Stateside

I'm home! I'm tired, as I expected I would be, and not super motivated to get through all the things on my to-do list today. In fact, I haven't even ventured outside, but that may be denial in action as I come to terms with 5 degrees instead of the 88 degrees I got pretty used to this past month.

The good-bye was tearful as we boarded the SIL plane to begin the first leg of the journey back to Minnesota. Many of our colleagues and friends, and even Saliou's father, were at the airport to see us off and as I hugged Remi and William goodbye, I missed them already. In a few short weeks, I had not only grown to respect and admire them and the work they do so well, I had grown to love them as friends and brothers. I expect another trip to Ngaoundere will be in my future, to go back and see Remi and William, and so many others who have become a part of my life now.

Saliou's father at the airstrip

L to R: Emmanual, Duoada, Bouta Lambert, Saliou's father, William, Me, Remi

The SIL plane touches down in Ngaoundere.

As we waited for Darryl, our pilot to arrive at the airstrip, we were all pretty nervous that he would be able to actually fit all 5 of us and our luggage in this pretty tiny plane. As the plane appeared into view, and I saw how really small it was, I got even more nervous. Darryl weighed EVERYTHING, and we snuck in a few kilos under the limit, and then he magically fit the bags into nooks and crannies, and we got on board. A few last minute instructions about where the machete and emergency satellite phone could be found in the unlikely event that we would be making an "unscheduled" landing, (which only made me wish I had brought some ativan with me) and we were off! It was soooooooo fun!

Coming to Yaounde

Me with Darryl, the pilot, AFTER our smooth and safe landing in Yaounde. It's the first flight that I have been on where the pilot gathered us in prayer before taking off. I was cool with that! And that was before I was instructed on where the machete was located in case of an emergency. 

A view of Yaounde from the lower part of the city.

We were picked up at the small SIL airport (also the Cameroon Air Defense Station) by Felix, the driver who got Jared and I around Yaounde safely on our arrival a month ago. He was wearing his heavy, green, wool army suit, and smiling big. He brought us to Anne and Willie Landgi's, the ELCA Mission coordinators in Yaounde, to hang out until we had to catch the flight to Paris at 11:30 PM. It gave us a chance to take a nap, repack our luggage, have dinner. Felix came back in the evening and proceeded to get us through all 8 or 10 security check points. I think we'd still be there, bribing people to get on the airplane if we didn't have Felix. Everyone at the airport knows and loves him. It was like traveling with Moses through Egypt.

The road outside Anne and Willie's house. This is a totally typical scene, people walking with huge and heavy loads on their heads, like this lady with the suitcase. They must have the strongest necks and backs! 

The view from the other direction from Anne's home. Anne and Willie's home is surrounded by a 12 foot high concrete wall with barbed wire along the top and they employ a 24 hour security guard. Safety and security is really a concern. 

I thought this final posting would have more to it, but I'm finding I'm just kind of depleted today. Pictures are maybe the better way to end. I think back to over a year ago when I came home from a frustrating day at work and happened to read an article in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof about healthcare in Africa. It was then that the idea that it was time to leave my comfort zone and see something different registered. It's been a series of conversations and connections and timing, on and off and on again, that culminated in what I would count in the Top 5 Most Significant Experiences of My Life.

Luck. Fate. Destiny. Blessings. Gratitude. Peace.

The door is shut and the plane pulls away.  With tears and smiles, I wave until I can no longer see the bright yellow and blue spots that are Remi and William.

Less than 24 hours now

My roomies, Karen and Donna. It's like being back in college!

The ladies and kids of the church. Remi's wife, Anasthasie, is in the red hat next to Donna and 3 of their 4 children are in front, Ghislain in the grey pants, and Lenah and Lyza in the blue and pink. 

I'm mostly organized and packed now, and I'm leaving with less stuff than I came with, but with many, many new friends, and hundreds of memories, images, and stories. We went to the Plaza Restaurant today for lunch, and as we made a toast, I said, "To new friends who feel like old friends." It's true. Everyone at the table I have known for less than a month, but we are forever connected. 

L to R around  the table: Hans Aas (finally didn't get cut out of the picture!), Martha Aas, Karen, Phil Nelson (who runs the EELC Mission Compound and lives in the house right next to ours), me, Donna, June Nelson (married to Phil and is a nurse who works  at the hospital when she's not helping Phil run the compound)

The day started out early with Donna and I joining Remi and his family at the Millenium Church where he is an elder. The church is at the edge of the compound and is huge, made from bricks from the red earth of Ngaoundere, with beautiful stained glass. One of the many choir groups came in leading the elders in song and it beautiful to hear their energy. 

Tomorrow we have one final goodbye at Chapel at 7:30, although from the sounds of the number of people who have told us they plan to see us off at the airport, I'm thinking the final, final goodbye will be as we wave out the window of the little bush plane. I am coming prepared with plenty of kleenex. I will run over to say goodbye to Saliou, who is still in the hospital, before going back home to finish up packing. 

So, my next posting will be when I'm sitting in my own kitchen, looking out at lots of snow, and trying to reorient myself to being back in Minnesota. I'm planning to take the rapid re-entry approach. Arrive in Mpls on Tuesday, back to work on Thursday. We'll see....I've asked my colleagues to have pretty low expectations for my productivity on Thursday. 

I've been looking through my pictures. Here's a few more taken over the past month:

$10 to the first person who can identify what this guy is holding. (Not really on the $10) This is an elephant hide shield that is  (if what he says is true) 1000 years old! This was at the mosque that we toured. For being such a relic, it was just kind of thrown in this anteroom, amongst skulls of cattle and antelope, a few elephant feet, and red plastic coke crates. 

Big football tournament last weekend on the compound.

On my last day, I am finally able to sneak up on a lizard and get a picture. This is a redheaded lizard (I know, self-evident but I did not make this up) and is much bigger than the one that met his untimely demise a few weeks ago. I have continued to give my poor housemate grief about that!

This lady was one of the first patients Remi and William saw about 3 years ago. She was in renal failure and wasn't expected to survive, but somehow, without dialysis, she recovered. Today she looks and feels great. She comes back to see Remi and William often. She told me, "I was as fat as an elephant!" Remi explained she had fluid everywhere.


See you in Minnesota!