Stranded in Cameroon

So I am back in the states. Hooray, sorfta. I feel rather indifferent being here or in Cameroon still. I figure that after a few days or weeks being home, it will hit me that this is no break from the program, and rather that its over for good, which is a heavy thought. Cameroon was like the biggest event in my life, being the culmination of years of French, taking me away from home for the longest period ever, and also potentially influencing my personality and life decisions. Significance.
The last few days in Limbe were sad, sharing final meals, and the last time together with our staff and as a whole group in the study abroad context. We ate at Downbeach in Limbe Saturday night, where I had had two meals already. It’s a complex with drink places and grilled seafood which is just amazing. The first two times I had the bass and the capitan, as well as grilled unshelled shrimp and calamari. The last time I opted to try the crab though, which was expectedly disappointing. Being from Maryland, home of the blue crabs, I think I make it a goal in life to try and poo-poo every other crab in the world… but this one was also oddly (under?) cooked.
Sunday was airport day. Two girls said goodbye in Limbe after breakfast to be off traveling/researching in Cameroon, thus officially ending the group as a whole (reminded me a lot of the breaking of the fellowship of the ring, nerdily). Then we got back and packed (effectively on my part), then it was the final bus ride, one hour to Douala. Our flight was at 10:40pm, so we had about 7 hours to burn there, but inbetween organizing my ticket change (which turned out to be free on behalf of Air France), changing money legally and illegally (le Cameroun…), and chatting it up with friends and on the phone with Cameroon family, I kept busy without going into town. Douala is not at touristy city however, but I heard that there were some good deals going down at the nearby artisan market due to the rain hurting business earlier in the day. So we got through security around 8, said our final sad goodbyes to the staff people and flew up to France then across to America.
Air France food is really good, and was a welcome reintroduction to western cuisine. Not much else to say about the flights. Got home to New York Monday and stayed with Sis, encountered the hustle bustle life of the city, but otherwise wasn’t too culture shocked. I had to shower up really well though, since she reported I stunk a lot, in my opinion, with the scent of a pre-shower Cameroonian. Then home here to Maryland yesterday, for unpacking, laundry, and gift giving to parents. Tis all good.
I haven’t had any major culture shock yet or class guilt. I explain it that it’s because I really separate the lifestyles and systems we live here versus in Cameroon. Having huge buildings here and tons of extra stuff is excessive, but that reflects larger institutional global exploitation and a culture of excess. On an individual level it’s just how things are. I don’t feel guilty for being the American I am, I don’t think I live too excessively. Of course I wont be comfortable with all the excess I may see here, but Ill also put in work to change things outside of my everyday existence. Then personally, I know I enjnoy my hot showers and car access and constant running water and electricity, but I also know how they aren’t necessary to my core existence.
So Cameroon. A great adventure, a life changing experience I suppose. I plan to be back in a few years, to see people and finish what traveling I didn’t get to do. Before then its school and work maybe. But it will be a long time yet, considering how just last summer seems like an eternity away. Maybe I’ll keep this updated again when that trip comes along…
Till then, the end.

we are back in the anglophone region, with english keyboards, a pain now after so much time with a differently placed A and M and period key and numbers. that will be the easy side of cultural readjustment.
so, left ISP which was sad enough, then leaving dschang was equally rough, after a short short few days with the original family. presentations were all interesting and so important for each person. they also marked the end of any academic work here in country. i helped cook on monday, really for the first timem doing some legumes and tomato sauce stuff. then monday night was the farewell banquet, with students and a few family members each. there were some short thank you speeches, delicious food, and a little dancin, then it was back home to pack sleep and depart. leaving tues morn was really sadm being the end of our cameroon homestays and the final goodbye to our longest family. i was so certain that i'd return, in part to reassure myself while leaving these people who had been family to me. that i do plan to do in a few years.
then it was off to beach paradise of limbe, a bit more touristy than kribi. people decided to sleep on the beach side in tents (why? not enough logic), which hasnt been quite comfortable enough. wed and thurs we spent hiking mount cameroon though, the largest peak in west and central africa, at 4095 meters. but we couldnt make it to the top due to weather and difficulty. it was rough enough getting to 2800 meters and spending a cold night camping though. legs are def sore today after the descent.
so the beach is lovely, black volcanic sand and all. today we spent some time in town, ate some great grilled fish, calamari, and shrimp, and are waiting on dinner soon enough.
everyone is sad to be parting so soon (just two days), but this touristy thing is a nice group send off and lets us unwind and hang for a bit. def i am scared about going home, leaving behind this whole incredible influential experience, jumping out of cameroonia life to go back the US. hopefully it will go smoothly enough. sunday is the flight out of douala. we'll have some time to see the economic capital before getting on the late night flight. i need to also take the time to iron out my air france changes though. then its paris and then NYC for a night with sis, then home to MD the next day (tues, 15th), for the "normal" life again.
wooooo.... to be back, such a burden..

It was very sad leaving Yaoundé, though i was content to have finished once and for all, all my ISP writing, printing, copying, and binding. i think my project turned out quite well, and hope a good grade might also reflect that.
before leaving yaounde, i handled all the writing and such by thursday, then took some time to see friends in town and spent plenty of time with the fam, feasting on beignets and beer thrusday night before packing up all my junk. i managed to have plenty of space in my second bag though, so i'm feelin good for packing for the trip home.
i said my goodbyes to everyone in the family the morning of, then headed to take azinmeda voyages directly to dschang along with 4 other yaounde based students. the bus left at 1030, an hour and a half late, and oh boy do they love packing people in over here. five to a bucket seat that should seat 4 confortably. but the trip was bearable ("passable" in cameroonian). we made it to dschang ultimately at 5, and got driven home like our spoiled selves, by the program bus.
it was strange coming back, like going back to school after the summer. the city is much greener though, without any real dust now that its the rainy season. seeing the old family again was very nice, though Mama again is at the village when i arrived (just like the original arrival, hmmm). she should be getting in tomorrow. everyone is doing well in the fam. huguette is ready to burst with the babe, due mid-may. shes been bored at home for this school semester. xaverie is much the same, maybe a new boyfriend. Ingrid is studying for big Baccaloriat exam that is the culmination of high school or college equiv in the french system. and darlene is still a little "villaine." Pops goes well too.
presentations started yesterday, but only amongst people who got in friday, which didnt include ngaoundere scholars as well as a delayed sarah from yaounde. they actually arrived at the end of mine yesterday afternoon. it went alright, but the topic and all the acronyms dont leave much room for interesting storytelling. i do feel it could have went better, but the paper is def solid, so i'm confident i did alright. that marked the last work i had to do in cameroon, egads.
spent other time dropping by the tailor, who says he will finish by tomorrow night, though i fear her wont. and seeing fellow americans again is nice, and their presentations have all been really good and interesting. best topics include refugees at the cent. african rep. border, justice popularie, urban agriculture, justice system flaws, bamileke assimilation in ngdere, breast "ironing", etc etc. i fell well informed on them all now. 2 students left, my two sickly travel buds, who are going in a week i suppose.
re travelling, my flight has officially been changed back to the 13th, so yall may expect me home on the 14th in NYC, though other plans need to be finalized for getting to maryland.
i'm feeling out of place a bit in dschang, since it was my awkward transition city, without much to do or many cameroonian friends. i'm not enjoying all the walking 30 minutes to and from home, and i'm missing yaounde family, richness (shame on me), and city life. but only a couple days left, soirée tomorrow followed by an early departure tuesday to hike the mont cam'roon. then its relaxing at limbe till doula departure. just one week left in cameroon, yeesh! but i'm ready to get back to the states, missing many people (you too, probably ) and that american culture (though maybe not some aspects of the way of life). well see how the re entry goes, but i'm already on my way, with yaounde richness and actually not needing a mosquito tent here in dschang (dont know why exactly). it will be nice to get back though.

Much a time has passed depuis depuis, but everything is swell with me still. Been living more repetitive than other portions of the trip and/or doing less thrilling academic stuff. I’ve been splitting my time recently between writing my paper and playing pacman on the home computer. It’s a nice home-like work environment, just lacking in snood. I finished my field research last week by Wednesday, so have just really been strapped to the computer tapant tapant tapant. Paper looks good right now, with revisions and input from my (slightly above useless) advisor and mama from US (thanks again). Though its no supreme published study, I’m proud of the work I did, especially with the mad time constraint and the need to see important people.
In other news, my two travel buddies for the month of may after the program have both decided that due to their excessive tropical illnesses, they are going home early on the group flight. So Ive dealt with this issue the past few days, but decided I’d rather go home than travel alone or be lost for what to do alone. No one else is really travelling like I want to, and though I’ll be missing some interesting stuff, I still did a ton within the 3 months ive been here, and really the extra time was more like a vacation than a continued learning experience. So vacation cancelled. What is sad thought is I may not get to see my baby brother in Dschang who may be sporting my name. he is due on the 8th of may, which is the day we leave dschang for good. I’m just waiting for Lyon Travel and Air France to approve the change back, which hopefully will work out, and I should be back May 14th if all works out. I will confirm this at a later date.
I miss US stuff, but thinking already about the end of Cameroon is intense stuff. Its such a unique never repeated experience doing the program here, and I hope I made the most out of it. I’ll def miss the culture and people of these parts. It will be strange living amongst majority white people again, within a culture I actually fully understand. Plus the food here will be missed, though I hope to find some of my favorites at the Roger Miller (Cameroonian) Resto in Silver Spring once I’m back. (Coci should be added to the good food list, beans and oil in a cake form yumyumyum).
In the meantime, Dschang awaits after I print, copy and bind my ISP tomorrow. There its presentations for everyone and last minute affairs. Then it will be to Limbe for fun and unwind before the flight home. So little left! And so many goodbyes to be said in the next two weeks, yikes.

life goes well in yaounde. i'm back and busy with field work after the weekend off, and looking towards paper writing in the close future.
The village trip was fun. to and from takes about 5 hours each way in car. I only went with the parents and then papas sister from yaounde too. mamas mama also came back with us. We left at 5 am sat. way early, even though we were supposed to leave at 4... stopped for goat both too at this rest stop market thing which everyone frequents while travelling up to the west provice. before getting to bana, we stopped in baham for a burial of a yaounde prof who pops knew. most people there had travelled from yaounde, but its always about the village and family and cultural ties here in cam, so it goes down out in the rural parts. the govt does the same - both increasing ethnic differentiation and regionalism, but also preserving family connections and culture - a good example of the development vs culture struggle which is the focus of the SIT program.
The village, Bana, was very nice, but my parents said the nice building and homes were just actually personal places for the richest of the city former village folks. We stayed at pops deceased parents former home, kept for the kids to use from time to time. there were funeraimlles going on, which are big celebrations of dead people, a few years after their passing. dancing, feasting, drinking, drumming, dressing up, all going on. its basically a huge concentration of bamileke culture. myself, i didnt get into too much but was more observing, along witht hte family, which was alright. but pictures were taken.
running out of internet time means more to say about details, but cant. to sum up, village life is ahrd and my parents have strong ties there and give money to community etc. but really the village is the core of cameroon, but lacks the resources.
got back sunday, life is good. ask more later...