My Interview with the Bilingual Club

I've been doing a bit of work with one of the local high schools, Lycée de Bafang Rurale. The librarian there - a natural teacher who is amazing with the students - came up with a plan for me to come in as a special invitee to speak with the bilingual club, so that they could get a chance to chat with a native English speaker, someone with an accent and mannerisms different from Anglophone Cameroonians.  He also wanted it to be a kind of cultural exchange so they could ask me questions and learn about America and American culture.  I went in today and immediately drew a crowd of fascinated students, who followed me from building to building as I looked for the room we'd be in.

The librarian had told me several times that he was going to be very selective and only allow about 8 or 9 girls to participate, so that it could be a more intimate conversation. But my blanche celebrity status just did not allow this to happen! We ended up with about 30 students in the room, who were encouraged to ask me ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING - to learn about my country and practice English. Well, it turned out to be a ton of fun, because all the students who came actually wanted to learn and practice English. Plus, their curiosity about my culture went way beyond the standard small talk I encounter in village!

Some of the questions they asked, I expected :

• What is your name?
• Where are you from?
• How long have you been in Cameroon?
• Do you have any children?
• Are you married? Will you marry my brother?

Some were a little more interesting:

• Can you tell me about the seasons in America? (Ah, this one made me nostalgic...)
• How is the government structured?
• How are American schools different from Cameroonian schools?

And a couple really made me laugh:

• Why do you Americans like dogs so much?
• Why do you always say "cheese" when you take a picture?

The last one had me cracking up, because I had to explain that we like it when people SMILE for pictures, unlike most Cameroonians who will sternly stare into the camera for every photo op.  

The whole experience was fun for me, but I felt especially touched when the librarian made a little speech to the class about how he wanted them to see me as a role model. "You see how she speaks French and English? You can be like this too! You can be bilingual too! and she is only 23 years old but she has done all these things and come to live here in Cameroon, so hurry up with your studies so that you can also accomplish this much by the time you're 23."  It put a lump in my throat.  I spend a lot of time here feeling unqualified for the teaching I'm doing, undeserving of the "honorable position" I am often given, and like I'm just messing around having fun abroad while my friends are advancing their careers.  He made me forget all that and feel pretty good about what I'm doing. 

At the end of the day, after we ate some rice and drank some juice that the librarian generously offered, we took a group picture and everyone shouted "CHEESE" before breaking into fits of giggles. 

It was awesome.

I didn't completely forget about this blog, I swear!

I haven't updated my blog in a million years for a number of reasons:

• I've been here a year, so if I go to the market, or take public transport, or teach a class, it no longer feels like "OMG," but instead more like "yeah, life". So I don't feel compelled to tell you about eating plantains and koki and cous cous, or riding motos and cramming into bush taxis, or seeing so many green hills and palm trees and banana trees, or doing maybe a really good job of negotiating a price down. 
• I have wifi, so instead of planning ahead for blog entries when I'd have good Internet, I'm just on it every day and don't ever think about it.
• After a little time passes, suddenly the thought of recounting g EVERYTHING from FOREVER seems daunting so I put off the task

         Which is why I'm going to stop telling my every meal and daily activities, and start sharing random anecdotes from life in this wacky country!

First of all, I never officially introduced this guy: 

Bruce and I met at a party in a town about two hours from my house. When I first saw him I thought he was a rat. Well, he turned out to be a super friendly, evidently abandoned kitten that everyone kind of wanted to take home, but only I (in my mourning, reboundy post-Colby state) was crazy enough to actually commit to. During the whole party he sat on my shoulder as we danced and played drinking games and chatted with friends.  Since we shared so many of the same interests, I figured it was meant to be. I crammed him in my purse, zipped it almost all the way, and took him on several long bus rides til we got home and started our happy life together. He's a real sweetie pie and keeps me company and is almost done peeing and crapping wherever he pleases. 

But yeah stuff is still good (see entry: I'm singing in the rain). Bafang is still the best post ever (see entry: Post Announcement). I like my friends, I like my town, I like my students, and I'm feeling pretty good about my work situation between the women's school, youth delegation, and local high school.  I now have not one but TWO awesome roommates (one human, one feline)!  I get to travel! I'm near friends! My small monthly salary is still more than adequate for the cost of living here! Can't complain. 

Listen to these songs

African music is good, and much more like American top 40s and less like Ladysmith Black Mambazo than you might expect. 

Pala Pala - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KABH9b-UZFk - this song makes me feel a little pala pala every time I hear it
Eminado  - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HxPqkwahxe0

They're both wildly popular and wildly catchy - I dare you to listen to either and not start dancing!

My family's visit!

Yay!  My family came!  It was really nice to see them and fun to play the role of tour guide. To hear all about their trip in an enthralling play-by-play, check out my dad's site write-up : http://monkeynutproductions.com/Cameroon_2014.htm

And I'll be seeing them again soon if all goes as planned when I come home for Christmas!