Pre-Departure to Cameroon
My name is Kaiya Murphy and I am a Junior at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. I am using Medium, in order to blog my journey during my study abroad in Cameroon. Here I will record my thoughts and feelings prior to my departure.
So let me tell you a little bit more about myself. I am currently an international studies major with a concentration in international development. I want to focus on sustainable development and ultimately create my own aid organization that targets issues of unemployment, education, healthcare and many other topics that are crucial to sustaining healthy development. I am a humanitarian at heart and absolutely love to travel, so I though international studies was the perfect medium for my life goals.
So finally we are getting to the aspect of my feelings about leaving my friends and family for four months. My dad is very happy for me but is not extremely thrilled that I chose to go to a country that has been in the news lately because of groups like Boko Haram causing chaos in the northern part of the country. I told him, “If I am going to do a study abroad program, then I want to do one that a). fits with my goals in life and b). helps me understand how people, who may not have all the luxuries of the United States, live”. So that is how I got him to be on board with my study abroad.
I am very excited to go! This is my first time being abroad since the summer of 2011 when I went to Costa Rica (my favorite place thus far). So I was in dire need of another adventure. I am excited for the food and the people but also all the wonderful things I will be able to learn about myself and the world. It is always very interesting to hear what people think about you, especially people that have a totally different background from you. I will not say that I will go to Cameroon thinking that because I am black and I see other people of my same color that we are all the same. Going to a Historically Black College or University, or HBCU has taught me that not all people that look like you are the same as you are. I do not expect people to welcome me with open arms and say, “Welcome home, sister” but I will say that I am excited to step on the soil of a continent that my ancestors came from. I might actually cry.
Side note: If I was not an international studies major, I would have been a history major. I have and will always be a history nerd
Overall, I am super excited and I cannot wait to upload pictures and hopefully videos of my experiences in Cameroon. I hope you stick with me for the adventure to learn and grow with me :)!
