So it will finally happen. There has been a goal of mine to see Africa, and to experience it the way that it actually is. What I mean by that is that I want to be part of a community, to experience it not like a tourist. This June if everything goes as planned, I’ll be heading to Cameroon, Africa to volunteer for three weeks. I’ll probably be teaching while I’m there, but I’ve also put my name in for manual labor. This trip was organized by a club in the school I teach at, and there may be a chance that we’ll be sponsored. That would be great if we had a sponsor to pay for our plane and lodging while we’re there. Even if we don’t get sponsored it won’t change my opinion about going.

I’ve been talking about the chance that I’ll be going now for a couple of weeks to almost anyone that will listen, and today I got confirmation that it is for sure, that if I want to go, I will go. That’s all I needed to hear, so as far as I’m concerned I’m going to Cameroon.

So what does anyone know about Cameroon? Not too much from what I can tell. It is a very poor nation, that is about half Catholic and half Muslim, some people speak English and others speak French.

According to Wikipedia, “The Cameroonian government promotes the country as “Africa in miniature”, asserting that the country offers all the diversity of Africa—in climate, culture, and geography—within its borders. Other touristic phrases sometimes used include “the melting pot of Africa” and “Africa in microcosm”. Cameroon’s tourist destinations are in four general areas: the coast, the major cities, the Western highlands, and the north. The coast offers two major beach resort towns: Limbe is English-speaking with black, volcanic sand; and Kribi is a French-speaking city with white-sand beaches. Mount Cameroon on the coast is the highest mountain in Central and West Africa and draws hikers and climbers. The stepping-off point for climbing Mt. Cameroon is the city of Buea, where guides can be hired and equipment can be rented. There are several tin-roofed huts for hikers to sleep in during their trek up the mountain.”

After my time in Cameroon, there are several places that I have been thinking about seeing. I may go to Morocco, or maybe South or East to see other parts of the continent. I’m also thinking that I may come back to Dubai, and then head to India for a couple of weeks. The way I’m looking at this Summer is that it may be my last Summer here and I may end up back in The States, so I should travel now while I still feel like I can.