If you were to stand outside my homestay as we were eating dinner, and listen for a while, you would most certainly hear a lot of one thing...
LAUGHTER.
And most of it would be directed at me and my attempts to speak Swahili.
I have a few sentences down cold; like "Ndizi ni tam" ("The bananas are delicious"), and "Nime shiba" ("I am full:" a phrase I've found particularly useful as Mama is trying to guilt me into a third helping of Rice and Beans).
I'm pretty sure its my American accent and slow pacing that causes them to laugh so much. However, the other night during nighttime prayer, as we were singing a traditional African hymn, I had no idea why the entire family was laughing at me.
I was reading from the songbook and attempting to sing in Swahili with the family, when verse 2 began. Translated it went something like:
LAUGHTER.
And most of it would be directed at me and my attempts to speak Swahili.
I have a few sentences down cold; like "Ndizi ni tam" ("The bananas are delicious"), and "Nime shiba" ("I am full:" a phrase I've found particularly useful as Mama is trying to guilt me into a third helping of Rice and Beans).
I'm pretty sure its my American accent and slow pacing that causes them to laugh so much. However, the other night during nighttime prayer, as we were singing a traditional African hymn, I had no idea why the entire family was laughing at me.
I was reading from the songbook and attempting to sing in Swahili with the family, when verse 2 began. Translated it went something like:
"My shelter is the Lord,
without my Lord I have no shelter"
Apparently, I misread the word for shelter (nombe), confusing it with another word I was familiar with...cow (ngombe). So the family heard me sing,
"My cow is the Lord,
without my Lord I have no cow"
Oops...
They laughed for 5 minutes straight, then said "Amen."
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