Saving the World

While saving the world is one of our Peace Corps objectives, we were allowed a brief respite last night.

Actually, our training schedule truly is intense. We have a 7pm curfew, which is good in that it ensures that we are spending some quality time with our ‘Roonian families. Plus, that way, when I am home at 8pm I don’t feel like I am missing out on any fun, cause I know we are all having home-time! So, through careful negotiations, we got our curfew extended to 9pm last night.

A few general photos:

My new friend David is not quite sure about this.

The girls are showing off/checking out our newest Cameroonian fashion statements.

Whiskey is sold here in little plastic sacks. We strongly support that industry. It’s especially tasty when mixed with the local grapefruit soda, demonstrated here. Even tastes healthy!!

Local Cameroonian cookie. Another industry I like.

Amigas Melissa and Siobhan.

To prove that I am doing legit technical training, I got elected as Secretary of the model Village Savings and Loan Association. The trainees are running this among ourselves, with real cash, as part of our training. I am learning a lot! Past Peace Corps volunteers have effectively started such associations at their posts.

Finally, it’s funny how when I am so surrounded by people, I crave a little time to myself, to read, write, and remember why I am here and what I want out if it. Yet at the same time, it’s during these needed moments alone that I get waves of old memories—friends’ faces from Haiti, DC, even back to Canada—flooding over me, and I feel a twinge of loneliness. I know that loneliness is part of the package PC promises every volunteer. So I am currently trying to balance the sometimes overwhelming social options of the training environment, where all of us trainees live in the same village, with the fact that during the next two years of service, I will be relatively isolated and my best friends might be some bushes/camels!

Hope every one is doing well! :)