There are road blocks EVERYWHERE and traffic around the roadblocks are a nightmare with everyone going different directions. Police and military are positioned every few metres along the streets.

The official conference is held in an official building a top an official hill. That’s me really saying I don’t know what building or what hill we were supposed to arrive at. See those colourful flags? The reddish yellow one is the African flag and the rest represent the different states and the sky blue UN flag!

In order to even step within several kilometres of the area, you need an official invitation, and a chauffer car with official parking signage, or else you will not be allowed to go through the road blocks.

Ok I have to admit – the red carpet was a novelty!

The place was swarmed with photographers, body guards, officials, official’s wives, and the welcome party musicians. It was an (official) riot!

The President of the United Nations Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki giving his speech (in French)

The President of Cameroon lighting the torch at the opening ceremony to commemorate Africa's 50th Year of Independence!

Kelvin with the President of the United Nations

The afternoon was used to rest, and get ready for the next major event, the Cultural Evening. I must add that it is a completely different lifestyle from back home. When I’m back in Singapore, I fill my days running around meeting clients, staff, attending meetings and giving trainings. My schedule is completely in my control, and with a nifty new (old) Toyota, I can travel anywhere I want to anytime. You could say it’s freedom in movement, and I like being responsible for filling my day. However over here it’s official meetings and events one after another, which requires constant changing of outfits, waiting around for the dignitaries to show up, shake hands and talk for a short while, and then wait around for the chauffeur, before its off to another meeting, and the cycle repeats. This level of socializing is quite demanding as glamorous as it seems, and it takes a whole new level of training.

On a lighter note, to counter all the hard work, if it is 1 thing that has moved me deeply about Africa, it would be their passion in the simple pleasures that music and dance bring to their people. Like JV said – ‘music is in the blood of Africans’. I could not agree more.

The spaceship-like-Indoor Stadium, official venue of the Cultural Night.

Post@Lin.Tan, Monday 19 May, 00:42

It is day 3 here in Cameroon since we first touched down!!! New city, new culture, new language, same weather (except it’s much much cooler at night). We had to catch up fast, so out came the guide books and online language tuition!

For one, we had to take a crash course in French, because French is widely used here in Cameroon, more so than English. Everything here is in French, and even though Cameroonians are also equipped with a sound foundation of the English language, they perk up and roar in delight every time we issue our meek Bon Jour’s and Merci Boucoup’s.

There are many things that happen beyond what one first perceives. Coordination from any position, in an event of this scale and rank, takes so much background work and communications with multiple parties. Today, it is the day the ministers and heads of tates are arriving into Yaounde. Our host JV was up and about since morning juggling 1001 parties he needed to take care of and make arrangements for. Further more, the President of the United Nations Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki was due in the evening, and up until now all the buzz in the last week has been about getting prepared for the big event happening over the next 2 days.

After breakfast the first thing we were told was to get dressed up nicely – shirt & tie. We were going to meet the Cameroon Chairman of the International Chambers of Commerce (ICC), Mr. Joseph.

Kelvin with Mr. Joseph (centre)

After which we headed out to meet several people before settling down at JV’s for a late lunch at 3pm.

We stopped by another hotel and had a few moments with former Cameroon player - International Soccer star Roger Milla (centre)!

Jean had specially prepared a Douala local dish for a friend named Francis (featured further below). He is one great host – “if I can’t bring you to Douala, I will bring Douala to you.” (Douala is nearby city known as the industrial town, in Cameroon)

On the far left – a vegetable dish that is made out of bitter leaves mashed over and over again until the bitterness disappears and the sweetness starts to come out. It is usually cooked with pieces of meat or fish. Above – BBQ fish! Their BBQ dishes are REALLY good, you can taste the smokey subtleties. Bottom right – Another Douala dish. Don’t you think it looks like ‘otah’? Wrapped inside the leaves is a type of tapioca like substance that has been mashed and dried.

Top left – Another dish of mashed leaves that the locals LOVE to eat together with… Top right - ….this Yaounde version of the mashed, dried and shaped tapioca like thing. It is 1 of their base foods. Bottom – Slim yellow and very sweet bananas that I loved mixing with rice! I don’t know what the brown blocks are made of, but Jean said ‘this is the food you often see woman on TV mashing with large bowls and huge long sticks’. I tried a little, and it reminds me somewhat of ‘kutupat’.

Here it seems like all the official-ness also involves food, which is not good for us

Kelvin’s next appointment dinner with Gregoire Owona, the Ministre Delegue a la Presidence de la Republique charge des Relationships avec les Assemblees. His house sat a top a hill overlooking the beautiful city of Yaounde, and because it was night, we could see everything from city lights, to village lights, to the Palace’s huge Hollywood type white beam lights that shine all the way into the galaxy. The food was delicious – vegetables, BBQ fish and crocodile meat, which was melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender. He had several other guests at the dinner too – his wife, of course, who is a successful business woman and did an amazing job hosting us, the director of field operations of UNESCO and his wife, and a consultant friend. They joked and bantered back and forth and when the topic came to what Kelvin did as a coach, Kelvin explained that his position was to be the strategist and tactics adviser to his high level executive clients, including those who are involved to a degree in politics or fame. I must say that it is an interesting job, to be able to gain direct insight into these fields, and psychology of these unique and very talented individuals, and help them think in ways they have not before. It takes years of training and experience to be able to do that, and seeing Kelvin in action is a constant inspiration of where I can be as a coach in the future, and the prospect of being in a position where I can affect change on a higher level. Most of these individuals – diplomats, politicians, musicians and stars – I have met here in Cameroon and last November in NYC all have their heart in the right place, using their positions and power to affect their countries for good.

Yesterday at a press conference promoting his latest album ‘Peace is Freedom’, we met another great individual Frances Mbappe, an artist who grew up in Douala, now owns a studio in NYC and performs on stages world wide.

Dropped off at yet another hotel to pop in on a Press Conference happening to promote Francis Mbappe’s new album ‘Peace is Freedom’.

That’s Francis on the far left – he has amazing energy and he’s really friendly!

He shared during lunch that he is building a school in Douala that will open up doors and bright futures to kids who want to learn music and culture, and he plans to fly in top musicians from around the area to teach and mentor them. ‘There are so many of them with talent’ he says, and he plans to help them bring it out. Isn’t that wonderful? It is people like Francis who warm my heart and earn my respect – no matter how high you climb, how famous you are, or how much money you make, you never forget where you came from.

xxx

Lin

Post@Lin.Tan, Monday 17 May, 23:10

Arrival in Yaounde Airport 5.30pm

Our flight route. For those of you wondering where Cameroon is – NOW YOU KNOW.

Boarding Air France – this is the first time I had to dress up on a flight because we would be received by an official welcome party the moment we arrive. Singapore's gota look good!

Welcome to Yaounde, the political city of Cameroon! View from hotel that overlooks the whole city.

The trip’s official photographer (because she’s got the biggest fiercest camera)

We have lots ahead of us.

Are you excited? I sure am!

I know most of you have not visited this part of the world before, or visited a political event on this level.

Stay tuned for sneak peaks!

xxx

Lin

@Lin.Tan, Sunday 16 May, 23:29

Departure Changi Airport Singapore 2.30am

Transit in Doha International Airport                                                                                                       

Ahhhhh…… the sweet smell of Spring flowers in the air and the cool breeze that tickles your face and leaves your skin dry.

Pretty tulips all in a row greet us at our hotel lobby

Welcome to the heart of France – Paris – where we stopped over for 1 night on transit to Yaounde, Cameroon. We checked into our hotel immediately and just then Kelvin got an sms from ‘JV’ – his friend and our host for this trip – saying that his travel plans got delayed and shifted and now he is in Paris too, and that we should all meet up for dinner. Sometimes I wonder if fate has her way of bringing brothers together. We will all be staying a night here and taking the same flight to Yaounde (pronounced ‘yao-uN-deh’) the next morning.

 Totally excited, we dressed as quickly as we could and soon left the hotel to go pick JV up. He suggested we rent a car to tour the city. I absolutely felt it was so wrong (JV by the way is a high level spokesperson in the UN) to have him drive us around (and round and round because that’s how Paris’s road systems are constructed) for 2 hours giving us the juicy details of all of Paris’s best known secrets, like where to buy the best pâté!

Fauchon is where you get the highest quality foods

According to JV, the junction up ahead that goes around the Arc du Triomphe is the ‘trickiest junction in the world’ where the rule is ‘just keep moving’ so that the cars don’t get jammed up. If you need to, you’ll have to go round and round and inch your way outward until you reach your exit!

It was a drizzly evening with most people rushing around after work hours. Not seen here are beautiful large water fountains that line the front of the building.

 Arriving along the shopping street, JV met up with his news-correspondent friend Nicole Suzis and they picked out a great restaurant where we had some really good fusion food. I had leaf wrapped chicken with ‘exotic’ rice. What was even better was the speed of service – our food arrived in less than 10 mins – piping hot AND fresh.

 We left the shopping district to continue our guided tour now called ‘Paris at night’, which went through several places of interest including the bridges, Moulin Rogue, Notre Dame, The Sacred Heart and last of all, the Eiffel Tower.

Whizzing past the Moulin Rogue

Whizzing past the Notre Dame

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica that sits atop Montmartre hill. At night it is beautifully lit up, enhancing the curves and contours of the domes and arches.

Quaint cafes stand on the edges of cobbled stone streets. Crepes here are extremely popular. Here’s Pei Ying and Nicole with the most crowded one of them all.

The Eiffel Tower! Just like who ECI envisions herself – the light in the darkness: showcasing strength, beauty, grace and exception beyond what is.

By the end of the night, I was so exhausted and I collapsed onto my bed. We have a long day ahead tomorrow, starting at 9am with our virgin trip to Africa, Yaounde!

Ole!! (Pardon moi, different language but it rhymes!)

xxx

Lin

p/s – Check this out!

Post@Lin.Tan, Sunday 16 May, 21:34

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