Culture Shock: Back to Cameroon

Blog by Ryan Oliver Hansen

What is it like to go back to Africa? Surprisingly, for me, it’s a culture shock every time. I’ve been living in Cameroon for five years, and yet each time I return from visiting the USA I go through a fresh culture shock. When I’m in the USA where there’s clean, running water, safety, security, organization and efficiency all around, I tend to forget just how different Cameroon is from my home country.

The first “taste” of culture shock came from the water. We do our best with what we have—a filter thing that sort of filters water. I took a drink of water and WOW! What a taste. The taste was a combination of dirt and plastic. Later that day, my stomach gave a strong reaction to the water by ordering it out of my body very quickly.

So things went fairly well without me being in Cameroon. We have an incredible African Director named Olivier. He keeps on top of things, but unfortunately he had to fire our nanny who was not fulfilling her responsibilities and was being rude and harsh to the kids, especially Pepito, who is in a wheelchair and severely handicapped. That’s just wrong. So she had to go.

Thus, with a part-time interim nanny, things were not really in order. We work to maintain a high level of sanitation at all times. But this area was definitely getting a B instead of an A. I’ve spent the day today cleaning out the house and making sure we’re all on the same page when it comes to cleanliness. As I’ve written this, two mice have appeared—one on the desk and one below it. The war is on!

I’ve made the goal of not getting angry anymore. It’s useless. I simply have to understand that everyone I work with is doing the best they can, and I can’t expect everyone to keep this house the way my family does in the USA. It’s a process of learning and improving together, one smelly peed-on sheet at a time.

This morning I dug out an old coffee maker that someone donated. I cleaned it off and plugged it in, and added coffee. It began making coffee, giving me a familiar cozy feeling, when suddenly it stopped and the room smelled like burning plastic. The electricity in Cameroon is never stable, so it can be hazardous to appliances. It zapped the coffee maker. Goodbye coffee maker.

This morning Olivier had to go out and we don’t have a morning nanny for the time being, so I was in charge of everybody. Pepito (in wheelchair) had to go to the bathroom. I put him on the toilet thing we have for him outside and he went pee. I put his pants and underwear back on and dumped the little plastic tub. I used to hate this task and I’d feel sorry for myself each time because it grosses me out. But again, in addition to eliminating anger, I’ve decided to eliminate all self-pity. Useless emotions are gradually taking an exit from my life…

It’s extremely hot in Yaounde right now (or maybe it’s just my body thinking it’s exceptionally hot). My back, chest, and legs are all sweaty from going up and down the stairs, lifting boxes, unpacking, etc. I was dying for a shower. And then the most notorious culture shock moment came as it always does: NO WATER. They’ve cut off our water. No running water means no flushing toilets. Hot weather with no flushing toilets…it’s a great combination.

The incompetence of those who are in charge of this city is astounding. But incompetence is probably the wrong word. They just don’t care. Laziness?

One could say that I’m “suffering.” At times I’ve said that. But I’ve chosen to live here. I’ve chosen this life. True, the inconveniences are numerous. But my reaction to them is what I can control. I’ve returned to Cameroon with new goals and a new perspective I’ve gained from reading the books The Power of Now, the follow-up book A New Earth, and the objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand. Basically, I’m learning to live in the present moment and base my thinking on facts and logic. I’ll have to write a blog about that sometime.

The squeal of excitement from the kids when I returned was something very special. Olivier didn’t tell them I was coming back on the 22nd so they were completely surprised. Giving the new Princess and the Frog shirts to Ornela and Olga was priceless. They now have a Disney Princess who looks like them! It’s a privilege to be loved by these kids.

The culture shock will fade as it always does…and I’ll conclude that it’s all worth it as I always do.