Hey everybody, it's Justin here again! Who's going to take a trip around the world someday?
This guy, that's who! Someday, I'm going to make the time to visit countries all around the world.
I just think it's super interesting to learn about people and lives that are different than mine – or
maybe not so different. Who knows? I'd love to find out!
But before I take that trip, in the meantime, I have been writing letters to kids all around the
world so I can learn more about what their lives are like in different countries. And in my hand,
I have a special treat for you today. I have received yet another letter from someone who
lives in a country far away, and I can't wait to share it with you. So I'm going
to do just that on today's episode of... Let's Take a Journey: Cameroon!
You ready to learn what life is like in Cameroon?
"Dear Justin, my name is Patrick. I live in Cameroon. It's in Africa." So, Africa is a
large piece of land called a continent. There are seven continents on planet Earth:
Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica.
So, I live on the continent of North America and the country of the United States. Patrick lives
on the continent of Africa and in the country of Cameroon. I wonder what city or town he's from.
"I live in a city called Douala. It is the largest city in Cameroon. Douala is near the Atlantic
Ocean." Can we get a, get that on the map? Oh, there it is! Great, now we know the country,
continent, and city that Patrick lives in. "The capital of Cameroon is Yaoundé. In this photo,
you can see that it's a big, busy city. Cameroon is a very beautiful country, and it is very
different, depending on where you go. If you go north, you can see deserts. There are mountains
in the middle of the country, and there is a tropical rainforest in the southern part.
It's home to gorillas, elephants, and some really cool birds. And it's home to the Goliath beetle!"
Wow, rainforests are home to some pretty amazing animals! Lots of people tend to think that
rainforests are only in South America, but now we know that there are rainforests in Africa too.
"Cameroon has big waterfalls and a big national park called Waza National Park. Many people
come here on holiday. Cameroon also has large tea farms, and my country grows cocoa beans.
This is a friend of my father. He is a cocoa farmer! The beans are made into chocolate." Ah, so
see here, chocolate starts as a seed in a pod that grows on a tree. So yes, chocolate grows on trees!
Alright, let's see if Patrick can tell us more about life in Cameroon. "I am seven years old
and I'm in the first grade. I sit next to my best friend. His name is Idimo. Idimo is on the left,
I'm in the middle, and our friend Victor is on the right." Oh, hi, Patrick! Hi, Idimo! Hi, Victor!
"My teacher's name is Madame Etienne. She's nice. I took this picture of her sitting at her desk.
There are 20 kids in my class and I like everyone, but sometimes I don't like getting up for school."
I feel you, Patrick. I think just about everybody knows what that feels like.
I wonder what he studies in school. "My favorite subjects are French and history. I like math too.
We're also learning English." Ah, so Patrick is learning French and English in school. Those
are the two official languages of Cameroon. But did you know that there are over 200 different
languages spoken throughout the country? I wonder what he speaks at home. "My native language
is Douala. It has the same name as my city. That is what my family speaks when we're at home."
I wonder if he can teach us a few words in Douala.
"Here are a few words in Douala." Yes! I love learning words in different languages.
"To say 'hello,' you say 'mônè,' 'yes' is 'ee,' and 'no' is 'kèm.'" Well, there you go. Now you
can go and tell your friends that you know some words in the Douala language. How cool is that?
"My family lives in an apartment. I have a sister named Vicky. She's six years old. She's a pretty
good kid, but don't tell her I said that! I have a little brother too. His name is
Kevin. He loves the rain. My mom was trying to get our puppy Romeo to smile for the camera!"
Aw, it looks like he is smiling! "My dad works at the airport. He is an air traffic controller.
He sits in a tower and directs the planes. I took this picture of him at home in his office.
Cameroon gets lots and lots of rain. We also have a dry season,
but it's pretty short compared to the long rainy season.
Sometimes, everything turns to mud there's so much rain, even the roads! This is a road in
the village of Limbe. That's where my grandparents live." You know, I remember reading somewhere once
that Cameroon was one of the wettest countries in the world because it rained so much there.
"This is a picture of Limbe. Their house is up on that hill. You can't see it too well because
there are so many trees. Since we live close to the Atlantic Ocean, we go there to swim. Also,
I can see the Wouri River from our house! Many people fish on that river. We get fresh fish every
day. This is my uncle. His name is Christian. He rides his bike to my house all the time
because he lives down the street. Christian plays football with me. He loves football. Oh, wait,
you call it soccer. All the kids in the neighborhood join in. We have so much fun."
Yes, so what we in the United States call soccer, other countries call football, and I hear it's
really popular in Cameroon. Did you know that Cameroon was actually the first African country to
make it to the World Cup semi-finals? And they won the African Cup of Nations twice, and they also
got a gold medal at the Olympic games in 2000. This game has a way of bringing people together!
"I also like to play basketball and video games with my friends.
Here is one of my neighborhood friends playing basketball in a park near my house.
I like all different kinds of music but mostly makossa. That's a really funky kind of dance music
native to my country. I love to dance. This is my friend Lional. He's 10 years old and he's always
teaching me new dance moves. He's really good." You know, I'd love to hear some makossa music.
I think after this video is done, I'm going to look some up so I can dance to it.
"Now I would like to tell you about our food. My favorite dish is ndole, it is the national dish
of Cameroon. It's a creamy spinach stew with shrimp. My family had a big party, and this is
a picture of some of the food we eat in Cameroon." Oh, I could see the ndole there with the shrimp,
but I'm also seeing some fresh fish, plantains, meats, yucca, samosas,
all these different sauces... Oh, that looks so good! That must have been some party. "The party
was a celebration of our independence day. It is May 20th. We wave our flag, sing,
march in parades, have a great time." Wow, what a cool celebration! Oh,
it's just like how we celebrate our independence day in the United States but on the 4th of July.
"My favorite snack is a fried pastry called chin chin. It's crunchy and sweet." Ah, note to self,
try to find some chin chin. Those look like square donuts!
"My mom is going to take me shopping now, so I have to end this letter. We're going to the
Grand Mall. It is a very big shopping center in Douala. Oh, wait, before I go, I wanted to tell
you that Cameroon is home to the largest type of frog in the world: the Goliath frog! They live
in the cold rivers here. They can weigh as much as seven pounds and grow to be 13 inches long!"
Whoa, that's a really big frog! You know, it would be fun to go around the house and find things that
are 13 inches long or seven pounds to compare them to the Goliath frog. "I hope you enjoyed learning
about Cameroon. Please write back. I want to know about America. Your friend, Patrick."
Well, thank you for that lovely letter, Patrick. I loved learning about you and
your family and your life in Cameroon. What about Patrick's life do you think is
pretty much the same as your own life? Can you think of some things that are different? So,
that about wraps up our journey to Cameroon. Ready to stamp our passport?
So, I'll see you all soon, and in the meantime, remember to always be clever!