June 19th, 2015 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »
“The difference in winning and losing is most often, not quitting.” – Walt Disney
View of Yaounde from the airplane
A few minutes after I got off the plane in Yaounde a week ago, the lights went off for a minute. Then a few minutes after it came back on, it went off again for a minute. This moment made me realize that I was truly back in Cameroon, a country where the infrastructure is not always so stable.
Like with many events in Cameroon, the Peace Corps driver and Alex arrived about an hour late due to horrendous traffic. However, the moment I saw the Peace Corps car pulling up at the airport and Alex jumping out, I ran to him with excitement, and we then immediately hugged each other.
Yaounde
Because I knew that transitioning again from a western world to a developing world would be challenging, it was important that I could take advantage of every support I could receive. Thus, Alex being with me from the moment I was picked up at the airport until a few days after I returned to post has been an important asset in helping me adjust back to the Cameroonian life. Yes, he did go back with me to my post on a seven hour bus ride from Yaounde. I’m not going to lie. I did suffer cultural shocks as soon as I got back to my post, Bamenda, after having spent two nights in Yaounde. I had a meltdown while going to sleep on my first night back in Bamenda. I was overwhelmed by standing out and receiving extra attention once again in the community, negotiating fair prices again, the lower quality of infrastructure, and loud noises that exist in Bamenda. I said to myself, “I’m going to be OK. I’ve been through this a number of times when traveling or moving abroad. I’m just tired as I’m terribly jet-lagged and have been lacking sleep.”
However, Alex being there helped me overcome the shock very quickly as he helped me re-integrate into the community during the following couple days by going out with me for errands which included food shopping, buying more credit for the phone and internet, and meeting people at my work places. Having him present as a Peace Corps Volunteer has also allowed me to discuss the struggles that I was facing and hear his words of wisdom.
No one other than Peace Corps Volunteers would understand better the challenges I was facing. This was because we are all going through similar experiences. We are all Americans living in a country where we did not grow up and are surrounded by people who are culturally different from us. Alex’s presence as a Peace Corps Volunteer made me realize the big importance of volunteers needing to be looking out for each other for their social and emotional well-being. While spending a great amount of time with the locals in the community is crucial for integrating successfully, spending an equal amount of time with Peace Corps Volunteers is just as important for serving successfully.
I have been thrilled to see all of my work partners again, and my work is starting up again slowly.
