In this report I discuss numerous odds and ends.

10 August 2003

1.  Karibu

In Kenya and in Cameroon no, and I mean, absolutely no interaction
starts without a greeting.  I remember well going to the counter at
the post office in Buea when I first arrived as a Peace Corps
Volunteer.  The clerk was busy with some minor work but obviously
knew I was there.  I became impatient when she failed to acknowledge
me.  Eventually, I asked her somewhat sharply whether she had some
stamps, and she responded in an equally irritated manner.  I thought
her manners quite rude.  In retrospect I realize that it was my
manners that were rude.  I had failed to start the interaction by
greeting her.  Now, somewhat as a private joke, I always greet
people in the states, whether it be in person or on the telephone.
This often startles them.  The greeting in Kenya is karibu, which
means "you are welcome."  The appropriate response is "thank you."
In Cameroon, people geet you by saying "you are welcome."
When we were originally here, when someone said, "Thank you,"
no one responded, "You're welcome," except for me, out of habit.
When I was teaching at GTC Molyko, a voke-tech secondary school,
on (a rare) occasion a student would say, "Thank you," and I would
automatically respond, "You're welcome."  This would initiate a
cycle of thank yous and welcomes, to the the huge amusement of the
class.  Cameroonians still greet by saying, "You are welcome," but
now they also say, "You are weclome," in response to a "Thank you."

2.  Charity

I am not sure I have it right, but I believe the talmud talks about
four levels of (the righteousness of) charity.  At the first level
the donor and recipient know who is giving and who is receiving, at
the second level only the donor knows, at the third level only the
recipient knows, and at the fourth level neither knows.  After our
experience here I am becoming a fan of the higher levels of charity.
We made substantial (in Cameroonian terms) donations to five
organizations.  Each wanted to have (sometimes more than one)
elaborate ceremonies, followed by meals.  We timed our donations so
that they occurred at the end of our stay, because we felt the
attendant publicity would attract many other would-be recipients,
as well as thieves and robbers.  Thus, at the very end of our stay
we have been besieged by requests to have various ceremonies to
recognize our philanthropy when we can ill afford the time.

3.  Mail

The mail system in Cameroon does not function perfectly well.
Fat envelopes in particular get opened and searched, apparently by
post office employees.  It is also slow.  Some books that our friend
Lydia Luma of the CRC Remedial and Primary School received last week
had been mailed last October.  When I was here before I sometimes
saw alternative solutions to the mail problem.  On a bush taxi to
Bamenda, as we sped through a small village, the driver shouted to
get a bystander's attention and threw a letter out the window.
Currently, the system has become quite a bit more refined.  A lot of
mail is sent by bush taxi.  More than that, there is now a system of
money transfer run by some of the bush taxi agencies.  I can go to
mile 17, the local taxi park, deposit some money with a transportation
agency, and the corresponding amount will be given to my designated
recipient in some other town.

4.  Protein

Because of Janice's interest in nutrition, we have had a number of
discussions with people about ways to increase the amount of protein
in the Cameroon diet, which lacks (animal) protein because of the cost.
When we were in Buea before we were aware of a project to introduce
(domesticated) rabbit into the diet.  Cameroonians eat a wide variety
of what is called bush meat, so rabbit seemed like a cheap source of
protein which could be added to the diet.  The Cameroonians just would
not eat rabbit.  A ready source of protein that is part of the
Cameroonian diet is chicken.  There are chickens wandering around
everywhere, and they are not kept as pets.  On the other hand, they are
free-range chickens, by definition, and are typically on the tough side.
At least for the last ten years there have been commercial sources of
chicken, where the chicken are grown in a confined space and are thus
reasonably tender.  Marketing these chickens has met some resistance,
because the Cameroonians prefer the tough chickens.

5.  UB Grades

One of my big regrets about my leaving Cameroon last time was my opting
to not bring copies of the grades I assigned.  I thought I had assigned
a lot of grades, perhaps 1500 in my two years, so that with 30 grades
per page, making photocopies would have been a big job.  At least four
of the current students at Lehigh were in my classes at the University
of Buea.  When asked to write a recommendation I read the student's
transcript, but I lack context for the grade the student earned.  For
example, one of the Lehigh students from my UB Maths 203 class of 114
earned an A, but I am unsure how many A's I assigned.  My guess is four.
About a week ago it occurred to me that the UB registrar might have
the grades, by class, in a database.  Indeed he does.  I now have an
electronic copy of all the grades I assigned.  I thought my estimate of
1500 grades might be an exaggeration, and I was right.  I assigned more
than 1800 grades.

6.  Eating Utensils

Many Africans use their hands to eat all their food; all Africans use
their hands to eat some foods.  Certain dishes, roast fish being my
favorite example, taste better when eaten with the (right) hand.
Americans find this slightly distasteful.  When we ate at the Hotel
l'Atlantic in Yaounde last week, many of the Rotarians ordered pizza.
They ate their pizza with a fork, whereas most Americans would have
used their hands.

7.  Cam no go

As I have talked with various Cameroonians about my guiding nine of their
compatriots to school in the states, we often discuss the issue of
whether the students will return to Cameroon.  Sometimes in the African
household a guest arrives and somehow never leaves.  In Pidgin that person
is called a "cam no go."  The issue of the "cam no go" in this context is
a complicated one.  Often, people return with a good education, but
cannot find a job.  Still, we have met a number of people who have come
back with the aim of helping improve Cameroon and have made substantial
contributions to this cause.  Our (new found) friend Niba Fidelis, of
Bafut, is an interesting case.  He came back to contribute to rural
development in and around Bafut.  His first child was born in the US and
thus can readily live in the US.  Until college he was educated in
Cameroon, and now he is studying in the US.  His father is trying to
cultivate him to a life where he spends time in both of his native
countries.