Friday, 30 March 2012

The Smallest Peace Corps Post: Village of Kurubi, Cameroon

You can try to research it online, but chances are you won’t find Kurubi, Cameroon anywhere on Google Maps. Not to be confused with Kribi, a well-known beach resort in the South region, Kurubi is a small 150-person village in the country’s Northwest. It is also here where I went to visit fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Crystal Leanza.

Crystal was my roommate in Philadelphia where we met for “staging,” a pre-trip departure ritual where Peace Corps Volunteers meet the other members of their group with whom they will spend the next two years with in their respective country. It was only fitting that I visited Crystal’s post before we traveled together to our Close-of-Service conference where we will find out exactly when our service ends. Two years already done!

After meeting in Batibo, the palm wine capital of the country, we had lunch at the new, swanky restaurant in town (just ask around for the restaurant - people will know what you're talking about as there's only one restaurant!). We headed off with motos to Kurubi where we took a half an hour walking tour around the village (it's really small) while catching up on our lives amazed at how fast the past two years went.

Note to future Peace Corps Volunteers: Enjoy your service and treasure it all! Though two years seems long, it is really only a microcosm of our 80+ year lifespan. Your service will pass quickly!


The local spring which serves as the village water source


Kurubi, Northwest region, Cameroon


The high school of Kurubi where Crystal teaches science

Crystal's jungle backyard

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