So I guess now would be a good time to have a fresh start… Why round 2?
Well I’m on my second year as a Peace Corps Volunteer, high school English
teacher in my wonderfully small village of Diang. I hadn’t realized how busy I
was going to get last year after my last posting that one event after the other
lead to a series of unfinished projects and work assignments. I was however
thankful for the busy-ness because I am not one to enjoy too much time just
sitting on my butt and staring at a wall but also it gave me a sense of
productivity and accomplishment. There were definitely moments where I wanted
to rip my hair out due to my inability to say no. For some inexplicable reason
I must have thought I was a super hero of some sort, I just kept saying yes to
work that I clearly didn’t have time for, thus making this summer a refreshing
break. I finally-unexpectedly- went back to western society thanks to Joanna’s
invitation to her brother’s wedding as her date which ironically happened to be
in good ol’ Newport, Rhode Island… weird huh. We stayed with my brother Wes and
his girlfriend Haley. My mom came along so it was a full house. It was a short
visit and as much as I wasn’t at the house, Wes and Haley were very accommodating.
Unfortunately, I regret my presence wasn’t exactly known therefore I didn’t get
to spend much time with them. However, I was able to see friends that I hadn’t
seen in over a year, share my pooping in a hole, teaching high school students
and eating insects such as termites’ stories with them. Let’s just say a
flushing toilet, the ocean and sail boats and good red wine were the most
amazing sensations… weeeell not the most but you get the picture.
Leaving was the hard part. Saying good bye to my family, my friends… to my
heart knowing that I wouldn’t be seeing them for another year was painful. I
didn’t think I had as much liquid inside of my body to shed as many tears as I
did on that plane ride home… but something happened once I set foot on the
African soil…
A friend of mine who is from Europe but lives in Yaoundé told me that
when he left Cameroon for 10 years after spending his childhood there, felt as
though his heart was breaking. It wasn’t until years later when he finally
returned that the warm humid breeze that brush passed his cheeks and barely
under his nose that he finally felt at home and at ease. I have to admit that
there was a partial truth to that for my sentiments toward my return. I knew
that I had a job to finish, a family that I missed dearly and friends I
couldn’t wait to share stories with. After landing in Yaoundé a friend drove me
back to the Peace Corps house where I stayed up late with some volunteers talking
about America. I then went to bed to only get up a few hours later to catch my
bus back to Bertoua. There, I found my postmate, Laura and a couple other volunteer
friends. We chatted for a while. To their relief I wasn’t a total mess; I
talked about my US experience as a positive one and felt that it is definitely something
I look forward to getting back to when my contract is up. That night smiles
intensified when my new, impulsively bought itouch rang, my heart beat sped up
when I answered, and heard his voice. I wasn’t quite ready to let him go yet.
Upon my return to Diang, I was welcomed by my little brothers; Jonson
and Alex, who helped me clean my house for 5 hours. I then had my second
greeting from best friends; Estelle and Vip aka Boris. We sat around drinking
my first castel (24oz Cameroonian beer) with more friends; it felt as though I
had never left. I looked around, the power was cut, the sky beamed with glowing
stars, only the bar we were sitting at and the one across the way had lights
due to the generators. I could hear laughter and see smiles through the shadows
of the dust that was created every time a car drove through the spot lights on
the main dirt road. I was once again at ease and ready to commence… round 2 of
this unexpected adventure.
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