On my first trip abroad to buy # spare parts, I handed my parts list to the supplier who looked at me in astonishment: he didn't speak French like me so he couldn't read it, and secondly, there was no # part number on the list. In his eyes, I was like a complete idiot in Paris.
I thought I was back at Camp Yabassi (a popular spot for selling spare parts in Cameroon) where you just have to say, for example, that you want a clutch kit for a #Atego and all the Biafrans (Nigerians who thrive in the spare parts trade) will jump at you with tempting prices. No, the modern automotive world has changed, and every spare part has a reference number. Thanks to this reference number, anyone, regardless of their country, language, or background, can find the part. The reference number is unique to each part. So, all I would have had to do was give the reference #A0182509401 for my supplier to know that I wanted a clutch kit for a Mercedes Atego with a # automatic transmission (2 pedals).
When he realized I was completely lost, he asked me if I at least had the chassis number of the truck in question. Massa, so for every part I have to give him a chassis number? I got it, Wanda. Like a true Cameroonian, I got over the defeat and promised myself I wouldn't fall for it again.
