Letter from Kenya #2 (July 14, 2006)

Habari zenu, and whassup!

So this email comes fast on the heels of the previous one, which is not an indicator that I'm reneging on my "1-2x/month" statement, but rather shows how time passes between writing an email and actually sending one. I've also decided I'll just go ahead and be long-winded, but I'll index for the reader's convenience :)

Contents:
1. Swahili & Cute Neighbor Kids
2. World Cup Finals
3. Sunset + Contact Information

1. Language & Kids
First and foremost, Swahili is finally coming, slowly but surely. I bring this up because learning to speak (granted, in phrases and bits) has been like switching from black and white TV to high-definition technicolor. The very best part, though, is getting to talk with the cute neighbor kids.

Now you're probably wondering what kind of creepy person harasses little kids. Apparently me, but here's why I do it: Everytime I walk anywhere, about 90% of the kids in the area will chant, "Mzungu, mzungu, how are you!" ("How are you?" is the first phrase they're taught in English in school). Usually I respond by saying, "I am fine! How are you?" and they giggle and run away.

Recently I decided to switch things up, and I've gotten in the habit of responding in Swahili instead ("Nzuri, habari zako?" - good, how are you?; or, "Mimi si mzungu; mimi ni Camille"- I'm not a European, I'm Camille!). Now there is lots more giggling and still lots of running away. Sometimes, though, they'll stop, and we'll talk for a while. This is great because a) kids talk more slowly than adults, b) I am about as conversant as a 2 year old, and c) I'm picking up way more "border slang." And of course, there is the added bonus that they're about as cute as human limits allow.


Some fun additional things I've learned about language. Here in Busia, nearly everyone adds an "a" to words that start with "m". So for example, in Swahili there are lots of nouns that begin with m:

mwanafunzi (student)
mwalimu (teacher)
mtoto (child)
mzee (term of respect for an elder man)
mzungu (European)

And the list continues. In many of the local Bantu languages, particularly Kiluhya, words start with a "ma-", so "mtoto" becomes "Matoto", "Mzungu" becomes "mazungu," etc. Oh, for further clarification, vowels are pronounced as they are in Spanish with emphasis (usually) on the penultimate syllable, for those who are trying to "hear" the difference.


2. World Cup Finals
The finals were amazing, great, fantastic! We settled into the luscious digs of Chauma where we feasted pre-match and then relocated to the "VIP seats" (i.e. the open chairs ahead of the TV, which is conscientiously suspended from the ceiling).

Meanwhile, the end of the match was a great sight because one of our housemates (Lorenzo) is Italian! Nearly half the restaurant cheered for him, and he could hardly breathe for the rest of the evening. (Sorry Antoine). Meanwhile, rumors abound as to why Zidane would make like a goat and head-butt the Italian guy. We (the American staff) have all decided that someone said something particularly nasty/racist to him (e.g. "terrorist"). On the funnier side, now the entire Kenyan staff refers to "flipping out" as "pulling a Zidane" in Swahili. (Sorry again, Antoine).


3. Sunset
As stereotypical and exotified as it sounds, my favorite thing so far has been seeing sunrise and sunset, which are consistently at 7AM and 7PM, respectively. The sky looks like every postcard you could imagine, sans requisite elephants/giraffes. The trees lean slightly over the road, and about a billion shades of red and gold drape across the sky as the sun sinks over Uganda. Even on the craziest days, these thirty minutes allow just a little time to breathe easy and breathe deep, to get focused and be thankful for everything and everyone here.

Until next time, be well!

Kwa heri,
me