So, I've been in Ngaoundéré for a little more than two weeks. I'm still just getting to know the city, and I still feel like I learn something new every single day. I don't have time to share everything now, but here are a few of my favorite lessons:
Lesson One: I am Overstimulated
My first few days in the house, I couldn't help but feel sorry for my host mother, Fadi. She practically never leaves the house, and spends most of her day cleaning, taking care of the kids, or just hanging out. When I spent more than a few hours at the house, I became very ansy and bored. As I left the high walls to explore the city every day, sometimes, I couldn't help but thinking, "thank god I can get out!"
As usual, my feelings regarding Fadi's life say much more about me than they do about her. Somehow, I overlooked that Fadi seems to be one of the happiest people that I've ever met. I'm the one with the problem here. At home, I check my e-mail about five times a day; I follow the complicated lives of the characters in my favorite HBO series; I usually have a novel going; if I want to listen to music, I choose from the thousands of songs on my Ipod. Am I really so addicted to being busy that I can't sit and chill out for a few hours without going crazy?
Lesson Two: How to Bargin
Still working on this one, and honestly, don't know if I will ever excel. I usually regard paying the extra francs as a small fee for avoiding confrontation with a stranger. But little by little, I'm learning, because you really can't get through a day here without knowing how to name your price. The other day, I tried to find a taxi home in the rain. After spending a few minutes looking in vain, I finally found an empty one and hopped in. Then the negociations began.
The driver wanted 1000 CFA (about two dollars), about five times the normal Cameroonian price. No way, I said. I suggested 350, which was very high for the distance I wanted to drive. He told me to be nice because he was an old man, I told him to be nice because I was a student. After about five minutes, I busted out my cellphone and told him that if he wouldn't take me, I would call my good friend Gaston who drives a nice moto. The driver stepped on the gas.
Lesson Three: I will marry a lawyer
I learned this lesson from a traditional fortune teller. After placing my hand on a bed of sand, he drew several geometric shapes and lines. After he analyzed them, I learned that my future partner will be an attorney at law. Sweet.
Lesson Four: A little more Fulbe
I try to learn a bit more of the language as I go along. My favorite expression: "waddatako" which means "impossible!". I remember as "what-a-taco."
Thats all for now, hope all is well!
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2 comments:
I'm sure I'm a colonialist pig, but I would also feel sorry for a woman whose whole life was about cleaning the house and taking care of kids, and whose society did not offer her a chance to be educated and achieve.
Then again, I know what's out there, know what I mean? I see a wide spectrum of options. As long as she doesn't know any different she's probably not miserable.
i love kai waddatako!!! we would say it all the time, like instead of saying cheese when you take a picture.
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