Cameroon, Day 17-22

I’ve gotten sick at home before. You usually go home, sweat it out, take a few pills, lie in bed and watch Maury for a day, and you’re better in 24 hours.

Third-world viruses don’t go down that easily.

They’re much meaner, and they punch you in the gut without stopping. This particular bug that I got made sure that every part of my body knew what it meant to be in Africa. So I spent Tuesday morning to Friday half-conscious, shuffling helplessly back and forth between my bed and the bathroom.

2/18/12

When I could stand up again, I met a young guy Jean, who is in charge of a local farming cooperative, and he took me out to his farm in the bush. I mean wayyyyy out in the bush. It was my first time taking a ride on one of these motorcycles, and yes, it was about as scary as I imagined it would be. But to tell you the truth, I think it’s absolutely the best way to explore the countryside. It’s like a fast, powerful horse that doesn’t get tired.

He’s definitely struggling out there. There are just so many problems that farmers here have to deal with, and they have no control. He said the five main problems were 1) fluctuations in the market, 2) waste, 3) lack of access to technology, 4) land, and 5) lack of training.

tomatos

Every week, he calls customers in major Cameroonian cities to check the price of pepper. He finds out which is highest and brings it there. He then has to hire a vehicle, which is expensive and also prone to break down. When that happens, it’s a complete loss.

The challenges he runs up against are endless: Last season, the weather ruined the whole pepper crop. Right now, market prices are so low that he cannot afford insecticide, so insects can destroy his tomatoes.

But young farmers don’t have much choice to grow anything besides tomatoes and pepper, because they are quick turnaround. They cannot invest the time to grow yams, bananas, plantains, etc, because they need the cash to feed their families. It’s a tough situation.

These kinds of stories just make me want to get hundreds of SolPods here right now so people like Jean can dry and sell the excess food that all goes to waste now. They are ready to buy – the ball is just in our court to improve the design and lower the cost of manufacturing it.

2/19/12

We got invited to a business conference in Kribi, a town right on the coast in southern Cameroon, and we stayed for the night.

I was pleasantly surprised by the place. It’s a laid-back little beach town that reminds me of southern California, except not as built up (and there are chickens and lizards running around). The night here finally snapped me out of my sickness, so I became a functional human being again.

Fishing is like farming out here. Water instead of soil, nets instead of hoes, but still a very similar mindset – things are done similarly to the way they are described in the Bible.

2/20/12

After a nice little stay in Kribi (and the most glorious shower in my life – I had no idea how much hot water means to me), we headed up the coast for about 4 hours to Limbe.

Limbe is supposedly the place to be in Cameroon. It has the largest oil refinery and it’s surrounded by cocoa, rubber, and coffee plantations, so there’s money here.

I still can’t get over the garbage though. It’s everywhere. Trash cans are just cultural taboo and I don’t know why.

We’re also now joined by Marie, who graduated from Northeastern last year and just flew in from France. She’ll be helping with the SolPod’s marketing strategy.

2/21/12

I thought time moved slowly in Bali, but it moves even slower out here. It’s really incredible. I can feel the minutes take longer. It’s like after each hour, the clock stops, takes a breath, then moves on with the next hour. As an American (especially a New Yorker), if you don’t consciously make an effort to slow down, you’ll go absolutely nuts.

But I’m realizing, when I just walk down to the water or something, there’s not a hint of stress on peoples’ faces. They smile.

*PS: If you’re having trouble viewing the pictures, let me know. These blogs posts literally take hours to upload and some of the images are having issues.

22nd Feb 2012