Pre-departure thoughts

The big flight is still a few good weeks away, but I thought I would map out to any loyal followers what I hope to  realize by going to the country of Cameroon.
This may sound somewhat silly, coming from a small-town woman in her twenties with far more possibilities than many others in the world. I have everything any American could ever want at the tips of my fingers, from electric can-openers to a private college education. So why in the world would I ever want to travel far and away from the home I love? Particularly to a place like AFRICA?
(And here is where she whines about her elitism like every bourgeois youth in the history of the world) 


And here's the simple truth, I want to learn. About myself, about the world, about anything I can get my hands on. I want to learn from people who live more differently than I can imagine. Not to ogle at them with the ever-exoticizing view of a camera, but to learn their skills, ideologies and goals. I refuse to be an observer of a spectacle (though I imagine I will see many wonderful things) and prefer to participate. Which also means I'll have to figure out my limits quick!
Meeting myriads of new and interesting people will probably be the most fascinating portion of my trip and  I will soon replace the vague pronoun of "their" with the actual name of a homo sapiens. Building relationships with someone from across the globe will be far more valuable than any history or French grammar I will learn.

Most of my entries will be excerpts from my travel journal. I cannot promise they will be the most interesting thing you've ever read, but I'll try to put in the more intriguing bits. I'm also not confident on how often I will be able to update (or keep in contact through the internet in general) but I will definitely do it as often as possible. Wish me luck!