Not quite cameroonian

Without a doubt, I am the strangest thing that has ever entered the Ebai household. On a daily basis I do something so bizarre, so completely ridiculous that the entire family looks at me and will repeatedly ask, "Anne, what ARE you doing?" To begin with, sitting on the ground is absolutely a no. The first time I did it, the entire family commented "Anne what are you doing on the floor?" and then before I had a chance to respond, asked whoever else was around, "Why is Anne on the floor? Get her a chair." Helen's response was the most memorable, "Anne, are you a Muslim? You sit like one." I mean, sitting on the floor made perfect sense -- it was a beautiful day and everyone was outside cooking so I just wanted to be where the fun was. They sweep they ground everyday too, so its not even dirty. Nevertheless, I definitely crossed a cultural norm with that one.
Then there is the subject of braiding my hair. Melanie and Helen truly can't fathom why I like my hair braided and think I have no sense of style when I asked if they can braid it for me. Of course, as students in school they have to wear there hair in cornrows and only on Sundays can they style it which is always a big to-do.
Reading for fun is also considered if not a waste of time, then just REALLY weird. At least twice a week I have a conversation that goes something like this:

Helen: "Is that book for school?"
Me: "No, just for fun."
Helen: "Do you have to read it?"
Me: "No."
Helen: "Why are you reading it then?"
Me: "Because I like to read.”
Helen: “But you just read a book last week.”

After this, I can count on Helen to mutter, “Anne loves to read...” [To be fair, I am reading an awfully lot here. Little to no access to TV or internet has definitely upped my reading habits and I’ve read at least 12 books this semester. Glorious. Amazing what I can do without facebook...]
Exercise is an interesting topic too which whenever I mention it, my parents warn me that I could “die.” Yes, death is apparently a common result of physical activity. Whenever I walk to school, I repeatedly told how far the walk is (well, that would be 50 minutes) and how that I will get dehydrated and DIE. My decision to climb Mount Cameroon was literally meet with shock and Auntie Susan, in the absolutely kindest way possible said, "People die on the mountain each year” (Sure, the mountain was cold and a tough hike, but I can definitively say death was never an option).
Most recently, I found out that it is unheard of for women to eat street food -- soya, sliced fruit, popcorn, boiled eggs, spaghetti sandwiches, beignets etc. This is actually absurd -- at this point I have offended the entire country of Cameroon since ALL I eat is street food and on a daily basis proclaim it the best thing on earth (and why not? For six cent I can buy the best beignets I’ve ever had).
Even my toothpaste is a subject of debate which Helen described as "the worst taste in the entire world -- I would rather die than brush my teeth with that." Umm. well, okay.
I could definitely continue this list..probably write a book the subject, but I'll leave it hereee