Disparu (Missing)

Friday, November 2, 2012 – Disparu (Missing)

I got home tonight around 7:30 PM and my little host-sister, Adama, is missing.  She is only six-years-old, but like all of the other little kids here, walks to and from school by herself.  She usually gets home around 3 PM, but never showed up.  My host-mom went to the police, but they didn’t sound like they were much help.  She didn’t have a picture of Adama because she has only been here a few weeks, so I put three on her flash-drive from my computer to help the police find her.  I asked if we should go look somewhere, but my host-grandma just said ‘where would we look?’  I see her point, but it feels just wrong sitting her doing nothing. 

I really don’t know what I could do.  I even called the Peace Corps and asked if there was some way they could help, but honestly I don’t know what they would do.  They basically said there was nothing they could do, but were very apologetic when they said it.  My host mom thought maybe she tried to walk to her old house, which is apparently really far away.  I don’t know, she seemed really happy here, and she would have no idea how to get to her old house, but who knows what goes through the mind of a six-year old?  All I know is that the whole family, including me, is worried.  I wish there was something I could do to help. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

There was still no news on Adama all of Saturday, but I got back this evening and she was here!  Apparently she had found her way to her other (real) home and they didn’t have my host-mom’s number or the money to send her back, but she is here now.  I really thought there was no way she was coming back.  It also bothered me how seemingly unconcerned my family was.  I mean, my host-mom went to the police, and she said that she was going to go to the church and put up a flyer, but she didn’t seem overly worried or anything.  I know that the culture has a different view from ours about where kids are and stuff like that, but this seemed to go to another level. 

Yesterday was our Halloween party.  It was a lot of fun, especially watching people get ridiculous.  I went as a pirate – basically just unbuttoned my shirt a bit, put on a bandana, and tied a friend’s scarf around my waste.  There were a few people throwing up, several hook-ups, a lot of dirty dancing, and a surprising amount of motor boating.  All to be expected when you let people who have been cooped up with a 7 PM curfew get together with alcohol, American music, and a 10 PM curfew (oh my!). 

A final decision has been made for the swearing-in ceremony.  A couple of guys here will be making a video of us at training, showing what sort of things we’re learning complete with interviews of a few trainees, and we will show that using a projector while everyone stands in front and sings Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson, choir style.  Not bad, it’s easy to learn.  They have the ‘strong singers’ doing the first few verses anyways, so basically the rest of us just have to learn the chorus, and who doesn’t know that already for Man in the Mirror?  It’ll be interesting at least. 

Some nice Cameroonian countryside. 

At the Halloween party.  Yes, they are all wearing costumes, we just didn't have a lot of options. 

Kids love this girl.. at least they love to scare her when we walk by at night.