My First 2 Weeks in Peace Corps Cameroon

I have been in Cameroon for over two weeks now. I have moved in with my host family, started agriculture technical training, had countless hours of French lessons, and have learned and grown in ways I could have never imagined.

My Host Family

After spending the past week together as a cohort of 31 in Washington, DC, and in the Peace Corps training facility in Cameroon, our group found a sense of community and belonging among one another. It's fascinating how soon a bunch of nervous and eager people can build relationships that feel like they have lasted a lifetime.

Many of us, myself included, were anxious to receive the slip of paper with the name of our host family, as it signified the first step to our integration into our new life in our West Central African home. On that day, 31 Americans were graciously taken in by 31 Cameroonian families to live and grow from one another for the next three months.

I was placed with a family with five kids (four girls and one boy), my host mom, a tailor, and my host dad, a mechanic. I may be biased (I'm definitely not), but I was placed with the best host family.

My host mom braided my hair & I loved it

Though my oldest host sister is younger than me by four years, she and my other two host sisters have pushed, encouraged, and supported me in ways that only a big sister could.

My host parents and siblings have been patiently trying to teach me French, as the language barrier has challenged us all. Thankfully, though, smiles, laughs, and hugs are a universal language we have all mastered. French might not be coming to me as fast as I had hoped, but I am highly motivated to learn to create a stronger and more meaningful connection with the people who have opened their home and hearts to me.

My bedroom

Agriculture Technical Training

As a member of the Peace Corps Prep Program in college, I took classes that enhanced my knowledge in sustainable development, environmental science, and Spanish with the hopes of being in a Spanish-speaking country in the environmental science sector of the Peace Corps. Naturally, sophomore year of college Langley, who spent hours each semester meticulously crafting her schedule, would have been dismayed to see that she was now learning agricultural practices in a French-speaking country. However, Langley today could not be more content.

After being invited to serve as an agriculture volunteer in Cameroon, I asked myself almost daily, what in the world could I do to improve the agricultural practices in a country where agriculture is a primary contributor to the country's economy? I reviewed my application many times to ensure I had not given the impression that I was adequately qualified to do this work. I mean, what do I, a 21-year-old from Kentucky, know about the crops and livestock that had supported entire groups of people for centuries?

I was worried my skills would not be sufficient to meet the goals of my host community, but I have learned that the skills I need to be successful in this field and the Peace Corps overall have nothing to do with agriculture. They have everything to do with my attitude, willingness to learn, and ability to overcome adversity.

Until September 1st, I will be rigorously trained alongside Cameroonian agriculture students to assess and improve the capacity of smallholder farms in Cameroon. Each week, I attend lectures and participate in practical fieldwork to ensure that I am equipped to work with farmers in Cameroon to increase the production and efficiency of their crops and livestock. The overall goal is to improve food security and nutrition in our host communities by working with and empowering community members to enhance the yield of crops and animals.

Planting my green onions in the plot of land I hand tilled

In the past two weeks, I have learned how to prepare a garden by tilling and double-digging. I am currently growing green onions, hot peppers, and cucumbers. Four out of my five cucumber plants have already sprouted!

This past week, my cohort and I were given two days to build a chicken coop for the 30 Brahma chicks we will raise. We started by leveling our land and creating a frame for the coop. We quickly realized that the building materials used in Cameroon were not of the same quality in the United States, or, so I've heard. My group concluded that to live and work in Cameroon, we would have to do things the Cameroonian way. Needless to say, we ended up paying a contractor to finish our chicken coop.

The chicken coop

A Glimpse of a Day

I’m often asked what I do each day, and it’s a hard question to answer because no day is the same. However, some things are constant. I wake up at 6 am every morning because in Cameroon, if you’re up after the sun, then you’re sleeping in.

After I get up, I get dressed and eat breakfast. Breakfast in Cameroon is pretty consistent. There is always a sliced baguette, butter spread, and chocolate spread. Sometimes there are omelets, avocado salad, and fruit. If there was pasta the night before, it was usually mixed in with the omelet, a personal favorite of mine.

At around 7 am, I walk to the transportation pick-up spot with my fellow-American neighbor. I either take a motorcycle or a bus to work depending on whether I’m at the Peace Corps training center or the agriculture facility that day. From 8 am-5 pm, I have various classes and sessions to prepare for the next two years in my rural Cameroonian village. Some of my favorite sessions have included learning about soil types, the role of a volunteer in development work, and a trip to Yaounde to visit the Musée Ethnographique de d’Histoire des Peuples de la Forêt.

After work, I go home and get water from the well (still working on balancing it on my head). Some people have running water in their houses, but even then, it’s unreliable. My host family does not currently have running water, so we take bucket baths, which I’m honestly beginning to enjoy.

Socks and sandals at the well

In the evenings, we eat dinner, play games, and I’ll practice my French. On the first day with my host family, my host dad and I drank beer while I painted the girls' nails, and we all watched reality TV. Other nights we have danced in the backyard — the Cotton Eye Joe is a big hit here, but some nights we just watch TV and go to bed. Regardless of what activities I end up doing in a day, I have realized that the people I surround myself with are what I value the most.

In Addition…

I struggle to decide what to share with those back home. Just like the country I am in, my daily experiences are too foreign to adequately express in words. I welcome suggestions for future blog posts as I navigate how to best represent myself, the United States, and the people of Cameroon.