Me: Hi
Random child/colleague/student/neighbour: I'm fine
Even before I've opened my mouth, often I am met with, 'I'm fine thank you and you?'
But to be fair, this was also the standard response to my questions when I lived in Japan…and come to think of it, this is what I'm ALWAYS asked by any passerby here: 'amakuru' (How are you?) - and the standard response is - 'ni meza, ayanyu?' - I'm fine and you?
_______________
I lost all motivation to learn Kinyarwanda a while ago, possibly since the start of this year! But I find that without it - life is somewhat complicated. I still have lessons now and again, but not as frequently as I'd like. However, I have mastered simple phrases of, 'I want…' (One common one - 'ndashaka mutzig gatoya/petit, ikonje' - I want a small Mutzig, cold - Mutzig being one of the locally sold beers here.) A key phrase, no doubt - but I can never get 'deep' into conversations here - and that's what I miss.
Whilst language is a limitation/barrier, culturally, people do not tend to speak about their emotions here. 'Ihangane' - 'be patient' is the answer to anybodies' woes, whether someone has faced sickness, loss of any form, anger towards another, stress at work…the response is always, 'ihangane' and then a beer is placed in your hands. No-one wants to hear the nitty gritty details, the thousand thoughts that whizz through your mind…And yet when I am told this, my blood only boils and a tirade of words are screamed (whether internally or externally). I find no comfort in this term - but maybe I've just lost the meaning in translation.
I guess the equivalent in English is, 'I'm sorry.' Afterall, what comfort do the words, 'I'm sorry' bring when you've lost something/one? What difference does it make when I've had a bad day at work and someone utters the words, 'I'm sorry' to me? Maybe it's what I'm used to, perhaps it's my understanding of the culture/context in which they are uttered - but actually, those two (technically 3) words DO make me feel better.
_____________________
Today there was a snake lying dead in the Centre, its head mangled and deformed - possibly from being run over by a moto. I was trying to tell my helper, Gaudence today about it and used the word 'inzoga' instead of 'inzoka' - she looked at me strangely. Why was I asking her if she'd seen the BEER in the centre? (This post seems to have a running beer theme!?!)…my intention of course was to say 'inzoka' - snake but I often get things mixed up here:
Inama = meeting
Inyama = meat
Intama = sheep (/nt/ has an aspirated sound - more like 'h')
Imana = God
So this is my life, forever lost in the translation of words, actions and culture.
_______________
I lost all motivation to learn Kinyarwanda a while ago, possibly since the start of this year! But I find that without it - life is somewhat complicated. I still have lessons now and again, but not as frequently as I'd like. However, I have mastered simple phrases of, 'I want…' (One common one - 'ndashaka mutzig gatoya/petit, ikonje' - I want a small Mutzig, cold - Mutzig being one of the locally sold beers here.) A key phrase, no doubt - but I can never get 'deep' into conversations here - and that's what I miss.
Whilst language is a limitation/barrier, culturally, people do not tend to speak about their emotions here. 'Ihangane' - 'be patient' is the answer to anybodies' woes, whether someone has faced sickness, loss of any form, anger towards another, stress at work…the response is always, 'ihangane' and then a beer is placed in your hands. No-one wants to hear the nitty gritty details, the thousand thoughts that whizz through your mind…And yet when I am told this, my blood only boils and a tirade of words are screamed (whether internally or externally). I find no comfort in this term - but maybe I've just lost the meaning in translation.
I guess the equivalent in English is, 'I'm sorry.' Afterall, what comfort do the words, 'I'm sorry' bring when you've lost something/one? What difference does it make when I've had a bad day at work and someone utters the words, 'I'm sorry' to me? Maybe it's what I'm used to, perhaps it's my understanding of the culture/context in which they are uttered - but actually, those two (technically 3) words DO make me feel better.
_____________________
Today there was a snake lying dead in the Centre, its head mangled and deformed - possibly from being run over by a moto. I was trying to tell my helper, Gaudence today about it and used the word 'inzoga' instead of 'inzoka' - she looked at me strangely. Why was I asking her if she'd seen the BEER in the centre? (This post seems to have a running beer theme!?!)…my intention of course was to say 'inzoka' - snake but I often get things mixed up here:
Inama = meeting
Inyama = meat
Intama = sheep (/nt/ has an aspirated sound - more like 'h')
Imana = God
So this is my life, forever lost in the translation of words, actions and culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment