Swearing-In as a Peace Corps Volunteer

 
 




My Host family- Du, Me, Cedwon, Bobby, Lydie-holding Angel and Ngie, Dudu and Samson



 



After coming back from site visit, it was really hard to go back to sitting through hours of training- all of us were ready to hit the road and move into our houses and work with the community rather than sit through lectures... but.. we made it! The last few weeks of training, although they were a bit rough to get through, were really amazing because all of us opened up alot to eachother and became really close. We ended up having a great Thanksgiving dinner together, and awesome field trip to the West region to visit a soy and tofu project, a great bike ride and of course many nights of dancing. It is crazy to think that I have just met these people only 3 months ago- we have all been through alot together! Its nice to know that know I have a good 23 friends living all over the country that I can go visit while I'm here. It was also really sad to say goodbye to Bokito and my host family- I started to make alot of friends in that town- Friends who taught me how to dance like a Cameroonian and who I taught how to dance salsa. I will also miss my host brothers- especially Samson- my host mother said that after I left he stayed in his room and cried for 2 hours- but, I will pay them a visit again soon.



Buying the Chickens to prepare for Thanksgiving



One of the Dance-Off competitions in Bokito



The Country Director of Cameroon congratulating us



As we finished training we had to pack our bags and get ready for the big day- December 8th- the day we all sworn in as official Peace Corps Volunteers (because before we were still Peace Corps Trainees). The celebration was a huge event- the US Ambassador came and our Country Director came and gave a speech- it was a well deserved day after all the work we went through. Each department (Health, Agroforestry, and Youth Development) all were dressed in matching pagne (patterned material) and after the ceremony we had lunch with our host families and said our goodbyes then spent the night dancing away before we had to pack our bags on the bus the next morning. I'm going to miss being around this group of people alot!



My host mother and me after Swear-In with the US Ambasador



Walking to the Swear-In ceremony



We all split up that next morning- some went north, some headed west and a few of us headed south to Yaounde to stay in the Peace Corps case (volunteer hotel).  A few of us ended up spending a few days there enjoying our freedom as volunteers, meeting other volunteers and seeing the city- We got to go to a soccer tournament, shop in the large open air markets, and stop by the roof-top lounge of the Hilton. It was a great few days! After that we all split up and lugged all our belonging to our posts. Arriving in Messamena again was great- I was so surprised that all my luggage fit on one motorcycle- it was incredible! Moving was not easy- My personal and mental strength were both tested.. haha. 



Yaounde- seen from a rooftop



Soccer match in yaounde



Now, I am living in my house in Messamena- there in nothing inside and I will spend the next week or so setting up shop. I'm planning on making all my furniture- luckily, my dad's a carpenter and taught me some tricks of the trade when I was growing up- it will definitely come in useful now! I'm planning on starting a garden and putting together a chicken coup. Its so crazy to have a whole house to myself- the past 8 years I've lived in very small quarters with very little space- now I'm proud to say I own my first full sized bed for the first time ever- haha yep, I'm 26.

Rockin' my awesome pants in village

 My first day in the village was great- there was a celebration going on that I was invited to and we spent the day eating monkey, sharing palm wine and dancing to Cameroonian music. It was a little shocking/embarassing when one of the kids in the village screamed and cried of fright when they saw me because they have never seen someone with light skin before- so then the village thought it was hilarious and kept trying to hand me the child- I can only image how frightening that must have been for that child. When I came home that night my neighbor came up and gave me a plate of couscous de riz and an amazing fish jumbo- when I returned the plate the next day she strongly advised me on the importance of me marrying her 20 year old daughter... oh geez.  I also was approached by a man who was a member of a pygmie tribe out in the jungle- he invited me to come hike to his tribe 6 km out into the jungle...He said to me, "Hello, I am a man of the village"- and I thought to myself.. we are in the village- if he thinks he is in the city right now, I can only imagine how small his community is- I can not wait to explore that opportunity! It's going to be a crazy two years... I am really excited to see what I am going to learn and take from this experience, and most importantly what I can share with others.



My job for the next three months with the Peace Corps is to integrate- we are not really supposed to start any project until after we have been at post for three months so we can have a better idea of the local resources, understand the local language, understanding the schedule of the community (seasonal farming, migration, etc), seeing the needs and figuring out a sustainable way of approaching them and making friends. I like this idea the Peace Corps has set up for community integration- I think many development projects fail because of lack of time outsiders spend in the area they are working and not understanding the true target needs. So, now I will be hanging out with my neighbors, cooking with them making new friends (for mental health and as my security guards in village) visiting the health care centers and shadowing the nurses there, conducting community mapping projects and exploring the jungle that surrounds me! Now, I have to hire a tutor and start learning Bikele- the local language in Messamena. Everyone can speak French in village but they speak Bikele to each other and I need to be able to participate in conversation. The next few months in Cameroon are marked by many holidays and every holiday is a parade.. so, there is a lot to look forward to in the next few months!


Although I am missing everything about life in Rio de Janeiro, I'm really grateful for this experience- I am happy to be here and comfortable trying to fit into village life here after being so used to living in mega cities for the last few years. I would have never imagined I would be living in Cameroon at some point in my life. I reached the 3 month mark.. I have 2 years left- I am going to try and make the most of it here!





A village welcome party in Messamena