As the Seasons Change

My favorite time of the year in Indiana without question is autumn. When I decided to study abroad during the fall semester, I lamented not being able to see the leaves change from green to a mixture of oranges and reds and yellows. I dreaded not hearing the crunch of newly fallen leaves under my feet as I walk to class. As I type, I can only imagine how beautiful Butler’s campus looks at this moment. Here in Yaoundé, the seasons are also changing. The end of the rainy season is coming, which basically means that it rains more often and the rain lasts much longer. It has definitely been a change for me to get used to the frequency, but there are many ways that it is soothing. I love the sound of the rain. There is something beautiful about the constant rhythm of raindrops hitting a tin roof. There is something comforting about looking out over the city and knowing that the rain will eventually stop. There is something amazing in knowing that these droplets of water will bring life. There is something beautiful about the rain.

 This is a short video of the rain. It is not the highest quality, but at least you can experience a little bit of my daily reality here in Yaounde. 

Here is a picture during the rainstorm in the video. The amazing thing about rainstorms here is that the sun still shines. It is a beautiful combination!

Besides weathering the weather, I have also had some absolutely, overwhelmingly amazing opportunities since my last blog post. We left Dschang, made a stop in Bamenda (which is in an English-speaking part of Cameroon), and came back to Yaoundé. Below is a picture of me with the chairman of the Social Democratic Front (the leading opposition party in Cameroon) at his residence in Bamenda. Just marvel with me for a moment—the chairman of the SDF. Can you even imagine meeting the highest authority of a political party in the United States? It is still amazing to me that I had this opportunity.

John Fru Ndi (the chairman of the SDF) and me. 

Now that we are back in Yaoundé, we have started to meet with different development organizations. We had our first meeting with an organization yesterday. We met with the founder of LAGA (the Last Great Ape Organization). The NGO is a self-titled “law enforcement” organization. LAGA works to enforce the animal protection laws in Cameroon and in other Central African countries by finding traffickers and alerting law enforcement. It was truly a unique perspective on the world of development and the organizations that work towards it. This afternoon we are meeting with an organization that is working for the maintenance of mother tongues in Cameroon. More organization visits are coming next week!

Peace and blessings, 

Beccah

Goodbye for Now, Yaounde

Hello, blogosphere! I hope that you are all doing so well wherever you are. Tomorrow, I will be leaving Yaounde (the capital city) to go to Dschang (in the Western Region). This has been a crazy three weeks of adjusting to a new country where they speak other languages. Here are some of the things that I have done in the last week:

• On Saturday, we went to a gorilla sanctuary where they bring rescued monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. It was really amazing to see the animals so close! I would also like to add the disclaimer that it was a park. There are not primates just roaming the streets of Yaounde. Just so you know. 
• I went to mass with my sister on Sunday. I did not understand all of it, or most of it, but it was still a really great experience. I stood when the people around me stood, and tried to say the words back when I was supposed to. It is not as easy as it looks, folks!
• We visited the University of Yaounde I on Wednesday and met some students. It was really great to be back on a college campus after taking classes in the SIT office. Their campus is definitely bigger than Butler's. Some fun facts for those of you viewing from home: it is the largest and oldest university in Yaounde. A bachelor's degree is called a licence because a bacc is the equivalent of a high school diploma. It takes three years to get a licence, two years for a masters, and three years for a doctorate. Now that you are properly informed, I shall move on :)
• My first essay is due today. Don't worry. I already finished it. I am not that bad at procrastinating when I'm in Cameroon. 
• Also! I did my laundry for the first time in Cameroon this week. Let me tell you, it is a work out! I am so good and wringing out clothes now. So, if any of you need help when I get back, I am your girl. 

I will try to post again when we are in Dschang. Until next time, people of the interwebs. 

Here is a panorama of Yaounde that I took. Enjoy!

For those of you following from home, there is no need to fear. I am definitely alive and safe in Yaoundé! It has been a whirlwind so far. From the minute I stepped off the plane, I have not had a moment where I wasn’t learning something new. We had a few days of orientation while we stayed at a monastery (Le monastère du Mont Fébé). We learned about culture and rules and academics and food and other essentials.

On Wednesday, the culmination of this stage of orientation was a drop-off. This is basically an activity where you are dropped off at a random place in Yaoundé with 5000 Francs CFA ($10 dollars for you curious folks) and given a list of tasks to complete. These included using a cyber café, going to the University of Yaoundé I, and finding the neighborhood of the SIT offices. It was definitely an experience! Before anyone becomes too worried (including you, Mom), we were dropped off in pairs. The two of us walked off in our semi-confidence, prepared as we could be, to conquer our list. We were off to a bit of a rough start when we tried to put minutes on our cell phones. We did not understand the woman, and she clearly did not understand us. Finally, we just left and said we would deal with it later. Then we went to a cyber café. This was less tragic than the first adventure. The main problem was that I had no idea how to use the French keyboard. The letters were in different places. Instead of typing Yaoundé, I would type Yqoumd2. It was definitely a learning experience! Then we took our first taxi ride. A word to the wise: do not ever drive in Cameroon unless you grew up here. All driving rules here are like speed limits back home: they are merely suggestions. We made it to the University of Yaoundé I without any problems, and a nice man helped us hail a taxi to get us to the Institut Francais. Another interesting tidbit, most taxi rides cost 200 Francs CFA here. For you math-minded people and the generally curious, that is just under $0.50. We made it to the Institut Francais and moved on to find a textile shop. We were pointed in every direction, but we eventually succeeded! It was definitely a joyous occasion. My new goal is to buy fabric from that store and get a dress or skirt made. It is going to happen. Just wait America! A fashion intervention via Beccah is headed your way! Finally, we went to a supermarket in Bastos (the neighborhood where the SIT office is). It was great to see the city. It was nerve-wracking and very difficult, but I now have full confidence in my ability to get wherever I need to go.

On Thursday, we met our host families. I am very excited to get to know them and see how they live. So far, they have been amazing! I can’t wait to see what this semester holds.

Until next time, my friends,

Beccah 

Anticipating Adventure

I haven't written a blog besides the posts required for classes, so I will attempt to write articulately and concisely. For those of you who know me best, those are not my strongest qualities. I am hoping to entertain and inform you of the happenings in my life. Bear with me as I enter the world of online journal writing. So here we go!

Tomorrow, well more like later today, most of my family will come over to say goodbye before I jet off around the world. In two days, I will leave South Bend, Indiana, for the western coast of central Africa. In three days, I will be in Cameroon. It is a strange and amazing experience to be here in this moment. On one hand I cannot even believe that this time has come. On the other hand I feel as if I have been preparing for this my entire life. If there were an imaginary third hand in the analogy I would feel as if I could not live in this in-between stage anymore. The trip looms in the not-so-distant future, and I am so ready for it.

I officially forced the majority of my items into one carry-on bag and one checked bag. I have tickets booked. I have books ordered. I have a prescription for malaria medicine. I have taken the required French classes. I am as ready as is humanly possible to leave America (or at least as ready as Beccah-ly possible). The goal is to post on this blog as much as possible throughout the course of my semester abroad. Life will be crazy and new and unexpected. I cannot wait to see what God does this semester in and through me.

Until next time people of the interwebs,
Beccah