A note about the title

A note about the title of my blog. One of our training activities introduced us to a number of proverbs from various cultures. The proverb I was given was “small small catch monkey,” which is apparently a Cameroonian proverb in pidgin English. Two of Cameroon’s ten provinces speak English and many of the border regions of these provinces speak pidgin English, which is a combination of two languages, in this case English and native Cameroonian dialects (I think). The proverb means that no one can catch a monkey if he jumps at the primate quickly and suddenly – it takes time. That is, little by little, if you work slowly and carefully, you can sneak up on the monkey and catch it.

I chose to title my blog as such because I think this is a pretty great metaphor for the entire Peace Corps experience. In so many ways, Peace Corps is a slow, gradual process, exacted in baby steps – of adjusting to an unfamiliar culture, of learning a new language, of becoming a member of a community and not just “white man” (although, many current PCVs have told us that we may always be referred to as “white man” regardless of how integrated into a community we become), of recuperating after being ill, of working towards behavior change in a community, of learning about oneself. For me, this proverb seems like it will embody my experience in its entirety, and it was altogether too perfect not to name my blog as such.

If I ever contact you upset about something, ready to pack up and ship home, I’d appreciate it if you could remind me, “small small catch monkey.”