  So, you would think I would be a little more sad at this point, knowing that in three hours I'm leaving for the West province and probably won't see my best friends for another two months. And I guess to a certain extent I am sad. But I know that I will see them and if I really need to get away and do something, the option always exists. The last few days I've been lucky enough to get to spend quite a bit of time with Tina and that's been good for me mentally. If you actually made it all the way through that last post, you know that things aren't quite the same between us. But, she's still my best friend here and has become one of my best friends anywhere. The second to last night in Mbalmayo we were out at the bar until late and she ended up sleeping back at my place. It was nice. And last night at the Case de Passage (the Peace Corps rest house in Yaoundé, we ended up in the same bed because there wasn't enough room.
Again, it's just nice waking up next to a friend. And the point to all of this is that because of the time we've had together, even though we'll be apart for awhile, we'll see each other again. And that makes it all right. At this point, I'm beginning my second full day as a volunteer. I really can't think of any point in my life where I thought that it would be cool if I was a PCV. In fact, I can think of lots of times when I thought about how cool it wouldn't be. But, de toute façon, here I am.
And here I go. I ran into a grad student from Harvard yesterday (while having drinks during happy hour at the Hilton; I am so not Peace Corps) and she is staying with a family in Dschang (where I'm headed) and she told me that it's absolutely beautiful there. Not one person has said anything about that place. It's actually beginning to worry me because they must be hiding something incredibly evil there. That's all I can think. But maybe it actually is some mountain paradise and I'll never want to come back.
Well, here's the point where I say good bye until I get to post. It's kind of comforting knowing that I'm going to be there for two years. There's a constancy that eases the mind a little. I don't know what else to say at this point. It's all a little overwhelming. But I do hoope you are all doing well and continuing to write. I'll let you know once I have a new address but you can always send them to the Yaoundé address and be sure that I'll get them. In fact, if you're sending packages, please use only the Yaoundé PC address. A bientôt. -ALK 
