Locked Out of My Country

I have been locked out...

It is week 3 and I am stuck at an Airbnb in Togo

I traveled out of Cameroon on the 15th of March 2020, to attend a wedding in Ghana on the 17th of March.

Whilst in Ghana, the number of COVID-19 cases grew in Cameroon, so one of the measures taken was to close the Cameroon borders.

I tried reaching the government through the Cameroon consulate here to no avail. I then traveled to Togo with the intention of taking the 2-days bus drive through Nigeria back to Cameroon.

When I got to Togo, the Ghanian government decided to shut down its borders too, that meant I couldn't get back into Ghana. I couldn't as well continue on the bus trip because Cameroon Land borders were closed too.

I am alone, in a country I have never been to before, living in a rented apartment, and wondering how everyone else is doing.

I am spending this time taking remote courses on JavaScript and React, putting myself out there through various work channels looking for remote work. This has not been all bad. I just miss my younger ones so much, I miss eating some Cameroonian food, having some laughs with my friends, and basically just going out.

These are things I took for granted before. Thank God for the World Pulse Online Family, I read stories here and I am super encouraged, and though virtually, I get to spend time with all of you through your stories.

One poem has elevated throughout this period

                    "When this is over, may we never again take for granted

                                  A handshake with a stranger

                                  Full shelves at the store

                                 Conversations with neighbors

                                 A crowded theater

                                Friday night out

                               The taste of communion

                               A routine checkup

                             The school rush each morning

                            Coffee with a friend

                            The stadium roaring

                             Each deep breath

                               A boring Tuesday

                               Life itself.

                            When this ends

                               may we find

                          that we have become

                              more like the people

                            we wanted to be

                             we were called to be

                             we hoped to be

                            and may we stay

                              that way — better

                               for each other

                            because of the worst."

                                                   by Laura Kely Fanucci

 I actually don't know when I will get home, I don't know how soon I will be able to see my family again, I don't even know how soon I will sleep on my own bed, I am just happy I can talk and keep in contact with them through WhatsApp.

Let's just be reminded to cherish every single moment, call a friend, check up on her, laugh uncontrollably, spend as much time with your loved ones as possible, eat as much as your stomach can take, be happy for no reason, love genuinely, and above all....thank God that you get to experience this part of history.