World Citizen

Had an amazing time leaving NYC for a bit to attend Africa Gathering in DC. Unlike other typical African conferences, this was literally a gathering of ideas from entrepreneurs ranging from film, music, to solar power, agriculture investment, to youth voting promotion, women’s empowerment. Each speaker discussed their ideas for 20 minutes and it was a packed day full of inspiring moments.

As I am in the midst of job searching, this was the kind of inspiration that I needed. Being surrounded by people who truly believe in what they do remind me that finding purpose in a career is absolutely possible.

Beyond the great inspiration, this was also the first event where I live tweeted with many cool tweeps whom I had been following on issues regarding Africa. Even without prior realization, I found myself in the same room with @LightSolar, @InnovateAfrica, @Solar_Sister, @KateBomz and more. With the hash tag #AGDC, each organization that presented, we found their twitter handle and there was instant interaction not only within people tweeting in the room, but with everyone else out there who was following the conversation. People and groups such as @VoteorQuench, @kambale, @khwezimagwaza, etc were noticed. Even @WorldBankAfrica retweeted one of my many tweets!

It’s nice to step out of daily routines and search for tidbit of inspiration everywhere. I look forward to many more gatherings as such, and to that end, I must plug for the African Diplomatic Forum that Columbia SPAN (SIPA Pan-Africa Network) is hosting next Friday, November 18th! If you are in the NYC and has time to attend, it’s free to the public and should be very interesting and inspiring! If you are unable to attend (since it is on Friday, and people have jobs and whatnot), follow hash tag #CUADF for the play-by-play livetweets!

PS – a fellow blogger wrote beautifully recapping some key speakers from the conference. Check it out!

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The last few weeks have been a crazy blur. I had my leaving drinks the night before I left London. I went back to the Midwest for 10 days to catch up with family and friends. Even though I have been living in the developed world for the past year, coming back to America is still a culture shock. For example, who needs a salad like this one?!

10 days of Midwest was plenty for me. More and more, I am convinced that the suburbia life isn’t for me. It is for many, but not for me. I find it very odd that although it’s 100 degrees outside, it’s possible to go through an entire day and only feel the heat for 5 minutes (walking from your house to the car in your garage, then from your car to the destination and back). Something about this life feels awfully unnatural. There is convenience, and then there is excessive laziness.

I then packed my bags again and moved to New York City. As a teen, my dream was to live in NYC. Somehow, that dream went away, and now I find myself fulfilling that desire I had so many years ago. Somehow, wishes come true, but maybe not in the order that you want. In the past week, I spent time running around getting my apartment set up, meeting new people at SIPA (School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia). I finally feel at home. This is where I am suppose to be. I walked through the building and remembered the information session I attended in the spring before I went to Cameroon. Again, my wish came true, albeit in a different order.

New York City from up top

The student body is much larger than the LSE MPA, and much much more diverse. For one, people actually are interested when I say I was in Cameroon for two years. And in exchange, they have equally fascinating stories of life before SIPA. This is what I wanted. Academic life is only a fraction of the grad school experience; your peers can teach you a great deal. Tomorrow is first day of classes, and I am looking forward to getting the ball rolling!

one of the many SIPA meet & greet events

Other impression from my first week in NYC:

• New Yorkers are so much more friendlier than Londoners. It’s so normal to strike up conversation with people in the streets, or guy selling you xyz in the stores. In some ways, this is the warmth that I missed from my Cameroonian village life.
• London has cleaner underground and trains come much more frequently, but New York has AC in its subway.
• New York in general is dirtier than London, but it’s nice to not be lost all the time thanks to the numbered streets.
• There are way too many choices in every aspect of American life.

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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.

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Since I am transitioning from a UK system to the US, my summer was cut short to just under 8 weeks. In which, I took up an internship at a social investment fund here in London. This is the 2nd time I have spent summer in London, and I remember just how much I love it.

Sure the constant 60 degree weather doesn’t scream summer. But the occasional 70+ degree days accompany by sunshine make me grin and glad I am not suffering through the East Coast heatwave that I keep hearing about. With the LSE behind me and my nights and weekends free, I am finally able to really enjoy the city. This summer has also been filled with visitors and when showing people around town, I get to really appreciate the city from the view of an outsider. I forgot how lucky I am to live at Shad Thames, and within two minute walk to the south bank and a view of Tower Bridge.

Here are some of my favorite summer/tourist activities in London:

1. Follow Thames Path on the South Bank and walk from Tower Bridge all the way to Westminster (but stop by Borough Market for lunch first), cross the river to Parliament, cut through Whitehall to St. Jame’s park, and get a peak of Buckingham Palace.

2. Regents Park up through Primrose Hill, rest and take in the view, then trek up to Hampstead High Street for the best crêpe in London.

3. Take the TFL boat to Greenwich (be sure to only do it on a sunny day) and visit the Royal Observatory. Or if you are cheap like, just enjoy the view of London from atop and knowing you are at the place where time begins (and ends).

4. Portobello Market – but avoid mid-day. Late afternoon is best. Then talk through Embassy Row and hit Kensington Gardens, then stop for a coffee or something sweet on High Street Kensington.

5. Grab a beer and fully relish in the freedom of drinking outdoor. I like sitting at the steps of South Bank at night and marvel at Tower Bridge (tourists have also disappeared by night fall in the area).

While I wouldn’t chuck my year at the LSE as BEST YEAR EVER, great friends were still made and I’ve shared some pretty amazing moments. I am also blessed with 6 different visitors to the city, with two more on the way next weekend before I bid farewell to this place. Life likes to hide those silver linings, whether it’s the best or worst year of your life. I’ve learned to watch for them. They tend to have a magical way of bringing a smile to my face.

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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.

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