Tu es là?

There are many small nuances to life and culture in Cameroon. I realized that many of them have now become commonplace to me. But I want to describe and detail them to you at home before I become too accustomed and forget how different and strange these little nuance are…

One of my favourite Cameroonian greetings:

When you see someone and you are first greeting them, you say “Tu es là?” which literally means “Are you there?” Then the person you asked answers, “Oui, je suis là.” Which means “Yes, I am here.” It’s just so funny to me because it’s so unnecessary. Obviously, that person is there, you’re looking at them! There are a lot of these greetings and saying in the Cameroonian French. They really like to point out the obvious, and spend a lot of time discussing/commenting on/dwelling on the blatantly evident aspects of life. Example: I get home to my host family’s and the first thing my father says to me is “Tu es là?” and of course, I answer “Oui, Guy, je suis là.”

Many times in Cameroonian life, there is a need to describe things with “beaucoup,” which means, “a lot.” i.e.: “there is A LOT of corruption in Cameroon,” or “there are A LOT of les blanches in Bafia now that all you Peace Corps volunteers here,” or “ .” there is a quirk here in Cameroon- they have a hand gesture that accompanies beaucoup! So almost every time they say beaucoup (usually to emphasize that there is many many many!) they make a fist with their right hand and take their left hand (palm out and facing down) and hit the top of their fist hand multiple times. that proved pretty difficult to explain via text. I wish I could show you, seeing the action is so much better…

One of my other favourite (yes, I am spelling everything the British way now, and using all British vocabulary, because the Cameroon educational system teachers British English, and that’s what their students are tested on, so that is what I am teaching- if the kids answer with “American English” on their nationwide exams, they will get the answer wrong!) sayings is “Nous sommes ensemble.” This is translated as “We are together.” Cameroonians use this a parting saying. So if you run into someone in the street, you have a little conversation about the weather and the health of their family, and when you part ways, one of you says “Nous sommes ensemble!” and the other answers, “Oui, Nous sommes ensemble!” The first time a Cameroon said this to me, he translated it into English. I didn’t realize at the time that this is simply a way to say goodbye, and thoroughly confused myself trying to comprehend what he meant. This saying is also used in the classroom frequently, usually when kids are talking/disturbing/not paying attention. The teacher asks, “Are we together?” and it is meant as a sort of rhetorical question and is simply a subtler way of telling the kids to shut up and listen.

Sachets! Ok, I heard rumors of this fact before coming, but now that I am here, I can verify its truth: many Cameroonians are alcoholics. Functioning alcoholics, but alcoholics nevertheless. You should see the size of the beer bottles here! Two American beers could fit inside one Cameroonian bottle easily. They also enjoy their palm wine… at anytime, including 8 o’clock I the morning. But it entertains me the most when they drink sachets. What are sachets? Well, sachets are square, sealed plastic bags. Full of liquor. Any type you want, vodka, whiskey, gin, rum, etc. There are probably about 4 or 5 ounces of liquid in each sachet, and you can buy one for 100 CFA (about 20 cents). Many people buy a few sachets and mix them in whatever soda or juice they are drinking, but those who are a bit more intense (like numerous moto drivers… safe??) like to just cut a small hole in the side of the sachet and drink their liquor straight, sort of juice box-style. When I first got here, I saw empty sachets littered all over the place. I was curious as to what they were, but I quickly deduced their contents after spotting a plethora of them outside the bar I pass walking to school everyday. Now I know, I and can steer clear of any moto drivers sucking on a plastic bag of questionable liquid!!

Some other news from in country (yes, this is what we say when referring to anything that happens here. yes, I know some of you have mocked me. no, I don’t care, and will continue to use this terminology.):

The Bananas Song has taken over Bafia!!! So last post I talked about how I had taught Bananas in class to my 5eme students. It REALLY caught on, and every time I see these students (in school or out) they start shouting “Peel, Peel Bananas/Eat, Eat Bananas/Go, Go Bananas!!” They have had other English teachers and have demanded to sing this song even when I’m not their teacher! My friend, Julia, another TEFL volunteer, taught it to her 3eme class, and now all the 3eme students are singing it! But it gets bigger. All of the 5eme and 3eme students have gone home and taught the Bananas song to their multiple siblings. So now countless children throughout Bafia know this song and I must hear 492 times a day. Walking almost anywhere I’m pretty much guaranteed to encounter it, and if I am ever eating a banana (which happens quite often, they are a staple in Bafia), it is certain some children will see me and begin chanting “Eat, Eat, Bananas!” But I haven’t gotten sick of the song yet. Not even a little bit :)

This week I’ve mainly been teaching the Terminale students (who are like our seniors in high school.) But I came in on Tuesday, and there were only three students in my class which usually has about 30! After a lot exciting French shouting, I realized that the Probatoire results had been posted. Probatoire is the nation-wide exam that is given after the Première year (like our junior year of high school) in the Francophone system. One must pass this test to continue on to the Terminale level. [There is also an exam after the Troisème year (like freshman year of high school) called le BEPC which must be passed to continue on to Seconde (like sophomore year of high school) and the BAC is the test that students take after Terminale and must pass to continue on to university. All these tests are commissioned by the government, written/graded by committee of teachers, and the same exact test is administered across the nation.] I think their system is crazy, complex, and ineffective. I simply doesn’t make sense to me to evaluate a student’s whole year of work based on one, two hour long test of arbitrary and ambiguous questions. Putting that much pressure and weight on one test isn’t logical. It sets the students up to fail. And fail they did- almost half my class didn’t pass the Probatoire, meaning they have to retake their whole première year. And this is why you’ll have students in Terminale who are older than I am. It’s a frustrating system, and heartbreaking to see the kids in tears, running home despondent and defeated. When I got home, I asked my host family about it and it sparked a huge debate about the inadequacies of the Cameroonian educational system. It ended as many discussions in Cameroon do, with the question “On va faire comment,” best translated as “What are you gonna do??” Maybe after a little more time here, I can come up with some answers to/suggestions for that question.

Well, I’m off to write an exam, next week is the last week of model school. The kids will take their tests on Friday, and then we’ll do lots of fun activities. More to come on that later. Miss you all and thinking about you! Nous sommes ensemble!