Let the Goodbyes Begin

Well, another week has passed too quickly in the preparation of my adventure. This past week I was in St. Catharine’s for a few days visiting my sister. To all my friends in the GTA, I am sorry I didn't call you / didn't see you. It isn't because I don't love you, it is just that my sister is my emergency contact, so I kind of wanna keep on good terms with that, you know. Realistically, I was hardly even there; promise I’ll visit when I get home.

I did have a delightful visit though, lots of eating, lots and lots of eating.  It was nice to spend a little time with sister before embarking on the next 6 months. Though the goodbye was sad, I only really see Margaret a few times a year so it is not a big deal. My pants were tight before I found out about the internship, but now they just don’t fit. It feels like my entire family is trying to fatten me up, like a pig for slaughter. I’m not complaining, all the food I am eating is beyond delicious.

I started my first round of vaccinations; I thought I was more than halfway through, but it seems not. Alas, I am rapidly losing my concern over needles, so it is for the best. Also, because I am technically in an educational program, I am back on George’s insurance. It is nice to save a little money, it is better in my pocket than someone else’s. It makes me feel like this:

                                 

Also when I was away I met (via email) the other two girls I am traveling with, Dana and Leah. I thought I was only going with one other person, so it was a nice surprise; strength in numbers. I also got my flight path, which isn’t bad at all. Pretty easy connections 2/3 hour layovers which is just enough time to get through customs which is nice. So, I officially leave Halifax the afternoon of Saturday, June 1^st, and officially return to Halifax the night of Sunday, December 1^st.  Both ways my flight path is Halifax – Toronto – Istanbul – Douala. Once I am in Douala, I have about an 7/8 hour bus ride (or so it seems according to all the blogs I have been reading) from Douala to Bamenda. In regards to luggage, my goal is to have a hiking pack, my little wheely carryon suitcase and a small backpack to serve as my ‘personal item’. As I look at the cramped loveseat filled with all the stuff (read: crap) I want to take with me (and I still have a page long list) it isn’t looking all that promising. Well, I can always try my best, and if I need to take a second suitcase I certainly can.

Speaking of the mess of things, I should probably purge some items and see where I really stand with my luggage.

All my love,
Maura 

Pre-Trip, Trip.

So, packing.

I like to think that I am pretty good at packing, lots of moving between Newfoundland / New Brunswick / Nova Scotia, and a few spur of the moment trips; not to mention being on the road for more than a month last summer. Normally, when I would move from place to place, I wouldn't need that much stuff. Most places I have gone for a chunk of time you know you can get your favourite shampoo, and that a store will have your size...Needless to say I had a pretty overwhelming trip to Walmart yesterday; but alas, it is all coming together. Though trying to fit all my belongings for the next 6 months in a hiking pack, will prove to be challenging.

Overall, preparations are going really well (so far). I talked to a friend who spent 6 months in Cameroon and she helped me out in terms of what to expect, and a few things to bring which was super helpful (thanks, Link; so typical of our relationship). I also had a fantastic phone conversation with Steph, one of the Coady interns from the last cohort. Though I felt like I was interrogating her a bit with all my questions, it was great to talk to someone about what to do / bring / leave. She is going off adventuring in South East Asia this week (with one of the Coady interns from her cohort as a matter of fact), so I am forever grateful to her for speaking with me and answering all of my strange questions.

Last night I (read: my mom) booked a trip to see my sister tomorrow until Thursday evening. She has a day or so off, so I am going to go show up on her doorstep so we can have our last sister time before she gets another couple days off over Christmas. Unless she decides to come visit me, it isn't like she is doing anything important, like going medical school. Oh wait...

So now I am trying to reschedule appointments I had made during that time, and making sure that everything is on track. When I get back I will have two weeks exactly before I end up in Halifax, so I need to make sure I have everything that can be done before I go, done.

On the note of packing, I should probably go do a load of laundry, a chore which I have been procrastinating. I can only imagine how bad it is going to be for the next 6 months when I don't have a laundry machine...

All my love,
Maura

Casually moving to Cameroon

Maura Casey, blogging. I know all of your dreams have come true, just you wait; next I'll be a youtube star.

So, why am I blogging you ask? Well, I am moving to Bamenda, Cameroon, Africa for 6 months.

I applied and was accepted on a Coady Institute Youth in Partnership CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) internship. I am pretty amped, to say the least. My position is an 'Entrepreneurship Development Associate' with the Youth Outreach Program (or Programme, still unsure of the spelling, it is different everywhere I look). As soon as I saw this placement posted it caught my eye, and it was my first choice for placements, so I am very excited. A large part of my role will be working with youth in facilitating entrepreneurship training, connecting with local schools with entrepreneurship clubs (like a way less extreme version of SIFE I presume), a little marketing, and some organizational strategy stuff which I really enjoy.

To be honest, I was pretty surprised I got the placement. My interview did not go well from my perspective, it took 50% longer than it was supposed to, and I didn't get out any of the points that I wanted to. But luckily, all of my ramblings must have shown that my heart was in the right place, and I would be a competent choice. I was also told that my references had really great things to say about me; so Neil, Elaine, and Greg, I am so very, very blessed to such wonderful individuals such as the three of you in my life. Thank you so very much.

Obviously, moving to Cameroon for 6 months isn't something that happens everyday (#YOLO), so I very lucky that Shila (http://shilaandbotswana.blogspot.ca) and Steph (get a blog) are also embarking with the Coady YIP program to Botswana and Ethiopia, respectively. It is nice to have other people to talk to about things that are in the same boat, even things like "what kind of malaria meds are you taking?" or "hiking pack or suitcase?", or most importantly "what are you doing with your x-ring while you're away?".  For everyone in Halifax, we are having a joint going away party the evening of Saturday, May 11th, location TBD.

So my timeline you ask? Leave St. John's around the 9th/10th of May, stay with my dear friend Olwyn until the 12th or so, and then head up to Antigonish for orientation which commences on the 13th. I will depart around the 30th of May for Cameroon, and stay there until the end of November/ start of December. Once back in Canada, I head back up to Antigonish for a couple of weeks of debrief, and get back to St. John's a couple of days before my birthday.

I am pretty much feeling every emotion at once; but overall, equally petrified and excited. I depart in exactly 6 weeks, and only really have one more week to prepare to head out because of spending time with friends, various appointments, and popping up to Ontario to say farewell to my sister for a couple of days. There are so many people I want to see, and so much I need to do. So, I will do what I always do, get a sheet of graph paper, and treat my pre-trip preparations as if I was managing it as a project; I guess I really did learn something in school.

All my love,
Maura