So what do screwdrivers, ants, and popcorn have in common? Confusion for Tessa, that's what. We thought the word for popcorn was "bisi bisi" so that's what Tessa calls it. The word for ants is "sisi misi"- and the two get mixed up in her mind/mouth, so she points to ants and says "bisi bisi!" But then we learned that "bisi bisi" actually means screwdriver, and popcorn is just "bisi." I don't think she has much need for using the word for screwdriver, so if I can just straighten her out on popcorn, then maybe she can recall the word for ants. Whew!
On a side note, it took me coming all the way to Africa to figure out how to cook non-microwave popcorn, and now I'm a pro (after ruining one pot - which I now only use for bisi)!
As for ants, we have LOTS! They've gone beserk, and I've even found colonies forming in our truck, as well as behind Tessa's curtains, and in the holder for the toilet cleaning brush. YUCK! Dudu (bugs) have great names here. You already know sisimisi, but we also have "washa washa" for asps, "kumbi kumbi" for termites (a yummy snack for some folks here), and "bui bui" for spiders. That's just a start for all the dudu we see daily - inside our house.
As for screwdrivers, well, that's Dusty's specialty. He's certainly puts his to use a lot, so now it's good to know what to call them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Ok, excuse the immaturity but I just can't get past the fact that bugs are called "Dudu!" ;oP Seriously though, it's wild how many of the swahili words are doubles.
Technically spiders are not insects so make sure you teach that subtle difference to Tessa as well.
Post a Comment