Kmer 09 - Thoughts, Reflections, and Experiences - #3(Weeks 3-4)
mercredi 5 août 2009,
It took me some time to decide, and find the time, to publish this third journal. I’ve been beyond busy. Joggling with Harambe Cameroon, which is really successful thus far, with family, driving school every day, dental care every other day, and last week UNICEF started soliciting my services, even though I had planned to start in September. But the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador , Mia Farrow, the renown American actress, will be visiting Cameroon in a couple of weeks, so it’s crunch time man. As of today, I’ve already submitted one assignment to them, and I’m expecting another one by tomorrow. In short… time is of essence.
But I’ve made myself the promise to record and publish my experiences during this year; and I’ll fulfill this promise despite the odds…. Here are some thoughts/reflections/and experiences I jotted down during the last 2 weeks. (July 22nd – Aug. 4th)
• I believe THINKING is one of the greatest gifts given to human beings. The ability to stop. Reflect. Meditate. And Discern. It’s a free gift. Yet only a few practice this free gift. Usually we go through life digesting all that happens to us, but we rarely stop to reflect. Put ourselves into perspective. Think for ourselves. And make our own deductions. At a certain point in our lives, we have to question our preconceived ideas. As unsettling as it could be, it’s crucial for your personal growth and maturity.
Dr Cornel West often says, we have to learn how to die, in order to live more intensely, more critically, and abundantly. Let me try to paraphrase him (during one of his interviews with Tavis Smiley, find on Youtube), he says this “when u die you give up a certain assumption and presuppositions in order to be reborn into a higher level of maturity.”
• Critical thinking is what they call it on university campuses, common sense is what they call it in the streets. Once you master that skill, not only do u get As on all your papers, but u gather a more well-founded view of life. Unfortunately thinking critically, or deeply enough about ourselves, our communities, our environment, other people, our future, appears rarely on our “busy-life-agendas”. But anything without thought, is shallow and ephemeral.
• When my uncle, Pr Maurice Kamto, wrote his masterwork “L’Urgence de
la Pensee”/”The Urgency of thought” people here responded that “People are hungry in Africa, they can’t think. You first have to meet those existential needs before you can start Thinking.” It’s true that people are hungry in Africa, and the degree of poverty in some places are beyond alarming. It’s also true that eating is an existential need, and perhaps our survival instinct prioritizes food over thought. Yet, as Pr Maurice Kamto says in his masterpiece, what’s more existential than thinking? Really. Let’s stop and think here… What’s more existential than thinking? Didn’t Descartes say “I think, therefore I am.” Now, If you don’t think, what you? Are You? At the core of our existence, is the ability to “think.” Think about that…
• I jotted down, as I read the news paper the other day, a report some Cameroonian intellectuals from the new Panafrican institution in Douala published, about “rethinking of development in Africa.” They noted we have to think about 4 basic questions as a people, before we can start formulating theories of development, or blindly trying to copy the West. We must ask ourselves, as individuals, communities, nations, and even the entire continent: “Who are You?” “Where do you come from” “where are you going to?” “How are you getting there?” Those are fundamental questions most people don’t know about themselves, more the less about their country/continent. Yet it’s imperative to flesh out the answers to those questions, in order to build a solid foundation for our personal growth, as well as the advancement of our nations.
mercredi 5 août 2009,
It took me some time to decide, and find the time, to publish this third journal. I’ve been beyond busy. Joggling with Harambe Cameroon, which is really successful thus far, with family, driving school every day, dental care every other day, and last week UNICEF started soliciting my services, even though I had planned to start in September. But the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador , Mia Farrow, the renown American actress, will be visiting Cameroon in a couple of weeks, so it’s crunch time man. As of today, I’ve already submitted one assignment to them, and I’m expecting another one by tomorrow. In short… time is of essence.
But I’ve made myself the promise to record and publish my experiences during this year; and I’ll fulfill this promise despite the odds…. Here are some thoughts/reflections/and experiences I jotted down during the last 2 weeks. (July 22nd – Aug. 4th)
• I believe THINKING is one of the greatest gifts given to human beings. The ability to stop. Reflect. Meditate. And Discern. It’s a free gift. Yet only a few practice this free gift. Usually we go through life digesting all that happens to us, but we rarely stop to reflect. Put ourselves into perspective. Think for ourselves. And make our own deductions. At a certain point in our lives, we have to question our preconceived ideas. As unsettling as it could be, it’s crucial for your personal growth and maturity.
Dr Cornel West often says, we have to learn how to die, in order to live more intensely, more critically, and abundantly. Let me try to paraphrase him (during one of his interviews with Tavis Smiley, find on Youtube), he says this “when u die you give up a certain assumption and presuppositions in order to be reborn into a higher level of maturity.”
• Critical thinking is what they call it on university campuses, common sense is what they call it in the streets. Once you master that skill, not only do u get As on all your papers, but u gather a more well-founded view of life. Unfortunately thinking critically, or deeply enough about ourselves, our communities, our environment, other people, our future, appears rarely on our “busy-life-agendas”. But anything without thought, is shallow and ephemeral.
• When my uncle, Pr Maurice Kamto, wrote his masterwork “L’Urgence de
la Pensee”/”The Urgency of thought” people here responded that “People are hungry in Africa, they can’t think. You first have to meet those existential needs before you can start Thinking.” It’s true that people are hungry in Africa, and the degree of poverty in some places are beyond alarming. It’s also true that eating is an existential need, and perhaps our survival instinct prioritizes food over thought. Yet, as Pr Maurice Kamto says in his masterpiece, what’s more existential than thinking? Really. Let’s stop and think here… What’s more existential than thinking? Didn’t Descartes say “I think, therefore I am.” Now, If you don’t think, what you? Are You? At the core of our existence, is the ability to “think.” Think about that…• I jotted down, as I read the news paper the other day, a report some Cameroonian intellectuals from the new Panafrican institution in Douala published, about “rethinking of development in Africa.” They noted we have to think about 4 basic questions as a people, before we can start formulating theories of development, or blindly trying to copy the West. We must ask ourselves, as individuals, communities, nations, and even the entire continent: “Who are You?” “Where do you come from” “where are you going to?” “How are you getting there?” Those are fundamental questions most people don’t know about themselves, more the less about their country/continent. Yet it’s imperative to flesh out the answers to those questions, in order to build a solid foundation for our personal growth, as well as the advancement of our nations.
• The great thing about having kids at
home, from ages 4 to 11 to 17 years old, is that it pushes you to reflect on your childhood at each of those ages. I’m constantly going back into time, thinking “What was I thinking then?” “what did I want?” “what did I feel”, “what did I dislike from older people?” (Granted, every one has their unique life), Going back into time helps to understand and approach kids eye-to-eye/at their level.
home, from ages 4 to 11 to 17 years old, is that it pushes you to reflect on your childhood at each of those ages. I’m constantly going back into time, thinking “What was I thinking then?” “what did I want?” “what did I feel”, “what did I dislike from older people?” (Granted, every one has their unique life), Going back into time helps to understand and approach kids eye-to-eye/at their level. • Sometimes we find ourselves repeating the same behaviors we blamed our parents, cousins, older siblings of doing. Why? Because we fail to place ourselves into perspective. As we grow old, we start copying the behaviors we watched growing up. And so it doesn’t surprise me to see my 17year old cousin being a little too harsh with the little kids; that’s what she knows. Yet, it’s possible to discipline children without being aggressive or harsh with them. I’m never aggressive with them, but they all respect me and listen and obey when I speak. I think kids need to be showered with love, positive words and encouragements.
• Childhood is one of the most crucial moments of our entire life. Our childhood shapes who we become later in life. Look at MJ, he was a mighty superstar, people adored him, yet because he didn’t live a childhood he dreamed of, he became a tortured soul for a great part of his life. That’s a clear example of the impact ones childhood could have on someone. That’s why I strongly believe we must make each child’s life a little bit merrier. The extra love and kindness a child receives, no matter his/her background – rich, poor, African, Asian, black, white, girl, boy
- goes a long way in his/her life. It’s not acceptable to ignore or neglect a child, render his/her life miserable, and be stingy with our love towards him/her. Let’s love and cherish the children we have around us.• I tell my 17-24 year old cousins we have to start thinking now how we are going to educate our children, because our memories of our childhood/teenagehood are still fresh in our minds. We have to be smart and even strategic in the way we plan on raising our kids.
• Teenagers, I feel, need a lot of understanding. I feel most teens feel misunderstood…
• Young adults/adults very quickly forget about their experiences as teenagers. The cycle often repeats itself, in which the formerly oppressed becomes the oppressor. Why is that? I think it’s because we often fail to reflect on the past, and put ourselves in perspective.
• Girls’ Talk with my 2 11yrs old cousins.
o They are already thinking lots of things at their age.
o I don’t recall 5-6th grade boys saying “I love You” in my time.
o Damn I was surprised by their stories.
• I think with teens, you have to allow them to express themselves fully, entirely, before expressing your point of view. If not you won’t get anything out of them. They will be too cautious about what they say, and wary of you, and would place an impenetrable wall between u two. I remember being like that with my family during my teenage years. I felt misunderstood, and judged sometimes instead of being listened too. I think most of the time teens want to be listened to, and understood, before they can be receptive to advise.
• One of my favorite cousins, Guy-Berole, has joined us in the house. You can imagine the sleeping arrangements! It’s alright though. Everyone can still fit on a bed. No one is on the floor, yet. Lol. I was telling the little ones about those summers, 10years ago when we would be about 20 kids in this house. We would be so creative with our sleeping arrangements. Play card-games to figure out who will sleep on the floor or on the bed. Hehehe… those summer holiday man… EVERYONE had to be, and wanted to be, in Ngousso-Yaounde… No one wanted to miss out. Great times man!
• My 17yr old cousin had a hilarious
“worst kiss experience” today. Hahaha… just thinking about it makes me crack up. I won’t go into details, cuz it’s actually a great guy. But at the end of their session, her upper lip was swollen like a lollipop, on her upper left-side. Dunno what he did man! (well I know what happened, she gave me all the details).rotflol… Anywayz… Summer loves! (I'd like to hear any worse kiss experience... Do share!)
o Damn I was surprised by their stories.
• I think with teens, you have to allow them to express themselves fully, entirely, before expressing your point of view. If not you won’t get anything out of them. They will be too cautious about what they say, and wary of you, and would place an impenetrable wall between u two. I remember being like that with my family during my teenage years. I felt misunderstood, and judged sometimes instead of being listened too. I think most of the time teens want to be listened to, and understood, before they can be receptive to advise.
• One of my favorite cousins, Guy-Berole, has joined us in the house. You can imagine the sleeping arrangements! It’s alright though. Everyone can still fit on a bed. No one is on the floor, yet. Lol. I was telling the little ones about those summers, 10years ago when we would be about 20 kids in this house. We would be so creative with our sleeping arrangements. Play card-games to figure out who will sleep on the floor or on the bed. Hehehe… those summer holiday man… EVERYONE had to be, and wanted to be, in Ngousso-Yaounde… No one wanted to miss out. Great times man!
• My 17yr old cousin had a hilarious
“worst kiss experience” today. Hahaha… just thinking about it makes me crack up. I won’t go into details, cuz it’s actually a great guy. But at the end of their session, her upper lip was swollen like a lollipop, on her upper left-side. Dunno what he did man! (well I know what happened, she gave me all the details).rotflol… Anywayz… Summer loves! (I'd like to hear any worse kiss experience... Do share!)• So Harambe-Cameroon is doing wonderful! Two Platinum sponsors down already (i.e. contributing $8000 each), plus a Gold sponsor ($6000), and the number 1 Cameroonian private channel agreed to broadcast and report ALL our events. All they need is our timeline and our requirements. Yes… We are moving ahead. Very strong. Very strong indeed. (Harambe Endeavor, as a whole, is on fire… check out our revamped website: www.hendeavor.org)
- Thank the Lord for Harambe-Nigeria. Without their arduous efforts in constructing impeccable documents, I wouldn’t have had any platform to start formulating my Harambe Cameroon material.
- At this time of urgency, I have more than a lot in my hands, on my brain, on my back. No one seems to be available. I end up working on 99% of all this documents by myself. I have to deliver. I have no choice. I can’t wait on people to wake up, or to be available. I have to deliver! I have only 2 days to finish drafting a sponsorship package, 3 official letters, the organization profile, register the organization in order to receive the checks written in our name… in short, I need an "S" on my chest at this minute!
• I video skyped with Morolake aka Mo aka Molicious today, and she’s crazy as can be! She made my cousin blush. Lol.
• We had a huge family webcam-ing with my cousins in Senegal. It was beautiful! Technology is wonderful. For real. They got to see all the little kids here, who they think have grown so much, after not seeing them for 3-4 years. Imagine. They were so happy to talk to, and watch each chubby smiling face on their computer screens. It felt wonderful.
• Terrible flu! Terrible flu! I’m being so unproductive now. I have a timeline, I have deadlines… man… why did I have to be sick today, or even this week. grrrhhhhh….
• Pensez –y : « Le developpement c’est la science devenue culture . » –Jean Marc Ela
• “Who’s the judge ? The judge is God. Why is he God? Because he decides who wins or loses not my opponent. Who’s my opponent? He’s doesn’t exist. Why doesn’t he exist? Because he is a mere deception(?) of the truth that I speak. Speak the Truth. Speak the Truth.”
– The Great Debaters. I watched it again this weekend.
• Driving in Yaounde is like driving on a rally course in a jungle populated with cars. The chaos is incredible. There seems to be no rules, no order… some kind of unspoken law everyone follows in order not to get into accidents, because I truly don’t understand how people manage to drive like that. Cabs stop anywhere, cars turn anywhere, people cross anywhere. On a road designed for two lanes, you sometimes find 4-lanes being formed. It’s crazy! Hmmm.. and they expect me to drive here. Hmmm… The day I’ll be comfortable driving in Yaounde, I’ll testify of the greatness of God. It would be a personal achievement!
• This week, more than before, I’ve deeply missed my friends in the US, Canada and Europe. You know when you miss someone and you feel it deep down inside. It’s like a little emptiness, a little space you want to fill in with the person’s presence or the person’s voice… In your idle/un-busy times, you si
t down, lean your head to your left, and you think, with a smile on your face, about that person you miss. You reminisce on the good times spent with the person, the joy, the crazy moments, the laughter… As Maya Angelou said, you might not remember the details of your conversation with someone, but you remember how you FELT about that person. How you felt when you talked on the phone with the person, when you met face to face with the person, when you had lunch/dinner/breakfast, when you just hung-out with the person… how you felt even in your silence with the person… You might not remember the details but you remember how you felt about the person. And when those feelings reemerge from deep inside, you realize you miss the person. This week, more than ever before, I missed my great friends in the US, in Canada, in France, the UK, the Netherlands… As I reminisced I remembered the fun times with each one of you and how I felt with each one of you; and I smiled from the inside out.:-)
I miss you all.
Peace and Love.
Olivia
• I video skyped with Morolake aka Mo aka Molicious today, and she’s crazy as can be! She made my cousin blush. Lol.
• We had a huge family webcam-ing with my cousins in Senegal. It was beautiful! Technology is wonderful. For real. They got to see all the little kids here, who they think have grown so much, after not seeing them for 3-4 years. Imagine. They were so happy to talk to, and watch each chubby smiling face on their computer screens. It felt wonderful.
• Terrible flu! Terrible flu! I’m being so unproductive now. I have a timeline, I have deadlines… man… why did I have to be sick today, or even this week. grrrhhhhh….
• Pensez –y : « Le developpement c’est la science devenue culture . » –Jean Marc Ela
• “Who’s the judge ? The judge is God. Why is he God? Because he decides who wins or loses not my opponent. Who’s my opponent? He’s doesn’t exist. Why doesn’t he exist? Because he is a mere deception(?) of the truth that I speak. Speak the Truth. Speak the Truth.”
– The Great Debaters. I watched it again this weekend.
• Driving in Yaounde is like driving on a rally course in a jungle populated with cars. The chaos is incredible. There seems to be no rules, no order… some kind of unspoken law everyone follows in order not to get into accidents, because I truly don’t understand how people manage to drive like that. Cabs stop anywhere, cars turn anywhere, people cross anywhere. On a road designed for two lanes, you sometimes find 4-lanes being formed. It’s crazy! Hmmm.. and they expect me to drive here. Hmmm… The day I’ll be comfortable driving in Yaounde, I’ll testify of the greatness of God. It would be a personal achievement!
• This week, more than before, I’ve deeply missed my friends in the US, Canada and Europe. You know when you miss someone and you feel it deep down inside. It’s like a little emptiness, a little space you want to fill in with the person’s presence or the person’s voice… In your idle/un-busy times, you si
t down, lean your head to your left, and you think, with a smile on your face, about that person you miss. You reminisce on the good times spent with the person, the joy, the crazy moments, the laughter… As Maya Angelou said, you might not remember the details of your conversation with someone, but you remember how you FELT about that person. How you felt when you talked on the phone with the person, when you met face to face with the person, when you had lunch/dinner/breakfast, when you just hung-out with the person… how you felt even in your silence with the person… You might not remember the details but you remember how you felt about the person. And when those feelings reemerge from deep inside, you realize you miss the person. This week, more than ever before, I missed my great friends in the US, in Canada, in France, the UK, the Netherlands… As I reminisced I remembered the fun times with each one of you and how I felt with each one of you; and I smiled from the inside out.:-)I miss you all.
Peace and Love.
Olivia
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