Patience is a Virtue

Curiosity, anxiety, dumb-fondness, awe-struck, humble, guilt, confusion, frustration, happiness.

I've been in Cameroon over a week now, and I feel as if I've learned more lessons than in a lifetime. Who could have thought that one could feel so many things in such a short period of time? My head is spinning and its just the beginning. We’ve seen and experienced so many things already that are completely out of our realm – its difficult to find somewhere to start.

The first and most important lesson I’ve learned so far is that patience is a virtue. That was the first thing Christaine, our amazing program director, told us when she greeted us in the airport in Douala. We practiced major patience when three students had some lost luggage – mine included – and we circled around the airport to wait in line to talk to someone from Air France only to be send back to where we were before to wait in line again. I discovered that customer service doesn’t exactly exist abroad as it does in the states and the most you can get is a small toiletry bag including a toothbrush, deodorant, a hair brush, and an oversized white t-shirt sporting the Air France logo on the sleeve.

We stayed at a mission the first night and the next morning headed out early for the city of Dschang, located in the southwest. On the map it really doesn’t look that far away, but in a 15 passenger van packed “Cameroonian style” on a Cameroonian road during rain season it took about five hours. It was a good icebreaker for the group of fourteen girls and one boy from all over the States. The best part of our voyage was the trip up to Fongo-Tongo, a village outside of Dschang, where we spent our first week of orientation. Once the rain hit, there was little hope for our van to make it up the muddy red clay hills without the group effort of pushing the van. Sigh. Good times caked in mud!

Our ride from Douala we witnessed a vast and diverse landscape of tropical rainforests and highlands. We were stopped many times by government officials on the road -- in which case the local men, women, and children would attempt to sell us fruits, veggies, and peanuts through the windows. We spent the first week in an isolated structured camp like setting in the immensely spread out village of Fongo-Tongo. There was a building with 15 bed for the students to pitch their mosquito nets and sleeping bags. Since my mosquito net was lost along with my other stuff for the first week, I got to snuggle up with one of the girls each night (a good way to meet someone for the first time … he he he). Besides our sessions on safety and health we went hiking into the clouds one afternoon and for a moment of clearly got to see how beautiful Cameroon really is. We also visited a waterfall by having quite the adventure on the truck ride there and a nice hike through the scared rainforest to the base. Our last night in Fongo Tongo the community held a “cultural soiree” for us where we met the head chief of the village and learned a couple African dance moves. Quite the night and some really fun pics. (If I figure out a way to upload them I will)

We met and moved into our host families in Dschang Saturday night and had the whole day Sunday with them. For me, this experience was more difficult than I expected. My family is incredibly sweet and has four small children, but it was difficult for me to understand my role in the family. Should I act as a guest, sibling, student? Is it ok for me to go out? Everyone seems to do their own thing and I wasn’t quite sure where I belonged. Most the time, the children go unsupervised in the streets and the house. Should I act as a baby sitter? As an American I am use to things happening all the time and conversation as well, but here its normal to sit in silence with your family as a sign of respect and exercise a different type of independence. At that point, I still didn’t have my clothes (besides what I had borrowed from the other girls) and I needed to wash what I had. I learned how to wash my clothes by hand and the other kids got a really good kick out of it. One of the most challenging things I faced was when my host sister, who is nine, and I were washing the dishes and she asked if I had a machine for washing dishes like my clothes, of course I had to say yes. She told me that I have everything where I am from and to look around and see that they have nothing. I tried to explain to her that machines and things don’t necessarily equal happiness, but it was difficult for me to explain.

As the days go on, I am becoming more and more comfortable with Dschang, class, and my family. We started classes this week which definitely give me something to focus on besides the overwhelming feeling of the culture shock. Every day and every new incident is a learning expericence. I have tons more to say, but I’m afraid I am going to have to sign off for now. It raining – like usual – and I have a huge hill to get down (hopefully not on my butt) in 30 mins for less. Love you and miss you all. À bientot!!