Tuesday, September 9, 2014

The Beauty of Cameroon



My name is Mercy, and I am from Cameroon (in French it is Cameroun). I love my country and I cannot wait to visit it for the first time since coming to U.S. I came to America with my grandmother, sister, and brother to join my mother. I can recall my first time in America, we stopped briefly at McDonald, and I can recollect me and my siblings wasting the hamburgers and fries my mother had bought for us. This was because our taste buds were not yet accustomed to the difference in texture and taste of the various foods in the U.S.A. We was used to eating coconut jolloff rice, fufu and eru, suya, and burning fish. Oh how I miss Cameroon by just imagining these delicious delicacies. Although most of the foods use to create these dishes are currently being imported into the U.S.A; as with every food, it is never the same as home. Cameroon is located in West Central Africa, and it has over 24 ethnic languages. Cameroon is one of the ONLY countries in the world divided by language. Half speak French and the other half speak English. Although I was born in the French side, but before I was able to articulate words fully, we moved to the English side. That is why my first language is English, my ethnic language Bakoussi, Pidgin, and then French. Cameroon is not only prosperous in its foods and languages, but the people that live there have beauty within them as with its surroundings.
Coconut Jollof rice

Fufu and Eru

Burning Fish and Meyondo with Pepper

My people are full of live, and children must always respect their elders. No matter if you are related to an individual or not, you MUST insert uncle or aunty before the individual's name. Not only that, but every ethnic group has its various customs and beliefs, but one thing that is universal is when a lady is ready to leave her mother’s house, the man in question MUST pay her bride price. The traditional wedding is what is considered marriage in the eyes of my people. Even abroad, we still respect these customs. Traditional before white wedding. 


Famous Soccer Player Samuel Eto'o Fils


An Example of a Cameroon Traditional Marriage in the U.S.A

For its landmarks, Cameroon is known for the Waza National Park in the North. Here, you will take a safari adventure to view all the wild animals in Africa. Popular cities that I recommend you visit, include Yaounde (the Capital), Douala, Mfou, and Mbalmayo. These cities have a lot to offer in things to do as well as the beauty they exude. If you need a place to stay during your stay, I recommend Saddle Hill Ranch. It is a government resort that will pertain to your needs. And if you want to relax by the beach, don't forget to stop by Limbe and sip a bottle of Top or Djino as you devour the burning fish Limbe is so famous for.

The Waza National Park

Yaounde (Capital)

An Example of  a Village in Mfou

Saddle Hill Ranch


 By Mercy

16 comments:

  1. Mercy, I traveled extensively in Africa but did not have the privilege of visiting your lovely country. After seeing your pictures and reading of the customs, I'm ready to go.
    And I'm so glad to have you join our program as our first health care professional. Your unique educational and cultural point of view will bring much richness to the class. Share your experiences widely!

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    1. Yes professor McHie, you should visit it. It's a very lovely country that has its unique beauties. I hope I can indeed bring certain perspectives to the table. I also know I have to be more outspoken in class discussions and I know although I seem like a quite individual, I am not especially in other circumstances. But I also know this program will bring me out of my comfort zone and also enlighten me in various areas.

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  2. Mercy I am so glad that you posted this. I know very little about Cameroon and this is just an awesome blog post to read!

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    1. Thank you Caitlin, I hope I was also able to briefly educate you on my country, and I am proud to be a Cameroonian, although the president has been in power for 32 years now making him the number 4 remaining autocratic leader in power in Africa I believe. Muammar Gaddaf was killed in 2011 after the upraising in Libya. The people were tired of being ruled and created their own path to democracy. My people are so scared to die, as well as them having this mentality of I have kids to feed and what will I really gain with all the power he has and then there is that reality of a lot of blood shed that will occur as well. But I will also have to empathize with them as well, because to most just having the necessary resource to sustain them is the main goal and I understand as well, because I was in that position. Although not every country is perfect, one thing that Cameroon needs is democracy, and even if president Paul Biya dies, his right hand man the Prime Minister (also corrupted) takes over and there will really never be a break in the chain unless my people say enough is enough and begin an upraise for democracy.

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  3. wow this blog blew me away. Honestly I did not know much about Cameroon except of the Eto the famous futbol player which he is awesome to see, and that the national language is French. The pictures you provided gave me a vivid example of how culturally rich is the country of Cameroon.

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    1. Yeap Samuel Eto'o Fils, he is our man. But Cameroon has two official national languages (English and French). And one day try to visit it when you feel like visiting a country you have never visit before.

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  4. Mercy,
    I really really loved this blog entry. Cameroon sounds amazing! Thanks for the awesome post.

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    1. you are welcome, it really does, you will love the nature, and things to do if you decide to try something different and visit a country you have never been in before.

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  5. Mercy, thank you so much for telling us all about where you are from! I know nothing about Cameroon, and you described the culture so well, it made me want to learn more. It is very interesting how you mentioned respect to authority, especially since our last homework for marketing was the demographics quiz! I'm really interested so see how yours came out! Thank you so much for sharing, I would love to visit Cameroon!

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    1. Well I put my home country as Cameroon and the current location as U.S.A, do not know if it will cause a variation in the results. And you should keep it on your list to visit.

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  6. Mercy, from everything you have said about Cameroon I already want to visit! The culture, the food, and the places to go all seem great! I will definitely take a trip there sometime. Thanks for posting!

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  7. Mercy! after read you blog, I would like to visit your country and try coconut jolloff rice!!
    It sounds yummy :)

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    1. I will definitely make it this week, I will keep your share Vee

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  8. Beautiful blog Mercy. Are there any websites in Cameroon that you visit from time to time?

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    1. Thank you Mr. Steel, and below is one of the websites I usually visit that gives me the latest news on Cameroon. It has everything. http://www.cameroononline.org/

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