Barry University Blogs: Steve Turnier

I was instructed to leave work today and pack all my belongings.  A new section deputy chief is scheduled to arrive on July 13, and my house was assigned to him since it needed the least amount of work to complete.  I was moved to a house just two streets away. This one is a mansion compared to the last.  The architecture is elegant and the entire house is covered in marble stone.  Even the pool is bigger than the last.  After my first night here, I realized that this house is too big for just one person to stay in alone so I may have to plan another party soon.

Just Kidding!!!

I invited some local friends over to my place for a pool party/poker night. Since many of the Cameroonians have never heard of poker I spent several hours giving a tutorial in French. It turns out that I have a lot in common with several of the local Cameroonian guys from my party. Achu is a Georgia Tech graduate in Mechanical Engineering, and it just so happens that I lived in Atlanta for several years before moving to Miami. Michael is a cool guy who speaks no English whatsoever but reminds me very much of myself. Mike has agreed to go with me to the local marketplaces from time to time so that local vendors don’t try to take advantage of my pockets once they realize I’m an American.

Once the sun went down the Marines forced me to work out with them. After our workout we went running up Mount Febe which is just outside of the city of Bastos. The view from the top of the mountain was breath taking, both aesthetically and literally. My legs were so tired and sore from the run that I had to sit in an ice bath for an hour.

My grandpa used to always say, “If it doesn’t burn it’s not working!!”

I set up all day for my house party.  We rented wicker living room sets, bought a red carpet, hired bartenders and servers, had a local DJ and rented hookahs for our guests.  150 invitations were given out, but 294 people showed up.  Word gets around quick here.  Since the theme was Hollywood, guests were asked to come dressed as their favorite movie stars and many participated.  I received much praise for throwing one of the best parties anyone at our embassy had been to.  It was a lot of work but worth the sweat.

I spent the entire morning blowing balloons and decorating for the big Independence Day celebration. Special guests arrived in handfuls to greet the Ambassador and eat American classics like pigs in a blanket, mini burgers and ice cream.  It was such a relief to finally get the event over with.  One of our section chiefs dressed up like President Lincoln to celebrate the bi-centennial of Lincoln’s birth. I felt comfortable speaking with diplomats, special guests and co-workers alike.

I took a trip to Mbalmayo today for the second time to perform a site visit (this time it was business rather than pleasure).  The embassy donated funds to a saw mill in Mbalmayo to buy new equipment used for drying timber and manufacturing octagon bricks for construction purposes.  We received a site tour and watched a demonstration of how the timber is processed through the dryers.

On the way back to Yaounde, I saw firsthand how poor the emergency response in Cameroon is.  One of the truck drivers from the saw mill was driving in front of us on a two lane road with a load of timber and decided to overtake a truck in front of him.  Approaching a tight corner, he changed lanes and noticed a truck that had broken down.  Trying to avoid hitting the stationary truck the driver quickly moved back into the proper lane, but unfortunately did it so abruptly that the truck lost control, the break line disconnected, and the tail end of the timber load caused the entire truck to overturn.  The timber truck hit the stationary truck at such a speed that the driver died on impact.  Watching the entire incident happen in slow motion was one of the most tragic things that I’ve ever seen.

What happened next was impressive.  Unlike an accident on a U.S. highway where cars stop and emergency responders are contacted, here every single person driving and every single member of the immediate village came out and surrounded the vehicle to collectively help.   Young boys grabbed machetes and ran to the bush, cut foliage into bunches, and set them in patterns on both sides of the road to warn oncoming vehicles that there was an accident ahead.  Large groups of older men ran out with long metal chains to wrap them around the chassis’ and pull the trucks apart.  After forty minutes of rigorous labor the trucks were pulled apart. However, it had long been too late for the driver.  The roads were blocked for miles, but the local police did not show up for at least an hour after the work had been done.  Some of the pictures are pretty graphic so I tried picking them carefully.

Cameroon has a very relaxed traffic law system and therefore many drivers, especially motorcyclists, take life-threatening risks.  Please be careful and buckle up.

There are riots in the streets! People are protesting! Masses of young people are congregating to protest!

Today President Biya announced reforms and dismissed several members of his cabinet.  Apparently this is not uncommon here.  Members of the cabinet may have an idea they’ll be removed, but never know when. Ephraim Inoni was dismissed from the cabinet as Prime Minister, which upset young audiences.  Biya is accused of not allowing anyone under the age of fifty the opportunity to serve in high government positions regardless of how qualified they are.  I saw organized marches and protests everywhere I drove today.

Today I started on my university outreach project.  My task is to meet with university students in Cameroon and discuss in an open forum format the shortcomings of the current educational system.

Topics of discussion include but are not limited to: What are student views on the upcoming political election in 2011?  Why are there so many postgraduate students that do not have jobs (specifically jobs in their field)?  What resources are available to university students and how much technology is made available?  How do students stay connected to each other and/or is there some sort of social networking available (Facebook, Text messaging, Twitter)?

It has come to my attention that the universities here don’t even have any type of career services or placement programs.  My hope is that before I leave Cameroon I can provide this group of students with resources that will help make them more appealing to employers.  The students here are not taught basic resume writing skills or how to interview properly.  I know for a fact that I would not have had the opportunity to enjoy this internship had it not be for people like Amy Diepenbrock or John Moriarty and Barry’s Career Services.

Since I know Barry is a community whose tradition of service to others is very dominant, I would like to take a moment to ask those in the position to donate a few resources that may be helpful in this matter to please contact me via email.  TurnierSX@State.gov

The embassy’s Fourth of July celebration is quickly approaching and chaos ensues.

I finally finished the flyer for my house party, something I learned to do through my involvement with CAB and the Office of Student Activities.  My guest list is 150 people and I am determined to make the best leisure event anyone here has ever been to.  What an internship!

News broke this morning that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, had died. Cameroon seemed to melt into a pot of complete sorrow.  There was a party already scheduled at the Marine house, so I decided to commemorate Jackson’s life by dressing like the pop star and making arm bands for everyone at the party. 

I made reservations at Maeva again, so that we could all see the Michael Jackson impersonator one last time.  We had a blast tonight and later went to a club where “Billy Jackson,” as we call him, invited us to join him and his entourage in V.I.P. since I invited him to the house party. The club went wild after “Billy” asked for a moment of silence then followed with a spectacular performance on the dance floor.

For those who are beginning to think that I have been doing nothing in Cameroon but partying, I must take this moment to clarify some things.  I am very active at work but unfortunately due to my elevated security clearance, I am only at liberty to discuss information that is unclassified which just so happens to only be minor projects and my night life experiences.

Either way, I’m having the best time of my life! Go Cameroon!

Today I was given the task to plan a trip to the United States for the Prime Minister, His Excellency Ephraim Inoni.  For those who don’t know, Shirley Inoni, the minister’s daughter, is a student at Barry University. I was thrilled to get a hand in this project. The PM is scheduled to visit the Mayor of Atlanta and the State Department in Washington D.C.  I’m starting to get the hang of this agenda planning thing!

I was invited by the Chief of Public Affairs to attend a book review and entrepreneurship seminar based on Kevin Liles Nouveaux Horizons book, “Saisis ta Chance: de Stagiaire à PDG” (Make it Happen: the Hip-Hop Generation Guide to Success). This three-hour program brought together fifty students from Cameroonian universities. Using examples drown from the Cameroonian context, Dr. Theophile Eyada, lecturer at the Catholic University of Central Africa, walked participants through the 10 success principles outlined by Kevin Liles in his book.

Today I was introduced to Ryan Hansen, founder of the Green Eye’s in Africa Orphanage.  We had lunch, and he brought along two of his personally adopted orphans Joel and Ragessa.  Ryan implemented a dance program at the orphanage that introduces children to ballet, jazz, tap, modern and contemporary dance. The hope is to give them the exposure and arts experience to travel or even attend a stateside university.  The children were excited to find out that I am also involved in Barry Universities Fine Arts Dance program.  I was invited to volunteer at the orphanage before the end of my internship and help with the dance program, which I look forward to with much enthusiasm.

I came to the conclusion today that the plans for my house party may be a bit too outrageous for the embassy community in Cameroon but I’m going to go through with it anyway.  The theme for the party will be “Hollywood: A Red Carpet Affair.”  I mentioned my idea to a fellow coworker and she loved it so much that she decided to co-host with me and finance the entire event.  Once again, my life at Barry comes in handy – I’m finally reaping the benefits of all those networking events!

The Marine Corps have an integral role in the operation of every American embassy.  The Marines provide around the clock surveillance for the safety and protect ion of both American civilians and information (classified and unclassified) that is stored within the building. 

Since I see this internship as a learning experience rather than a work experience, I thought it would be appropriate to become familiar with every section of the embassy including the Marine Corps.  I spoke to Gunnery Sergeant Michael Johnson aka Gunny, and was informed that in order to be allowed the privilege to protect U.S. foreign interests, I must first pass a routine Marine Physical Fitness Test.  To pass this test, a Marine must be able to complete no less than 3 pull-ups, 50 sit-ups, and run 3 miles in 28 minutes.  Not too impressed at the requirements, I asked Gunny what I had to do to get a perfect score and he told me that I would have to get 300 points which is 20 pull-ups without rest, 100 sit-ups in less than 2 minutes, and a 3 mile run in less than 18 minutes.  Up  for the challenge and pretty confident that I am in good shape, I told Gunny that I would perform the Army maximum 77 push-ups in less than two minutes in addition to what was obligatory by the Marines.  Skeptical, Gunny offered to assign me a Marine to help condition me for my Physical Fitness test.  Every Marine who achieves a score of 285 and above receives a certification recognizing they’re above average fitness level.

Later in the afternoon, I became frustrated with all the brouhaha with the preparations for our embassy’s Fourth of July celebration.  The American embassy of Yaounde, Cameroon has the fourth largest American embassy Independence Day celebration.  With a guest list of about 1,800 and a planning committee that has been working on the project since February, the entire embassy staff seems so morose.  For this reason, I thought it would be nice to host a house party at my house on July Fourth and choose a theme as far from America’s independence as possible.  Finally, I get to put my leadership experience from being a Resident Assistant and a member of the Campus Activities Board to good use outside of the university setting.

I was asked to join our Chief of Political and Economic Section at the University of Yaoundé 1. Two U.S. companies started a project to help improve career opportunities for the university graduates. MW2 Inc. and Business Labs Inc. donated a brand new facility to the Polytechnique School of Engineering and signed a 5-year contract to serve as the school’s business consultants.

There was a lot of press and the students were thrilled about the new site. The American embassy was present to show support to for the two American companies involved in the partnership. It was a great opportunity to see how the university system operates here in Cameroon. This experience has opened the door for my next big project which is to meet with local university students in an open forum format to better understand the current political/educational situation.

I also got another opportunity to replace our Ambassador at an event tonight while she was out of town. The Korean embassy recently re-opened after the sudden death of their ambassador and commemorated this day in his honor. The event was a Traditional Korean Dance performance that showcased an amazing array of dance and rhythmic music to the Cameroonian community. I would describe the event, but the pictures I posted should speak for themselves, enjoy.

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Mbalmayo Agricultural and Forestry Research Center. The trip took approximately two hours. I had an amazing experience. Our group got to tour a heavily vegetated site and learned a lot about Cameroonian farming crops and techniques. Because I am such an inquiring individual, I asked one of the tour guides if I could stray from the group since I was the youngest and therefore capable of covering more land in a shorter amount of time. He agreed and I ran “rampant” through the bush. I took several pictures of the surrounding foliage, but was not fortunate enough to see any wild animals due to our group size. The guide did take the time to show me how they would call the animal out in order to catch them. About 15 minutes from the site is a gorilla reserve that I plan to visit next.

Ohh, the PawPaw was so good.

Plantains/Banana

Wild Pears

Manual Labor....forgot it still existed, huh!!

Tonight I was invited to dinner at Café Yaoundé with some new friends I’ve made in the past week. The restaurant was very aesthetically pleasing, with fine African art on display and low lighting. I enjoyed the food and the live pianist who played Christmas tunes all evening. Following dinner we went next door to a cabaret called Maeva. Everyone at the office had been telling that I had to go to this place because the main act is an albino Michael Jackson impersonator. Cameroonians practically worship Michael and his last “Thriller” performance was nothing short of extraordinary. It was definitely a theatrical performance. The backup dancers went all out and covered themselves in mud and clay while dressed in second hand clothes and smearing some red liquid resembling blood on their faces. They took every advantage to scare the women in the audience and portray real life zombies. I give it two thumbs up.

The four Cameroonian Justices arrived in Washington, D.C. last night. Thankfully, I was able to complete a full 10-day schedule of meetings and events for them to enjoy. The task proved to be daunting, especially considering the 5-hour time difference I had to work around. Though I am not at liberty to share their actual schedule for security reasons, I can say that I was able to arrange appointments with the American Bar Association, Georgetown University School of Law, and the Federal Judicial Center among others. I’m so glad it’s finally done.

Later this evening I had the amazing pleasure of representing the Ambassador at a cocktail party hosted by Pecten Oil. Pecten is an oil producing company that is 80 percent owned 80 by petroleum giant Shell. At this reception, I had the opportunity to mix and mingle with top private sector executives and Cameroonian diplomats and dignitaries. All the networking events that I attended at Barry finally paid off. I was even getting job offers for after I had my degree in hand. The contacts I made may not be directly related to my internship but certainly have potential for my future.

My bags finally came in last night so I’m thoroughly excited that I don’t have to wear anyone else’s clothes. One of my supervisors invited me to his wife’s birthday party so I had to do some shopping since the theme was retro 70’s. To prepare, one of my coworkers offered to bring me to a local marketplace called Mokalo to find the right gear. Mokalo is a large, open area where vendors display their merchandise and consumers have to bargain for the best prices. This concept wasn’t too hard to adjust to since my mother is Haitian and the culture is similar. Even though I speak the native languages (French and English) fluently, I wasn’t able to get the best deals since my coworker is a white American, which vendors see as flashing dollar signs.

Mokalo Marketplace		I love the feeling of actual bargain shopping! All sales to the highest bidder.
My brother from Belgium		Breaking me in!		Celeste is a great sport

After finally getting everything I needed, I went back home and then proceeded on to my first Friday night in Yaoundé. I must say that I had a blast. My coworkers really know how to unwind after a long week. It helps that our work schedule is Monday through Thursday, 7:30 to 5:00, and Fridays we get out at 12:30. Everyone invited to the birthday party went out of their way to dress the part. After the party I was invited to a Club called Safari where I got the chance to dance to local music, as well as the more familiar Top-40 music. The exchange rate here is approximately 500:1 but the standard of living here is one of the highest in western Africa. In reality, I’m only spending about the same amount of money as I do back home. What a way to start my weekend...

Today was our panel discussion in observance of World Environment Day. A large group of government officials, university professors, researchers and press showed up to debate what environmental issues Cameroon is facing and how those issues were being addressed. The conversations were very intriguing and a video was shown depicting the hardships caused by recent climate changes. After the panel discussion I was asked to assist with an urgent project. Cameroon has six female Supreme Court Justices, four of which were granted permission to visit Washington D.C. as a way to learn how Cameroon may benefit from switching to an adversarial court system versus the inquisitorial system that the country adopted from the French. The U.S. State Department has an initiative called the Voluntary Visitor Exchange Program (VolVis) which allows foreign groups to visit the U.S. for approximately 10 days, escorted by a government official, to learn about our legal system. Unfortunately, our department did not have enough prior knowledge of the trip and therefore was not able to set up a VolVis. Therefore, I was put in charge of contacting various D.C. officials in the legal arena to create a “VolVis-like” schedule for the Justices within a four-day time frame. The task seems impossible since I have no contacts to begin with, but I will do my best.

U.S. Ambassador Janet Gravey The debate begins

My first official day of work!

I had to be up at 6am today in order to get ready, since my shuttle to work arrives at 7am. I arrived to work excited for what lay in the near future. I spent my first few hours getting a tour of the facility and meeting all the “Who’s Who” of the American Embassy. After getting my SECRET security clearance I had to attend six briefing sessions and sign countless documents followed by getting my government issued badge and swearing in.

By lunchtime I rushed to the cafeteria where I found out I could choose from local Cameroonian dishes or the easily recognizable American classics everyday (French fries, hamburgers, BLT’s, etc.).

I woke up this morning knowing that it would be my last day to enjoy the Miami weather. I got dressed and preceded to the chapel for my blessing from Father Scott. I’m not Catholic but knew it wouldn’t hurt to have an additional prayer said on my behalf. After the blessing I was greeted at the chapel by the infamous Shirley Inoni, Daughter of Cameroon’s Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni. It should be of no surprise that literally everyone that knew of my trip to Cameroon had advised me to contact Shirley for months before I traveled. I just never got around to it. Luckily, Shirley enjoys church enough to come during the summer when classes are out. We spoke for a while and she told me of a few hotspots to visit. She assured me that her father would hear of me and we exchanged contact info. I made last minute goodbye calls to all my friends that were still on campus and a few wanted to say goodbye in person. I was rushed to Miami international airport where hugged and kissed everyone farewell. But, after boarding my flight, the captain welcomed everyone onto the fight but was sorry to say that we would be stuck in Miami until further notice due to engine technicalities. When we finally landed in Paris I was rushed off the plane by an attendant with my name on a board telling me that I was going to miss my connection to Cameroon if I didn’t hurry. Fortunately I got on my plane with time to spare. The connecting flight stopped in Douala, Cameroon, where we refueled and proceeded on to Yaoundé. When I arrived I was greeted by Crystal, a Foreign Service national working at the U.S. Embassy. I waited at baggage claim for an hour before I was told that my bags had not made it into the flight and they could not be tracked at the moment. This didn’t surprise me much once I later found out that an entire Boeing 747 couldn’t be found at the same time. I was escorted by motor pool to my embassy residence and on the way I was amazed to how drastic the differences were from what I was used to. In the U.S., there usually isn’t a residential area immediately surrounding the airports, most likely for safety reasons. But here, there are residential homes in walking distance of the airport. During the trip I noticed two separate car accidents, no yield to pedestrians, and no traffic laws for that matter. I finally arrived in an area called Bastos - beautiful houses, fancy restaurants and very busy streets. I thought I was just getting a tour of the city but then I was shown a grandiose house (even by American standards), and I was told this would be my summer housing. After about an hour of taking a tour of the house and meeting my guards, my supervisor showed up with food and clothes to help accommodate me until my bags arrived and I was able to settle in. Soon after, I took advantage of the free internet and long distance calling to let my family and friends know I was doing well.

My house. 3 stories, 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms. Living room, sitting room, den, second floor tv room, dining room, third floor library, office, first and second floor patios, swimming pool. This is just a big as my house in the U.S. Local Thousandaire. Contrary to belief, Cameroon is not a poor country. It may be less developed than the U.S. but it just has poor regions like any other place. Politics and greed cause poverty before lack of resources do. View from the Embassy locals The neighborhood soccer players doing a warm-up!

My name is Steve Turnier, a senior Finance major in Barry’s School of Business. The Career Planning and Placement Center (A.K.A. Career Services) has helped me gain the prestigious opportunity to serve our country abroad by working for the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

It took a while to really sink in, but I am extremely excited to start an internship that will hopefully lead to my dream to change the world through a career in international affairs and diplomatic service. I recently enjoyed the chance to meet the first woman ambassador to an African country and first woman acting ambassador in Latin America -- Ambassador Jean Wilkowski. The Ambassador inspired me with a few of her stories from her 35-year career in diplomatic service but what impacted me the most was that she, just like me, was and still is a proud member of the Barry University community. We may be small in scope but we have strength in our ability to change the world!

It’s hard to express my excitement in words but as I continuously tell others….. “With the education one receives from Barry University, this internship will prove to only be a precursor for what lies in my near future.”

Steve Turnier is a finance major in Barry University’s School of Business. He plans to pursue a career in the foreign service after graduation. Outside of his academic responsibilities, Steve is active on campus and is a resident assistant for the Office of Housing and Residence Life, former vice president of the Campus Activities Board, an Alumni Ambassador, and is actively involved with various organizations including Habitat for Humanity, the Fine Arts dance program and Career Services.

Steve has had the opportunity to participate in several internships through Career Services, but most recently accepted the chance to work for the U.S. State Department this summer in Cameroon. Out of more than 2,000 applicants, he was one of only eight selected for the prestigious program and the only applicant to also be selected for a scholarship, fully funding his trip to sub-Saharan Africa.

His experience will take him to the Cameroon’s capital city, Yaoundé. During his 10 weeks there, he will assist with a range of political and economic activities – preparing reports on human rights in Cameroon, the country’s oil and gas sector, and poverty trends. He will also aid the post with commercial outreach and correspondence.

Turnier is originally from Connecticut and was raised in a Haitian-Dominican household; strengthening his connection to Barry’s diverse campus. Additionally, Turnier is a first generation college attendee – the oldest of four boys in a single-parent household – and is the only member of his family to attend a four-year institution.