Life in Cameroon


Bonjour! I am Brittany. Daughter, older sister, girlfriend, friend, dog lover, DePaul alum, vegetable advocate, natural klutz,and soon to be Community Development Peace Corps volunteer serving in Cameroon from 2012-2014. This blog serves as a internet diary and source of African ramblings.

The views contained in this blog are mine and in no way represent those of the Peace Corps and/or United States Government.

Write me!
Address coming soon

Philly, here we are!

….Well kind of. I wish I had cool stories to tell about Philly, but to be quite honest; we barely left the hotel (which actually isn’t even downtown.) Bummer. But today, I don’t think “long” fully describes today. Woke up at 4:30, on a plane by 7:00 am. Said a lot of not so fun goodbyes, love you Mom and Dad (and Charley, Boo, and Izzy!) Landed in Philly, met up with a few fellow Peace Corps Trainees, and before we knew it registration started at noon, and staging began promptly at 2:00. 

And boy, was it long and packed with a lot of information. Everyone is great though! There’s 55 of us in sectors from Agroforesty, to Youth Development, and lastly Community Health; which is me! 

So now it is almost 11:30 at night, and check out is 9:30 in the morning. I just re-packed my bag and realized I packed the wrong camera charger. Stupid me. So getting up early tomorrow morning to walk to Target and hoping they have it is my Plan A. Plan B is have my parents send me it and “patiently” (which I use lightly because if you know me, patience isn’t my strongest suit) wait a month via snail mail. And pray to every higher power that it actually comes in one piece, or comes at all. 

Life is about to change, but after today, I am more than excited! I think we’re all excited, actually. You could feel the happiness and realization when the Peace Corps announced that we are no longer “Peace Corps Invitees,” but now “Peace Corps Trainees.” 

Tomorrow is a full, and I mean practically 24 hours straight of flying, but on September 21st around 6:00 pm, I’ll be in Yaounde, Cameroon! Not sure when I’ll post again….or when I’ll even have internet again. So in my last waking hours I’m going to creep on Facebook, check out CNN (who knows when I’ll actually have live stream American news again), and embrace reliable electricity, internet, and texting. 

First Post!

Well, I leave for Cameroon in about a month and things are getting hectic! I’ve been traveling internationally and domestically a lot since I graduated in June, and haven’t really had time to digest the fact that on September 19th, I leave to start a new chapter of my life in Cameroon. I’m excited, ready, a wee bit nervous, but open minded and hopeful about the whole experience. Goodbyes will suck, especially for a few loved ones who make my life better (you know who you are!) But I am grateful that I have them waiting for me, and completely supportive of me while I start this new endeavor. Plus, they’re all looking forward to adding another stamp in their passports! 

Now on to progress. I’ve started “packing,” which means sorting out clothes I will and will not take. This means asking the questions: does this cover my knees? Is is dark enough to stand the dust and seasons in Cameroon? Will it hold up two years of hand washing and brutal African ware and tare? I am also doing something I never thought I would do: getting an e-reader. I’ve always been anti-reading tablets of anything; call me old fashion but I enjoy the look, feel, and smell of books. But I have to make my compromises, and lugging around an e-reader versus several heavy books is a more practical choice. 

I am also slowly purchasing things that I need and don’t have laying around the house. Things such as a sleeping bag, hiking backpack, head lamp, and an external hard drive are also on my newly purchased list. I still have a lot to get before I leave, and so much to sort out, organize, and do before I board that plane; but life is great, and I couldn’t be more excited about my upcoming Peace Corps experience!