September 26, 2014
Tomorrow will mark the end of week two of training. Coming
in I didn’t know exactly what to expect so two weeks in feels like a pretty
significant accomplishment. Training takes place six days a week. 8 am – 4:30
M-F and 8-12 on Saturdays. We spend a lot of time studying language both in
formal small group sessions with instructors, independent study time, and of
course at home with our families. I find myself thinking more and more in
French. Not everybody’s host family speaks exclusively French to them but my
family does and I am appreciate that.
In a couple of weeks after our second language proficiency
interview, we will have the opportunity to start on a second language, Pidgin
(a type of English) or Fulfulde. As I’m hoping to be placed in the Adamawa
region, I hope my French is high enough to place into a Fulfulde class. For
those who are unaware, Cameroon is divided into 10 regions. Peace Corps is
currently placing volunteers in 8 of those 10 regions. The other two, the most
northern ones, are prohibited for travel for Americans at the moment because of
Boko Haram activity. Adamawa is as far north as we are able to go.
Other sessions include information on wellness, security,
and go into more depth about Peace Corps’ expectations. A diversity panel last
week talked about how to express our identities and embrace our personal
beliefs while still integrating into our communities. There is a significant
emphasis placed on integration and how to do that both successfully and safely.
In case you were wondering I would be thrilled to eat a
hamburger or some cheese pizza right now. How American of me, right? The
southern region of Cameroon where I am for the moment has a lot of fish. I try,
I really do, but I just cannot make myself be excited or even content with
fish. Don’t get me wrong. There are lots of good foods here (beignets anybody?),
it just requires fussy eaters such as myself to find the grownup deep inside
who can eat anything. The diet here is quite high in starch (cassava,
plantains, rice, and potatoes).
In my final weeks at home, many of you asked me about Ebola.
Just a quick update: To date there has been no Ebola found in Cameroon. We had
a session last week with somebody from the CDC who believes there is less than
a 50% chance of it coming to Cameroon. If it does make its way here, she was
quite confident that it would be a few isolated cases and would be easily kept
under control by Cameroonian health officials. So, nothing to worry about here!
Until next time.
Three thoughts:
1. A hard glasses case is an
absolute must. After you are under your mosquito net, you will not want to get
back out to set your glasses in a safe place.
2. Enough wash clothes to wash both
yourself and the filter Peace Corps provides us with. I highly suggest a
microfiber washcloth/towel.
3. A book and a few magazines. I
brought my Nook which decided to stop working as I sat in JFK. Once I’m back in
the states with a strong wi-fi connection, it will work again but until then,
life won’t be nearly as interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment