Language Training

Since my last post, dear readers, Kris and I have headed to the Southwest with our language group – the other volunteers who will be living and working around us – and have been studying hard to reach an Intermediate level in Runyankore. We have been taking intensive language and culture classes six days a week from roughly eight to five. Peace Corps insists on their volunteers obtaining at least an intermediate level in the local language because it is such an important part of security, integration, and a volunteer’s success during their service. Plus, it’s fun! (And a lot of work, but hey, let’s focus on the fun.)

Runyankore Fun Facts:

-          Enyoni means both bird and airplane. This means that the cry of, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman!” would be slightly more confusing here.

-          Airport is ekishayi ky’enyoni, which literally translates as “playground of birds.” Pretty much the best thing ever.

-          There is no winter and summer here, just the rainy seasons and dry seasons. When it rains here, it really rains. This is illustrated by the fact that kuteerwa means both “to be caught in the rain” and “to be beaten.”

-          Greetings are extremely important and there are many different ways to greet someone. It is polite to inquire after how someone has spent the night, how their family is doing, what news they have…and that is just when you pass by them in the village. When you finally want to leave someone, a common way to say goodbye is ogumeho, which is extremely illustrative in that it literally means, “Stay there!”

-          Amaizi, depending on how it is pronounced, can mean either water or feces. No awkward moments at the local market there at all.

-          Cute one: egaari y’omwika, which means train, translates literally as “bicycle of smoke.”

-          When asking for sauce (emboga) in a restaurant, someone in my group accidentally asked instead for buffalos.

-          There are at least five different words for bananas, depending on their size, type and ripeness.

-          The most embarassing one: Yesterday in class, when trying to describe how long it took me to get to my site, I accidentally stated how it had taken me six hours to impregnate someone.

In our little bit of free time, we have been enjoying the beautiful scenery here in the Southwest, bonding with our group, and having a great time with our amazing homestay family (who gave us our Ugandan names! I am Rukundo, which means love, and Kris is Nimsiima, which means grateful). Pictures to come later, when I hopefully have better Internet!

In Runyankore:

"What did you do before you came to Uganda?"

"Because pineapple."

           - Fere and Jay