Reverse Culture Shock: America, the Land of Plenty
July 27, 2010
It’s hard to fathom that only 4 days ago, I was still in Cameroon. Despite how much I am trying to hold onto it, that life is quickly fading away into a surreal dream. I’m saddened and scared by that. Over the two years, that life in village has became my comfort zone, and for some reason, leaving that behind…
Read MoreOut of Africa: Initial Reverse Cultural Shock
July 24, 2010
Sitting at Philadelphia International airport waiting for my connecting flight to St. Louis and having a hard time believing that I am finally back in the USA, after 26 months. The layover in Brussels went smoothly. I parted ways with Laura who traveled with me from Yaoundé. We grabbed a Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks before boarding our respective flights. It…
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Traveling Blahs
May 31, 2010
Bientôt, I’ll be in Cameroon for two years. I’ve seen and experienced so much over the past two years that it now takes a lot for me to freak out about something – mice, bugs, obnoxiousness, strange animals being held on the road for sale – you name it, I’ve probably seen it. The one thing, however, that still gets…
Read MoreUnderstanding Big Chairs
April 12, 2010
Laura: What are we going to do when it’s not socially acceptable to drink a cold Castel on the beach at 10 in the morning? I have been back in village for a week now after the whirlwind of COS conference, and I have never missed Americans this much in my entire life. My fortunate circumstances that have allowed…
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Fancy Gas Station in Mbouda
December 17, 2009
To you, the above picture is just a normal gas station that you stop in all day long to pick up a soda, a cup of coffee, some snacks. For me, I almost fainted when I walked into this fancy gas station in the town of Mbouda. Mbouda is a town 30 minutes car ride from Bafoussam – the provincial…
Read MoreThoughts After 48hrs of Plane Ride
May 29, 2009
Time continues to fly by. My 3 weeks of vacation came swiftly to an end. For the first time in a month, I am sitting in complete solitude, reflecting upon the events of the past few weeks. I am back in Cameroon, a place that felt like a distant dream while I was on vacation. Now, it’s my vacation that…
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American Girl in Paris – Part I
May 13, 2009
Due to flight schedule to reunite with my family in Taipei, I ended up with a three-day layover in Paris. I know, life is tough. Thanks to my French connection, Gary arranged for me to stay with his friends in the center of Paris for the two nights that I was passing through. When he said the center of Paris,…
Read MoreAirport Delight
May 13, 2009
A little over a week back in the “real world” and already, life in Cameroon feels like a dream, and not even a vivid one. This trip so far has helped me realize the incredible ability to compartmentalize life according to its experiences. This is not to say I did not experience all kinds of culture shock trotting the globe…
Read MoreYes, this conversation IS happening…
March 9, 2009
So the day after International Women’s Day, I walked into down and saw virtually no one during the 30-minute walk, and then during the last three minutes, I passed a guy and he said, “what did you get for me?” I gave him a dirty look and walked away. Then I got to la mairie (the mayor’s office/community center) and…
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