My first full day in Cameroon

September 22, 2012 – Saturday

Peace Corps Staging

Location: Yaounde, Felydac Hotel

Our first full day in Cameroon, Yaya, Kristen and Laura gave us a crash course in Cameroonian culture, the general do’s and don’ts and gender roles.  Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

1.       Most gatherings begin with prayer

2.       Elders in the community are extremely respected and are seen as being very wise

3.       Greetings are very important, especially to neighbours.  Handshakes are accepted only within people of the same “class”.  You can never reach out to shake the hand of someone with a higher status than you, you have to wait for him/her to extend their hand first.

4.       People dress up super fancy to go out, the Cameroonian motto is better late than dirty!

5.       Being late is accepted, infact, expect it!

6.       Privacy and anonymity are scarce in this culture, so we have to be prepared to give up our personal space.

7.       To call someone over, Cameroonians make hissing or kissing sounds…

8.       We shouldn’t be surprised if during meal times we are served fish heads, chicken heads and feet.

9.       Always say Bon Appetite before beginning a meal

10.   Visits from the opposite sex after dark imply a sexual relationship, so keep the door open.  Cameroonians believe there is no such thing as a platonic relationship between a man and a woman.

11.   Men here are assertive, most female volunteers say they’re married (that’s what I’m going to do).

12.   Child abuse and Spousal abuse is common.  It is illegal, but common.

Travelling Breakdown

September 20, 2012 – Thursday

Travelling day

Location: JFK to Brussels

10:15am: Leave Crowne Plaza hotel for JFK

12:30pm: Arrive at JFK

4:30pm: Meet at gate 37

6:45pm: American Airlines flight 172 leaves JFK for Brussels

 

September 21, 2012 – Friday

Travelling day

Location: Yaoundé, Felydac Hotel

7:00am: (Belgium time) we arrive in Brussels

9:45am: Leave Brussels for Yaoundé

5:45pm: (Cameroon time) arrive in Doula, remain on the plane.

6:20pm: Leave Doula for Yaounde

6:50pm: Arrive in Yaounde

7:15pm: Meet Jackie and Sally and prepare to head out.

8:30pm: All trainees on the bus.

9:30pm: Arrive at the hotel

Only half of our luggage at Hotel Felydac

 

We were met at the airport by Jackie Sesonga, the Peace Corps Officer of Transportation and three Host Volunteers, Yaya an Environmental volunteer who is almost done with her two years of service, Kristen who is a Health volunteer and Laura who is a Youth Development volunteer (like me!), Laura and Kristen have both been serving in Cameroon for a little over a year now.  

Yaoundé is the capital city of Cameroon, while Doula is bigger and the commercial center – kind of like Washington DC and New York. 

Peace Corps Cameroon is a great thing to be a part of.  It is the longest continuous-running Peace Corps program in the world, with our group of PCTs happening to arrive just in time for the 50^th anniversary, which is pretty cool.  I think our swearing-in ceremony which is November 21^st (Uji’s birthday! And the day before Thanksgiving) will be quite a big celebration.  There is also currently 178 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) plus us 55 PCTs, which means there is a wealth of experience to learn from.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to explore the city at all.  They didn’t let us leave the hotel unless we were doing PC business (which of course was with drivers and escorts), and there were always 2 Gendarmes, which are the military police, with AK47s guarding us.  The staff explained to us that it was necessary to have the Gendarmes accompany us because we didn’t have all of our immigration paperwork completed.

Today was the Swearing In ceremony for the volunteers who began their pre-service training in June.  They officially went from being Peace Corps Trainees to Peace Corps Volunteers! Congratulations to all of them! Here is the speech that Ambassador Robert P. Jackson gave:

http://yaounde.usembassy.gov/sp_081612.html

August 16, 2012

Packing so far…it takes up less than half the bed! Just under 5 weeks to go! Yikes!

July 18, 2012

I’ll be leaving for Cameroon exactly 8 weeks from tomorrow! This is what I’ve packed so far :)

Peace Corps: Cameroon Packing List

This list has been compiled by Volunteers serving inCameroonand is based on their experience. Use it as an informal guide in making your own list, bearing in mind that each experience is individual. There is no perfect list! You obviously cannot bring everything we mention, so consider those items that make the most sense to you personally and professionally. You can always have things sent to you later.  As you decide what to bring, keep in mind that you have an 80-pound weight restriction on baggage. And remember, you can get almost everything you need inCameroon. Shirts and dresses, for example, can be custom-made inCameroonfor less than $10.

Luggage should be flexible and lockable. Frameless backpacks and duffel bags are very practical choices. Remember that you will be hauling your bags in and out of taxis and trains and often lugging them around on foot. The most important qualities are that they be durable, lightweight, and easy to carry. Bring receipts for any equipment (cameras, radio/cassette player, etc.), as these help in case of a robbery, and officials sometimes ask for them at the airport.

General Clothing

• Professional clothes, slacks, button-up shirts, blouses and skirts (women). You should have business casual clothing

• Casual clothes for informal and after work occasions

• Pictures of clothes you might want to have made (clothing patterns or photos from catalogs or magazines)

• Good-quality cotton shirts in dark colors (the dust in the air during the dry season and the sediment in the water year-round quickly cause light-colored clothing to become permanently discolored)

• Plenty of good-quality underwear, boxers, socks, and bras

• Sweater

• Rain jacket

• Two more formal outfits (female teachers, especially, should bring several nice-looking dresses they can wear in the classroom until they can have some clothes made in-country)

• Durable jacket (i.e., jean jacket or fleece)

• Shorts

• Bathing suit or swimming trunks

• Hats or baseball caps

Shoes

• One pair of comfortable dress shoes

• One pair of sandals for general use (e.g., Tevas or Chacos) and another pair for work

• One pair of running shoes

• One good-quality pair of work or hiking boots (especially agriculture Volunteers)

• Waterproofing lotion for leather boots (if you bring boots)

Personal Hygiene and Toiletry Items

• Antibacterial wipes or hand sanitizers (useful when traveling)

• Any vitamin supplements or herbal remedies you take other than multivitamins, which may be provided by the Peace Corp

• Items that smell good, like lotions, incense, soaps, and sachets

• A three-month supply of all prescription drugs you are currently taking

• Two pairs of prescription eyeglasses (if you wear them), plus straps and repair kit

• Sunglasses

• Hair clips and ties

• Initial supply of toiletries (if you have favorite brands, bring enough to last two years)

• Sanitary pads (the Peace Corps usually supplies tampons, but they may not always be the size you want)

• Hair-cutting scissors

• Makeup and nail polish (hard to find and expensive locally)

Kitchen

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Plastic storage containers and Ziploc-style bags of assorted sizes (large containers are good for organizing items such as medicines, film, and clothing)

• Good kitchen knife and knife sharpener (if you’re attached to a certain kind or quality)

• Swiss army knife or Leatherman tool (very important to many Volunteers)

• Favorite recipe book

• Packaged mixes (sauces, salad dressings, soups, soft drinks)

• Favorite spices

• A variety of open-pollinated (recyclable) vegetable seeds, if you like to garden

Miscellaneous

• 12 passport-size photos (make sure to have them in hand when you arrive; Peace Corps/Cameroon will need them the day after you arrive for in-country documents)

• Three-month supply of any prescription medications. (also bring tampons and vitamins, if you feel you must have them)

• Anything that will make you happy and feel at home (personal touches)

• Map of Africa and/orCameroon(those available here are not very accurate)

• Travel-size games, such as Yahtzee, Scrabble, and Uno, as well as playing cards

• Art supplies (paints, brushes, paper, colored pens, and crayons)

• Books (each Peace Corps satellite office has a library, but classics are hard to come by)

• A favorite writing utensil, with replacements or refills

• Stationery and an assortment of greeting cards

•U.S.stamps (returning Volunteers can take mail home for you)

• Addresses of people you may want to write

• iPod, Walkman, MP3 player, Diskman, etc. (with speakers)

• As much music as you can pack

• Weekend-size backpack

• Bandannas

• Extra absorbent “swimmer’s” micro-fiber towel (small and great for traveling)

• Sleeping bag (good for overnight stays at other Volunteers’ homes) 

• Bicycle shorts and gloves (a helmet, repair tools, and an under-seat bag are provided by the Peace Corps)

• Heavy-duty duct tape (good for everything)

• Compact flashlight (e.g., Maglite)

• Concealable money pouch or belt

• Plastic water bottle for travel (e.g., Nalgene)

• Rechargeable batteries and battery charger

• Reliable watch (durable, water-resistant, inexpensive)

• Travel alarm clock

• Combination padlocks

• Solar-powered calculator

• Good-quality portable umbrella

• High school grammar books and literary anthologies (for English teachers)

Note: Some Volunteers suggest boxing up excess things you can’t fit in your luggage so your family can ship them later.

“It is with great pleasure that we invite you to …”

July 2, 2012

I woke up yesterday morning telling myself, “I don’t think I can take another day of waiting.”

By then, it was a week after my placement officer told me I was officially invited into the Peace Corps, and that I should get my invitation packet within the next 10 days. I didn’t want to believe it would actually take that long for mail to get to me from Washington, D.C., – even though the placement officer did say it was going on the slowest delivery system. I thought, I can probably drive across country faster to get the darn thing!

The day after I was officially invited, I started checking my mailbox anyway.

I really thought it was going to get here Friday, before the weekend.  But the packet didn’t come. So I went on about my day, as the anticipation continued to grow and grow inside me.

When I woke up yesterday, I just had a good feeling.  I brushed my teeth, while thinking about the arrival of the Peace Corps invitation. I showered, while thinking about the arrival of the Peace Corps invitation. I got dressed, while thinking about the arrival of the Peace Corps invitation. Everything I did was, “Peace Corps invitation! Peace Corps invitation! When are you coming?!” Finally, close to 3:00pm, I heard the doorbell ring.  I jumped up and peered out the peep hole and saw the UPS guy driving away; my gaze then drifted to the ground outside the door, and there I saw it, a large envelope.

Yes! Here it was! My Peace Corps invitation!

I was so nervous opening the envelope, my hands were shaking.  Despite that, I proceeded. After a few seconds, I finally got it opened and there it was — a thick blue folder with the words I’d been longing to read on the front: “Peace Corps invites you to serve.”

I located a light tan, card-like paper stuck next to the blue folder and read the following: “Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that we invite you to begin training in Cameroon for Peace Corps service.”  It was an unbelievable feeling to finally see those words. 

I thought to myself, “I did it! I did it!”