Post Assignment: Adamawa!

Exciting news: We now know where we'll be living for the next two years! People from our stage (training group) will be sent all over Cameroon, with the exception of the North and Far North regions. About eight trainees, including myself, will be in Adamawa, the region I went to for my site visit. We'll be dispersed throughout the region, but I'll be in a town called Nyambaka, which is about 90 minutes from the regional capital, Ngaoundere. I've already talked to the PCV I'll be replacing, Erin, and it sounds lovely. There's weekly market nearby, so I can get a good variety of produce, and the house where I'll be living has TWO mango trees in the front yard! Nyambaka is famous for its mangoes, so I'm absolutely ecstatic.

Since most people aren't familiar with "The Grand North" of Cameroon, I should provide some background information. Adamawa is a mountainous area with a transitional climate, so it has more vegetation and isn't as hot as the North and Far North. I've been told that the population is equally divided between Muslims and Christians, but Islam seems to have more of a cultural influence. It's difficult to find pork products because they're haram (forbidden), and it's not uncommon to be awoken by the call to prayer before sunrise. About 60% of Adamawans are Fulbe, so I started lessons in their language, Fulfulde, last week.

Of course, every place comes with its own challenges. Because of the strong Islamic influence, many girls in Adamawa marry and leave school shortly after the onset of puberty, and because of the lack of hospitals, infant and maternal mortality rates are high. The main source of income in Adamawa is cattle-rearing, which for many interferes with school, so illiteracy rates are also high: I've seen one estimate of 80 percent. In a cruel twist of fate, the Adamawa is the one region of the Grand North that usually has water security, but because of this, it's more susceptible to waterborne diseases.

But with these challenges come opportunities for development and advancement, and since Peace Corps requires secondary projects outside of our jobs, I've already started thinking about how to start an after-school club for girls at the high school where I'll be working, or perhaps an adult literacy class. There are so many possibilities. I just hope that over the next two years I can make a small positive difference.

In short, I can't wait to get settled in Nyambaka. Every Volunteer I met during site visit was so friendly and kind, and the trainees coming up north are all lovely people. Erin has told me wonderful things about her neighbors and students, and I can't wait to meet them in a few weeks.