Are you still in sin?
…asks an internet advertisement of me this morning and my reflex reply is “Well, my, I hope so!”
Speaking of delightful fun things, I’ve noticed that I laugh differently now. I don’t think I’ve noticed that many changes about my behavior and such (other than the obvious stuff like spitting on the floor etc), but I do laugh strangely different. I don’t hesitate, and it’s often loud. Sometimes I laugh in private conversations, when a small chuckle might suffice but I let loose a guffaw. I think it has to do with a lack of crazy/funny stuff – in the States I feel like anytime you need some sort of stimulus of any type, you can find it. I can’t always here, so I find myself laughing at cheesy romantic comedies like “Step Up” or silly things I do (like tripping on things in my kitchen). I hope I can keep it going, since one should always be laughing.
The first real American conversation I’ve noticed from Cameroonians happened this morning at work with 2 of my coworkers who are young and gorgeous. They were giving each other weight advice, such as “Don’t reduce anymore, I love your shape!” and then later “If you want to reduce, you boil fever grass and lime but not long and then don’t let it “sleep” (sit) for very long”. I’ve been impressed by the lack of body-conscious crap that I am usually bogged down by in the US. Of course there are bleaching creams to lighten skin (although apparently it’s tough to lighten your neck and feet) and soaps to make your belly smaller (?) but you don’t really meet many women with eating disorders (unless you count not eating a variety of foods since you don’t know/can’t afford to).
Other than curves, let’s talk about what’s in style. For men. If you’re in Cameroon, this is redundant. But from the bottom to the top: elf shoes (Italian crazy pointy shoes), tight jeans (often with crazy embroidering on them), SMALL tops (sweaters with bright colors, feathers, T-shirts with anything written on them), trucker hats (is this still popular in the US? I’m still down with it), and BLINNGGGG (if you want to show status, pick up a Chinese chain and maybe a rhinestoned watch – I literally had to blink after passing such a sparkling gentleman in the night last night that his wrist shot glare into my face). For women, sequins are NEVER a problem. I went by the tailor’s the other day, and she had sewn a whole slew of sequin dresses and I asked if it was for a wedding. She replied, laughing, “No, you know here in Africa we can wear dresses like this anytime.” – And this is why Peace Corps put me here. Because I am the type of girl MADE to live in a country where sequins and crazy hats are always encouraged.
Lastly, on a “what’s popular in Cameroon” note, is soap operas. Again, this is extremely redundant if you’re here and you’ve memorized all the Spanish theme songs to them. Most of them are old, at least 10 years, but when the whole country is hinging on what Barbarita will do tonight, it doesn’t matter that it happened a long time ago. I’ve been in meetings where we had to stay because my coworkers wanted to watch Barbarita (the real name is “Mujer de Mi Vida” – but why try Spanish when you can call it by her name?) and we wouldn’t make it home on time. In my house, I can hear the theme music all the time. Mostly women are alll about it, but some men are also excited to find out who the mother killed this week etc. Me, not used to soaps, I’m still shocked at the absurdity of the plots – example: the show’s turned on midway through, there’s a chimpanzee and a grandma at the dinner table and a woman dresses up as a clown to go and check on the pregnant woman they’re keeping in the basement…. how is that normal?
