Those of you following along at home will remember that my
last post was (partially) dedicated to some of the incredible people that I
left back in America. I thought I would bring it full circle in this post and
talk a bit about two of the incredible people I met in Bamenda-my postmates
Cynthia and Eric. They finally reached the end of their countdown today and are
currently headed back to America, having successfully finished their time in
Cameroon. Today was also their “gonging out” ceremony, in which they were
officially given RPCV status and publicly recognized for their respective
achievements during their services. In terms of work, they were both quite
accomplished: Cynthia taught many business classes, worked with teen moms, and
lawyers (among other things), and Eric founded a software development company
and trained a pair of motivated Cameroonians how to write computer code (among
other things). They left quite big shoes to fill, and Bamenda is certainly
going to miss them.
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| This is what happens when you have an addiction to selfies... |
But more
importantly, (for the purposes of this blog, anyway…) I’m going to miss them both
terribly. They welcomed me to Bamenda and offered me a refuge when Cameroon was
just…too much to handle. Cynthia became the person I called when I had a work
setback, the one who comforted me when I broke down into tears on my birthday,
and the one who informed me of the importance of cleaning out my bathroom drain
(what a game-changer). And of course, Cynthia and Eric were both always there
to celebrate all of the obscure American holidays, watch a movie on their
projector, and play a game of Settlers of Catan or two. Them being at the end
of their services while I was just starting out created an interesting dynamic
between us, and I often found myself questioning my take on a certain aspect of
life here thanks to their opposing perspective. Cameroon can be a frustrating
place to live, but they helped me find the humor in certain situations and set
my expectations appropriately. I’ve finally learned never to attempt to apply
logic to life in Cameroon. And they were always quick to share their seemingly
never-ending supply of care package rations.
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| Eric and his work counterparts, Yovla and Akor |
Their
departure also marks a milestone of sorts in my own service. Although they have
a replacement volunteer, (Lexi is only here for six months to continue Eric’s
software project) it’s officially time for me to leave the nest and commit to
establishing my own presence in Bamenda. I wish them the best of luck in their
next adventure and am incredibly grateful for all of the fun we’ve had over the
past seven months or so.
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