This just in: I’m getting replaced as a health volunteer in Nkongsamba! This may seem like it would be a given, but in fact was not at ALL. Since I transferred to Nkongsamba mid-service after convincing Peace Corps that I could find my own work and without any formal invitation from the community/a host organization, it was never made an official health post...I just got to sneak in the back door and then do my own puttering with projects and groups, which I've loved. But to get replaced Peace Corps has to set up an actual agreement with an organization, which in this case is the regional hospital where I've set up shop – a great niche but chock o block full of protocol, top down bureaucracy and red tape at the administrative level (thanks, 1950’s French system). They were happy to have me help out informally, but partnering with Peace Corps formally is more complicated for both ends, so I’ve been doing lots as the middle woman to facilitate the process. Quite the exercise in intercultural communication: who is leading this meeting, whose hand do I shake first, am I even allowed to speak right now?!
This will be quite an exception too, as the region I’m in is not one of the six regions Peace Corps is sending health volunteers to this round, my replacement will be the only volunteer who will be working with a health structure at this level of the system, and otherwise they are not sending volunteers to any semi-urban areas like Nkongsamba (in fact they are shutting down other posts in towns of this size). Once again, I like the personal challenge of pushing the envelope when I believe in something …just ask the Academic Dean at George Washington University : )
But Nkongsamba is a great post on the Cameroonian spectrum – comfortable
climate, central location in this part of the country, safe solid house already set-up,
amenities, diverse food, other volunteers nearbye, and lots of work
possibilities, enthusiastic progressive people to work with, plenty of need in
the focus areas of maternal/child health and HIV/AIDS.
Posts with this many checks in the + column are few and far between, and Peace Corps ought not throw them away once they’ve got them, though they were about to here for on-paper reasons. So I’ve
been advocating over the last few months to have them modify their criteria and make this an official post,
and after various back and forths and two visits from staff, they finally
accepted enthusiastically on Tuesday.
Especially since it took so much nudging to get Peace Corps to recognize how much potential this post has, I
am proud and relieved to know my work here will continue and that someone will get
to water the seeds I’ve planted. Likely now that it’s a health post, at least
5 volunteers will follow in my footsteps before they take a break and go
elsewhere. Knowing how rough work and living-wise some posts can be, and how
many do not work out (Tombel!) I am really happy to be able to directly impact that at least one
volunteer will arrive to solid footing. Never mind my jealousy
that I don’t get to be my own replacement, I think professionally, setting this
up and having started from scratch finding work in a new African town (twice) will send the message to future
employers that I can get it done!
PLUS, now I don’t have to get rid of everything in my house!
Even better, I'll have just over a week with my
replacement before I head down to Yaounde for my
close-of-service week (four weeks from today!) to introduce them around and show them the ropes. No amount of info left in a post book could replace that, but many in my group won't have time with their replacements due to our staggered departures. Now that my brother's visit is behind me, it’s
impossible not to be aware of the countdown and the fact that I’m rushing
toward the end. I officially get home
next month!!
