Not Ready to Leave?
August 26, 2009
After my delightful day in Bafoussam, I had a dream that very night where I was not ready to leave. In the dream, I was not at all packed and was incredibly sad to leave my village and this part of my life behind. I woke up feeling nostalgic of the present. Is that even possible? Can you miss the…
Read MoreDelightful Monday in Bafoussam
August 26, 2009
I don’t think I would’ve ever described a day spent in Bafoussam, the provincial capital 30 minutes away from my village, as delightful. Usually I am lucky to spend the day there without wanting to punch someone in the face. But this past Monday, it was surprisingly pleasant. The sun was shining for the first time in weeks. I hadn’t…
Read MoreRain. Love It. Hate It.
August 26, 2009
I love the rainy season for several reasons. For starter, when it rains, I can stay in like rest of the population here. “It’s raining” is a perfectly valid excuse to not do anything. The rain washes away the dirt and everything is less dirty. My house is not constantly covered by a layer of dust. Although my feet are…
Read MorePresent Moment. Wonderful Moment.
August 14, 2009
It occurred to me a few days ago that I only have about 10 months left of service. This was shocking. Suddenly, any lonely feeling or “oh life sucks here” feeling had vanished. All is left is “how is it possible I only have 10 months left?!” panic. I thought of all the things I still need to accomplish, namely,…
Read MoreJesus Party!
August 14, 2009
The one trait I’ve strengthened during my time in Peace Corps is to think VERY quickly on my feet to accommodate all sorts of unexpected situations. Weeks ago, while preparing to begin my second round of business classes, I got approval from the Secretary General at the Mayor’s Office to use the meeting space. I delivered a protocol letter with…
Read MoreThis is how we do it
August 5, 2009
I may have Internet, and I may be Posh Corps, but there are certain moments that distinctly remind me that I am indeed, still en afrique. This morning, I woke up to Antoine beeping me and then banging on my door at 7:30am. In case I haven’t explained the concept of “beeping”, it’s when people call you, let it ring…
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Immersion
August 5, 2009
Recently, I read this blog post on FluentIn3Months.com. I really related to this post with my experience here in Cameroon, learning my 4th language. The author made a very good point about how people can be living in a place for months or even years, and still do not speak the local language: Stop speaking English!! This may seem like…
Read MoreBusiness Class: Round II
August 5, 2009
Yesterday began the first session of the business classes in village. I had one heck of a time this time around recruiting students. Perhaps I became too confident and thought word of mouth would do and thus did not attend enough neighborhood meetings. Anyhow, I had only around 15 students during the first class, so I told them if they…
Read MoreSummer Blues?
August 2, 2009
Technically, it’s “winter” here, so I suppose it would be more like “winter blues”, which makes more sense. I’ve been feeling some severe waves of nostalgia as of late. Maybe it’s all the rain, but there is definitely a mood lingering. I have been in Cameroon for over a year now and all along, there were people coming and going.…
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