Ninapenda Tanzania
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn Kiswahili and to
become better acquainted with the Tanzanian culture. I am very
excited after class to use the verbs that I learned that day as I have
interactions with my teammates and the people around me. The
Tanzanians as a whole have been remarkably patient and helpful as I
stumble to speak their native tongue--and I stumble a lot. I take the
laughs and giggles as a sign of love and appreciation from the
Tanzanians as I try to speak Kiswahili. It's like being a small child
again, stumbling to use the right word or combination of words as
needed. And there are many things that I enjoy about Kiswahili. For
example the double words: pikipiki (motorcycle) or buibui (spider)
make me laugh like a little girl.
Recently our team had the opportunity to visit our Kiswahili
instructors' homes and families. Near their homes is the Mbagala
Girls Home. We had a tour of the grounds (you can see some of these
pictures at http://kwilcoxson.ocmc.org). As is the case in many
orphanages in Africa, many of the girls at Mblagala have lost one or
both of their parents from HIV/AIDS, malaria, or tuberculosis. The
home is supported and run by the Salvation Army. Pastor Wilson Chacha
is one of many people who keep the home running. We met Pastor Wilson
at the conclusion of our tour. We were introduced to him, and he was
told what our purpose was for being here in Tanzania as well as what
our occupations were. He spoke minimal English, so I took the
opportunity to practice my Kiswahili, especially the words that I
recently learned. I boldly told him "Ninapenda Tanzania" (I love
Tanzania). He was elated to hear those words come out of my mouth.
He then asked in English "Do you want to live here? Do you want to
become a citizen of Tanzania? All you have to do is live here for six
years then you can ask the government to give you citizenship. They
won't give you any problems. They will happily let you become a
Tanzanian!"
I truly believe "I love you" is the best phrase in any language!
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn Kiswahili and to
become better acquainted with the Tanzanian culture. I am very
excited after class to use the verbs that I learned that day as I have
interactions with my teammates and the people around me. The
Tanzanians as a whole have been remarkably patient and helpful as I
stumble to speak their native tongue--and I stumble a lot. I take the
laughs and giggles as a sign of love and appreciation from the
Tanzanians as I try to speak Kiswahili. It's like being a small child
again, stumbling to use the right word or combination of words as
needed. And there are many things that I enjoy about Kiswahili. For
example the double words: pikipiki (motorcycle) or buibui (spider)
make me laugh like a little girl.
Recently our team had the opportunity to visit our Kiswahili
instructors' homes and families. Near their homes is the Mbagala
Girls Home. We had a tour of the grounds (you can see some of these
pictures at http://kwilcoxson.ocmc.org). As is the case in many
orphanages in Africa, many of the girls at Mblagala have lost one or
both of their parents from HIV/AIDS, malaria, or tuberculosis. The
home is supported and run by the Salvation Army. Pastor Wilson Chacha
is one of many people who keep the home running. We met Pastor Wilson
at the conclusion of our tour. We were introduced to him, and he was
told what our purpose was for being here in Tanzania as well as what
our occupations were. He spoke minimal English, so I took the
opportunity to practice my Kiswahili, especially the words that I
recently learned. I boldly told him "Ninapenda Tanzania" (I love
Tanzania). He was elated to hear those words come out of my mouth.
He then asked in English "Do you want to live here? Do you want to
become a citizen of Tanzania? All you have to do is live here for six
years then you can ask the government to give you citizenship. They
won't give you any problems. They will happily let you become a
Tanzanian!"
I truly believe "I love you" is the best phrase in any language!
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