Fin

I'm sorry for the delay. The last week I spent in Cameroon was filled with activities and emotional goodbyes, not to mention packing and gift buying for my support system back in the states. Then, once I got back to St. Louis safely it has taken time to adjust back to this lifestyle and of course there were the holidays, so between all that and trying to get some needed rest, I am just now finding the time to sum up my journey.
The last week that I was in Cameroon began with coming back from Ngaoundéré and being reunited with my family in Yaoundé. While leaving Ngaoundéré was really emotional and difficult to do, I was happy to see my Yaoundé family once more.
The first few days back in Yaoundé we didn't have any mandatory classes to attend so we were able to just explore the city and spend quality time with our families. I took lots of pictures with my host sisters and went running and hiking with my youngest host sister and host brother. It was really relaxing for maybe the first time all semester. I was also able to easily navigate the city, going from market to market buying presents I wanted to share with my family and friends back in America.
There was some work that needed to be completed with my project though. In the end my results justified my hypothesis. Not only does Amal see herself as an active voice in this social movement for the betterment of women through literature, but her work accurately displays the situation of women, children and men in Cameroonian, polygamous households. My favorite quote in all of my research was from the only woman who I interviewed who had actually read the book. She was a second wife and told me that Amal writes what we women in these circumstances would never dare to say aloud. She too believes that this type of writing will help their situation as people become more aware of a life that is hidden from the public.
I felt really great about my final product. After having printed off my final copies I was really proud. I am overjoyed that I did my own research for a research project, made real connections with my subjects, and produced a 50 page paper in my second language, French. At only 22 years old I felt extremely accomplished.
The work that I did in my last week was just preparing my 45 minute PowerPoint presentation for the class which I gave on Thursday the 12th. Everyone in the group had very different subjects for their presentations and it was really great listening to what each student was passionate enough about to devote their time to for four weeks. There were projects on the newly created Senate in Cameroon, AIDS/HIV prevalence in the East, alcohol consumption in Cameroon, family planning, exclusive breast feeding practices, girls education in the North, artisinal vs industrial fishing laws, maternal languages, classroom conditions in relation to test scores, and precolonial development techniques.
After all the presentations our coursework was finally complete. Friday we were supposed to all plan and prepare for our end of the semester party which was held that evening; however, 6/9 of us became very ill and were sick all day long. With rest and hydration we all managed to show up to a very beautiful restaurant that night with our families and enjoyed an evening of laughter, tears, fun, and appreciation for all that we did and all who we met. It was a great party despite feeling sick!
The last full day that we had in Cameroon was Saturday. We ended up having class and being at the office from 10 until about 5. It was a re-entry seminar and I applaud SIT for conducting this class. It was really helpful to be able to come together as a group with our director Christiane and sum up what the semester meant to each and every one of us. We talked about what we learned, what we will and will not share with others, and how to share our story when we got back to the states. There were tears and also laughter as there always is when saying farewell. That night I went home and as I was giving my host family their goodbye gifts, the power went out and didn't come back on until the next morning. I felt that that was an appropriate thing to happen on the last day being in Cameroon. I couldn't leave without just one more power cut!
Finally, the day came. I went to one last market where I got one last marriage proposal. This time I had the best excuse that was totally truthful, sorry I am going back to America TODAY! My host family was going to this lunch party at one of their friend's house and while I thought that maybe I shouldn't go because of timing, my father insisted! I was really happy to go. All the attendees were from Europe, and the homeowner lived in an extravagant house up high in the hills of Yaoundé! The conversation was great, everyone was happy and the food was divine! At 3pm we had to go. I said very teary goodbyes to my siblings and my host mother and my Papa drove me to the SIT office. In our last car ride we had our last philosophical talk about the human condition; I miss that man a lot. At the office we all gathered and said goodbye to our director Christiane who was like a mother to each of us and were whisked off to the airport.
Thirty hours and four flights later I met my family in the St. Louis airport. I was immediately given a big winter coat, as I was wearing clothes appropriate to the 90 degree weather I left, not the 30 degree weather I came home to!
Being back in the states has been good and bad. My health has fluctuated. Getting back into the routine of the holidays was exhausting and eating rich food took adjusting, but slowly I am feeling better. People seem interested in hearing about my experience but it is really hard to tell someone about 3 1/2 months of your life in the 2 minutes that they give you. Coming back to the holiday season has been a little overwhelming. It is not like I lived in extremely poor towns, but just seeing all that there is at the mall or seeing children not appreciating the iPhone that they have because they want the newer version takes a toll on you. Especially if you remember my host mom's reaction when I gifted her a very simple cell phone.
That being said, I am very happy to be home. Being with my family and friends has been a wonderful blessing. I am enjoying telling my story and slowly educating people about things that they may never otherwise know about. For instance, one woman asked me "so how has it been being back in civilization?" ... I quickly assured her that I never left civilization and was able to tell her about some of the highlights of my experience. I hope that I will constantly be a voice for Cameroonians because I know that many Americans have very skewed ideas or maybe no idea at all about Cameroon specifically, and Africa in general. I take sharing my story as a huge responsibility.
Finally, I would like to share with you all a very exciting last part of my journey. After finishing my research paper I sent it to Amal, the author. She enjoyed the paper immensely and thanked me for my work. She even said that she would be delighted if I would translate the novel into English for her!!! I don't know if I could have ever imagined being graced with such an honor. I have applied to graduate schools where I would work for a PhD in French and African studies, but should that not work out, next year I would really like to start working on a translation.
I feel as though because of this experience I have grown up more and changed my thoughts about the world and development and my future. I thank the University of Arkansas, the School for International Training, my family, my friends, Cameroon and America for supporting me in this journey. As this journey comes to a close I am starting to see the doors of opportunity for other journeys open and I am thrilled to embark on my next adventure!
Thank you for following me along this voyage-- au revoir!