There is one thing Buea has that Yaounde didn’t – grass! It’s quite a novelty after a week coaching on very dusty surfaces. You also can’t help but notice Mt Cameroon – it puts the UK peaks to shame – although it was cloud covered for most of the day.
We started at 8am at the Government Technical High School with a relatively small group compared to what we’ve become used to of approx 70. I continue to learn from my fellow CWB colleagues – I observed Ben’s bowling session and was inspired by his technical tips and HIV and AIDS awareness questions.
The second school was well populated with signs and mottos encouraging positive behaviour and a HIV and AIDS free future. After being welcomed by the Vice Principal we made our way to a very generous sized field which was a blessing to see as we were expecting 200+ students.
The session that followed was one of our most challenging so far with 60+ students in a group. I headed up a fielding session – you can imagine – 60 students + 30 tennis balls + students from a neighbouring school walking past and trying to steal tennis balls = crazy! We were also briefly interrupted by a herd of cows! I think it’s fair to say that we were all relieved when this session finished!
We then had a couple of hours break to buy some supplies from a local supermarket, withdraw money and get our daily fix of WiFi.
Our last school was a boarding school, again with a generous playing field. Due to big numbers and students joining in at different times we kept it simple with continuous Cricket. This game never fails to summon a good competitive spirit in the children. The students in my game particularly enjoyed admiring their shots but then quickly forgot to run!
Our first day in Buea was a hectic one and here’s hoping we find the energy to continue for a few more days!
Kirsty