Francophone (French Speaking) Host Homes and Communication Beyond Words

Hi Everyone,

Many people have been wondering how my French is because after all, I am in French-speaking West Africa. In Cameroon there are two officiall languages-- French and English, but everyone speaks French and few speak English. There are over 200 tribal languages also present, but the most prevalent are Fulfulde (spoken by mostly Muslims) and Gbaya.

So, how is my French? Well, not great, but it has definitely improved in the last week. I stayed at the same host home for six days and they didn't speak an English!! It was in Méiganga. I often surprized myself at my ability to speak French when I need to. I can get the basics of what time stuff is, where the toilet is, how to get where I need to go, some foods, and numbers. Otherwise, I try to piece together a few words from my phrase book. Thankfully, many English words come from French, so I can often understand some of the conversations even if I can't respond to it. While it was tough at first, it was a blessing to stay with a host home that didn't speak French. I learned so much from them. Also, I discovered how much communication can happen without words. I really enjoyed playing with my host kids. We made faces, sang some songs in French, and played with the toys I gave them. They loved having their pictures taken. They were so happy to receive toys from me; they were just old VBS toys the the YE office gave us. Also, I got to watch E.T. in French. I was glad that I had seen the movie before, but E.T. also demonstrates a lot of communication withouth words. I already miss this host homes. They had two puppies, 17 guinea pigs, and two parakeets. The families here are so generous even though they usually have little. Host homes are a great way to learn more about the culture. Not only to we get to eat the foods that they eat, but we get to see what their homes are like and we get to see how they spend their time. Hopefully, my French will continue to improve after staying in more host homes.

While I was really frustrated with myself for not speaking French and with my host for not speaking English, I eventually moved beyond that. At times, I even caught myself trying to translate stuff that I was saying to my teammates. Talking to the team in English can be a huge relief after staying with hosts that don't speak English, but I will always miss the communication that is beyond words.


Peace,

Tiffany