2 years done, 2 months left

Today officially marks 2 years of being in Cameroon. This time 2010, I was first arriving in Yaounde with my ‘stage’ (group), excited for everything that was to come, probably much like the newest group of volunteers or trainees who have just arrived this past Friday. Congrats to everyone else who has also reached this moment.

Today also marks my last bit of time left here. In exactly 2 months I’ll be arriving back in America. Friends have already been saying that the date is so close and ask if I’m excited, if I’ve started packing, if they can have dibs on things, etc. But when I look at my calendar, I think 2 months is still a long time and I have only barely begun packing (and really what I sorted through so far is just as a result of moving houses). I still have many things to do and look forward to here before I go back and I am planning to enjoy every moment left. 

Perhaps the most important thing for life here: buckets

Well I know I’ve mentioned these things before in other posts, I believe about water and washing clothes but sometimes when I just look at life here, I still can’t believe how important these things are. Yep, buckets that’s what I’m talking about. Buckets. Buckets of all colors, even tie-dye, all sizes – big and small, pretty much one shape – round, but really there is an endless variety of buckets here and for a reason.

Buckets are probably the thing I use most and for most of my household activities. It’s really crazy sometimes how much I rely on buckets and how much I would probably be in trouble if I didn’t have them. They are used for so many things: washing clothes and shoes, taking a bath, cleaning dishes, storing water, collecting water when it rains, storing items or even food, selling items on the street – buckets are essential to life here. I myself have about 6 buckets and one giant trashcan (kind of a bucket, right) that I use every day. Particularly now with a not-so-reliable water system and it being rainy season, any time it looks cloudy I make sure to put as many buckets out in a row under the roof to collect water.

It’s funny to think sometimes that we almost never use buckets in the States – maybe we have some stored in a garage or shed with junk or who knows what in them but very rarely are there buckets actually in the house and that we use often. And yet after being here now and using them all the time, I don’t know what I’ll do when I go back with no buckets. 

Almost all my buckets...still a few more around the house