Week One of Two Years

 It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. I’ve woken up by 5:30 every day this week, well before my alarm, eyes wide and mind racing. This week, my fellow trainees are quick to laugh, quick to show affection, and giving gifts and cards right and left.

But it’s not Christmas that’s bringing on this feeling – it’s the general mental state of transition. Today is Swearing In.

The final weeks of Stage have been amazingly different from the first few weeks. After Site Visit, everyone had a much better idea of how our training could be concretely applied to our communities, and the subsequent feeling of ownership and responsibility drove us through the end of Stage. A few highlights:

Pagne: (sounds kind of like “pine-ya”) Everyone wears it. It’s a general term we use for the colorful patterned fabrics you find everywhere in Cameroon. Keep an eye out on Facebook for some pics. All the Stagaires (trainees) own at least once pagne outfit; some own enough to completely phase out everything they brought from the U.S.

My host family: They’re convinced that I’m going to be marrying a Cameroonian and staying here for the rest of my life. I admit to fueling the fire by confiding in them my crush on a certain excessively attractive language trainer (you know who you are*) and they thus informed me that WHEN I marry a Cameroonian, they get the dowry. It’s all in good fun, but really, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect situation. They’ve truly welcomed me in as part of the family, and I have every intention of calling my host mom up for advise and encouragement when I get down. She and Maman Julienne (our neighbor) have also made it QUITE clear that they expect an invitation to come visit me in the East once I get settled in.

Superlatives: Within YD (Youth Development), we voted superlatives for each other. You ready for mine?

1. Most likely to incorporate bush mean into their daily diet.
2. Most likely to have a diet comprised solely of baton de manioc.
3. Most likely to get married first. (See above)*
4. Most likely to become the next Stage Greeter (Two PCVs are responsible for the new class of Stagaires in Yaounde for their first few days in country.)

IEP:  I gave a presentation on Sorcery and Traditional Religion in Cameroon for my Independent Exploration Project. It was 30 minutes long and in French. It was awesome.