Learning Swahili

3/07/2012 08:39:00 AM sendtheroths 2 Comments

Our home for the next three months.

Kiswahili was born in Zanzibar, grew up in Tanzania, got sick in Kenya, died in Uganda and was buried in Congo.

Our teacher's name is "Big Boy"

Since the Congolese speak a form of slang-Kiswahili, it has been nearly impossible to pick up the language by immersion in Congo. Swahili is primarily an Arabic and Bantu language. In Congo, they mix or shorten words and add French to it.

"I'm slow like a poli poli," Andrew said-- discouraged about his improvement.

So we’ve decided to get a solid foundation in the language by learning Tanzanian-Swahili. And then unlearning it as we return to Congo. We are at Iringa in language school for the next three months.

Andrew and I have seen a growing need to learn the local trade language in eastern Congo. Too often, we’ve caught our translator saying something slightly different than what we are trying to convey: i.e. saying ‘but’ instead of ‘and’.

Not having a translator at all times has limited our level of discipleship with the Congolese, because we often need to address matters immediately before they become habitual.

Being quick to praise or quick to correct is necessary for building a healthy and productive ministry/work environment.