Last year I made a very exciting trip to Cameroon. It was my first time being outside Nigeria. I'm not much of a traveller, I've only made it to few states in Nigeria,so when my elder sister invited me to come over and stay with her for some time I was really excited. In preparation for the journey I had to go for my passport at the Immigration office in my state. Getting was passport was not so much of a smooth procedure.
My Dad fortunately had the contact of one of his friends who helped him process my sister's own and it made it a lot easier for me. I went for my interview and other related processes and I was told that my passport will be ready in a month's time.One of the sad things that happened while going for my passport was having to pay extra for an emergency pass even after I paid the original amount for the passport because my passport wasn't ready when they told me it would be, and the date of my departure was so close.
Finally after all the back and forth,my passport was ready together with some vaccination cards.
It was my first time on the high sea to Cameroon, I was really scared of water but surprisingly I was more excited than scared throughout the journey.
Arriving at the dock in Cameroon, I made my way to Douala one of the famous cities in Cameroon and stayed with my sister there.
Settling in a whole new country comes with getting to know a lot of things about them, especially their cultures. This was jot an exception for me, as a Nigerian I was met with a lot of culture shocks as it was my fist time outside my country.
Language.
Previously I used to think that Cameroon was a french speaking country and that's it. Little did I know that there were English speaking cameroonians from the north west regions of the country. Tribes such as Bamenda and Bamileke, are from the west and north west and they speak English as their first language.
This was a shock to me because I'm always worried about how to interact with people when I can't speak french fluently,and it was such a relief when I got to know about that. PIdgin ENglish is also one of the common language of interaction in Cameroon although it seems a bit different from the Nigerian Pidgin English I'm used to knowing. Personally, I enjoy hearing the natives speak the Cameroonian pidgin,it sounds so funny and interesting to hear.
Food
One of the things I loved most during my stay in Cameroon was the fact that they had had so much varieties of food. Literally,there is just so mich of them. I didn't even get to taste all of them before I came back to Nigeria and one of the interesting things is how they use mostly natural ingredients in their food. Some of the natural spices I haven't seen in real life I saw it there. Cameroonians love eating fish so much and they have an edge due to the many small rivers and streams they have all over the country.
I went to one of their local markets and I couldn't believe my eyes at the different types of fish I saw that were being so sold, they were really fresh out of the water. Cameroonians also love plantains and bananas. They are among the most sold commodities in their local food markets. Other food item like irish potatoes are among the most eaten food by the people.
We don't even eat so much irish here in Nigeria.The most popular soup among Cameroonians is the 'Eru' soup. Meet any body from Cameroon and ask the person what's your best soup, you'll expect to hear nothing less than 'Eru'. It kinda looks like the 'Edikaikong' soup we eat here in Nigeria,but I think I enjoy the 'Eru' more. It's such a rich soup made from vegetables such as waterleaf, consisting of many proteins like stockfish,dry fish ,crayfish, in fact everything fish. It was the first Cameroonian soup I tasted the moment we arrived at the dock. I didn't know what it was then but I loved it.
The other most popular dish is 'Ndole'. It is usually made from peanuts coupled with other ingredients.
I remember 
Greeting
During my highschool days in Nigeria we were taught french greetings. Bonjour for good morning,bon apres midi for good afternoon and bon soir for good evening. In Cameroonian I found out that people greet bonjour more than any other greeting and they do it at any time of the day. Another shock I got was that ,in Nigeria it's a very normal custom to greet people you meet on the road even if you don't know them.
If you get into a bus in Nigeria, people expect that you greet and acknowledge other people inside the bus with you. Maybe not to greet everybody, just a few people you want to but in Cameroon, it's not so much like that. People mind their businesses a lot and if you don't know someone,having the person respond to your greeting might be hard. Hugs and air kisses are no big deal for cameroonians as a way of greeting in public.
**Social life and celebrations **
Cameroonians are probably one of the nice people I've met. They love getting together more than anything. Sharing meals and drinks is their culture. While in the country , I noticed that there were drinking spots and relaxation centres more than anything other business. The bars are always open even at midnight and you'll still see people drinking and having fun. They love giving gifts as a way of showing care. I remember when my sister had her baby, I have never seen so much gifts and visitors my entire life. One time someone visited us at 2am in the morning with cooked meals and food for my sister. It was a shock for me, 2am? Wow.
They love celebrating any feat big or small through friendly gatherings and parties where there is so much food and drinks to run throughout the night. They are big drinkers of beer,wine and anything drinkable. Even their aged ones and are not an exception. It's very normal for an old woman to ask you for a bottle of beer in Cameroon.
Transportation
Welcome to the world of motorbikes!
There are more bikes in Cameroon than any other means of transportation. It was such a shock to me. A 5-minute traffic and you'll see a million bikes on the road. It's such a crazy experience. You'll have to take a bike to wherever you want you to go if you can't wait for a taxi. I'm sure there are buses but they are quite few,I never got into one throughout my one year stay in Cameroon, it either bikes or a taxi. They also have active trains as a fast means of transporting people but mostly goods. I didn't get a chance to get into one.
Music and dance.
Music and dance is big culture over there. There is hardly any celebrations without people dancing and singing. This is not a case in Nigeria where few people do the dancing while the introverts sit still and watch. Over there everyone is always excited to dance. I never dance in public in Nigeria because I don't know how to dance and partly because I hate people watching me dance but when I got to Cameroon, I started dancing in public because people are even too busy with their own dancing to notice you can't dance.
Dressing
Asoebi for everything!
I know on Nigeria we do asoebi mostly during weddings and it's just for a few people, probably relatives and other few interested people but in Cameroon, if their is a wedding everyone is wearing the same fabric but different styles. If theire os a funeral ceremony,then all the guests will wear the same fabric to the ceremony. During the Women's day celebration all the women all over wear the same fabric for the ceremony.
If a couple is celebrating their anniversary,then all the guests wear a dress code proposed by the couple. The most popular attire is the 'Kaba' that is worn by the women, a loose fit gown made from ankara material.You'll literally see them everywhere wearing it at home,even during parties.
One thing I admire so much is the decency in the school uniforms. I came back and told my younger sister that the girls wear ankle length skirts to school and she couldn't believe it. It was funny as well to me but all the same I love it.
It was nice experiencing a culture different from mine, it helped me appreciate more the rich human diversity. Embracing those differences made my journey more rewarding and open a way for more meaningful connections.
Images are mine
This is in response to the monthly prompt initiative organised by Inleo. Click Here to learn more about the prompt for April.
