Okay here it goes, my first real blog post in Cameroon. There is internet at the SIT program office in Yaounde where I will have classes most days so I think that, for the most part, I should be able to keep up a blog.
I left Logan airport just after midnight on Sunday after considerable confusion in the international terminal. Apparently there were not enough gates for each of the flights that night so they kept switching the gates. The different airline employees were getting snarky with each other in the terminal. It was kind of entertaining until I began to worry about my flight getting too delayed. However, we left only half an hour late. On my flight from Boston to Istanbul there were many open rows so I switched seats to one of the middle rows that had four seats. I sat on one end and there was someone else on the other end but with two seats between us there was plenty of space. On my next flight from Istanbul to Yaounde, Cameroon I also had an empty seat next to me.
There was one other American SIT student on my flight to Yaounde. We arrived just before midnight on Monday. So, somehow I spent almost exactly a full 24 hour day traveling in an 18 hour period of time- super confusing. Upon arrival at the Yaounde airport, we were greeted by Serge, one the of the program's coordinators. There were also four other SIT students who had recently arrived at the airport. From there, we drove up and out of the city to a monastery overlooking Yaounde on Mont Febe. After a lot of travel, a quick meal, and a shower I finally got to lie down to sleep.
The next morning we began our orientation. There's a total of 9 American students in the program and 3 Cameroonian students. During orientation we talked about everything from academics to Cameroonian social customs, differences in American and Cameroonian customs, and SIT rules and safety.
The second afternoon of orientation, Wednesday afternoon, we were put into pairs (and a group of 3) and driven to different locations in the city. The drivers dropped us off somewhere in the city, we weren't allowed to ask them where we were. Each group had a list of things to do and places to go, and a little bit of money. We just had to be back at the monastery by 6:30pm, which gave us 3-ish hours. The point was for us to use our French, get to know how to use the taxis, and to get to know the city a little bit. It also gave each of us a chance to get over and concerns of fears we might have had about getting around the city. I think it was a great way to force each of us out into the city early on just to show everyone that it was really not the scary. We were also told to ask people on the street for directions so that we got comfortable with doing that. The whole afternoon was overwhelming, incredibly educational, and a little bit scary but most of all, it was fun!
Thursday we moved down into the city. We spent the day in the SIT office getting to know the space and going over more rules and safety. In the evening our host families came to the office. When they arrived they knew who their students were but they weren't allowed to tell us until about an hour into the event.
Thursday night was my first night in my host family. I have a 17 year old host sister, an 8 year old brother, and 2 older college aged brothers who are leaving the house soon for university. My host sister, Gael, and I share a room and bed. It's weird to share a bed not because we're sharing but because I have to sleep in a mosquito net tent which sits on top of the bed while Gael sleeps under the covers on the other side of the large bed. We live about a 15-20 minute walk from the SIT office. In order to get from my home to the office I have to go up and down several hills. I also pass by several embassies including South Africa, Senegal, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, and several others.
Yesterday we had our last orientation type day. In the morning we did a first night home stay debriefing and then, after lunch, a doctor came to go over potential medical concerns while in Cameroon. Today is our first day off although we each had to come into the office during the day for a language proficiency interview. The interview will help place us in the appropriate level French class. My French is better than I thought it was but it's also not even close to where I wish it was. There are other students in the program who speak French more fluently than me but there are also others who are around my level.
Because of a scheduling issue, we have classes tomorrow but usually we will have the whole weekend off. Overall it's been an amazing and tiring and wonderful week! I will post again in the next few days with even more but I feel like this is plenty for now!
I left Logan airport just after midnight on Sunday after considerable confusion in the international terminal. Apparently there were not enough gates for each of the flights that night so they kept switching the gates. The different airline employees were getting snarky with each other in the terminal. It was kind of entertaining until I began to worry about my flight getting too delayed. However, we left only half an hour late. On my flight from Boston to Istanbul there were many open rows so I switched seats to one of the middle rows that had four seats. I sat on one end and there was someone else on the other end but with two seats between us there was plenty of space. On my next flight from Istanbul to Yaounde, Cameroon I also had an empty seat next to me.
There was one other American SIT student on my flight to Yaounde. We arrived just before midnight on Monday. So, somehow I spent almost exactly a full 24 hour day traveling in an 18 hour period of time- super confusing. Upon arrival at the Yaounde airport, we were greeted by Serge, one the of the program's coordinators. There were also four other SIT students who had recently arrived at the airport. From there, we drove up and out of the city to a monastery overlooking Yaounde on Mont Febe. After a lot of travel, a quick meal, and a shower I finally got to lie down to sleep.
The next morning we began our orientation. There's a total of 9 American students in the program and 3 Cameroonian students. During orientation we talked about everything from academics to Cameroonian social customs, differences in American and Cameroonian customs, and SIT rules and safety.
The second afternoon of orientation, Wednesday afternoon, we were put into pairs (and a group of 3) and driven to different locations in the city. The drivers dropped us off somewhere in the city, we weren't allowed to ask them where we were. Each group had a list of things to do and places to go, and a little bit of money. We just had to be back at the monastery by 6:30pm, which gave us 3-ish hours. The point was for us to use our French, get to know how to use the taxis, and to get to know the city a little bit. It also gave each of us a chance to get over and concerns of fears we might have had about getting around the city. I think it was a great way to force each of us out into the city early on just to show everyone that it was really not the scary. We were also told to ask people on the street for directions so that we got comfortable with doing that. The whole afternoon was overwhelming, incredibly educational, and a little bit scary but most of all, it was fun!
Thursday we moved down into the city. We spent the day in the SIT office getting to know the space and going over more rules and safety. In the evening our host families came to the office. When they arrived they knew who their students were but they weren't allowed to tell us until about an hour into the event.
Thursday night was my first night in my host family. I have a 17 year old host sister, an 8 year old brother, and 2 older college aged brothers who are leaving the house soon for university. My host sister, Gael, and I share a room and bed. It's weird to share a bed not because we're sharing but because I have to sleep in a mosquito net tent which sits on top of the bed while Gael sleeps under the covers on the other side of the large bed. We live about a 15-20 minute walk from the SIT office. In order to get from my home to the office I have to go up and down several hills. I also pass by several embassies including South Africa, Senegal, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, and several others.
Yesterday we had our last orientation type day. In the morning we did a first night home stay debriefing and then, after lunch, a doctor came to go over potential medical concerns while in Cameroon. Today is our first day off although we each had to come into the office during the day for a language proficiency interview. The interview will help place us in the appropriate level French class. My French is better than I thought it was but it's also not even close to where I wish it was. There are other students in the program who speak French more fluently than me but there are also others who are around my level.
Because of a scheduling issue, we have classes tomorrow but usually we will have the whole weekend off. Overall it's been an amazing and tiring and wonderful week! I will post again in the next few days with even more but I feel like this is plenty for now!
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