So, This is Life in Cameroon.

If anyone in under the impression that they need more stuff I urge them to try and fit their possessions into a suitcase. 

Just over a month ago I tucked everything I would want for a couple months into a suitcase and headed towards Kumbo, Cameroon with my mom and sister. Let me begin by saying Kumbo is far away-no matter how you try to get there. We started with a car ride to Boston on a sunny day.  A couple hours later we were on time and flying to Paris. Now, I’m still at the age where I think red-eyes are fun.  Sit next to my sister, eat prepared french food, watch movies all night, and end up in a foreign city whats not fun about that? The answer is nothing, except for the minor detail that once we landed in Paris we we’re only a third of the way to our destination. The fun of flying wore off about half way to Douala, Cameroon. We flew over the Sahara desert for what seemed like hours.  I was impressed by the emptiness and simultaneously thought that this would be a horrible place to crash. We didn’t. 

After flying for twenty hours I was happy that I would not have to step on an airplane again soon.  Doula was a blur of crowds, motor bikes, different languages, and soccer games.  After a swim in a pool and sleeping well we embarked on one last day of travel-A nine hour car ride to Kumbo.  Riding in a car in Cameroon is akin to taking the Night Bus in Harry Potter.  It is a bumpy ride on tight windy roads.  You are convinced you’re going to crash, but somehow never do.  At last after three days of smooth travels we arrived in Kumbo.

Kumbo is beautiful. It’s mountainous, mostly bug-free, and tropical. 

I’m surrounded by banana, guava, and palm trees.  Elephant grass well over my head and tons of wildflowers whose names escape me. Our house is nice, are neighbors are nicer, and I’m starting to learn shortcuts around town. 

I’ve settled into a as much as a routine as possible here.  I wake up just before seven tutor a student in English and French for a couple hours with Tam.  Afterwards, we break and meet our mom along with other hospital staff for tea and puff puffs (puff puffs are essentially fried dough, and an acceptable breakfast here). This if followed by more tutoring, lunch, and then working with Chosen Children, the adoption agency, in the afternoon.  Work for Chosen Children has included everything from doing nothing and just talking in an office to folding clothes for days to my favorite- traveling to the  different homes of adopted children.  When this happens we meet caregivers, see how the program works, and see a variety of lifestyles in Kumbo and other villages. The day winds down with time to relax/explore, dinner, and we often spend the evening with new friends. Our week is also sprinkled with market days, bible study, church, and travel.

 I say this is as much as a routine as possible in Cameroon because they don’t really believe in schedules. time is fluid here, things change without warning and advance notice is a foreign concept.  Even though we teach amazing people eager to learn there’s always a chance that they won’t show up.  Appointments aren’t for an hour but rather a day, and nothing is ever “on time.” One must be okay with waiting-it comes with the culture.