Saturday, July 9, 2011

Not Exactly Roughin'it


So I know I haven't been keeping up with this blog as much as I should, but the whole internet thing is hard to come by especially during the first three months.  The Peace Corps restricts our internet access because it "hinders immersion".  Whatever.  Anyway, I found out my site last week and I just got back from site visit.  I will be moving to Bangante, a city in the West region of Cameroon at the end of August.  Bangante is a mid-sized city as far as cities in Cameroon go and it is much cleaner than the city I live in now.  The University of the Mountains is in Bangante, which is one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
During my time in Bangante I have been paired with a bank.  I will most likely be working on and off with this bank throughout the entirety of my service but I will also need to branch out and work on other projects as well.  Bangante will be a great place to find other opportunities such as form basic business classes, set up small savings groups or even collaborate with other volunteers on projects they are working on.  There’s an education volunteer that was placed in the same city as me and is only about a 5-minute walk away.  I definitely got lucky; there are some people that are six hours from the closest volunteer. 
While on site visit I got to get a tour of the house I will be living in for the next two years.  There is a huge disparity in the living conditions of Peace Corps Volunteers, especially here in Cameroon.  Some live in basic mud huts with no running water or electricity while others live lavishly in nice homes with all the amenities we are used to in the States.  I fall into the later category.  It is all luck of the draw, where you are posted, the houses available in that post etc.  I guess there were no mud huts or middle-class houses available in Bangante so the Peace Corps set me up in a giant mansion, check my facebook to see some pics if you wish.  
Overall things are still going great, it’s a bit weird coming back from site visit because we all got a little taste of where we will be living and what we will be doing.  I think everyone is much more excited now but we also are realizing that in a few weeks we are all parting ways.   The last month and a half of our training I’m sure will be a great time.  I’ll try to keep posting on this here blog and keep everyone updated.  
Until next time,
Matt