Blurb

This blog was created for the sole purpose of preparing all of our Cameroonian posts for Blurb... I'm putting our whole two years up in a book! Anyone want a copy? :)

What I've Learned In Cameroon...

• If you walk in the rain, you will get malaria.
• Eating too many mangoes gives you Yellow Fever.
• Pumpkin doesn't actually come in a can.
• You can make spaghetti sauce with actual tomatoes (not from a can).
• Pineapple isn't actually acidic.
• Hazard lights are there on your car so that you can drive as fast as you want.
• If it's not dark outside (yet) you should use the lights INSIDE your car instead of your headlights.
• It's ok to change your tire in the middle of the road. Just put a clump of grass out on the road to let everyone know that you're there.
• A right turn signal can mean a right turn, left turn, or (more likely) a complete stop.
  
• The more oil you add, the better your food tastes.
• The more salt you add, the better your food tastes.
  
• If you are sick, it's because your neighbor probably put a curse on you.
• Toilets are for rich people.
• So is deodorant.
• Women should shave their eyebrows, not their legs.
  
• Ants on your bread? No biggie. Just brush them off.
• You should change your hairstyle at least weekly. (This includes all manner of wigs, extensions, colorings, etc., but NEVER your actual hair!)
• Men should shave their heads.
• ANY time you are sick, you HAVE to go to the hospital. That is the only option.
• Parsley isn't just a dried up leaf in a bottle.
• Papayas taste GOOD!!!!!!!
• Mangoes taste GOOD!!!!!!
• Bananas? Heavenly!!!!!
• All good butter is imported from France.
• You can make the most fantastic spaghetti sauce using FRESH tomatoes... Who knew?
• Having a housekeeper can seriously help you on your way to becoming OCD.
• Babies should never cry. (What??!?!? This seriously impedes naptime, and they all wonder why their kids never sleep...)
• Peanuts in the wine bottles are not alcoholic. They're seriously yummy!
• You get ringworm from being bitten by a small black and red bug.
  

I will miss Cameroon. A big hug and kiss to all our friends (our Family) there. We will remember you forever! Thank you for enriching our lives!

That's how we do!!

Early Christmas Program

It's always strange to celebrate Christmas in Cameroon, as it still feels like July to me. Normally, Josh's school has their annual Christmas choir concert around the day or so before Christmas break. This year, however, the music teacher was mysteriously called back to France before then. So, they moved the concert up a few weeks and we got to go!





The concert started an hour late, and ended an hour and a half later than what I had hoped for(I think it was much later than many people had hoped for--especially the pre-k kids, as many of them just laid down on the ground and fell asleep before the whole thing ended...), but, hey, what can you do? Josh was so happy that he got to be in his concert, and it was fun to watch his enthusiasm! :)

Inside the Box

This is how we think inside the box:




These boxes are super huge! It took 7 of them to pack all our 'worldly goods' into! Whew!

The truck backed into our driveway--but the top hit the wires! So, when it backed into the driveway, Napoleon, our guard, used his nightstick to hold all the wires up! Zap!!



Then, when the truck went out, instead of making Napoleon stand 'en haut', he stood on the ground and used a super long stick to lift the power lines out of the way. I'm just glad no one was seriously injured doing that...but then, it is Africa...



(It's hard to see the guy with the stick, so you have to look really closely...)

Holy Bread, Batman!

I just love the size of these loaves of bread:




I also love the idea of Rotisserie chicken in Cameroon. You cook it in the rotisserie thing, then when someone picks one out to buy, you have to chop it up in little pieces and throw it in the deep fry. When we told her 'no thanks' to the deep fry, she looked at us really strangely. 'Can you do that?' Um, yes, please. Then she tried to spread mayonnaise on it, and we said no, and once again she looked at us like we were from outer space...which is pretty close, I suppose. Ah, the joys of 'fast food' in Cameroon!

All Packed Up

Our house is packed up.





I think Peter shows here how we all feel.

The English Branch Goodbyes

Here are some of our friends from the English branch. We had a special dinner with many of our good friends!

The Ndongo Family (they were the rest of my primary!): Ephraim, Agnes, Alma, Abinidi, and Frank



The Minyem Family: Alain, Hortense, Leila, and Naomi

(Also pictured here are Claire and Jerry--another member of the branch)

The English Branch Presidency:



Dev and me with Frere Zang and Lilian

(They are the ones who bought our van)

We will miss our wonderful Cameroonian friends! We wish them well in their endeavors and hope for the best for them and their families and futures!