I Teach Chinese in Cameroon

I sent in my application in 2008 when I heard the government was recruiting young volunteers to teach Chinese in African countries. At that time I was a teacher of English in a senior high school in Zhengzhou， the capital city of central China’s Henan Province. I was chosen probably because examiners thought my passion for and experience with outdoor activities made me special.

I had visited my boyfriend in Nigeria a few years before. With scorching temperatures and endless deserts deeply imprinted in my memory of Africa， I assumed Cameroon would give me a similar picture. I was totally unprepared for the beauty of Kribi， where I was going to work. It is a scenic little city on the southwestern coast of Cameroon， facing the Atlantic Ocean. The coastal highway is flanked by towering coconut trees， forming a landscape painting with beaches， sea waves and canoes. What surprised me was a waterfall cascading down from a 30-meter-tall precipice and splashing into the sea below. I had seen a similar waterfall in Jiuzhaigou in China， but the waterfall in Jiuzhaigou did not look that spectacular.

Cameroon is a 475，000 km2 country with a population of 14 million， outnumbered by the population in Shanghai. The country has more than 200 ethnic groups which speak around 100 dialects， but locals can communicate with people from the outside world through English and French， the two official languages of Cameroon.

Some Chinese companies have invested in Cameroon as economic cooperation between China and Cameroon is becoming increasingly stronger. It is said that the total Chinese investment amounts to several billions. In Cameroon， there are Chinese companies that build roads， houses and hydropower stations; there are also Chinese companies that make LD television sets and computers and floor boards and coffee products. Many of these products target the European market. These Chinese manufacturers have created thousands of jobs in China-Cameroon joint ventures for local people. Wages are 100% higher than those paid in the country’s domestic manufacturers. If these Cameroonian employees speak Chinese， they have a chance to work as white collar workers and their salaries will enable them to buy houses， cars， notebook computers-- admirable symbols of wealth in the country.

A group of Cameroon young people graduated from a six-month course I taught. In conjunction with some government agencies and through my recommendation， these graduates were all accepted as trainees in Chinese enterprises in Cameroon. After the training， they were all employed. This became big news in the city and I became a star of local media.

One day in August last year I was window shopping in a local mall when I was approached by a handsome young man who greeted me and asked me to have a cup of coffee with him. He was a graduate from my Chinese course. I was surprised to find that he now looked different. He used to wear an old dress full of wrinkles and a pair of bad shoes. In sharp contrast， he now sported a suit and polished leather shoes. Beaming confidence， he looked like a gentleman. I was happy to learn that he worked as an office clerk in the Cameroon subsidiary of a prominent Chinese telecommunication company. And I knew many of my students had well-paid jobs working for Chinese companies in Cameroon. This gave me a sense of success. I felt proud.

One day in October， 2009， I got a call from a friend with a Chinese medical team in Cameroon. A tribe chief had watched my story on television and would like to invite me to visit his tribe. I wowed at the invitation. The powerful chief rules an area of 500 km2 and makes decisions that can affect fates of numerous people.

My interpreter and I took a long and bumpy truck ride through jungles before we reached a small town at dusk. A man in a long robe and headscarf came forward from the gate of a castle as soon as the truck came to a stop. He spoke the dialect of Fulbe people. After learning that I was a Chinese teacher and guest of the Chieftain， he led us through a large garden-style courtyard to the palace where the Chieftain lived.

The chieftain had education in Paris and was able to speak both English and French. We were able to talk without a language barrier. The chieftain praised me for my contribution to Cameroon and expressed his support for my teaching Chinese free of charge in Cameroon. He was happy to know that a hospital， which was being built by a Chinese company， was soon to be completed. He said the Chinese doctors had saved his life nine years before. It was a pleasant visit. The next morning I saw many young women in the courtyard. They were the chieftain’s wives. □