Elizabeth Goes To Cameroon: Petit a Petit...

And the envelope please...

Njombe!

Njombe (pronounced something like Jombay) is where I will be posted for the next 24 months (after we finish training). Last week, all of the stagaires (trainees) visited their posts. Definitely, made living in Africa for the next two years much more real. Njombe is a small town located in the Littoral Region - closer to the coast. I'm a couple hours north of Douala (the largest city in Cameroon) and Limbe (a black sanded beach!). The Littoral Region/Njombe is a huge fruit farming area so lots of fresh pineapple, mangoes, bananas, and papaya for me (little meat and dairy though). The Littoral is home to a giant fruit exporter and I am learning somewhat controversial.

I'm opening a new post, meaning there are no current or previous volunteers in Njombe. It's going to be a fun little challenge, but I'm super excited about the potential work I will be doing. I will be helping small local farmers with basic business practices. Peace Corps has matched me with a GIC called Esperance which is working on creating an export market for a fair trade dried fruit company called Fair Fruit. Pretty neat stuff - there's a little information on it here. Njombe is extra hot and humid - just like home (without the A/C though). My 3 room house is empty but I'm going to get pretty handy pretty quick I think. Anyone know how to do tiling?? My toilet is an outdoor hole in the ground. But I do have electricity. I think. (Definitely not "Posh Corps")

My French is progressing slowly, but it progresses ("petit a petit" is my motto these days). I'm surrounded by some pretty good trainers and trainees right now so that's been a big plus with this little transition (we're still fairly sheltered here in Bafia, and I'm pretty sure when we actually get to our posts and are left there to our own devices - it will be more of a rude awakening).

Traveling is its own adventure in Cameroon. What we think of as a 12 person van actually means a 22 person van here (animals and children aren't included). I got laughed at by other Cameroonians last week when I jumped after the plastic bag right next to me started moving. It was an adult chicken. The lady next to me (and by next to me I actually mean I was in her lap) told me not to worry - "buttocks would shift" after the bush taxi left and then "we would all fit". Lies.

That's all I got for now. Will try come up with more exciting posts sooner than later...

Miss you all beaucoup!!