All levels, all classes

I have been thinking lately about how, as Peace Corps volunteers, we are in very privileged positions, being able to connect, while possibly not belong, to people here on every class level. Perhaps because we will always be outsiders, and never quite fit into any of the structures in place, we are able to develop relationships and form friendships with members of all different levels of society here: government administrators, traditional leaders, wealthy business people, small village farmers, "immigrants" from the south, university educated, high school students, illiterate adults, nomadic herders, Foulbe majority, small ethnic minorities, men, women, children. All these people somehow feel that we are relevent to their lives, or at least, which is even better, feel comfortable approaching us, sharing time together, sharing conversation and being friends. And I take great comfort in that fact, that I can enter the "foyers" of any of these groups and sit with them and talk, and listen, and feel at home, whether it is a spacious palace, or a tight city neighborhod, a country small compound, a mud hut. It struck me how true that was, and got me thinking about it two days ago, when I was flagged down by one of the local princes in the streets of Garoua to catch up on lives. As soon as he pulled away in his SUV, I heard another shout "Elizabeth!" and looked across the street to a construction worker friend who ran over to hug me after spending 6 months in Yaounde with a sick sister. And the more I think about that, and realize it, I feel very blessed to be in such a position, and to realize that blessing, for in our own lives at home, often in understanding social structures, we have an understanding of where we belong. I must say that in America, those social structures are a lot less rigid than here, and people of different economic means might have more opportunity of interacting and sharing with each other. Such lines are more blurry. However here, there are so many social strata, and often incredible importance put on that, whether in the realm of ethnicity, or wealth. So even more so, I feel privileged to be granted a position as a PCV to interact, and be seen as a friend, and get a window into so many different lives of different types of people here. I am thankful for that.