Hope all is well. Things have been swell over here. I haven’t been doing too much traveling lately, except for going up to Buea/Limbe (beach) for Halloween and Kumbo (Northwest mountains) for a pretty delicious American Thanksgiving.
Work in Bamenda has been pretty busy lately. The money for my Peace Corps Partnership project, the NGO Fair, has been raised! THANK YOU again to all those who donated. The two-day event will be February 24-25, 2012 in the center of Bamenda.
At this point, I have been organizing planning meetings, drafting and sending out invitations, doing protocol (very important here to meet the authorities and get their approval), ordering publicity documents, fundraising, etc. I have been trying to raise money from businesses and local councils (as community contribution) but they are telling me to return next year (month). People are beginning to get into the Christmas spirit these next few weeks, meaning taking their mind off of work. I’ll have to try again in January.
I’m pretty excited for Christmastime. In Bamenda, there are already Christmas lights being strung in town and neighbors’ backyard trees. There is even a dancing Santa across from one of my offices. There will also be traditional festivals in the villages this time around. I will try to visit some of them, as chiefs (fons) will be around, everyone will be dancing, shotguns will be fired, Cameroonian food and drink will be heavily consumed, etc. I just went to a tailor and ordered my Northwest traditional dress...stoked!
In other news, I’m coming home for vacation! March 7-27, 2012, immediately after the NGO fair. Thanks Mom! Can’t wait to have a break and spend some time at home!
I’ll make this post short and sweet. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!
