HIS

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African Immersion

The participants of many immersion programs were usually welcomed well by their host families. Frank’s experience was not any different; she got a warm reception in Cameroon. She was glad of the utmost courtesy that the people and her immersion colleagues showed. Her experience was unique though it was her first time in Africa. She adapted so quickly, and she was able to go out about by herself. In addition, Frank found her host parents to be hospitable as she had the constant access to hot showers and microwave meals. Her story was about a sincere hospitability and jovial family which complemented her stay during the program. In general, host families fully accepted immersion members as their own ones. As an act of gratitude, many immersion participants sent postcards to their host families to show how they appreciated their attitudes to them. Emilee Petrus interned at the Kumba District Hospital. She brought along medical supplies. Though the hospital was in a deplorable state, the morale and determination that the medical staff showed substantially motivated her. Ma Di Orphanage was a real description of pain and suffering amidst faith and hope. These conditions were a turning point for immersion participants who visited this center (Amin 261).

Most of the students were not in shock about the conditions they encountered in their placement sites. Initially, they were well aware that Cameroon and most of the African countries were developing at the time. Whether it was the lack of access to medical care or scarce of money and medical supplies as Emilee remarked during her experience at Kumba District Hospital, it was a confirmation of their perceptions. Their attitudes in the face of problems were sheer determination to improve the areas they resided in. For instance, Emilee was willing to pay for the patients who would not afford to raise medical fees (Amin 262). Frank conceptualized that she and other graduates from the Dayton University could donate computers for the Bishop Rogan College. Many immersion participants returned to Cameroon to achieve certain personal goals. For example, Joseph Biedenharn and Teresa Winland among others wanted to do something for humanity after their experiences in their placement sites. Petrus had an idea of beginning an NGO after seeing all the pain and suffering at Ma Di’s Orphanage. She fell in love with the children whom she remarked as beautiful, yet they were suffering in her journal entries.

Race is a very emotive issue in the US, and so it was for many immersion program participants. Many Cameroonians deemed the white people to be superior, and they suffered from the inferiority complex. Cameroonians thought that the black Americans were too deviated from their African roots. Moreover, they thought the black Americans were invading their culture (Amin 219-220). An African American in the immersion group complained about his isolation in a group of white Americans. It is worth noting that stereotypes of white students were broken down. While some expressed their wishes to go back home and felt like the African, some mainly white females adored children while they disliked African males. The Whites acted as if they were elites while Africans were slow and boring.

Overall, the participating students learned a lot from the immersion program. The experiences compelled the students to realize how much they had, and how much they had already wasted. It is remarkable that through the program, students conceived that they had many capabilities to improve humanity. Most of them were challenged to have dreams about the future. The realization that the bonds that unite human nature stronger than threats to break them was perhaps the biggest lesson. In Cameroon, the students saw and felt the love from their host families. Students like Frank and Emilee among others identified problems that Cameroonian people faced. Emilee even routed for an NGO while others like Joseph, Teresa, Forzano and Ryckman made visits and engineered the ETHOS and OSRI initiatives for the people (Amin 262). Ultimately, the participating students found faith, belief, and resilience by experiencing the work culture in Cameroon.

Works Cited

Amin, Julius A. African immersion: American college students in Cameroon. Lexington Books, 2014.