Moving On, Moving In

So it happened. We swore in as official Peace Corps Volunteers and even managed to performed a rendition of Cat Stevens' Peace Train that wasn't completely embarrassing (thanks for that, guys). We wore matching pange outfits and collectively gave speeches in French, Fulfulde, and Pidgin. And then all the build-up was over and we were finally ready for what we came to do. But as excited as we all are to finally be finished with training and onto our posts, the day was certainly bittersweet. Saying good-bye to the people that have become my family here wasn't something that I was looking forward to, and it certainly wasn't easy. But of course, we didn't come half-way around the world to spend all our time with 53 other Americans and the time came to get on our buses and head to post. A huge shout out to my incredible, hilarious, insightful, and brave stage-mates as you all head to your respective posts and continue this adventure solo. I don't know what I would have done without you these past two months and missing you all already. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm stationed in the Northwest Region just outside the city of Bamenda. We spent the entire day after swearing-in traveling to Bamenda and my crew that's posted in the Northwest couldn't believe how lucky we are when we finally arrived. There was a "chill" in the air (meaning we all finally stopped sweating) and the landscape is hilly and lush.The city sits in a valley, and my village is just on the outer rim looking down on it. It's incredibly beautiful here, and I have both the conveniences that come with proximity to a large city and the feel of a more isolated village. Truthfully, I haven't explored the immediate vicinity much yet and have spent almost all my time down in town getting some immediate necessities. Today's project was to find a mattress, bed frame, and gas tank and I spent the better part of the afternoon doing so. Luckily, a couple of community members volunteered to help me get these things and the three of us searched, negotiated, and finally brought everything home in a single taxi. As for the taxi ride, all I can say is that I wish I had taken a picture of the amount of things that were crammed into (and hanging out of) the trunk. I just made my first dinner in my new apartment and while there will be many opportunities to eat Cameroonian cuisine during these two years, tonight was certainly not one of them. I'm sure none of you will be surprised to know that guacamole and ketchup both made it onto the menu, but I was surprised to learn that green beans could too. So here's to a meal without palm oil, couscous, or crying children (sometimes dinner at my host family got a little rough). As for my new apartment, let's just say that it's big and empty. My favorite part so far is the two balconies overlooking my neighborhood and the rest of the mountains surrounding Bamenda. Many thanks to RPCV Shane for outfitting my entire kitchen with what he left behind (and best of luck back home)! TL, DR: Training's over and my friends and I are finally flying solo. As strange as it is to be doing this alone, my post is incredible so far and I'm feeling really lucky to be here.