We had loads and loads of bags, and we all had to pretty much double up on the motorcycles. It began pouring down rain on us as we were getting up to the village, so not only were we getting soaked, but the roads were getting worse by the second. There were moments when our taxi driver would have us jump off the bike and walk because the road was in such bad condition. It was about a 45 minute bike ride to get to Sam’s compound. I have to say, I very much enjoyed the rain pouring down on me, it was a refreshing moment that I really needed. I was just looking up at the sky and just giving thanks to God for the rain and for the wonderful people I was with.

Half of the Women at the Lecture

Eventually we made it to Sam’s compound. Her next door neighbor, Tessia, and his family were so excited to see Sam and to see that she had brought friends. Tessia is not only Sam’s next door neighbor, but he is also one of her fellow coworkers at the medical clinic. Sam has been spending her two years of Peace Corps working with the doctors and nurses at the Abuh Medical Clinic. She has worked with them to set up health seminars for the locals in the village so that they are aware on how all of different diseases are spread. She also not only organized these health seminars, but she also painted murals on all of the medical clinic walls showing how to properly breast feed a child, how to properly feed children a balanced diet, and many other things. Tessia and his family warmly greeted us and welcomed Sam back to the village. Sam then showed us around her compound. It was a beautiful four bedroom house with a garden, an outside cooking house, and endless miles of rolling hills and mountains. We had to quickly begin the process of getting dinner made, because the moon was slowly creeping out. We ended that first night surrounded by multitudes of candles and conversation. It really was a much needed get away from technology, and everything.

The Hospital Bed

Baby in the Scale

The next morning we got up early to get ready to the long day ahead of us. It was Sam’s last day working in the medical center. Sam is headed back to the States for good in a few weeks. So today, was her last day working in the medical clinic. It was going to be a good day, it was the day when women from all over Abuh, and from other villages would come to weigh their babies. Also, if there any sick women and children, Tessia was there to consult with them, and to figure out if anyone needed medicine for anything. We trekked for about ten or so fifteen minutes till we came to the clinic. Walking to the clinic we were able to see the “town hall,” the school, and many many houses. By the time we got to the clinic, there was a long line of women and babies. They all greeted us warmly. Sam had some time to show us around the clinic before starting the weighing session. The medical clinic was a very dirty place, there was dust and dirt all over the floors and walls. There were about twenty of so beds at the medical clinic. A couple of the beds were occupied by young children with malaria. They were all hooked up to a drip so that they would have a constant flow of fluids. Sam then took us to the room with all of the vaccines; she took us to the lab where Tessia would work, and to the delivery room. The delivery room consisted of a bucket and a bed. The walls of the delivery room were covered with dry blood and who knows what else. Sam said that the women would come and sit over the bucket and push, when they gave birth to their babies they would then move over to the bed where they would clean up the baby and mom. It really was a sad sight to see. I know that I can get very passionate about certain things that I have seen, this sight was one of them. I know that because it was a village hospital, it is difficult to get resources, but still it was a sad sight to see.

Usual way women hold babies

Beautiful Baby

As we made it back out to the main area where all the women were. The amount of women doubled by the time we came back out. There were women and babies crawling everywhere. Sam introduced us to everyone, and she then began her lecture. She talked to the women about what is means to feed your child a balanced diet, and what to do if the child does not want to eat any of the foods the parents were trying to feed them. After the lecture, Sam weighed all forty plus children. She did this by putting the child in a basket that was connected to a scale. After getting the weight of the child, she would then write it down in the child’s chart. If there were any children who had lost weight, they would send them over to Tessia, who would then see if there was anything wrong with them. We left the clinic, and then went back to the house. We made some dinner, and then headed off to bed.

Where Women give birth

The next morning, Kathleen, Brittany, and I were headed off back to Bamenda. To be completely honest, I really had such a good time, I did not want to leave. I always thought that it would be really difficult to live in the place where there is no electricity, but I have to say that I would enjoy living in a place without electricity for a little while longer. I was able to really just focus on what was around me, and what was not going on in the land of technology. Technology really has taken over this world; there are so many things that we do these days that are all relied on technology. It really is enjoyable, and a slower pace of life. Sam said that it was really a challenge for her at first, but she eventually grew to love it. It really was wonderful to be able to get away from everything and to take a much needed break.

I am so happy that I was able to meet Darcie, Sam, and to hang out with Brittany. They really are special women, and they are so strong for being in Peace Corps. It was cool to really explore a different side of Africa.

The Road to the Medical Center

I now love the village of Abuh.

Now back to the world of technology, people everywhere, and work…God give me strength.