ABSTRACT
This chapter captures reflections of those friendships, engagements, and relationships of people from both sides of the Atlantic, and most of it in their own words. Volunteers worked to distance themselves from the US Embassy in Yaoundé, the United States Agency for International Development, and any other US official interactions and activities in the country, arguing that the objectives of those agencies in Cameroon were different from those of the Volunteers. Corruption in Cameroon was a regular topic in Volunteers’ Post Books. It existed in virtually all facets of life: rents, electricity bill, police stop on the road, processing of official documents, and employment. Volunteers learned early on that a prerequisite for success was an understanding of the local culture. From the inception of the Peace Corps, especially when training was in the United States, Trainees went through a rigorous selection process to determine if they were “tough” enough to make it overseas.
