Peace Corps

I left Cameroon just a little over a year ago. This year went by in a blur. Swoosh! and it was gone. As I reflect upon this past year, I begin to realize the impact that reverse culture shock had on me. People always say that it’s easier going into a new experience than coming back. I never really had too much difficulty with past international moves, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. And then it hit me. It didn’t take me too long to get over the potato chips incident, or getting used to the luxuries of modern society. Yet the other aspects of reintegration affected me in ways that I didn’t allow myself to recognize.

I hate nothing more than people who make excuses for life, and I was determined not to be one. I thought nothing of jumping right into graduate school one month after my return. After all, many of my peers and those before us took the same path. So off I went again, far away from family and friends. I thought there would be plenty of others at grad school who would understand me. Yet because I didn’t carefully consider the student body, I was left feeling confused alone.

After living in a West African village for two years, it’s hard for me to want to care about theories or get stressed over academic marks. It’s all relative. In the initial months, I couldn’t balance the stress that my peers were experiencing with the thoughts that my village friends would simply be glad to have the basic comforts that we enjoy. And because I had such a terrific time there, I found it extremely difficult to not be able to share my stories and have people who understand around me. I was always fear to be the girl who can’t stop talking about Cameroon. It was frustrating to study development yet feel a major disconnect between the theories I was taught and my own experiences. And to top it off, not having someone to vent to. Although I was studying at a world-class institution, my life felt purposeless during the year.

Since I wasn’t really living around other RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), I then get the feeling that I am the only person who has trouble re-adjusting back to the real world. Everyone else appears to be handling life splendidly, whether it be graduate school or starting new jobs. Every now and again when I do converse with my PC friends, I am reassured that others experience similar feelings, to various degrees. But most of us put on a front and carry on. Sometimes it’s easier to simply pretend it didn’t happen and live like “normal” people.

Even one year later, there are still days when I just can’t be bothered to care about certain things, days when I wonder how I lived without running water for two years, and remembering how glad I was to simply being alive after a crazy taxi ride. Days when I think about the simplicity of life there in Cameroon, I can’t help to wonder what all the fuss is all about in the modern world. Life struggles exist everywhere, but they are absolutely relative.

Coming back from two years of experience like Peace Corps is weird. The process takes time, and it helps to be around others who get it. I am not sure how long it will take, but perhaps it will take a lifetime of struggle to balance between the world that I experienced and the world I live in today. A friend recently said that having multiple life experiences actually complicates our outlook on life. We are left to find a balance between all of our experiences, and that is incredibly confusing and challenging. He was right, yet I would not trade it for anything.

8 people like this post.

Unlike

So excited to eat Camer food again!

After nearly one year of leaving Cameroon, I finally visited a Cameroonian restaurant. I don’t think I’ve been that happy since I left that country. Le Maestro Bar & Restaurant is located in southeast London by Deptford Bridge. I first learned of this place when attending a talk on Cameroon a few months ago. For months, Autumn (the other Cam RPCV at LSE) and I never had time to visit. Since one of our fellow RPCV is visiting London, we decided to go check it out.

The minute I walked into this somewhat hidden restaurant, it brought me back to Cameroon. The decor is exactly as you would find in one of the nicer restaurants in Yaoundé. While waiting for my friends, I ordered a 33 Export that is the same huge size as it were in Cameroon and chatted up with the staff in French. The first sip of that 33 brought me back to all the time that I spent at a bar in Cameroon, which were a substantial amount since that’s is the main form of social activity.

All the usual drinks one would find in Cameroon!

Once my friends arrived, we perused through the menu and had a difficult time to decide what to order since we wanted everything. We went with the strategy of more is better and had: poulet braisée, poisson braisée, baton de manioc, ndolé, rice, boiled plaintain, sauce tomate, and muton grillé. Anyone who knows me even just a little knows how much I love food. This time, however, I was excited on a whole different level.

poisson braisé + baton de manioc

pimet (spicy sauce that Cameroonians eat with everything)

Ndolé

As the evening went on, more Cameroonians showed up. There was a big surprise party and people were in great spirit. The flat screens on the wall were playing Cameroonian music videos, people were loud and joyful. There was an incredible energy. I was there with two other RPCVs and we understood each other’s excitement. More than any other dish, Brad and I agreed that a bite of that Ndolé brought us back to village days.

Some things still didn’t change about us as Peace Corps volunteers. Cameroonians care about appearance. Everyone was dress to the nines and eating with fork and knife like civilized individuals. We were the only villageois eating with our hands, and the worst dressed people in the room. We are excited about the Cameroonian dishes in the same way that we used to get together and discuss the wonder of a hamburger in Cameroon. This meal reminded me that there are some things only my PC loves would understand. And among many things, we enjoy chopping plenty!

2 people like this post.

Unlike

Before those two months of intense exam prep, I knew I would need something to look forward to. My world-traveling sister happens to be spending the summer in Cambridge, so we booked a trip to the South of France before her summer classes commence.

When two people enjoy globetrotting around the world, it’s difficult to be at the same place at once. This is often the problem I face with most of my friends and now also my sister. Two years ago, we booked a family trip to Taiwan and it looked like this: mom and dad flew to Taipei from St. Louis. Sherry flew to Taipei from Boston via Japan. I flew to Taipei from Cameroon via Paris. Somehow, we managed to all land within only an hour of one another.

The last time I had a quality bonding trip with my sister was when I took her on her college visits. She graduates college this coming year. It’s been a while, and we both were looking forward this vacation.

We took an early flight out of London Gatwick and landed in Nice Côte d’Azur airport. Since we are traveling during high summer season, we opted a self-catering studio apartment for the week. For only a slight premium, we get a private double room (albeit small) that is equipped with a bathroom/shower, and a well-equipped kitchenette – well worth it to not have to sleep in a room with 12 rambunctious backpackers (I must be getting old). The flat is Hotel Petit Louvre. Very centrally located and great value for money!

The lovely thing about Nice, besides the fantastic weather, gorgeous beach, amazing food and lovely people, is that lots of other great villages and towns are just a short train ride away. We took advantage of it and visited Antibes, Monaco, and Villfrance sur Mer during our week there.

Nice

According to these two lovely local guys who became our tour guide for an afternoon, Nice is the 5th largest city in France. The city has all that you need for a fantastic vacation – great beach, great food, great weather, great shopping! The nightlife, however, is mediocre. Everything in this city, and in the South of France in general, seems to revolve around food. If you don’t want to lay on the beach or shop, then you can: eat seafood or Italian food at a restaurant (other types of food exist, but not abundant), eat crêpes or gelatos, drink café or wine or other alcoholic beverages. These are the main themes that we extracted from our experience during the week.

World Traveling Sisters

Antibes

A lovely town that has an Old Town, a Picasso Museum, and an interesting rocky beach. The great beach, great food, great weather theme applies here. The shopping is less nice than Nice, but a lot more charming local shops. The Picasso Museum on a hilltop is worth visiting, if nothing else for the great view. If you get hot from the sun as we did, then stop in the Peynet Museum for some AC at the price of €3 (€1.50 if you are student) – it has fun sketches of French cartoon by Peynet (duh).

The beach is gorgeous. Like Nice, it has a wide horizon. But beware of those rocks. It was quite the fight to get out of the ocean without slipping and breaking a bone of some sort or cut in the feet. I liked Antibes a lot because it’s not overly touristy, yet has a good amount of activities to keep you occupied all day.

A little Picasso along the Mediterranean

Watch out for those rocks!

Monaco

We visited this Principality just days before its Prince was getting hitched. Red & White flags decorated the town as its people celebrate their own royal wedding. The day that we visited was just a bit too hot to walk around all day. Luckily, the bus system in Monaco stops literally every 3 minutes. The map makes the place looks rather large with its complex bus systems with many stops, but literally, there is a stop at every corner! Bus has AC, so Sherry and I would ride the bus and roam aimlessly to see where it takes us.

Monaco is très glitzy! I’ve never been to a place where the entire city is so wealthy that you can feel it in the air. I’ve never seen so many cars that are worth the price of a house running around in such close proximity. Needless to say, everything was rather out of touch for our student budget. But it was fun to see how the very wealthy live their lives. And like most places in the South of France, you combine the Mediterranean Sea, gorgeous historical buildings and lush landscape, you get gorgeous photos.

Red & White flags spinkled among the streets

All that glitz!

Villfranche sur Mer

Our original plan for the last day trip was to Cannes. But from what our local tour guide told us and what we read in guidebooks, Cannes seems like the French version of Monaco. We decided that city would be more fun to return when we have some actual money to spend. Instead, we opted for a tiny villagejust 15 minute trainride from Nice: Villefranche sur Mer.

The village is built on hills. From the beach, you can look up the hills and see layers and layers of colorful houses on top of one another. It’s a quaint place. Very quite, not much to do. Sherry and I wondered the narrow allies and finished the tour of its Old Town in 15 minutes. We were content to seat by the water, underneath a big umbrella all afternoon while consuming vastly overpriced food items from a mediocre restaurant. When the sun was less severe, we took naps on the pebble beach. Unlike Antibes, the beach has tiny pebbles that were much less deadly than the rocks at Antibes.

Food

As mentioned, there isn’t much to do but to shop and to eat. We didn’t have sufficient amount of money nor luggage space, so we resorted to eating. Crêpes, gelatos, seafood, wine, repeat. That pretty much sums up our entire vacation!

Mussels Overload!

Mmmm Seafood Pasta!

Yes, Seafood Pizza. We like them in all forms.

Gelato in the shape of a flower? Mais Oui!

Peace Corps

Okay, you are thinking, Wendy, come on, how in the world can you tie Peace Corps into your luxury vacation in the French Riviera?! Well, I was surprised as well how much being in a francophone country reminded me of my time in Cameroon. Before Peace Corps, I wasn’t well versed in the French culture, so I didn’t recognize signs of French colonialism in Cameroon. But during the week, I was reminded of Cameroon when French men would yell “konichiwa” or “hee-haw” (ni-hao) at me and Sherry. They ask if we were Japanese, and were for whatever reason very interested in our ethnicity. It made me wonder whether the bad habit of Cameroonians yelling such things at me actually stem from its colonial masters.

When we went into Supermaché Casino, I was filled with nostalgia. I remembered the excitement each time I had the chance to go to the capital, and to visit Casino to stock up on European goodies. When I saw groups of young people having a great time on the beach, I was reminded of the getaways that PCVs took to Limbé or Kribi.

I spent my last day in Nice alone, after my sister jetted off to Turkey. I spent the day reading The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of Acumen Fund. Her stories had me thinking about Cameroon with each page turn. Jacqueline wrote:

The juxtaposition of some of the most wonderful experiences of my life with the everyday realities in Kigali created, at times, a jarring sense of schizophrenia.

Even there in Nice, I somehow was reminded of the two stark contrasts of life in Cameroon – having people calling out racial names all day vs. the freedom to enjoy the ocean and nature at its finest.

1 person likes this post.

Unlike

This is my spot. Much better than the library.

I am tired. For the past few weeks, I have been holed up at a two-story Starbucks in central London prepping for my first exams at the LSE. This British system is difficult to adjust to. I have no idea how the exams are graded and thus my mood swings all day between “oh my goodness, I am going to fail” and “oh please, I got this”. Back and forth, back and forth.

This past week, I’ve been logging 12-hour long days at my beloved Starbucks. The baristas know me, and offer me free coffee when I look haggard. I walk in every morning and they welcome me with warm hellos. Becoming friends of baristas remind me of all the friends in my village and even in the provincial capital whom I bought things from: the veggie lady, the meat guy, the bar mamas, the tailor, the photocopier, the guys at the friperie where I buy clothes. They all knew me by name, and often know exactly what I want when I show up. That is the part of life in Cameroon that severely lacks in the modern world. I miss that even on the loneliest days, I can go buy some eggs and able to chat it up with my friends.

That is not so in London. There have been incidents where I realized I haven’t had any in-person conversations for days at a time. I am living in one of the greatest metropolis in the world, and surrounded by people everywhere, yet it can feel lonelier than a small village tucked away in the mountains of West Africa.

Two more weeks, and I will finally emerge from this academic purgatory, and will finally gain back my social life. With lots of studying also come with lots of bored moments where good ideas run wild. Looking forward to sharing them through this much neglected blog this summer!

Like

Unlike

A few months ago, I wrote a post on my thoughts on the LSE MPA after my first term. Now that I have completed the year and am in the final stretch preparing for exams, I thought it’s time to do a bit of update on how I really feel. It’s admissions decision time, and I’ve received a lot of emails from people, so this is a good time to share.

I am pursuing a degree in MPA International Development, so this will be a more program specific post than the previous one. I came into this Program directly, less than two months, after my service in the Peace Corps. This is an important factor. I’ve received emails also from currently serving volunteers, and this is something I stress: being abroad for the 3rd year in a row may not be as easy as you think. I will expand on this later.

I must admit that a big reason why I did this program was the finances. LSE gave me money and in comparison to the other programs that I was considering (Columbia SIPA, Johns Hopkins SAIS), this was substantially cheaper. If I could do it again, would I still make the same choice? maybe, maybe not. But either way, I would have liked to know what I know now.

The Academic
Your first year in MPA International Development consists of 5 units of courses. 1/2 unit is a term. However, all exams take place in June. You are required to take four core classes, 3 of which every MPA has to take, and a development management core. I was concerned with the lack of choices, and it turned out to be a big source of unhappiness. I was stuck with these 5 classes for the entire year. Most other programs, you switch up the classes at the semester, giving you a fresh start after Christmas break. While the courses aren’t terrible, they are definitely not ones I would voluntarily take. I think above all factors, this should be your number one consideration. Something I definitely wish I had considered more. You will spend all day everyday working for these classes, and you want to make sure you’ll love it, or at least like it a lot.

The approach of these MPA classes in the first year is highly theoretical. For someone who did undergrad in a business school, this a difficult adjustment. I really did not value the practicality of my education from undergrad until I am here forcing to read all these theoretical academic articles that I am not sure how they apply to the real world. This is certainly a personal preference. The LSE MPA differs from others in that it has a dissertation component and is a gateway to PhD should you wish to pursue. If you like to really delve into a subject and know it really well, this is for you. If you want to survey a wide range of courses and know enough about each one but not to become a super expert, then this is probably not for you.

One little story to illustrate the theoretical-ness of this program: One day in my development management seminar, I was so frustrated with all the theory, I point-blank asked the professor, “With your experience working in the World Bank and the field, did you ever use any of these theories?” he said, “well, to be honest, you never use these”. He then tries to encourage us that this may be the last chance we can indulge in academics. The unfortunate thing is, MPA is suppose to be a professional program, and I didn’t come here to indulge in academic exercises. Side note: this development management and policy course is taught more like an intro to IR theory class. I feel we are trying to apply IR theory to developing countries, which I don’t find all that useful in solving today’s development issues.

Furthermore, it can feel incredibly frustrating when most other MSc students only take 3 full units of classes plus a dissertation in the summer, you are stuck with 5 units of classes. Something doesn’t seem to add up.

Finally, the UK system is bizarre and is a big source of stress. There is very little feedback and you need to be incredibly self-disciplined to on top of things (which I am really not). Essentially, there are few things that you have to do, but there is a constant looming dark cloud of exams hanging over your head. This is a big complain that I’ve heard from many, not only within the MPA, but other MSc students as well.

Dual Degree
The LSE MPA is in the Global Public Policy Network where students can apply to pursue their second year at Columbia SIPA, Sciences Po, Lee Kwan Yeu School of Public Policy in Singapore, or Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. The website makes it seem that it’s pretty easy to do this. In reality, it depends on where you want to go. If you are aiming for Columbia, competition is fierce and there is no rhyme or reason as to who gets in or who doesn’t. Since there aren’t any grades by the time you submit these dual degree applications, they base on your original application to the LSE and a few essays. SIPA is the only one that has multiple essays, four to be exact. The rest only requires one motivation statement. And for the other programs, it’s pretty much if you apply, you can go (Sciences Po may have a bit of competition, but not much).

Toward the end of my decision process last year, I was actually very attracted to SIPA. I didn’t receive the acceptance until very late in the process and by then, my mind was already set on LSE. When I didn’t receive much financial aid from SIPA, I didn’t bother to sway my decision. The truth is, SIPA curriculum fits me better. Luckily, I was one of 7 this year that received a spot at SIPA for dual degree (19 applied this year, usually about 1/3 chance). I am very fortunate that things work out this way. But I would strongly advice people to go to the school they’d most want to go to irrespective of the dual degree option.

The Professional
MPA is suppose to be a “professional degree” right? Well, the LSE MPA definitely has some work to do in this regard. I felt there was very little guidance in finding internships and becoming prepared for various professional settings. The LSE itself has a decent career service, but has a main focus in banking and consulting recruitment. Also it’s really far too small to serve the entire university. You have to book ahead for everything and it’s always a race to get a spot. I attended a few career fairs and they were more like a career zoo.

The MPA itself has a lady from LSE Career Service who is dedicated to the MPA program. However, she comes to the MPA office one day a week and you can book a 20 min appointment with her. Again, it’s always a mad race trying to get those appointments. The MPA itself has organized a few “professional” events, but they were all pretty terrible and pitiful. One alumni panel that I attended had 3 people – one just graduated, the other was a PhD student and I honestly can’t remember what the 3rd person did.

If you want a career in EU, then this is a good starting point. However, if you think doing this degree will help you stay in the UK after, think again. The new coalition government is taking away post-study visa starting next year. If you want to work in the US government, definitely consider SAIS or SIPA instead. They really don”t recruit here much. With that said, if you are trying to get into finance or consulting in Europe, LSE is one of the best places to be.

The Social Scene
The LSE doesn’t have much of a campus, and their residence buildings are scattered across London. This isn’t like a US school where if you live in university housing, you are usually near the campus. Trying to be cheap, I picked the residence that is farthest from campus. This also added to the frustration. Computing is not so fun when you gotta lug around a laptop and books. If you are someone who are most productive studying at the library, then live near the school. Otherwise, you will spend half your days commuting and feeling very frustrated.

Because this lack of campus, I find my friends living in different areas of London, making socializing that much more difficult. These are things that I never thought would really matter, but they do. When you’ve been stuck in your shoebox room for 10 hours writing a paper, and all you want is to hang out with your friends with a beer, it sucks that they live far away.

I didn’t really get involve with extracurricular activities, which probably adds to the frustration. In the first week of school, there is a fair for all the student societies and whatnot. Again, it was entirely too many people and incredibly overwhelming. I think the positive aspect with the other policy schools like SAIS, SIPA or Kennedy is that they are self-contained so the extra-curricular are targeted toward people within these schools. LSE MPA itself isn’t big enough to have such activities, but when you get lumped in with the rest of the LSE, it’s really overwhelming.

So, is there anything good?
Yes! The LSE student body is probably the most diverse that you would encounter. Befriending this dynamic group of people is really something. Let’s not forget the LSE name. It carries certain level of prestige that makes people go wow. If you discount the grading and the strange, archaic system, this is actually a good place to learn. If you want economics training, there is no better place. If you are someone who really likes to dig deep into an issue and learn a lot about a few subjects, this is the place for you.

London is actually a fantastic city if you can find time to enjoy it. While studying in Europe isn’t like studying abroad in Europe, there is still sufficient amount of time for you to take trips to wonderful European cities. This is a big plus about going to school here.

Post-Peace Corps
If you are a serving volunteer thinking about this program right after your service, I’d suggest that you think seriously about whether you can spend another year or likely two abroad. Coming from Cameroon, I thought, oh, London is a developed country, there’s running water, electricity, Internet all day long and I can get anything I want. I’ll be just fine. But what I failed to realize is how much I would miss being closer to my friends and family after those two years. Furthermore, there aren’t many RPCVs here at the LSE and the RPCV network in London is just beginning and isn’t strong yet. I wish there were more RPCVs around who I could talk to. I’ve lived abroad a lot even before the Peace Corps, but this reverse-culture shock was like none other. Take this into consideration when you make the decision. It affected me more than I had imagined.

All in all, you need to be disciplined, open-minded and find charm in gloomy London weather. My thoughts are mine, and it’s not a true representation of how everyone feels. There are those who really love it, but then there are those who hates it so much that they think it’s worth it to just drop out of the program. Like anything, there is a range of opinions. Take it for what it is, and good luck in your decisions!

7 people like this post.

Unlike