“The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune.” – Napoleon Hill

The basic habits required for achieving LONG TERM success in business or personal life are generally the same (Note that the capitalised emphasis on “long term” is deliberate).

This article illustrates potential benefits of being habitually adaptable, using the true story of how I achieved my goal of improved fluency in spoken French, by spending 3 “challenging” weeks in Cameroon.

(NB: It ends with a link to a longer article that explains how I got stranded in Douala without money, and had to “adapt” by finding a way to return to Nigeria in a boat!)

Background

In 1999, I travelled while on annual leave from my job as a Shift Brewer in Guinness Nigeria, to spend 3 weeks in Cameroon improving my spoken French by conversing with native speakers.

Earlier that year, I’d attended an intensive 3 month French Language Training Course conducted by Chi Valentine Alake, a highly entreprising Cameroonian who (was based in Nigeria at the time, and) ran a language school in Benin City, Edo state where I was based.

After my 3 months intensive classroom training ended, it was obvious I had major difficulty making basic conversation, despite my reading and writing proficiency.

So Valentine arranged for me to spend time in his country. The idea was that I needed to be in an environment where few people spoke English. That way I’d be forced to use my spoken French more often, and consequently improve.

=====
(TIP: If you really want to be able to speak any language you learn in class, keep the foregoing tip in mind. It’s worked for me, and others I know. My experience based insights are documented in this ebook I published some years ago.)
=====

I travelled by road for over 24 hours through rough terrain, from Lagos to Calabar, then through Ikom (a border town in Nigeria) to Ekok (in Cameroon). From there, I took a car going to Kumba, and finally a bus that arrived in Douala.

Below: Picture of my passport showing stamped immigration border control passes with dates for my entry to and exit from Cameroon. Note the stamp to the extreme left with ORON control printed in it. As I stated in my article I came by by Sea via Idinao port in Cameroon, to Oron, in Nigeria.

Adapting To Local Food & Living Conditions During My Stay

Over the next 3 weeks I spent time living in accomodation provided by my hosts in Douala and Yaounde respectively.

In the former, I learnt to eat interesting local dishes like Achu (made from Cocoyam) and a kind of snack called “Bobolo” made of solidified starch moulded into a long pipe shape. This went down well with roasted or fried fish.

Everyday I went out to Marche Mokolo (French for “Mokolo Market”), where I spent time trying to converse with traders.

I also walked long distances around town to social spots like restaurants, bars and sports centres. Wherever I found myself, I readily embraced the ways things were done.

As a result people warmed up to me and taught me new words in addition to showing me places I would never have discovered on my own.

When I told my hosts of the places I’d been and what I’d learnt, they were often impressed that they did not have to take me around or assign me a guide. This especially since it was my first visit to their country.

I Move To Yaounde

A week into my stay, Valentine’s sister arranged for me to move to Cite Verte (pronounced “see tay vert”), where her older sister lived with her lawyer husband.

Compared to the Doula home I had lived in, this was an upscale neighbourhood.

In no time I settled in and began going out daily to interact with locals in the market places, recreational centers, bus parks etc.

Just like I’d done in Douala, I quickly made friends, and soon established a routine for my visits. The people were always so friendly. And whenever they learnt I was visiting to practise my spoken French, they were often pleased and keen to help.

Living In Mendong In Yaounde Countryside

When it was about 10 days to the end of my stay, my hosts arranged for me to spend a few days with a childhood friend of Valentine’s.

He lived in an area on the outskirts of Yaounde called “Mendong” (pronounced with the “g” silent).

Being a bachelor (like I was), Eduj naturally lived alone and cooked his own meals.

So we found an instant connection as we lived together in his small apartment.

Over the weekend, he taught me to make Groundnut Stew. And I also got a taste of life close to what obtained in rural areas.

For instance we had to walk a distance to fetch water for drinking and bathing from a large volcanic water spring used by dwellers.

Each day he went to work, I also left to explore the area’s social spots. And I again soon found willing helpers and friends.

At a point, three guys who ran a used books store began leaving me there to attend to buyers, who most times spoke no english.

I had to really struggle to understand and respond in coherent French to the various purchase enquiries.

The little kids who came looking to buy French versions of various popular comics and novels, enjoyed laughing at my awkward efforts!

That particular experience greatly boosted my spoken fluency. When I got back to Benin city, Valentine readily noticed the improvement.

Attending A Youth Conference In Oballa

I eventually moved back to Cite Verte. But before I left Yaounde to return to Douala in the last days of my stay, I followed directions on a flyer to attend a conference organised by members of a “President Biya’s Youth Movement” in a distant town called Oballa.

It took hours to get there and back. I returned to my hosts’ place at Cite Verte much later than usual that day (about 10p.m).

They were starting to get worried. When I told them where I’d been, they expressed surprise that I’d had the courage to go that far on my own.

Final Words: Being Adaptable Can Help You Overcome Business Challenges & Setbacks

My return trip to Nigeria at the end of my 3 week stay would however take longer, and was less straight forward.

That was because on the day I was to return home, I made the shocking discovery that I had to travel back without money I’d planned to use!

Thankfully, I made it back – by once again adapting to that unexpected development. (See details in my article titled “How I Travelled To Nigeria – 12 Hours Overnight By Sea, Under Heavy Rainfall, In A Leaky Boat – From Douala, Cameroon, Despite Having No Money!“.

After I’d returned to Nigeria for about two weeks, Valentine’s sister (in Yaounde) wrote him an email in which she mentioned me.

He called my attention to a paragraph in which she said
“Your friend is so adaptable. We were quite impressed with him.”

It’s this same habit of being adaptable that’s helped me routinely and repeatedly overcome every challenge or setback I’ve encountered since becoming an entrepreneur ten years ago.

Without it, I’m certain I would have been overwhelmed by the multiple bouts of adversity I have survived to get where I am today.

With it, one always feels s/he can find a way to make things work out okay. No matter how bad they look!

If you have not already formed this habit, I strongly encourage you to work at it as you begin your business activities in this new year.

The best part is that everything you need is already inside you: it’s just a mindset you need to develop.

You’ll start thinking up ways to make the most of any situation that confronts you in running your business – or indeed your life.

That would be much better than throwing your hands up in frustration – or surrender – like most people often do!