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The nobleman who once rescued me from Chad on horseback.  

Ironically I arrived home 8 days ago to a computer on the fritz so my technology hiatus has been lengthened.  In a way it is fitting because 8 days is a significant marker to people in Pouss.

Amina's daughter, Djara.  She is 10 years old.

For Muslims there are funeral celebrations on the 3rd day, 8th day and 40th day since a person's death.  My trip coincided with the 40th day celebration of Amina's life.  The night before we (the women) stayed up cooking and then got up early to cook some more for all the religious men and male members of the family who came to pray.  There were probably more than one hundred people gathered to pray for Amina Thursday morning.  Many people took me aside to tell me about her.  Amina died the morning of the Ramadan festival which is a very rare and special occurrence for Muslims.  There is no mosque in Pouss large enough for the 6,000+ faithful who pray together, facing East, at day break.  When someone dies on Ramadan her body is placed in front of all the people gathered and they pray for her as they begin their Ramadan prayers.   To me this was an appropriate way to say farewell to Amina.  In my mind she will always be the generous, innocent, soft spoken girl who was married very young against her will.   She deserved to be honored in the best manner possible.

In many ways this trip was a "good-bye" for me.   I discovered that while Cameroon felt like a playground when I was there in my 20s the thrill of pit latrines, bush taxis and motorcycle taxis has waned.  I am no longer the anthropologist studying the the indigenous culture of Pouss.  I am more interested in the anthropology of American public education.  While Cameroon and I have both changed, my connections in Pouss were the same - as if just picking up where I left off.  Even as I say farewell to the place I am not ready to say good bye to the people.

Amina's son, Yaya, the 13 year old budding electrician. 

In fact, Noah and I are in the process of trying to become the legal guardians to Amina's two children.  She spent the last two weeks of her life coming in and out of consciousness.  When she was alert her pleas were for the future of her children.  Right now they are living with Dada (Zayla) their grandmother who is in her 70s.  She is ready to have her sons take care of her rather than be a primary care giver.  Amazingly, this does not feel - to me - to be a choice, rather I feel like I am being called to do this.  It means I am not hemming and hawing over pros and cons but am full ready for chaos and beauty of a different kind of family.  In fact, their absence in our lives while we wait out the paperwork is noticeable.

Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and words along this journey.  I am so grateful to have been able to make this trip.  Tosey (thank you)!  Dana