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I'm about 14 hours from getting on the plane home. This will be the first time I've left Cameroon in over two years and I never had any visitors during that time. This is the first time I've been away for so long and I'm not sure what to expect when I get home. I'm very anxious to see my family and friends and hear about what they've been doing. It's going to be a very happy reunion for everyone.

Looking at my luggage, I'm going back lighter than I came, which is a good thing. I gave away most of my belongings to friends and am currently waiting for some photos to develop to leave as souvenirs. The current plan is to spend about a week in Minnesota, then drive out to Washington D.C. to begin searching for housing and settle into my new job which begins 21 August. During this time, Elisa will continue the arduous visa/passport battle and hopefully join me in DC in early September.

Here is a photo of everyone who participated in the 3-on-3 Basketball tournament I helped organize. Our team, "The Crackers" finished a solid third place living and dying behind the three-point line.

This was taken shortly before dancing the night away in Yaounde.

Here is a before and after photo of one corner of the library. The first photo shows what I walked into and the second photo shows what we've done with the same space.

It's hard to believe while the French are celebrating Bastille Day and mourning their World Cup Final loss, I'm celebrating my 3rd birthday in two years. Haven't really decided what a 28 year old should do on his birthday, but I'll figure something out.

After several failed attempts at getting a Cameroonian passport for Elisa, I've accepted the fact that she won't be able to join me on my flight back to the States. I broke this news to her yesterday, which led to tears, anger, and frustration on her part. Fortunately, I had already planned out an alternate itinerary for her. It's almost certain she'll have all of her documentation by 1 September so I'll buy her a ticket to Washington DC some time during the first week of September. This is actually a better option for me since I'll have time alone to deal with readjustment and settle into my new job. Also, flights will be much cheaper in September.

It's been a while since I've posted recent photo of us so here we are at the Hilton Hotel in Yaounde.

I apologize if this journal has gotten to be more about me bringing my fiancée home than being a Peace Corps volunteer. I never intended for it to get that way, but honestly it occupies most of my thoughts now and prevents me from sleeping well at night. The good news is Cameroon now has passports for its citizens, the bad news is Elisa is not the only one urgently needing a passport. Who knows how much a rush delivery will cost when hundreds of others are demanding the same service? The worst part is I can't even be involved in negociations because the color of my skin (White man = $$$$$$$)so I just have to wait it out.

just over two years ago I had this to say...

How do I feel?

Now that my departure is less than 48 hours away people have been asking me “So how do you feel? Are you nervous?” In all honesty, I have no anxieties. I’ve been ready for this for a very long time. The Peace Corps has done a fantastic job preparing me for this journey directing me toward helpful resources and thoroughly guiding me through the application process. Let’s be clear that not everyone is or has been as fortunate as me. Many volunteers do not get placed in their country or region of choice. I wanted francophone Africa, I got francophone Africa. I wanted IT, I got IT. Since finding out that I’d be serving in Cameroon, I’ve met some amazing people, some of them soon-to-be volunteers like me, others who have returned from Peace Corps service and those just getting started. If there’s one thing many Returned Peace Corps Volunteers share, it’s the ability to clearly articulate their thoughts based on personal experience. Although, no two experiences are alike, hearing their stories and advice is like walking around with an ace up your sleeve.

If not nervous, then how do I feel? I could go many directions with this question, but at the moment only one feels appropriate. I feel frustrated, disappointed, deceived, outraged at the current state of this country. Let me explain why. Currently we have “this” United States and “that” United States. “That” United States controls all branches of government, with very few friends in the international community. “That” United States is sending much needed jobs overseas. “That” United States is widening the gap between the rich and the poor. “That” United States is trying to take away women and minorities’ rights as well as everyone’s civil liberties. “That” United States is endangering the public school system and increasing the cost of education. “That” United States is profit-driven, not peace-driven. It’s really no surprise “That” United States is at war.

Fortunately, I believe in “This” United States and by what I can gather, so does the Peace Corps. “This” United States promotes peace and understanding among people around the world. “This” United States fosters an environment tolerant of diversity. “This” United States believes in the constitution. “This” United States believes that collective action works better than going it alone. “This” United States is more like a friend than a “Big Brother”. “This” United States is a peace-loving nation and defender of human rights. “This” United States will succeed.

So how do we get “That” United States to be more like “This” United States? We don’t complain and bicker about it. We get involved in what’s known as ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP. The Peace Corps is an outlet of “This” United States and a means by which I can make difference in the life of one person or several people at a time. There’s no question that by the end of this decade, “That” United States will have left many scars around the world. Who better to heal those wounds than “This” United States!

Happy Birthday Dad!

I don't have much to report at the moment. We're still waiting on that ever elusive Cameroonian passport. Elisa's going tomorrow to the passport agency with one of our "contacts". This whole passport/visa/immigration business relies heavily on the domino effect and right now the passport domino is refusing to tip over.

My farewell party has been tentatively scheduled for 22 July, one night before I leave Nanga-Eboko for the last time as a Peace Corps volunteer. This won't be an easy day for me. I've already begun thinking about my speech and how emotional the whole evening will be. This community has been extremly appreciative of the work I've been doing and is heart-broken at the thought of me leaving. They give me that pensive, teary-eyed, not-wanting-to-believe it's-true look and then of course I feel bad too. Fortunately, I am being replaced and the date of my party corresponds with my replacement's site visit. In a sense, my farewell party will be his welcome party.

I am sure many of you have had several birthdays since I last posted but here's the latest in my life. I will be leaving Cameroon on 28 July, hopefully with my fiancée (more on that later)and spending about a week in Minnesota, before moving to DC to look for housing. Why DC you ask? I've been offered a job by the Washington International School as a Middle and Upper School Librarian. I am thrilled to have secured a job before even stepping on a plane and even more thrilled that it's a job I know I'll love in an international community. I encourage you to check-out the school's Website at www.wis.edu. The school is the definition of "culturally diverse". My official start date is 21 August, but until then I have my work cut out for me.

First, I have to secure Elisa's visa, which requires a passport. Normally not a problem, but there is a passport crises in Cameroon. Nobody can get a passport-unless that is, you're willing to pay a price. Perhaps two years ago this sort of problem would've driven me crazy, now I just expect it. Once we have her visa I'll purchase her ticket. Despite being crunched for time, I'm optimistic that it will all work out in the end. In fact, as recent as yesterday I was given a passport lead. We'll see if it turns out to be true.

Second, living in DC is extremely expensive. I'll have to shop around for an affordable place within walking distance of the Metro. For those of you familiar with the DC area I'm scouting around stations located on the Red Line. If any of you have any leads, please send them my way.

Third, the new Peace Corps trainees are scheduled to arrive on 17 June. I have to prepare my post for being replaced by putting together a small information packet that will help the new lucky education volunteer get acquainted with his or her job. If you are that volunteer and you are reading this post, let me just say that Nanga-Eboko is a great community and there is plenty of work to be done and fun to be had. Some volunteers have trouble figuring out just what it is they should be doing. In Nanga-Eboko, it all comes naturally.

So there you have it...it's been a wonderful two years and I feel like I've made a positive impact on Cameroon as Cameroon has made on me. Peace Corps volunteers are a unique class of people and I look forward to meeting other returned volunteers and sharing stories.

Just a quick note to let you know I've opened a "MySpace" account. What does that mean? Well, you can check it out for yourself at www.myspace.com/richard_anderson

Well here we all are or what's left of us. Two years older, wiser, and more experienced.

I'm one step closer to bringing my lovely fiancée, Elisa, home with me. Our petition for a Fiancée Visa has been approved and will be on its way to the American Embassy in Cameroon for further review. Now she'll have to apply for the visa itself and pass a series of tests including an interview before the actual visa will be granted. I have just under three months remaining in my stay, hopefully that will be enough time to process the necessary paperwork. If all goes well, we'll be leaving together on 29 July.

So my time is winding down in Cameroon. I had my COS (Close of Service) conference this week in Yaounde where arrangements were made for my departure. I'll be flying home July 28 (hopefully with Elisa) and pursuing my post-Peace Corps interests. Lately, I've been putting a lot of effort into landing a job in an academic library before I leave and here are some of the places I've applied to.

University of Illinois

Purdue University

University of Iowa

Duke University

Unversity of Oregon

Arizona State University

This list will certainly grow as I continue to find more and more opportunities. Thankfully most places accept applications via e-mail. This has sped up the entire process. I'm especially interested in librarian jobs where foreign languages are needed.

A recent storm once again left Nanga-Eboko and many other surrounding villages without power. Strong winds ripped the tin roofing off several buildings and blew over one of my new not-so-safely stowed bookshelves in the library. I’ve learned to cope quite well with these annoyances and carry on daily activities despite the inevitable truth that these things will continue to happen. In just a few short months I’ll be returning to the U.S. and to be honest this has been occupying my mind a lot lately. The scary thing is I’ve probably changed in ways I won’t discover until I’m back in the swing of things at home. Certainly there are the obvious changes, two years older, engaged, francophone and addicted to scrabble. We’ll see how well that combination goes over for starters!

Wow!! I should really write something long and worthwhile as I've pretty much abandoned my blog the last month. In the meantime, check out the new photos on my website. www.geocities.com/ande2413

They are located in the Limbe2 album.

This is just a quick note to let you know that the bookshelves I'd been waiting for are now safely stored in our library.

The Universite Adventiste Cosendai is making an effort to develop their web presence. If you can read French, (or even if you can't) have a look at their Website.

www.uacosendai.net

it's far from finished and lacking a picture of me. However, many of the photos you'll find are ones I've taken. Now I'm looking for a way to put my library cataloging project on the site.

Thanks to a gentle reminder from my mother about my journal, I've decided to sit down and write a little. We're beginning week 2 of a two week vacation at the university. I've spent most of my time figuring out new ways of being unproductive. (not updating livejournal is only one of them !) I'm tentatively planning a trip to Yaoundé this Thursday to retrieve our much needed bookshelves. A friend of mine is coming along to help me negociate a good price for renting a truck and bringing them back.

I'm sure every volunteer who's enjoyed their service reaches a point near the end where they can't believe how fast time is going. In a matter of months I'll be back to sipping black coffee and eating a warm blueberry muffin every morning at Caribou Coffee. However, all will not be forgotten. In fact, I'll have a lovely reminder of Cameroon each morning in Elisa. I'm having a meal with the "in-laws" Wednesday night right here in Nanga-Eboko. It may be a little awkward not having Elisa there, but I'll survive. She's currently taking exams now. As you can probably imagine we've talked at great length about what the future holds for us. Right now, the most important things are that I have a job and she gets enrolled in an English course. I have applied to several jobs already, two of which really interest me. Outreach Librarian for Multi-cultural Services at the University of Illinois and Foreign language lab coordinator at Duke University. I expect to hear back from them beginning in March. I've also elected to take the Foreign Service Written Exam again in April. I didn't pass the first time, but it's quite common for people to take the exam more than once.

Ok, so this is it for now... I know you were expecting more, maybe next time.

This will give you an idea of how I travel within Cameroon. We are sitting five across and children do not count. This is right before departing so the car is still clean.

It's been a while since I last posted and you can probably imagine why after my last post. We've only begun the immigration process, but both Elisa and I are optimistic things will workout. In the meantime, I continue to work on various library projects. I'm told my bookshelves will be ready any day now. Therefore, I've been slaving away moving books to accomodate space for our new shelves whenever they arrive. I can't believe it's already February!