International Women's Day - March 8

(pictures soon I hope! I got some great ones!!!)

So do any of you women have March 8^th off each year? Many of them here do. It’s sure a day to be celebrated. I mean think of what the U.S. women’s rights movement was like 50 years ago, these women are out celebrating themselves. There is even a Cameroon Women’s Day fabric each year. Tuesday afternoon Terry and I went to see if there was extra fabric from the outfit Emmarencia made for her for women’s day and with the fabric Emmarencia was able to make me a dress and Terry picked it up Wednesday at 9:30. She was quick. I had the blue and yellow women’s day fabric. With the Cameroon flag and other symbols and women’s day stuff. So today we went down to the soccer field, where a grand stand was apparently until last month. We got a ride into town with Sister Xaveria. We got to sit with the Division Officer and First Lady of Njinikom, as well as many other important people. All of the women from Njinikom and the surrounding areas came dressed in the Women’s Day fabric or in their women’s group fabric. There were many many different women’s groups and thousands of people showed up. There were speakers, performances of dancing and singing, skits and marches.  It was pretty amazing the amount of enthusiasm of the women. The big theme was stomping out hunger and poverty, getting equality for the women in the councils and government and whatever else.

We sat there from about 10 this morning until about 3 this afternoon and it was still going on when we left.  They cut a cake and as Kristen (the peace corps worker) asks Terry why nobody ever eats the cake Sister Xaveria hands us a piece. Basically you have to donate money to get a piece of cake and she had donated 10000 francs or 20 dollars. She handed me the cake piece and I hadn’t had a single drink since 9 am and so sitting in the sun made me a bit parched. I took a bite.. and couldn’t swallow it cause the cake was so so dry.  And at one point under our canopy they passed out “sack lunches,” I guess you’d call them, in little plastic bags. It contained a piece of fish, a piece of chicken, a sandwich (Terry said it had fish paste smashed in the middle of it), and two puff puffs (basically a little fried dough ball). I ate one dough ball and that’s all. I was not going to get sick off something like that…

Then they passed out cokes so we had coke, but it was warm of course(nothing is cold) and so warm pop just fizzes and foams in your mouth, by the time you swallow it, it just sits in your stomach and doesn’t feel so nice.

Then Sister Xaveria helped us sneak out and we walked home. My feet were disgusting.. and now I have a bad sunburn on my back (I even used sunscreen!).  Okay it wasn’t so bad cause now it’s the next morning as I’m writing this and it’s barely noticeable.

For dinner the housekeeper cook gal Prisca made spaghetti noodles with egg and vegetables. It was pretty dang good.  Jim and Terry introduced us to Johnny’s Salad Elegance seasoning. They put it on their spaghetti noodles when they have spaghetti and just sprinkle it on things like that for extra flavor, and always have so they brought it here. I’m going to have to remember it when we get back home.