Life Lessons from the Field

22-10-11

So, by the time this is posted, I will have been in Cameroon for 1 complete month—I can’t even believe it’s been this long already! Reflecting upon this month, I’ve compiled a list of Dos and Don’ts for your viewing pleasure.

DON’T: Be too jealous of everyone else’s field trips, you’re in Youth Development—the world is your class room! And, more importantly, you’ll have the run of Bafia and of the training center. Who needs curfew extensions and crappy hotels anyways?
DO: Eat chocolate “sandwiches” at every possible opportunity. There’s protein in the chocolate spread, right?

DON’T: Miss an opportunity to break those irritating 10,000 CFA notes. Maybe this time the boutique can finally break it…. No? Better luck next time!

DO: Pile those extra five people in the car: the more the merrier. Ideally, rock out to hard-core gangster rap and raunchy American pop in the process, your drivers don’t speak English anyways. Make sure to reaffirm that stereotype of Americans being awful dancers, that’s very important.

DON’T: Forget to insert a peut-être into every possible statement. Couple it with a couple of “J’ai blaig, j’ai blaig!” every couple of sentences and your language trainers will clearly think you’re following French Immersion.

DO: Play Catchphrase at every possible opportunity. Even better: play Bowls at the boutique and watch the Cameroonians laugh hysterically at the crazy Americans. And, once again, appreciate the fact that because they don’t speak American English, you’re safe describing the wonders of Paul Biya.

DON’T: Forget about that stupid chicken that hangs out at the boutique, it’ll come after your head not once, not twice, but three times.

DO: Be careful as you rummage around your bag for paper in public, you do have a number of fantastically awkward items in your bag compliments of the classes you’ve had this week on teaching Sex Ed and HIV/AIDs awareness.

DON’T: Do Zumba after eating a sandwich with lots of Piment. Heartburn city, folks. Also, don’t be too concerned about the other Stagiares taking photos of all of you pouring sweat and attempting ridiculous Zumba moves, facebook always allows for detags J

DO: Visit your buddies in Bokito and admire their digs—a shower, running water, fridge, and stove? Live in the lap of luxury for those three hours of your visit, and enjoy not wearing shoes.

DON’T: Forget to look around, you ARE in Africa after all.

DO: Be a part of the Dazzling Dozen, and be adorably close all the time. Playing games for class, massage trains, Zumba classes with Charla, team lunch, free hugs: why would you ever want to be with anyone else?

In all seriousness, now, I am so thankful to be where I am and with such incredible people. Things just feel so REAL here—the extraordinary moments and the times where things are genuinely rough. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so consistently challenged and rewarded, and I’m not even at post yet. Given that we’re all in the same situation (new language, new culture, new people, new information, etc. etc. etc. etc,) I’m finding such an uncommonly supportive community here. There’s always a shoulder for a hug, a hand to work out that awful knot in the shoulder from the lumpy bed, a person to try to explain the vocabulary term, and someone else to give advice about what to do about that awful comment someone made about you. I don’t know that I’d trade this group and this experience of Stage for anything, and I am a little nervous about what’s going to happen once we’re all scattered to the wind. But, we’re taking everything one day at a time and not rushing a thing, life here is just too fantastic to try to push forward too much.

Photos of my life are on facebook so that you get a better idea of what I’m up to, there aren’t a lot, the internet is too slow and I’m too bad at remembering to take photos (an indication of just how present I’ve been since getting here.) ALSO: I just wanted to reassure you all that I’m safe and sound—the elections are totally over now (Paul Biya was reelected for the next 7 years) and things have been much more calm than I could have ever expected.

Miss you all, and I hope you’re all having a wonderful fall full of hiking, foliage, apple cider, Halloween parties, and caramel corn.