It is so hard to believe that I have only been in Cameroon for a week and a half. Already my life has the ebb and flow of a routine well versed and long lived. So far everything is exactly as I always dreamed it would be and more. I have been amazed at how comfortable I feel in my family and in my home. I actually look forward to coming home everyday even though it is nearly always the same. Babies crawling on me, the constant attention of my 5 year old host sister who is infinitely curious about every single aspect of the blanche in her house. The conversations between my host parents are always informative and fascinating and they are extremely patient with my forced use of French despite their being Anglophones.
Cameroon is far more beautiful than I anticipated. All around is endless green. Corn fields dot the landscape here in Bafia but off in the distance are majestic rolling green hills. There is humidity nearly all the time as it is the rainy season and we are becoming accustomed to having a constant coating of sweat on our bodies. The people stop in the street when we pass to greet and welcome us here. They, for the most part, seem very happy to receive us and know the Peace Corps very well. They are eager to help us acclimate and ask us how we are adjusting to life here.
Today I carried my water for the first time with my host brother. It was hardly any distance but it took all the strength I had and he had to help me part of the way with it even though he carried some himself as well. Sunday I learned to wash my laundry after we went to the Catholic mass and the girls on the porch laughed at me as I struggled to do it well.
Though it is the rainy season it has hardly rained at all but our first night in Bafia there was a thrilling thunderstorm while I was falling asleep and the lightning is striking now in the distance as I anticipate another may be brewing.
Our training is intense and thorough with sessions every day M-F from 8-4:30 and Saturday until noon focused on French acquisition, Medical information sessions (which usually include receiving a vaccination or 2), and technical training for our jobs at post. In only about a month’s time I will already be given a classroom in what is called the Model School that is meant to help me be well prepared for school to begin in a few months. Our posts will be announced in a week and a half and everyone is awaiting news on them anxiously. The country is so diverse and so difficult to traverse that the location of our posts will impact our experiences here immensely though I feel confident that regardless of where we are placed we will all find comfort in our homes and most likely our communities.
I have been immensely impressed with the values and actions of the Peace Corps program in general. Though I may have had my doubts in the past I feel convinced now that they do a great deal to promote truly sustainable development. I am extremely pleased and proud to be placed in such a place as Cameroon which has such a long history with Peace Corps and which the populous has adjusted to our presence and seem to want us here.
It’s amazing how well prepared I am as a result of my time in Senegal but I have also been intrigued by the differences between the 2 countries. The capital city here was far, far cleaner and less congested and overwhelming than Senegal. In many ways it feels as though Cameroon is more developed and from discussions with the Ambassador at our welcome dinner and a Foreign Service worker it seems that Cameroon has a great deal of potential for strong development. Actually my accommodations here have been far more comfortable than those in Dakar. There I had a room that barely fit my suitcases and bed with little to no privacy at all. I showered everyday with large cockroaches, often by candlelight because the blackouts occurred so frequently. I had a pit latrine and my French was so abysmal at the start that I was hardly able to get to know my family.
Here I have perhaps the biggest room in the house with a huge bed. My bedroom door locks and instead of looking into the courtyard of the house I have a beautiful view while sitting at my desk. The blackouts are far less frequent so far and I am now very acclimated to bucket baths, even when they are by candlelight. The bugs are less for the most part and even the mosquito bites are less severe. My French is so much better than 4 years ago that I have little to no problem communicating with my family and usually never resort to English despite that it’s their first language. The Peace Corps even gave me toilet paper and we have a toilet instead of a pit latrine. It’s amazing to see how technology has really changed the experience as well. My family has a computer and should be getting internet any day at the house and I am able to listen to my ipod and use my laptop in my room. The last week we have watched the World Cup religiously and it has helped bring us together. They even let us out early yesterday for the Cameroon match.
Thus, so far, I feel perfectly at home here. I have been adjusting and acclimating very well and am slowly trying to learn the things I will need to know to care for myself at post. I have no doubts about my time here or regrets about pursuing this step in my life so doggedly. I am absolutely certain it is going to enrich my life in nearly every way and I will return to the US a new person almost entirely.
