sooooo...

new trainees coming in today... i'm one of three PCV hosts, which means i get to greet the new kids at the airport, run around town getting cellphones and exchanging money, and kicking it at the hotel with them until they get sent off to their homestay families in Bangangte... good stuff. i'm excited and hope to find my perfect replacement among the group of 22 agroforestry volunteers coming (don't think i'll actually be able to have a say in who my replacement will be, but, on va voire).

i'm leaving Bare/Cameroon in december, but only for a short stint. i've chosen to extend for a third year, and this extra 12 months i will spend in an area totally different from the one i've been living in for the past 2 years. i'm going to be int he extreme north in a city called Maroua working as a PCV Leader, meaning i'll be momma bear to many volunteers. think i got the position because i make a mean banana bread and pineapple pie. ;)

the people are chill (predominantly muslim, therefore no excessive drinking and harassment from drunk men - major plus), there are lots of sand streets lined with gigantic neem trees, i'll work more on my french and learn some fulfude, and live on the best meat and biggest mangos i have ever seen (lots of cows...and mangos you can take full bites into without hitting pit).

i will still be doing a lot of environment based agroforestry projects, thankfully. i have a lot to learn but am feeling really good about the change.

another year in cameroon... funny to think about where i was and what i was doing just 2 years ago... and how my interests have shifted and become more focused. for some reason i thought being a peace corps volunteer would be a distraction, a diversion from what i should be doing, but really, its just getting me closer to where i want to be... funny how that works.