Living in a Central African city and learning more than just a language

I chose the Middlebury School in Cameroon because I knew I wanted to study French outside of France. I wanted to immerse myself in a place to which I never would have otherwise had a connection. My four and a half months abroad in Cameroon were perhaps some of the most challenging but I wholeheartedly know now that I would have regretted a decision not to go.

Re French language study: Living with a host family meant listening to and conversing in French everyday. Navigating the streets of Yaoundé meant you were surrounded by French. This program allows for full language immersion and therefore a significant strengthening of my conversational French. Classes at the local university were very manageable. Various theoretical and fictional readings as well as numerous writing assignments (weekly journals, reading reactions, longer papers) further strengthened my French reading and writing skills.

Re host family: My host family was a very significant and central aspect of my abroad experience. My family members became my mentors and my closest friends and it was in the home that I learned most about life in Yaoundé and Cameroonian culture. I was embraced as a daughter and very cared for.

Re safety: With several support systems (host families, the program director, program professors, friends, program peers), I felt very safe living in Yaoundé. The taxi system becomes second nature very quickly, and I was able to comfortably navigate the city on my own.

The best part about studying abroad in Cameroon and about Cameroonian culture is the warmth you find in human interaction - go and see for yourself! Absorb it all!