Despite only being here for a few months, one of the ways I
have felt quite “blessed” is the sense of community with which working at CATUC
and living here on the archdiocese grounds has filled me with. My
experience here in Cameroon so far might actually be better described as a
sense of belonging to a large extended family. Yes we are all co-workers
and neighbors but there really seems to be a much deeper connection that goes
to the level of family and friendship. Let me share an example.
Even before I had started working my future co-workers came
and searched me out to welcome me to the university. They had been and
continue to be friends with my predecessor and when they knew I had arrived,
they made a point to come to my apartment to welcome me in person. As I
have gotten to know them, along with others at CATUC I genuinely feel as if I
have been adopted into a wider “human” family. There is no need for
special invitations for lunch, it is almost implied that we can all just meet
in one of the canteens and catch up.
This informal time together and sense of community also
extends to my experience at my apartment. Pretty much on a daily basis
when I am walking home, I am greeted by those neighbors who are outside. When I
get upstairs to the veranda, it becomes time to debrief the day, harass each
other, and laugh. Our time on the veranda, which overlooks a large portion
of the grounds, usually includes heckling and being heckled by anyone who is
walking past on the opposite road near the priest’s house. Apparently
simply being within earshot is reason enough to begin a conversation!
Unlike back in the US, here in Cameroon it is really inconceivable that you
would not know your neighbors and at a minimum stop to greet them and inquire
about their day. Maybe not everyone would appreciate this aspect of life
here but for someone who is an extrovert it is like having a mini homecoming
each day.
One final appreciation that I want to share which seems to
have recently begun to take root in me and for which I know I will not be able
to adequately articulate is this sense of an un-compartmentalized day.
Back in the US I am so used to having categories for my day like time for work,
time for prayer, time for shopping, etc. But what I am beginning to sense here in
Cameroon (and maybe in all of Africa) is that life is less about categories and
rather more about a sense of wholeness throughout the day. Life is less
about deliverables and deadlines, and more about your relationship with
others. There seems to be a greater sense of an “organic whole” and an
allowing for the day to simply unfold naturally. I sense less of a need
to ensure that I check off everything on my to-do list but instead to allow for
the day to present what it may; whether it is unexpectedly ending up at a
friend’s house for hours, or being absorbed into watching the national soccer
game while shopping at the main market, or sitting down to meet new people
as my friend Ina gets an unplanned for pedicure.
As I continue my stay here in Cameroon I am quite
appreciative of this growing sense of an organic whole in my day and I hope
this momentum will expand and take a deeper root in my heart!!!
