Christmas in Cameroon

This post is from Brad's father, Brad Melius, Sr. I spent 13 days with Brad around Christmas (December 15-27) traveling around Cameroon - Kribi, Limbe, Dschang and Brad's post in Menji. The trip was amazing, thought-provoking, humbling and altogether wonderful. Here are my observations:

I would describe Cameroonians as friendly, sometimes aggressive, extremely self-interested (though understandably so) and kind to others in need in a way you don't see any more in the US. The country is naturally beautiful, the infrastructure limited but improving, and the towns and villages very dirty by American or European standards. On the other hand, there is much, much less waste of resources than in developed Western countries. During my trip, I happened to be reading Tom Friedman's most recent book about climate change, and the contrast -between, for example, piling seven people into a Toyota Corolla taxi vs. Americans driving to work alone in SUVs - is quite obvious and stark.

I also had the opportunity to meet several of Brad's fellow Peace Corps Volunteers during the trip. I found PCVs to be dedicated, hard working people who have adapted to a very different environment and culture more easily than they realize. I also found them to be sometimes frustrated by an inability to discern their palpable impact on a daily or even weekly or monthly basis. My advice to them, to use a sailing metaphor, would be as follows: If your goal is to change the wind, you may well be disappointed and frustrated. A more workable objective is to try to reposition your sail, and perhaps the sails of a few others along the way. Having said that, my admiration for PCVs is extreme. I certainly lack the combination of guts, perseverance, patience and sheer determination needed to be a volunteer, as I think do most people I know.

Christmas in Cameroon was delightfully subdued. Brad and I attended Mass at the Catholic church in Menji and stopped at his neighbor's house for lunch. Brad and Marcellius then prepared a feast that included both American and Cameroonian fare. The cornbread was particularly delicious. I saw no Christmas trees (save for the blow-up tree sent to Brad from the States), very few lights, no presents being exchanged. However, people gathered in the village on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night to celebrate the holiday, wishing each other a "Happy Christmas," or simply "Happy, happy." It reminded me of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas: "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

The most obvious evidence of the holiday was how well dressed people were in the village, particularly at Mass. Most really took pride in their appearance, and seemed to enjoy wearing a nice suit or dress.

This leads me to a Cameroon Christmas story. Marcellius, Brad's dear friend and a great guy with a ready smile and wonderful sense of humor, owns a small clothing shop in Menji. About 9 pm on Christmas Eve, as he sat down for a beer with Brad and me, Marcellius's cell phone rang. It was one of his customers, a young girl for whom he had set aside a dress on layaway. She wanted desperately to wear the dress for Christmas, and asked Marcellius if she could pick it up despite not having paid the full purchase price. After consulting Brad momentarily, Marcellius agreed to the arrangement, scratched out a formal IOU, and reopened his shop so the girl could pick up her dress before the big day.

Welcome, Christmas, where we stand

Heart to heart, ... and hand in hand.

I want to thank Brad for escorting me around an extremely foreign land and giving me a glimpse at his experience in Cameroon that I would never have gleaned from pictures, emails, phone calls or stories.

Above are a few pictures from the trip. One is taken from inside a bush taxi, others are mostly from Christmas day at Brad's house. Those in the group photo are (left to right) Marcellius, Brad, me, Marcellius's mom, and Bertrand. Plucking chicken feathers was a first for me. Introducing Cameroonian kids to baseball was one of many experiences I will never forget.

Happy New Year to all

Brad Sr.