Semme Beach and Celebrations

Saturday July 18, 2009

Our last day in Limbe began with plenty of rain. We sat around most of the morning in the hotel. I thought there was no way we would have the chance to enjoy Semme Beach. I was almost ready to call it a day and head back for Kumba when the rains slowed to a mist. We decided to attempt the beach. I am so glad that we did. As the taxi drove us to the beach, the skies lightened and the rain stopped. The resort is located about 20 minutes outside of Limbe proper. Admission was 1500 CFA per person, which included a free soft drink.

Semme Beach was my first experience on a black sand beach. The black sand comes from the lava rock that covers this area of the country. The sand is fine and soft. The water was incredibly warm and the waves were excellent. Swimming in the ocean made yesterday’s van ride ordeal worth it. It was a great way to celebrate our successes this summer. After a couple of hours of swimming, we hopped back in the taxi and headed to the Limbe park to grab a van back to Kumba. (This ride was much better than yesterday’s nightmare trip)

Sunday July 19, 2009

This morning we decided to get some much needed laundry out of the way. Washing laundry by hand is tough work. It took the three of us about an hour and a half to wash about 1/3 of our things. (Lack of experience was probably also a contributing factor) I have a new-found appreciation for all the laundry Julius has done for us while in the village. The women of the house had a good laugh over our attempt at washing clothes. They also provided helpful tips and guidance along the way.

In the afternoon Mark and I stopped at Spirit’s shop to get our hair cut before the big celebration this evening. The three of us sat down and prepared for the speech we were to give at the party. We left for the Azi Motel after 7:00 PM. (The supposed start time of the party) After arriving at the motel; we proceeded to wait 2 hours until the program actually began. We were waiting for government officials to arrive. (Typical Cameroon) After brief introductions and speeches by Dr. Amin and the immersion coordinators, Mark, Brian, and I spoke to the 100+ people in attendance. Mark discussed ETHOS and past projects. I talked about the Boa Bakundu project. Brian covered our experiences of life in Kumba and Boa Bakundu. I think our speech went over really well. The immersion students spoke after us. Their presentation even included some small skits. After the presentations, the Senior Divisional Officer gave a short speech.

Finally, it was time for dinner just before 10:00. Mark, Brian, and I were asked to serve drinks. By the time everyone was served, it was after 10:30. I was soooooo hungry. We spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking. Most of the immersion students left the party by 1:00 AM. ETHOS closed the place down sometime after 3:00 AM. I’ll just catch up on my sleep when I
get back to the US. :)








Left: Late night at the immersion going away celebration