goat intestines, talking politics, and hot hot heat.

Well, I've made it one week! And I can't even begin to tell you what a whirlwhind it has been. The past week was spent at a monastery on Mount Febe (faybay) for our orientation into Cameroon. It was a really nice transition because the monestary/ Mount Febe overlook Yaounde and so we're removed from the hustle and bustle of the city itself. However, on Thursday, we had our first big challenge- "the drop-off". My fellow-Ohioan Clark and I were paired together for this activity (if that's what you could even call it) and taken in a taxi to be dropped off in a random part of the city. We each had 3000 francs or roughly $6 to make our way around the city and complete a list of tasks. We had four hours and in that time span we: had a soda at this dingy bar, bought some gifts, went to many different quartiers (neighborhoods), and took about 40986 taxis all around the city; and it must be mentioned that taxis here are nothing like the US... here, you pile as many people into a taxi as you can, whether or not you're going to the same place. Wild. So, all in all, the drop off was probably the craziest thing I've ever done in my life but we made it back to the monestary safe and sound by 630 that night.



On Friday, I moved in with my Yaounde host family, the Djonke Family. There's Michel and Daphne (Daph-nayy) and my two host brothers Patrice and Huit Frites (wheat - freet)... well I'm pretty sure that's his name I can never really tell- it sounds like wheat freet. The past two nights Michel and I have talked about a wide array of topics including unemployment in the US and Cameroon, politics, the Obama elecition, our thoughts on Burkas, socialism v. capitalism.... Honestly, there's a lot of those conversations I have missed because no one in the family speaks a lick of french. But I actually think it's for the best because I already feel a lot more comfortable and could fully participate in the 'unemployment' convo last night. But it does make me laugh that our conversations have started out on that level.

There's a nice breeze on the roof of our house which is really nice considering I've been sweating non stop since I got to the airport. You can sit on top of the roof and see the neighbor kids playing football (soccer) to the left, goats roaming, a bunch of tiny houses sprawling beneath us, and the one and only horse stables in Yaounde to our right. Not to mention the 3-4 churches that surround us which are constantly emitting gospel-y tunes. This afternoon, I helped Daphne and Wheat-Freet clean fish, season the fish, fry the fish, and fry the plantains for a giant lunch with "ah-nan-nan" (pineapple) for dessert. My life is great.

More to surely come, happy weekend!

28 hours later...

Im here! This keyboard is very different so im going to keep this short until I have some more time to figure it all out. But, to quickly update : I am here and just absolutely in awe. Im jetlagged and just a little bit 'off' body wise, but this country thus far is just amazing. To give you a tiny glimpse, five of us arrived off of the swiss air flight (everyone seems really great) to sweltering heat. I was not bundled, but couldnt necessqrily leave Cincinnqti in a skirt either. So all five us were lucky enough to get our bags and we easily got through customs, and health checks to a group of 4-5 mid-twenty cameroonian sit guys. We piled all of our stuff into two tiny cars and Annie and Sarah and I got in the back of one of them. Flobert (flow-bear) and 'Bobo' drove us through Yaounde to the monestary where we're staying for the next week. The cote d'ivoire v. algeria soccer game was crackily being broadcasted in french on the radio and as we drove through this new city you could see tons of groups of people gathered around tvs and radios on the street or in little outdoor restaurants intently following the game as well. Needless to say, when i finally settled into my bug net on top of my sleeping bag, i fell quickly asleep with my heart full- knowing Im exactly where I need to be.

I woke up to the sound of a rainforest of noises, plus a random rooster alerting me that it was 'matin'. I took a 'shower' / running my head under a cool water stream from a faucet that was knee level on the wall while simultaneously splashing water on the rest of myself as best i could. However, i wouldnùt have it any other way because im finally here and i knowi have so much more to live and see. for now, until the other 14 kids get here, we'll probably go back to the monastery and play with the random chickens and baby chicks walking around, the stray protector dogs, and casually speak french with all the passerbys.

im already in love. miss everyone though, and hopefully update soon.

Demain

Demain (tomorrow) is the big day.

I'll leave Cincinnati at 11:15 in the morning and just a short 28 hours later, arrive in Yaounde, Cameroon. I have taken over and transformed my sister's room into my "packing station" (unbeknownst to her- thanks Catherine!). I have made close to 37 piles of : clothes, malaria meds (a whole pile in itself- 151 pills!), gifts for my host families, books, random, etc... basically it's an organization style that only makes sense to me. However, slowly, surely, things are coming together.

I am still in awe that this is happening and have a good feeling that it won't sink in until the fourth plane descends into Yaounde. I have the tendancy to be so amazed by certain experiences in my life that I almost miss them, jaw grazing the ground as they pass (i.e. summitting mountains in Alaska, enduring a rainy but life changing Killarney, holding my cousin's beautiful three-week old twins, falling in love, graduating, or the simple joys of spending time with the ones I love). How could I be this lucky? How could life hold this much beauty? Learning how to grasp these moments, actually hold them close, is a skill I am constantly attempting to hone. I have a feeling these four months will present my biggest challenge, and yet, I feel ready. Despite these new nerves, like a tiny bird flapping its wings inside my ribcage, I know that tomorrow morning I am going to metaphorically and literally fly off into this new chapter of my life, savoring the new moments while staying tethered to the people and experiences who have made me who I am.

Thanks for reading, happy weekend!

Adieu, America.

Here we go.

Well, this is a first. First blog, first post, first time prepping for a trip to Africa. I didn't really expect a blog to be difficult to set up, and it wasn't. However, what was difficult, was choosing the freaking title. My original gut choice was "Travelin' Thru", a tribute to Dolly Parton's song, an ahwh favorite circa 2006. But of course, that was taken. So I looked down at my weekly planner/bible with my 48 item to-do list and saw the quote I had written on the inside cover at the beginning of last semester:

"Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise." -Maya Angelou

I don't remember where I found that quote, but it stood out to me. I like the message, but I also love the word bodacious. A quick search offers many dictionary entries including but not limited to: impressive, awesome, brave in action, remarkable, prodigious, thorough, unmistakable,

audacious, bold or brazen, gutsy, brave, unafraid, etc.

In naming my blog "to be bodacious" I hope to not give the impression that I think I am all of these things. I choose it instead as an optimistic, hopeful, even evolutionary, title. I think striving to be bodacious is a worthy goal and so hopefully through my traveling and life-living, I'll come to evolve and invent myself with bodacious attributes in mind.

So there you go. I'm 6 days away from flying to Cameroon to study Social Change, diversity, NGOs, and French. While I'm there I'll hopefully be able to update anyone who's curious about my whereabouts and experiences. However, I have a soft-spot for the antiquated letter, envelope, stamp, mailbox. If you give me your address through email, facebook, phone-call, whatever, I'll be sure to send you something. And here's my address if you want to send me something across the ocean:

Courtney Baxter

c/o The School for International Training

BP 33241

Yaoundé, Cameroon

Thanks for reading! Paix (peace, in french) and happy start to your week.