This is something completely different than one would expect from Europe is accustomed to her. The whole Christmas season to remember anything about it, that gradually move closer to Christmas and the end of the year. The drying time determined the weather in Kumbo. That means blue skies, hot sun, cold nights and dust! A motorcycle ride through Kumbo and one is covered in dust from head to toe. We still try to pay something in our house from the native Advent mood to leave. We have an Advent wreath, incense from Germany and bake cookies very much. This is something that tastes the Cameroonians for once and so, no matter how much we bake cookies, all eaten in a few days.
Here are some pictures of the baking or food:
this picture shown us during the Lamnso-teaching. We meet once a week, namely with our friend Jean-Baptiste and try the spoken language in Kumbo Lamnso learn, but this is not so simple. First, he never learned the grammar and can explain some things just that it sounds different is not good. Second, it is a completely different language, which can be compared with any European. Much is also difficult to distinguish us for differentiating sounds. It is for example the words Kimbàŋ (white man), Kiban (fufu), Kiban (hat), Kibam (pocket) and Kimba (bowl).
Or baa (two) and BAA (Father).
On market day, three days before Christmas, can I buy small plastic Christmas trees or flashing lights. Those are the only indications that soon the 25th December.
the Christmas Eve we will celebrate with Mona comfortable in our house. This, however, include a few preparations, for example, for Christmas dinner. Fresh poultry can only acquire so alive in the market. But we have made provisions: the Christmas roast is already lined sharply since October of us. He is a cock, and Ansgar is a gift from a chief from the village named in Oku Elak. Since make a gift and we should not continue to give him some time to finally eat, Christmas seems to us the best opportunity.
The day before, it is therefore pluck slaughter, evisceration and marinate. The feet and head and gut, however, we give away. (Although it should be loud Cameroonians the best part of the chicken, it does not quite fit into our picture of a German Christmas roast.) Menu, then, is as follows: Ansgar in orange peel, honey and pepper-whiskey-marinated with yam and apple stuffing , served with spicy red cabbage and potato dumplings. For dessert, baked apples. The South African apples are expensive, but Christmas one can sometimes buy five.
A large Christmas tree, a cypress is set up and decorated. (Which we pull the puny, in most cases decorated with balloons and plastic fir trees.) I've even found a while flashing, but white lights. After all preparations have been made and sizzle Ansgar half an hour in the oven, it really could go. But since our gas bottle is empty. What now? Finally, there are far and wide, no car, they drive off fast times and could buy a new gas bottle. But our Christmas Angel Damian is, shortly after we called him breathe on his motorcycle outside the door and lets us. He drives fast with Brigitte to the supermarket and saved our Christmas dinner.
In Kumbo celebrate the Christmas day. We go at nine clock in the cathedral to the fair. It would have been better in the first mass at seven clock to go, because the sermon is the worst I've ever heard. As the priest preaches against abortion at Christmas. That's not necessarily bad, but the arguments are very abstruse. For example, he knows not one but three women whose children are now working in the U.S. among others as a doctor and thus regularly send her mother money. If the mother had an abortion, it would not happen. (The story of every woman he is again complete again.) And the best argument is: "What if Mary had aborted Jesus?" - I am glad he is finally ready.
After church, we are of course invited. We are on the way to Shisong (a district of Kumbo), where we are invited to Theresa and Ephraim Lukong.
There is much to eat: chicken, goat, rice, yams, Njama-Njama and the best in all of Kumbo Fufu.
In Cameroon, it is normal, this is to visit each other on Christmas Day. There are so many neighbors and especially children who use this day to eat as much as they can.
We do not have much say goodbye before us and make us immediately to the hospital. We have in fact received the news that Bernard, our coordinator, in the Christmas Eve has become father. It come in a lot of people and every other says, "This is the little Immanuel" All the guys who are born at Christmas are called, namely either Emmanuel or Noel. The mother but refuses to name the boy also Immanuel ..
Then we visit the children at the orphanage next to the hospital where Ruth works before we go to our last four clock invitation to our neighbors, the family of Jean-Baptiste. There are also good food and palm wine mixed with "Baron de Madrid". This is a drink that is produced in Cameroon, wine is mentioned, also looks like wine, but not as first and second, do not taste of grapes is produced. A mixture of water, ethanol, sugar and red dye. It tastes terrible, but here it drinks each because it nice and sweet, cheap and "wine" is.
After a short breather on it, on the other part of the Christmas day. In Kumbo meet old and young in bars, dance clubs and on the road. The Christmas bonus will be implemented accordingly. We, too, to make to celebrate with a few friends of this "other" Christmas.
is how it works for Christmas and the end of the following days remember most, the flags in front of the cathedral in it.
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