This has been a busy week. Got the results of my initial Kiswahili written exam and oral proficiency exam. I need a 60% on the final written exam and an intermediate mid on the proficiency exam. I got an 89% on the written midterm and an intermediate low on the oral. I hope it was not because I told the interviewer (in Kiswahili) that the next day was Saturday and that I was going to Mikumi National Park to see animals. It was true. I was going to the park on Saturday. Unfortunately, the next day was not Saturday. However, I am pleased with my score, but I know that I still have a lot of studying and practice to do. Continue reading and you will see why.
Last Sunday after returning from an amazing trip to Mikumi National Park (saw many animals, see the posted pictures), my Tanzanian family was not at home so I decided to do my own laundry. You know: get the bucket, fetch the water, scrub and rinse. Then hang your clothes inside out on the line so that they do not get too dusty before they dry. I am not usually permitted to do my own laundry, so I was proud of myself for accomplishing this task. In the evening, Diana (14) was home, so we were taking down my laundry together. There were two towels and a pair of women's capri pants hanging there as well. I assumed they were my family's, so I held up the pants to Diana and said, "Diana, mdogo(small), suarali kubwa (pants big), these are Aggie's". Then I gave the little towel to Diana and told her to give the big towel to Aggie. I gave the clothes pins to Mama Victoria. That evening I will admit that I was confused when Aggie said "thank you for the gifts." I thought she was just happy that Peace Corps had paid them for my room and board that weekend and we actually had good food to eat again. Usually our choices are quite limited. After dinner, Aggie put on the capris and modeled them for me. I thought she was just wanted to show me that she also had jeans. (I had worn jeans to Mikumi). I told her they were very nice. Remember she speaks very little English and I understand very little Kiswahili. The next afternoon when I came home from class, Diana and Judi (niece) were there. They said "you give Aggie gift", and then they break into uncontrollable laughter. Apparently, Charles, the gentleman boarder had come to Diana earlier that morning and asked if she had seen his clothespins and his laundry from the line. She realized my mistake and she had to bite her lips to keep from laughing out loud. She said it was a good thing that Aggie had not worn her new pants to work. Diana gave him back his laundry: the things that I had stolen from the line and given as "gifts" to my host family. I wrote a note of apology to Aggie in Kiswhili to explain my mistake and gave it to her when she came home. The family was in stitches all evening. We laughed so hard we were exhausted. I am not sure about Charles. This was not the first time that my mistakes involved him. He had sent me a text message on my phone (Chinese blackberry) when he went on a trip to Dar a few weeks ago. Walking home from class, my phone bounced around in my backpack and somehow it accidently replied to his text. He sent me a message saying "Thanks for caring but some of your messages are blank". I was surprised because I did not think I had replied at all, so I looked in my sent messages box. My phone had sent him blank messages and template messages such as "let's meet for lunch" or "I'll call you later" at least 48 times!! When he returned, I tried to explain that it was my phone that called him, not me. He tried to figure out how to lock the keypad, but I think he may still be a bit afraid of me.
As the Tanzanians would say, I am doing "my level best" to learn this language and this culture. The result is that my best attempts often provide much needed entertainment for the people in my community. Recently my friend Cheryl (another PCV) and I rode home from town in a very, very crowded dala dala (small public bus). This was our first trip unescorted. I could not see Cheryl on the crowded bus, but after awhile I heard her say "shusha" which means "I want to get off the bus." I did not hear her say "shusha Kola Hill" so when we got to the next stop, I hopped out of the dala dala. All the Tanzanians were calling to me, "mzungu, come back." I realized they wanted me to get back on, so I did. I still could not see or hear Cheryl, so I thought maybe I was supposed to get off at the next stop. The dala dala stopped and I got ready to jump off. Now everyone was laughing at this little white woman who kept trying to jump off the bus. Finally a neighbor recognized me and moved closer to my seat. When we finally arrived at the correct stop, she took my hand and led me off. Then she walked me home.
Another mix-up had my classmates laughing. The Kiswahili words for "to be married", "to understand", and "to be drunk" are all very similar. I volunteered to read one of my homework sentences aloud during class one day. I thought I was saying "when I got married, my mother was very happy." but my teacher looked at me and said "what?" Actually I had said "when I was drunk, my mother was very happy."
Oh the joy of language learning! Immersion is the way!
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