September 18th, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »
“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” – Amelia Earhart
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Cameroon and have had very little internet connection for one week. Do I miss internet? That is a question I asked myself last night. Believe or not, I have mixed feelings.
When I first arrived in Yaounde and discovered that the internet was slow and unreliable, I felt frustrated. I was impatient. I was used to the fast pace life that I’ve always had in America. I wanted the news reports instantly. I wanted to stay on top of what was going on in my family and friends’ life. I quickly learned to accept that the slow connection would become the new way of life.
Then on Saturday afternoon, when I was cut off completely from internet, I felt like I was thrown into a dark cave and I was completely cut off from the world. I no longer knew what was happening outside of the village where I was living. I had this feeling that was like as if one of my body parts had been cut off. There were times when I felt like I wanted to pull out my iPhone and check Facebook and Twitter to know what’s going in the world.
However, by Sunday afternoon, I quickly forgot about internet. My day was so busy as I spent time touring the village, getting water, helping my family cook and clean and talking to them. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. Prior to Peace Corps, I always needed to be on the internet before bed to help me fall asleep and again, to keep up with latest news. I did worry about what I could do to help me fall asleep without the internet access.
However, since arriving in Cameroon, I have not had one day where I felt the strong need to have internet before bed. Once I’m in bed, I fall asleep right away. My days at training are long and intense. When I come home, I still have more work to do. I spend a lot of time playing with the kids, getting the water, running errands and reading some materials from Peace Corps. By the time I finish with everything, I’m so exhausted that I can’t imagine having a moment to use the internet.
Last Tuesday when I accessed internet for the first time in more than 48 hours, the feeling was so mixed. The moment I saw my emails coming in and Facebook and Twitter notifications, I felt both a sense of relief and overwhelmed. I was relieved when I could finally get news from friends and family, but I felt so overwhelmed by the amount of messages and notifications I received. I received more than 20 Facebook notifications. Because I had limited time to use the internet, I didn’t know where to start in catching up what I missed. I did manage to have time quickly go through the notifications. I was amazed by how much news could flow into our lives within a short period.
I did worry that I would have a hard time keeping my iPhone put away and not using it during classes when I’m at the training center that had internet access. I actually had said that if I had to go back to school, my biggest challenge would be keeping my iPhone put away or internet shut off on my computer during class. Yes, I was really addicted to internet. There were times when I’d be looking on my iPhone when I shouldn’t be. Here, during my training in Cameroon, I haven’t felt the strong desire to pull out my iPhone. The classes have been keeping me so well engaged as the instructors speak about topics which really makes me want to pay attention closely. I also have become motivated to do my best job.
I now say that I don’t always miss internet. I sure do wish that I could know more about what is going on in the world, but not having internet has forced me and taught me to have more face to face communication and spend more time outside. I am spending a great deal of time getting to know my host family and neighbors. If I had internet, I likely would have stayed in my room or in the living room and rarely get to know people in my home and community. But I do miss the convenience of staying in touch with everyone.
