Excuse the choppiness of this post, but I am going to attempt to really reveal some details about Bamenda and Cameroon in general.
You can really see the stars here at night and when the electricity goes out, which is quite often, it’s even better. The only other place I have seen as many stars is in Chesterfield, SC, USA, so this view is quite breathtaking and I can’t get enough of it. I think I saw the Orion’s Belt the other day, which means the view is the same as NY’s. Something like that.
Common ingredients in dishes here are palm oil, beans, plantains, bananas, dried fish, yams, potatoes and corn. How many foreigners make food is slicing tomatoes, avocado, and egg and calling it day. I never thought I would say this, but avocado and I need a break. I can’t enjoy it like I used to. Maybe when I go back to NY where avocado is 2 to 3 bucks a pop, I will regret that statement.
Bush meat is real and I have seen it. As Anderson Cooper has warned my whole family about, Cameroon is home to many jungle animals, like monkeys and these huge rat-like rodents, which are seen as delicacies to people here. When I was in Foubam, I saw a man advertise his monkey meat but swinging by its tail down the main street. YUM!
As far as I know, there is no McDonald’s in Cameroon.
I am pretty sure all of my childhood toys and clothes have ended up in Bamenda. Everytime I walk through the market I see toys I had when I was 5 and when I look closer, many of these items have Salvation Army stickers on them. Also, because so many of the clothes are second hand, it makes it more fun to try and find a t-shirt of a hometown or something similar. The closest I got was one of the hospital attendants had a St. Leo College T-shirt on, which is a small small (pidgin talk) college located outside of Tampa, Fl.
Here is how I introduce myself in pidgin: “GOOOOD Morning, I salute Ou’Na. My name na Kristy. I work with Kiva. I come up from the U.S. I be very happy to work with Ou’Na all!” Other important sayings are the following:
- Talk Say=I said/say
- Massa=Husband
- Pickin’=Child
- Small small=small
- I chop=I cook/eat
- I go chop=I will cook/eat
- I de chop=I cooked/ate
There are three ATMs in Bamenda and usually only one is working. And, everyone who has a Visa card is waiting in line at the end of the month. If a line seems longer, it is probably longer: it is socially acceptable to stand in line and then ask the person behind you to hold your spot for a while. So don’t be fooled.
Motorbikes are a common way to transport across town. And, if the public saw all the babies who ride the front seat of these bikes, also known as ocadas, they would have been less harsh with Michael Jackson and his swinging baby over the hotel phase or with Britney Spears and her her front seat drivin’ kids.
Overall, living here has been different, but easy to pick up after the first week. I want to remember these details and more. It’s so easy to forget the daily routine when you go back to what you know.
