Coming to
Cameroon many people said, “Everyday will be like a new adventure.” We did not think too much about the daily
adventures as we were more concerned with getting here and surviving. Being here 4 months we realize the people
that told us about the daily adventures were right. So far most of the adventures we have come
across have been welcomed and quite entertaining. We have had a few that we
could have lived without, but that is part of the experience. Right now as I
reflect on our lives here I realize how easy these adventures could have been
missed, if I was living my regular life in the States. I also believe many similar daily adventures
took place at home but I was too focused on my life to notice.
What are
some of the daily adventures we have faced?
Last week as I was collecting the clothes off the clothesline a man
walking his pig came through our backyard.
I greeted him and didn’t think too much of the situation. Maybe I am getting too used to life here,
what’s the big deal about a man walking a pig with a rope tied around one its
back legs? The neighbor yelled to my
kids to come out and see the pig. Of
course, the pig was a big hit. Clare
loved petting her, Patrick was scared to death of the large animal, and Honora
enjoyed watching her brother’s reaction.
As we chatted with the man (that was missing his two front teeth and
wearing flip flops I would have thrown out a long time ago) we learned he lived
just down the hill from our backyard. I
inquired about how many pigs he had and he responded with “so many.” He then invited us down to see his pigs and
other animals. As we peered into the
pigsty we realized he did have “so many” pigs with about 20 newborn
piglets. The little piglets were cute
but I can’t say the same for the momma pigs.
We moved on to see mother goose and her chicks. Those little fuzzy chicks were adorable. Then he asked if we wanted to see the guinea
pigs. Again, Clare was excited so he got
a couple guinea pigs out for the kids to hold.
The farmer was having fun showing the animals to the kids. It was difficult to judge who had the biggest
smile, the kids or the farmer. All this
happened on a “normal” evening of preparing dinner. The best part is we were able to meet our
neighbor, Michael. (Do not confuse the farmer, Michael with the next door
neighbor Michael or the priest, Fr. Michael).
One morning
we woke up to find McDonalds in our backyard.
The next door neighbors transformed their outdoor kitchen, where they
cook over a fire, into a McDonalds with some chalk. They wrote, “McDonalds-milkshakes,
cheeseburgers, pizza, coffee and customer security assured.” We appreciated their desire to please us and
the good laugh. The next night we came
home from being out to hear music in our backyard. The kids ran out to see the neighbors cooking
and listening to music. Once our kids
got outside the music went up and we could hear lots of laughter. The kids were learning to salsa dance. We added our blinking flashlight and had a
dance party.
For my
birthday our wonderful missionary companions, the Newburns, agreed to babysit
so Maura and I could go out. We were on
our way home walking and noticed a man fall over on his motorcycle. Looking closer we could see it was the next
door neighbor, the father. By the time
we ran to help, he had already gotten up.
He dusted off his clothes and was fine.
He mentioned he was going to see someone from church that was sick and
we were to go with him. This did not
seem like a choice so we followed him to the woman’s house. We entered the house to find a woman in bed
recovering from surgery she had earlier that morning. After offering our words of encouragement and
prayers we were back heading home. That
is life in Cameroon, walking down the road and ten minutes later we find
ourselves in a woman’s bedroom praying for her recovery. The moment with her and the neighbor was the
highlight of my birthday celebration.
The
adventures will continue and we look forward to most of them. We are not too excited about the adventure of
dry season and not having water for a week at a time. Adventures with critters will continue as
well. This morning I found a stream of
ants from the front door to my shoes.
Picking up my shoes I found hundreds of eggs and baby ants. In the 10 hours I did not wear my shoes a
colony of ants moved in. After
discovering the colony I removed it within minutes. I guess this goes with living so close to
nature.
As I write
about these adventures I realize how open we are to each of them. Being in a foreign land makes us aware of
what is around us. Like I said, I
believe similar adventures were happening in front of me in the States but I
did not have the increased awareness that I have in Cameroon. We have a much greater dependence on those
around us here too. This dependence has
led us to an invitation to participate in life at a deeper level. The need for others increases the gratitude
for the people around us. I am sorry to
say that when I have my independence I tend to forget about those around
me. Living a life that is more simple,
but just as busy, permits us to be freer to any possibility of an adventure
right before our eyes.
-Ryan
