Again, I have so many things to say I don't know where to start. I guess I'll quickly explain the motivation behind this post. First, the title, Happy Happy, is how you say Happy New Years in Pidgin, so everyone congratulations for surviving another year and Happy Happy!!
Next, I want to give a quick shout out to my inspiration for this post, Rebecca. For those of you who don't know her, Rebecca is one of my college roommates who is living and working in Haiti as an RN. The other day she popped up on my facebook News Feed and I thought, wow I haven't talked to Rebecca in awhile, I wonder how she is doing? So I wrote her a quick message and she sent me a link to her blog. Now before I started this blog for Peace Corps I had never actually read a blog and since I started it I had never read a blog so Rebecca's was my first one. I finally realized that I don't have to put every little detail and people just like to hear a little something to know that I'm alive and happy. Well I also saw that for the new year she did a post highlighting her past year, so I'm going to go ahead and copy that (Rebecca, Happy New Year and thank you for the inspiration to finally post a second blog and hopefully third and fourth...).
Every year I take a minute or two on January 1st to think about my adventures over the last year. I have had quite a few that I would like to share...
January - I had an amazing time snowboarding once Bogus Basin finally opened. Allison and I (while missing Morgan and Caitie) spent some quality time on the slopes enjoying the beautiful views before spending 2 weeks in thesis boot camp writing, writing, writing...
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| The view from the top of Bogus Basin in Boise |
February - I had the chance to spend two and a half weeks in Jamaica collecting plants for my thesis research. Maggie and I trekked the mountains of Jamaica after Jim while learning about the tropical plants and what the best type of Jamaican food is!
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| The river in Jamaica that we waded across to hike up the mountain |
March - I had some visitors from across the country, so I got to explore a little more of Idaho. Ellie, Megan, and Caitie came out to see what Idaho has to offer and probably visit me. We spent a wonderful weekend catching up, wine tasting, and hiking.
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| Looking out over Boise from the top of Table Rock |
April - April showers were sparse while I was in the desert of Utah with Jessie. We spent a long weekend camping near Arches National Park. We found a secret canyon to hike and camp in (a failed attempt at navigation on my part that resulted in the best camping spot we had all weekend).
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| Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, the reward of an hour long uphill hike and well worth it! |
May - The lack of April showers brought something more than May flowers to me in Boise, my mom! With my plans of defending my thesis pushed back my mom and I were able to spend a week together in Idaho. We visited Craters of the Moon National Park (or Craters of the Lost Moon -- the next big Indiana Jones movie, as I like to call it). I got my mom to explore the underground caves with me, which I would highly recommend, but bring a headlamp.
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| My mom and me exploring the caves at Craters of the Moon |
June - June was a big month for me because I finally defended my thesis (and passed). My wonderful friends in Boise threw me a surprise BBQ celebration afterwards, which couldn't have been any better. I also did some traveling around the west with Caitie and Matt. The three of us met in Redwoods National Park and camped for two nights then went to Crater Lake and the caves in southern Oregon.
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| Defense BBQ with Jim, Danielle, and Shandra |
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| Redwoods National Park |
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| Crater Lake in southern Oregon |
July - July brought more adventures, this time on the water. I went whitewater rafting for the first, and second, time in my life and had an absolute blast. I spent the 4th of July in southern California with Morgan and Allison whitewater rafting. I even went cliff jumping for the first time after a lot of persuasion from Morgan. I then went whitewater rafting in Idaho (the whitewater rafting capital of America) with Shandra, Jessie, Emma, and Nicole. It was also a big month in Idaho because Kendra and Patrick tied the knot and we celebrated with them. Finally, my dad got to come meet all my friends and see Boise through my eyes for a week. However, at the end of the week we drove across the country through Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park which had beautiful scenery once the tears cleared up and I could see out the window.
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| Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Kolar |
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| Grand Teton National Park on the drive back to MN |
August - August was a month of family and friends in the mid-west. I spent a week with the family in the Wisconsin Dells, a long weekend in the Boundary Waters, and a lot of time with high school friends soaking up each other's company.
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| BWCA |
September - For me the month of September has always been a time of new beginnings with the school year. Well this September was no exception to new beginnings starting with it being the first time in eighteen years that I did not start school. Instead I went to visit friends in Duluth, to the Minnesota State Fair, spent time with friends and family, said my good-byes, and moved to Africa...
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| Lake Superior |
October - If September was a month of new beginnings, October was a month of growth. I was in pre-service training and spent a lot of time getting to know Cameroonian customs, French, and the other trainees. I got to know the health group really well, especially during our field trip to the West and Northwest regions at the end of the month.
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| View from Fundong in the Northwest Region |
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| View of houses in Bafoussam in the West Region |
November - November brought our post assignments (where we will spend our two years of service), the end of PST, swearing-in, and the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps in Cameroon. It also included my golden birthday and one of the most welcoming birthday parties with my new cluster-mates!
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| My host family in Bokito |
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| The view from my host family's house in Bokito |
December - Well the last month of 2012 for me has been spent in Afab, my village in the Southwest region of Cameroon. I have been finding my way around the village, spending time at the health center learning the routine and helping out during ante-natal clinics and vaccination clinics when I can, and trying to learn Pidgin and Ejagham (the local dialect).
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| Bridge over the river in Mamfe about 25 km from Afab (where I go to bank etc.). |
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| Ejagham alphabet, note letters such as gh |
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| My "wigwam" in Afab, I share this house with family and have the right side (with my own separate door), we have running water (during the rainy season) and electricity (usually during the dry season) |
Looking back over 2012 I have had some amazing adventures across 11 states and 3 countries. But because this is already too long and it's getting late I can't talk about everything that's happened over the last year. Some things that I failed to mention but stick out in no particular order are trips to coffee shops throughout Boise to actually write my thesis, discovering pandaface, working out every morning with Emma, learning how to play frolf, ladies night every week, playing on 4 different softball teams, rock climbing with Kalia, going to the Twins game with Kelly, going out for drinks with my high school English teacher, cuddling in my bed with Ellie, Megan, and Caitie and talking as if it wasn't the first time we had all been together in over a year, sharing my life in Idaho with both my parents, the entire Peace Corps application process and the hours on the phone with Elizabeth mentally processing the whole thing, playing games with my family especially Trivial Pursuit, going to the Jason Mraz concert with Al, playing hang-man during my oral thesis defense, trips from Bokito to Bafia with 18 people in a 14 person van (turns out that's nothing), my first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years in Cameroon spent with amazing people, and the unending support of my family and friends throughout all my adventures!
More updates on my village and house, the health center where I'm working, the weather and wildlife, various aspects of Cameroonian culture, and details of what I'll be doing to come soon (it's my new year's resolution to actually write in my blog).
So with all that being said... thank you so much to everyone who has made this last year as amazing as it has been. I love each and everyone of you with all my heart and whether you're living in my cluster, another part of Cameroon, or half way around the world I want to wish you a happy new year full of adventure!
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is not greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." - Ellie Stasney (Jon Krakauer)
