It’s interesting to me that I get noticed as being Chinese much more in Yaoundé than in the US. Well, maybe it’s really just that people here in Cameroon will point out the observation while in the US people won’t say anything. I will from time to time hear someone yell “Nihao” or “Chinois!” (Chinese person!) out of a car window, or as I walk by.

(As an aside, I suppose it’s no different than hearing “Les Blanc” (white person) on the street.)

I had a funny encounter the the other day, as I was buying a sandwich in a little shop by the side of the road. Two Cameroonians walked in while I was waiting and one said (the conversation was originally in French), “Oh, Nihao”. I said, “Well, I am American”. This didn’t compute initially so the friend said, “He said he’s American”. Then the first person said, “Oh, well you have a Chinese face”.

I guess I have a Chinese face.

Much like Canada, Cameroon is officially bilingual.  We are living in the French-speaking part of the country and need to communicate in French when we meet people on the street, go to the store or market, and to communicate at work.  But there’s also a lot of English.

Since Yaoundé is the capital, many people are here from all over the country, including many anglophones (I may have written a bit about this in the past).  Part of meeting someone is learning whether they are english or french speaking.  And, since both languages are used by many people, there’s a working assumption that everyone is able to understand both languages.

This leads to some interesting experiences.

To put this in perspective, we have a weekly chapel meeting at our office on Friday mornings.  Recently, one of the Cameroonian directors, who is Francophone, gave the presentation on his department in French.  However, he used a set of powerpoint slides that were entirely in English to go along with his presentation.  He also asked a few of his direct reports to come up and say a few words, some spoke in English and some in French.

It was expected that everyone there could follow along to this mix of languages.

Another colleague noted that on the national newscasts, stories are presented in both languages throughout the program.  However, they are not repeated in each language — instead some stories are presented in English and some stories presented in French.  If you want to hear *all* the news, you need to understand both languages.

Our time in French study has been incredibly useful for getting through daily life here in Cameroon, but sometimes you have to stay on your bilingual toes.

The area where we live has a number of bars in nearby and there is also a large hotel across the road that plays loud karaoke into the night.  So, even though we’re set back from the main road a bit, it can be a bit loud in the evening (the karaoke crowd likes Celine Dion).  But subconsciously, we are all becoming familiar with Cameroonian pop songs — even if we aren’t actively seeking them out.  They get pumped into our heads as we sleep, or try to sleep.

This particular song has played frequently at night and I started recognizing it often as I was at the grocery store and other contexts.  And now I can share it with you all — try listening to it as you fall asleep.

Also noteworthy is its interesting uses of cam franglais: lyrics like “Est-ce que tu know que je t’aime” is strangely appropriately Cameroonian, as well as the general mix of languages throughout the song.

(Disclaimer — I’ve attached the music video, and while it doesn’t contain anything you can’t put on youtube, it is a music video and therefore might not be appropriate for everyone).  Click “Continue reading…” (if you see it) to continue to the video.

Continue reading →

In Cameroon it’s best to have small money (or in French: la petite monnaie).

This means, you should have 100 CFA coins, 500 CFA coins/notes, and 1000 CFA notes available all the time for your purchases.  This is because many merchants just don’t have the change to give you.

Shannon and Eila went to the local store down the street to buy some flour and a few treats.  Two kilos of flour and a Sprite were 1200 CFA.  Eila paid with a 2000 CFA note, but shop keeper didn’t have sufficient change for her.  Well, what happens now?

This happens often.

In this case, as if often the case, the solution is to buy more or less until an appropriate amount of change is reached for the shopkeeper/cashier.  In Eila’s case, we bought a roll of toilet paper to bring our change to what the shopkeeper had available and everything was fine.  There have been other cases where if a grocery store order brings the total to 10,150 CFA — items are not purchased to make it  so change can be made.

Taxi rides to a destination that is nearby is just 100 CFA or maybe 150 CFA.  But if you don’t have exact change, you’re expected to tell the driver as you get in.  He might not take you if he doesn’t have change.

In my western mind, it always seems odd that transactions are not made to ease the exchange of change, but that’s how things are.

So, in Cameroon, it’s best to have small money.

We’ve been here in Cameroon a little over one month now.  We’ve had a buddy family help us through the ropes.  And, we’ve had lots of people around to ask questions to when we weren’t sure.  We’ve also had an official orientation to expose us to a variety of topics for living here in Cameroon.

Here are some of the things we’ve learned:

• We’ve learned where to get most groceries: meat and cheese is best from one store, some groceries from another, others can be bought at a store close to us.  Some things we haven’t found yet.
• We’ve learned what we can get from the stores around us within walking distance.
• We’ve learned it is hard to get dental floss (only from the pharmacy) and maple syrup (expensive).
• We’ve learned about greetings.
• We’ve learned about making friends.
• We’ve learned to cook njama jama and fou fou.
• We’ve learned about driving differently.
• We’ve learned about taking a taxi.
• We’ve learned to shake hands with people, a lot.
• We’ve learned to cross the road.
• We’ve learned how some things react to a tropical climate, usually with mold.
• We’ve learned to deal with blackouts.
• We’ve learned where to go running.
• We’ve learned what to wear where.
• We’ve learned some nice places to eat.
• We’ve learned to appreciate the clouds and rain.
• We’ve learned to ask for help.

There is so much still to learn, but we are learning a little more each day.