We pre-celebrated with a brunch of French toast and “mimosas.” Mimosas in Cameroon = champagne + a local powdered orange drink mix. Tastes like Tang and supposedly has vitamin C in it?!?! Here’s most of our girls from the Small Enterprise Development program.
With some of the girls from the Education program—crafting young ‘Roonian minds.
Our boys: On a drunken bet, they decided to embark on a month-long process to all grow mustaches for the big day of swearing-in. The girls’ role was to always remind them of how awful they looked. And voilà le résultat: reminiscent 1973.
My host family! Ma and my bro Stephan. They’ve been so good to me, and sent me away last night with popcorn, beignets and cake for the long trip up to post! That is love :)
My friend Brandi here is from Opelousas, LA, all of 45 minutes away from chez mom and dad. Her Cameroonian family bestowed on her a fine set of fake flowers in honor of swearing in. We though it an appropriate occasion to take a Sadie Hawkins-style picture.
A last look on leaving Bangangté.
A couple of last funny things--what was the first thing I and two of the girls did upon swearing in? Snuck out of the ceremony, ran through some corn fields, and found some "facilities." (Read: take a pee in a corn field, just hoping not to get caught!) This is how we do it in Cameroon! Also, our training group voted on some superlatives. Some of the categories up for grabs: Most likely to run off with the pygmies and never be seen again, Most likely to be polygamous, Most likely to spend all their money on beer, Most likely to adopt a Cameroonian baby. Yours truly ended up with Most likely to extend service for a third year, and Girl you'd most want as your post mate. Thanks amigos! :)
I'm en route now, off to post to start my two years of service! No garantees of internet where I am going, alors so long for now!
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