There are many things that I would like to say to you

December 4, 2010


Day... what day am I in. Lets see I got sworn in on the 1st of December so 4, Day 4 of being an official Volunteer. So far so good. Training is finally over, I haven't gotten any severe maladies yet (knock on wood), I'm meeting the Peace Corp Volunteers that are leaving back to The States (and asking many questions), the train ride to Ngaoundere was boss (apparently a word that Californians use for 'cool' b/c saying 'cool' is uncool) and my shopping for my post is done (in terms of what I should get here). I leave tomorrow for my post. Meidougou! is the name of my new home for the next two years. Google it, its a boss village.

I don't really remember why I waited until I got sworn in to start this blog because honestly, I've been through so much that is worth writing about so far that I have a lot of catching up to do. This entry though will just be an introductory one though. No adventures, just a brief introduction of who I am, what I'm doing and maybe if I don't get lazy, an explanation of why I named my blog: The Wait of my Words.

My name is Carlos Jesus Fernandez-Torres. I am a new Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameramaroon and my program is Community Health. My responsibilities as a Health Volunteer require a long explanation so hopefully all the entries that I'll write will give a better explanation of what I do. I would normally give you my spiel but I'm tired of repeating it, plus its more boss if you just read about what I'm about to do. I am opening a new post in the Cameramaroonian region of Adamawa. My village's name is Meidougou and I love it b/c it rhymes with one of my favorite African cities, Ouagadougou. I'm 23 and I graduated from Michigan State University (Go Green) with a bachelor of arts in International Relations. This is not me in a nutshell, I cannot fit in a nutshell.

I am in Cameroon right now for many many reasons. I am looking for work experience. Isis (my older sis) sat me down one night and asked me, "what do you want?" I said a sandwich. I didn't really say sandwich. She did however make me realize that a job or an internship was the wrong answer to that question. The correct answer was and remains: Experience! I am here for work experience. But further more, I am here to travel. I am here to learn what it is I want to study in grad school. I am here to meet interesting people. I am here to return to the land where I spent about half of my life. I am here to connect with the Africans in a way that I wasn't able to as a child that was raised in Africa. I am here to learn French (and now Fufulde). I am here to spread peace in a peaceful manner. I am here to listen to Cameroonian music and shoot the shit what my new Cameroonian friends (Dad, 'shooting the shit' means hanging out with your friends). I am here to push my limits and finding direction to what I'm supposed to do. I am here to increase my patience. I am here to learn what 'grass roots development' truly means. I am here to learn about myself. And finally, I am here to eat mangoes.


This blog is really for the interested. However I'm writing this mainly for my family and close friends. Its my way of updating you guys on the good stories and my discoveries. It is my way of staying modern in modern times. And guess what, I'm too lazy to explain the title of my blog so perhaps another time. I hope you guys will continue reading b/c I can say that even when I don't have something to say, I can pull out one of my crazy experiences that I had during training. Peace (Corps) out people.

Carlitos