By mariacort3s
Welp! So exactly two weeks until I leave Cameroon. I won't be going back to the USA, rather I'll be going to Portugal where my aunt lives and then going to Italy for three days to meet up with my best friend Emilio who is studying there and my best friend Wendy who is coming from her program in Jordan and then I'll leave back to Portugal to make my way to the United States.
Wow, it just feels weird to realize how quick these past few months have gone by. I've gotten used to be being on this side of the world as strange as that sounds. It feels surreal to have to go back. As exhausted as I am and as ready as I am to eat Colombian food and sleep in my own bed, I will miss Cameroon with all my heart. These past few days as I focus on finishing my final assignment, my head is also preparing to leave. How will I explain this experience to people? I am not sure.
Summer going to 11th grade, I spent six weeks in Portugal with my aunt and when I returned everyone was so excited to know how it was and even to that I couldn't respond with a simple answer, all I would say is that it was amazing and you should just experience it yourself. As for Cameroon, where I have been for more than three months and have made amazing relationships with people, I would need a moment of your life to explain.
I'm not sure if everyone experience in study abroad are all this life changing, but even despite all the bad, all the identity crises, all the sicknesses, the people I have met, the lives I got to experience, the knowledge I gained is are all unforgettable and has truly changed the way I see the world.
I don't have much to say because I talk to myself about this everyday, and it definitely wears me out. I guess one message I want to let out from this and from what I've been learning about tourism, is to get to know the locals and truly have an immersed experience. While its fun to have those all inclusive resorts type of vacation, we are given commodified versions of cultures rather than the real. Traveling is wonderful, while it is terrible because only one portion of the population can do it while the other cannot afford it, doing it in a way that is helpful to wherever you are visiting and genuinely engaging with your surroundings can be a positive impact. Try to learn a few words in the language of the country you are going, not everyone needs to learn English, a thank you, a hello, a goodbye, can make a difference.
It's a very gray topic and I guess I can't speak about this subject in a blog because it requires a face to face conversation where I can use photos, hand signals, articles, and just a lot of extra information.
Life is gorgeous and always be glad to be where you are, while we might measure our richness in materials, happiness, laughter, family, friends, and love is also wealth.
For this thanksgiving, while in Cameroon it felt like a regular day, I am thankful to have the experiences I have had this year -- from the many places I've had the opportunity to visit and get to know, there is nothing more beautiful than experiencing life outside my comfort zone as hard as it might be in the moment.