Chad Happens

(Photo: The 'getaway boat' that took all of us from Chad to Cameroon)

...and then I woke up in Cameroon. But I woke with a dream so vivid. I dreamt of loud knocks at my door with cries of "WE'RE GOING" and "EVACUATION" that cut through my grogginess with such force, in a way that is only possible in a dream. And then I dreamt of a river bank, and another country on the other side. And in my dream I stared at that river, and that other country, and those other people for a long time, and I wondered what it all meant. And then there was waiting. Waiting for a boat, for a man, for an important call. Waiting forever, like falling down an endless abyss. And when forever finally ended there was moving. Moving across that river, across that land. Moving away with blinding speed. My dream became so confused, and so exhausting that it forced me to wake up. But I am fairly certain when I went to sleep I was in Chad, which is weird because I just woke up in Cameroon.
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Yesterday, (April 14th) the Peace Corps program in Chad was evacuated out of the country due to 'political unrest' and put into a state of 'suspension'. At the time I was gathered with the other 28 volunteers (2nd and 3rd year volunteer's included) in a town not far from the Chadian capital for a five day training seminar. It just so happened that this seminar would coincide with a rather substantial attack from rebel forces on the presidential regime operating out of the capital. This attack was not unforseen. It is the result of many months of military, political, and social maneuverings, and is thought to be somewhat of a start to what is some form of prolonged civil war in Chad.
With the situation as it is, PC Washington and PC Chad decided to evacuate and suspend our program. In action, this meant crossing the Chari River by boat at the Chad-Cameroon border, where we were aided by PC Cameroon and brought inland.

What this all means for me and the other volunteers in the program is that we were taken out of Chad and we will not be returning there as PC volunteers.

The next steps are somewhat complicated and entirely overwhelming. PC is organizing a 'transitional conference' for all of us, to be held in Cameroon, where we will have all of our options detailed and explained. But in short, I will have to decide whether or not I want to return directly home, with the option to enroll within one year to a new program (and a new two years), or whether I would like to transfer directly into a program and service that has already begun (and hit the ground running). I don't know what I will do.
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I, and all of the volunteers and PC staff are safe and healthy. However, everybody is quite shaken up about being uprooted the way we were. I told my host family that I would see them in ten days and took off with a small backpack; I will never see them again. There was no easing into this, and no preparing. It was dropped onto us like two tons of boule falling from the heavy African sky. It will all take a while to process.

I believe major international news sources are carrying stories about the current situation in Chad... check it out.

I am safe, and I will write again when I have some idea what is happening in my life.

All my best,
Zach