Beaches, Buffets, Borders, and Yard Sales

It's hard to believe but my time here in Cameroon is almost done. 79 days from now (not that I'm keeping track) I will depart this fine land, taking a quick detour through Europe with a few friends before arriving back in the U.S. shortly before Christmas.

It's a strange time in my Peace Corps service. My work has all but finished and there is really no time to begin new projects. People in Bogo are well aware of my imminent departure which throws up a whole host of difficulties (explained below). The group of volunteers that will replace us in December are scheduled to arrive in country in the next few days for training and come November that extremely lucky volunteer that has been chosen to replace me will visit Bogo for a week to get acquainted with what will become his or her new home. Furthermore I've recently tried to use the remainder of my vacation time to see as much of this lovely country as possible.

Kribi Beach Vacation, August 18-22
Kribi is a small beach town on the coast of Cameroon situated about 3 hours south of the capital, Yaounde. A group of us spent some time there this past month and it was a greatly needed respite from village life (although it was most likely where I contracted my recent case of malaria). For four days we lounged around at a small hotel right on the beach. Swimming around in the rough surf and having bonfires on the beach occupied most of our time. The only reason to leave the peaceful confines of our hotel was to make a daily trek into town where at the central harbor fishermen sold whatever catch they had brought in that morning. And right next to the fish market were numerous 'mamas' who, for a small fee, would cook up whatever we had purchased in their grills (old truck wheels) with a delicious ginger/garlic/hot sauce blend. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten seafood yet in the span of just 3 days I gorged myself on heaps of shrimp, whitefish, lobster, stingray and shark. Making up for lost time never tasted so good.

COS Conference, August 23-27
The Peace Corps recently hosted our group of volunteers at the Mount Febe Hotel in Yaounde for our Close of Service(COS) conference. The purpose of the COS conference is to begin the arduous task of completing all the paperwork that is required from a volunteer before he/she can leave the country. It is no small task and will require a large portion of my free time over the next few months. Aside from the endless administrative checklist COS conference is also an opportunity for volunteers to reflect upon the past two years, make sense of the past two years (not as easy as it sounds), begin thinking about the transition back to the United States or wherever else one might go, and provide feedback to Peace Corps staff on how the program could be improved upon.

Sure these are all extremely important things to do prior to departure. But what is the most important aspect of the COS conference, you ask? That would be the fact that for one week Peace Corps puts us up in one of the nicest hotels in Yaounde for a week where we eat western food buffet style three meals a day. Keep in mind that we are talking about volunteers, most of whom have been out in the bush eating sandy cous cous and leaf sauce for the past two years. To be quite honest I think the Mount Febe staff are shocked by how dozens of Americans who have been out in the bush for extended periods react to such nice accomodations. Then again they have dealt with the Peace Corps COS conference twice a year for many years (I've been told that we are no longer welcome at the Yaounde Hilton). To give another example I can count on one hand the number of warm showers I've had since September 2008. That was of course before I spent a week at the Mount Febe, where I believe I was averaging 2-3 warm showers a day in addition a nightly jump in the frigid pool. Preparation for the polar bear swims I plan to take in Mom and Dad's pool in Charlotte this December. Don't drain it for the winter!

A trip to the border
Another, less enjoyable excursion was my recent one night visit to the border with Nigeria in the North of the country. And no I did not cross over. I have no desire to be stuck in Nigeria. Seeing the border crossing however was very humorous. I set up in an auberge in the Cameroonian town of Amchide (Am-chee-day), which shares the border with the Nigerian town of Banki (Bunk-ee). The Amchide nightclub was surprisingly nice. I was half expecting some bizarre African version of that gunrunner bar on Tatooine in Star Wars. And I'm sure Michael Jackson would have been proud to know that on this particular night the DJ pumped 'Billie Jean' on the Cameroon/Nigeria border no less than six times.

Luckily the trip was uneventful. But long story short, barring an unforeseen need for smuggled weapons or petrol I won't be returning to Amchide anytime soon. I stepped in human feces a total of three times in 18 hours, the city streets are littered in filth, Nigerian beer isn't all that tasty, and people just generally seem far more shady and likely to relieve me of my possessions.

Parting is such sweet sorrow
December 3 is officially my last day in Cameroon. I'll most likely be leaving Bogo a week or two before in late November. Some volunteers have had big parties and lots of drawn out goodbyes before leaving. Others have not said a thing of their departure and then one day just vacate the premises to avoid all the attention. I can understand both approaches but I will be aiming for something in the middle of the two. When there is too much fanfare some people often try to take advantage of the situation and get anything they can out of the volunteer (Money or basically anything in the house that isn't nailed down). On the flip side when someone just leaves without saying a word people will most likely be very offended, and rightly so in my mind.

Click here to read an interesting way to go about solving this problem. Notice the lovely hat that PCV Brian Hillery is wearing in the photos as he sells the wares of departed volunteers.

So when I do leave, my friends and colleagues will most certainly know about it. I'll miss many people here very much. For two years they have treated me with unceasing hospitality. I honestly don't know that I want to spend anymore time as a volunteer in Bogo, but that doesn't go to say that it hasn't been a fantastic town to call home. When they ask me "so what are you doing with your TV/fridge/stove/bed/rugs/books/buckets/chairs/tables?," unfortunately for them I will tell them that its up to the person that replaces me. I would feel like a jerk if I let my house get ransacked and the new volunteer shows up to an empty house. And if he or she wants to have a yard sale upon arriving in Bogo (preferably while wearing funny hats) more power to 'em.