Some advice of expats already living in Douala

tu peu réécrire en Français, car je maitrise mal l'anglais !
Ainsi, je pourrai répondre à tes question

Hello,

I came to Douala over 2 years ago with a newborn.  So far, it has been a good experience. 

In terms of school, Dominique Savio is the French speaking school of Douala for expats.  The two options are the American School (English) and Dominique Savio.  How old are your kids?  If they are younger than 3 years old, they may go to the crèche.  Kaza Kids and le Petit Bourgeois are well known among the expats.  Kaza kids is only in French whereas Bourgeois is French, but also teaches English to kids.

In the French school, they need to take a test, although I am not sure what kind of test it is. Dominique Savio is apparently half the price of the American school, so aroun 5 000$ per year.

In terms of health, we do not give any malaria tablets to our kids since they are too strong to be taken on a regular basis (even for adults)  Kids should be vaccinated against tuberculosis, yellow fever, hepathetis, etc.  I usually go to Policlinique Bonanjo when my daughter is sick, or even ourselves.  They have good doctors, including Dr Basshoun who works in the annex of polyclinique.

Places to live

Bonanjo and Bonapriso are the most popular neighborhood for expats, although some settle in Akwa. THe three places are close to everything, and Bonapriso has most restaurants, groceries, etc. Expats are free to walk on the streets, although it is nor recommended to do so after 6h pm.

For a villa with about 3 bedrooms, they charge about 1 500 000 CFA per month

Moving around is safer in your car or with a driver.  Since the driving style is chaotic here, many people prefer having a driver.  In fact, most companies provide you with a driver.

As an expat, we miss diversity in terms of food, clothes, cinema, etc.  But it is easy to make a good living here with friends.  It is a great place to raise kids since you enjoy having a nanny/housekeeper. Activities revolve around social gathering and I think that it is easier to get together here than in the West where everyone is busy.

Hope this helps!

I am from Zimbabwe and I work for a multinational company. My wife and I wish to make contact with English speaking expats. We are in our 50's.

I agree with what the others have said.

The American school is great and a really good community (I play basketball and ultimate frisbee there on weekends) but it's expensive. Worth it if you can afford it.

Housing is really difficult. Don't expect to find a nice house in a month. Most owners want a full year in advance. Sometimes you can talk them down to 6 months. It's never certain that the person you are dealing with actually has any connection with the house, so be careful. Apartments are easier and cheaper to find. You can get a decent 3 bedroom apartment starting at around 600,000 CFA/month. Don't expect American style niceness thought. Nice is relative. Most buildings in Cameroon would be condemned and torn down if there were in the US. You get used to it quickly thought and it's not hard to find a place that feels pleasant.

I was afraid to drive at first. There is very little order, but it works. Now I drive everywhere and kind of enjoy it. It's like a video game. (except that you only have one life) The only danger is if you hit a person or another vehicle. Then you better be able to use your French to diffuse the situation because after an accident the tension in the city usually boils over. If you are not ready to do this, us a driver.

The expat family life seems pretty nice. I don't have kids here, but I hang out with some couples that do and it seems like an ok life. There are not a lot of options for things to do, but with a little effort, you can come up with things.

Rich

Hello Rich,

Many thanks for giving me some valuable info on live in Douala.
I'm a little bit dissapointed that the American Schools turns out to be so expensive, as I prefer to raise my daughter in English and French.

Greetings,

Anne

The French school is a good option. You should e-mail the director and get the current pricing, etc for the American school though. Send me a message and I'll give you his contact information.

As for health. Bring lots of Off and use a mosquito net and you should be ok regarding Malaria. They sell bug spray here, but not as good as Off. Keep off packets in your purse, your car, etc.