Arriving in Cameroon

Traveling is always hard, but I’ve learned to expect the lines, delays, language barriers and hours without good sleep.  I find the hardest part of any travel experience is the arrival.  Somehow in all the excitement of planning, I build up expectations of how my destination will be.  Those initial expectations are rarely met.  Whether it’s the fatigue or the new and different environment, I usually feel overwhelmed and a little disillusioned when I first arrive.  But I’ve learned to take a deep breath and wait.  Inevitably the beauty of each place, the personality of its culture and the experiences waiting for me reveal themselves and I fall in love with travelling all over again. 

My initial thoughts arriving in Cameroon were probably swayed by lack of sleep, a long delay and an even longer flight.  We arrived at the airport late at night; it was very dimly lit, giving it an eerie feel.  It’s the rainy season so the air was thick and damp and smelled like a mixture of smoke and sweat.  We stood around the baggage claim getting pushed closer and closer to the conveyor belt by anxious Africans all wanting to get their luggage.  Slowly bags came up the conveyor belt and one-by-one were claimed.  The belt ground to a stop as the last bag was picked up and I was left on the continent of Africa with nothing.  I took a few deep breaths and fought back the tears stinging my eyes and returned to my group.  I smiled and made everyone, including myself, believe it was all OK.  My brain wanted to tick off every item in my bag – how much it cost, how much I needed it on my trip.  Instead I forced myself to think about the things I did have and was thankful for.  The first thing that came to mind was that I was thankful for my safety.  Safety is something that many people in Africa don’t have and there were far worse things happening around Africa at that same moment.  I was very thankful for travelling with great friends who let me borrow mosquito nets, shampoo and clothes (thanks to the Schlaudeckers, Mary, Brian and Sara!).  And I humbly realized that I’m lucky enough to have the ability to replace every item in that bag.  Something like loosing my luggage is inconvenient, but not devastating for me – but there are many others who have less and a loss like that would be devastating. 

So yet again, not the ideal start that I imagined for my trip to Cameroon, but a very important part that will help define the rest of my time here.