Is it seriously March?

*I edited this post a bit, much to my frustration knowing that my overly-worried parents are sometimes right, but my academic director advised the group that it's probably not wise to write about political things on our blogs, facebooks, etc. so I'll share all those funs thoughts and stories once I'm home.

So, the end of my time in Dschang snuck up on me and everyone else in the program; a lot of my friends are planning on returning and so my goodbye felt a little more final. I bid adieu to the hole in the ground bathroom, bucket shower, seven siblings, maman, papa, chicken alarm clock, and beautiful scenery however I have a feeling that it will not be my last time experiencing any of those things while in Macaroon (Elizabeth's prefered way of referencing Cameroon).
We left Friday morning on the ginorm bus, all of our stuff strapped to the top and headed to Bamenda town for the weekend, one of the 2 English speaking provinces in Cameroon. While there, we had the amazing opportunity of meeting with John Fru Ndi, the leader of the biggest opposition party in Cameroon. John Fru Ndi maybe won the presidential election in 1992, but Biya is still kickin' it in office. Fru Ndi is the head of the Social Democratic Front and was kind enough to invite us to his house and answer our questions. We also were offered fresh honey from his hives which he claims have medicinal qualities so, awesome. I'm hoping it will stave off the malaria considering my mosquito net zipper is on the fritz. The next day my friend Phoebe and I explored the town and looked for some friends, 'once-removed'. My professor at Denison, Dr. Susan Diduk, has done most of her research in Bamenda and has many friends here so Pheobe and I spent the majority of the afternoon looking for them. In our search we met a "prince" (or so he said) who was actually very nice and helped us find the taxi park we were looking for. I was able to give one of the drivers a note and 200 francs (about 50 cents) to deliver to Dr. Diduk's friend and later that night was surprised by a phone call from her friend! I was amazed that the note was actually delivered and I was able to have a very pleasant conversation; I think it really shows the genorisity and hospitality of the Cameroonian people. After our search of friends, Phoebe and I ate a leisurly lunch at "Friendship Restaurant" (appropriate) and then took a taxi to the top of this giant hill that overlooks all of Bamenda. It was a fabulous day that ended with a thunderstorm and a wonderful phone call with Ginny Krone. I'm now back in Yaounde and was welcomed last night by my host family with cookies and relaxation.
Things are really looking up here as I'm making contacts for my final month long research and really getting the hang of Cameroonian ways of life. Please keep my friend Julie in mind as she's currently studying with SIT in Chile; she's safe but I'm sure she and her family could all use some extra thoughts sent their way.

More updates to come.
Happy March,
Courtney