Welcome to Akono!

Today officially marks one full week at my new post in Akono!  

A brief introduction:  Akono is a small village about an hour out of Yaounde.  As opposed to the Sahel/Sudanian-savannah environment in the North region, the Center region is very well forested.  I am surrounded by oceans of green in every direction.  The climate is cool and humid, which has been difficult to adjust to.  While I had become quite used to working in my garden during 125º sunshine, I now find myself bundling up in leggings and a winter fleece on 70º rainy days, drinking lots of hot cocoa and bringing an umbrella everywhere I go.  

The culture of Akono is quite different Northern culture as well.  While I have been able to find a decent mix of people here (a few friendly anglophone women from the North West, a fellow Fulfulde speaker from Pitoa in the North, a Malian man, and some Congolese women), the majority of the village are Ewondo, and speak Ewondo (everyone knows French, but most people prefer their patoa).  While in the North it was not uncommon to see people just passing the day lounging in the shade of a tree, life in Akono is full of constant movement.  While kids in the North would often be to shy to even tell me their name, little girls here run up to me, grab my hand and beg me to pick them up.  The North had taught me to chill out, to take it easy, seda-seda, pole-pole (to bring it back to my Swahili days).  Now I'm seeing that I really need to learn how to pick up the pace again, loosen up a bit, never fear the unknown mama running toward me to embrace me in a gigantic bear hug.

Truth be told, there really is no way to compare Sanguéré-Paul and Akono.  They are total opposites, or at least seem to be at the moment (note to self: start making a Venn diagram to discover any overlaps).  In a way, I think this is a good thing.  I can consider it a totally fresh start, rather than dwelling on how it could be this way or that way instead.  

My priority in these first few weeks is integration; getting to know the community, building relationships, and making Akono my home - my comfort zone.  Despite my attempts at trying to trick myself into thinking integration would be smooth sailing the second time around, this week has definitely not been without struggles.

Remember when I talked about how Peace Corps is a constant emotional roller coaster, where my happiness can be at a 6 (“meh”) at one moment, drop to a 2 within seconds (“don’t you dare call me ‘Nasarra!’”), and then shoot up to a 10 later that day (“ooh!  Shiny!!)?  Well, my first week in Akono was definitely no different.

I would actually say that I’ve been riding a pretty constant high all week, just with some pretty sudden drops – but hey, roller coasters would be pretty lame it weren’t for the sudden, intense drops, right?

I started typing out a whole bunch of key memories (highlights and lowlights) from this week, but there is really just so much to talk about!  Maybe it’s better for me to break it up over a couple of posts, rather than force you to read a 2000 word essay.  For now, I’ll just give you a glimpse of what has kept the coaster chugging along at a smooth and steady pace:  my new work partners / welcoming committee.

The past volunteer, Alex Clamor, set me up very well with a wonderful women’s group as a host organization, along with two community hosts and a counterpart.  These women have truly taken it upon themselves to show me around and make me feel at home.  Madame Manga has taken me on several tours around town to introduce me to local authorities, potential work partners, or simply some good friends. Madame Obama woke me up bright and early on market day and told me where to meet her so that she could help my buy some produce.  Madame Nguini called me twenty minutes before church to remind me not to show up late.

Thanks to these women, I have not spent a single day at home twiddling my thumbs.  I have not yet had a single moment of feeling lost, or idle, or hopeless (as sometimes PCVs tend to feel).  These women are incredibly motivated, dynamic, and above all, kind.  They have done nothing but welcome me with open arms, and continue to help me discover Akono.  They have kept me in the loop about meetings that I may be interested in, and already have so many ideas of projects that I can help them or other community members with.  Thanks to them, my transition into this new post has been going far smoother than I could have ever hoped for.

It is definitely not the same as Sanguéré-Paul, but think things will work out just fine!

Later this week: 

• My life in the nursing home  [Happiness rating: 10.  Thank God this is home base! (Literally, thank God – my landlord is a nun!)]
• A funeral with boxed wine goody-bags  [Happiness rating: err…7.5?]
• Slimy, yet satisfying?  [Happiness rating: 4]
• "I’ll be your second wife if you’ll be my third husband!"  [Happiness rating: 1.  Panic mode!]
• Cookies!  [Happiness rating: 9]