Greetings dear readers and welcome to Camerooned!
My name is Brian. I'm a former software consultant from New Jersey currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. I teach computer science and English classes at a small university in the village of Nanga Eboko. I'm currently 6 months into a two year term of service.
Camerooned is an online chronicle of my experiences here. In addition to posting pictures and updates for the folks back home, from time to time I plan to write on life in Cameroon, the Peace Corps, Africa, and other related topics.
Readers can use the comments as a way to ask questions or discuss topics raised on the blog and I will try to respond. Comments that I deem abusive or offensive, or that may reveal private or personal information about other volunteers, Peace Corps staffers, or Cameroonian colleagues will be deleted.
I have also set up an email address (link on the right) you can use to email questions directly to me. Those of you who have my personal email address can obviously use that as well.
Also, please note the disclaimer at the bottom of this blog: The opinions expressed on this site are solely my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of the Peace Corps, the United States government, the government of Cameroon, or the Adventist University - Cosendai.
I joined the Peace Corps for a number of reasons: to serve my country, to help others, to live in another culture and learn another language, to travel, and to see and learn new things and meet new people. More on all that later, but for now I'd say it has been a great experience and has met all of my personal goals.
As a Peace Corps volunteer however, I need to consider not only my own goals, but also those of the organization I am a part of.
The Peace Corps has three objectives (defined in the Peace Corps Act of 1962):
1. To help the people of interested countries meet their needs for trained manpower.
2. To promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of peoples served.
3. To promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people.
My teaching and other activities here fulfil the first and second objectives. Starting this blog is not only a way of communicating with family and friends back home, but also a way of achieving the third goal of educating Americans about the world beyond our borders.
Thank you all for joining me and enjoy!
