Our final full week of training is now underway, making it increasingly difficult to think of anything but the impending move to post. I’m not entirely sure how the logistics of the next two weeks will work, mostly because our logistician thinks that we can be informed of all details the day prior to them becoming relevant. Nonetheless, a quick breakdown of how I suspect things will go, plus some contextual notes, follows:
- Early This Week: Training Sessions 8-4:30, despite the fact that our language trainers (and we) utterly lack the willpower to continue practicing French, and our Tech sessions have magically morphed into play-dough-making and ninja-playing time during our last week.
- Thursday & Friday, 14-15 November: Community Host Workshops (When my community host, the person I will be working with most closely in Meiganga, arrives and tells me all of the facts related to his work, the town, and what I’ll be up to soon!)
- Saturday, 16 November: Yaoundé Security Tour (Pizza or Chinese food time)
- Sunday, 17 November: More training classes (because, really, why not?) and MAYBE pack up my life and send my trunk of things north to Ngaoundéré?
- Monday, 18 November: Admin sessions about moving to post and becoming volunteers
- Tuesday, 19 November: Begin setting up banking in Yaoundé; spend the evening with a US Embassy employee’s family and (hopefully!) rejoice in my first shower in two months
- Wednesday, 20 November: Rejoice in my second shower in two months (hopefully); swear-in as a new (and CLEAN!) Peace Corps Volunteer; head back to Bafia for a final part-ay
- Thursday, 21 November: Back to Yaoundé and onto the night train (Hogwarts Express) north to Ngaoundéré, the regional capital of the Adamaoua!
- Friday/Saturday, 22-23 November: Set up banking in Ngaoundéré; find and consume pizza; explore
- Sunday-ish, 24 November: Move to Meiganga and settle in for a few days, then travel to Ngaoundal for Thanksgiving with fellow trainees.
Many a thing will be taking place over the next few weeks, and I am oh so eager for the opportunities that will exist for me to shower, to be in large cities, and to eat delicious food. I also cannot wait to learn more specifics about Meiganga and actually arrive and begin the ~real~ Peace Corps experience. Meanwhile, I am trying to take some final photos of Bafia while I can and will post as I am able to!
Colleen in Cameroon 
Hi Coll! Hoping you had your pizza or chinese food!! Just wanted to let you know that the book you sent on Cameroon came today! Thanks!! Going to start reading it tonight – Love you, Mom
I think it is Tuesday in Cameroon and you are with the family of a member of the U.S. Embassy. If they seem less than inspired, try the Canadian Embassy. Those folks were very impressive in Argo. I really believe that any pizza made with the intent to be good is a pizza I can enjoy. Cameroon pizza sits outside the scope of that belief. Please let me know how it is. I hope I don’t have to put any qualifers on that belief. – – I’m going to put some of these African geographic names into my Facebook status, hoping that the word mining produces suggested sidebar articles. – Mike Kerr
Hope you enjoy this when you start volunteering. It will be difficult at the beginning but hope you enjoy it as time goes on. Irene from California, friend of your aunt.