A Good One

This week has been a good one.  A good one for language.  A good one for visiting and talking with friends.  A good one for teaching. 

Today in class, one of my students told me that all the Form 1 students (my students from the local secondary school) are talking about me and how I am able to speak Swahili now.  Too bad it’s just a rumor.  Haha I will say this, though.  Something “clicked” with language this week.  I have been on a roll with speaking- actually making sense and not taking 20 minutes to create each sentence.  I have gotten over the “I don’t want to embarrass myself” stage, and have been trying to use it a lot wherever I go.  I’m really starting to feel like I’m “getting it”.  Also, for the past week, I have been waking up in the middle of the night speaking Swahili in my mind.  So weird.  But I am told that is a step in the right direction!

Visiting is becoming so much more fun and enjoyable.  I am able to join in on conversations and ask questions, answer questions, and joke.  When I first started visiting, it was so formal.  When I would eat meals at their houses, they wouldn’t let me help cook and they gave me my own plate of food to eat before they all ate.  Now, they put me to work cutting mchicha (spinach), stirring wali (rice), pealing kiazi (potatoes), or shaving the nazi (coconut). 

This was my first time on the mbuzi, and I sliced my finger.  Those things are seriously sharp!  That same day, this family served me lunch at the same time as them and on the same plate.  Made me smile.  I felt like family.

 

I have still been going to Mariam’s every day for language.  

She’s my favorite teacher and her kids and grandkids are so great.  They call me “Ginger Tangawizi” and are always laughing, making faces, and climbing on me.  Yesterday, they had some relatives over and they asked if I liked coconut water.  I said yes, and the next thing I knew, the dude had climbed 100ft up a tree to get me some.  Incredible.  Had I known he was going to go to such extreme measures to make me happy, I would have told him no.

 

When I was taking pictures of the coconut, yesterday, I said I wanted a picture of her grandkids to put in my new house (which is still a few weeks away from being done).  She took it pretty seriously and asked me to come back today after class to take a photo after they had showered and put on nicer clothes.  So today we had a photo shoot.

I know I’ve told you before, but I LOVE the people here!  I have never met such hospitable, kind-hearted, friendly people in my entire life.  I feel so incredibly blessed to be here.  Really really grateful.