Sad Goodbyes

When we arrived in Cameroon as new VSO vollunteers, there were 13 of us. 3 went to the Far North. Now 5 more are leaving us – all short term volunteers from the Welsh Assembly. There will be a big hole left in our group.

We couldn’t let them leave without a gathering of course – so we offered our house.  Around 20 people showed up, some having to make a fair trip into town to participate!

The event was pot luck – everyone who came was to bring food. The result was nothing short of a feast. The table could not hold it all so we ended up using the ironing board to extend the space. Spring rolls with spicy peanut sauce, vegetable pie, potato salad, humus, fruit, pickles, marble cake, chocolate cake (baked in an earth oven!) and snacks of all kinds. I had to struggle to keep people away from the table until all the guests arrived! Of course, true to form, I forgot the coleslaw I made in the refrigerator. 

We had a wonderful time. Of course, several small groups set about fixing the world's (and Cameroon's) problems. Others told stories of their stay here and discussed their experiences in Cameroon. Many went out on the veranda to enjoy the view. Others still played catch with the little ones next door.

So we say “Till next time” to some special people: Gweneira (Snow White) who developed marketing profiles for a number of local agencies; Rosalind, who worked with a local council to help them develop better processes; Rowland, the civil engineer who mapped roads without a GPS for a small community nearby and Stacy who worked with a Community organization way out to engage people in participation. Last but not least, we say goodbye to Linda, our roommate of the last five weeks, with whom we shared after work beers and who helped us maintain perspective on all that is happenning to us.

The party broke up early, as they tend to do here since it gets dark so early. There were many sad goodbyes, promises to keep in touch and even talk of a reunion. Who knows?

In the meantime, we wish them a swift return home (without volcanic ash) and happy reunions with friends and family. We will miss them.