So you might think this posting is about our work with the nine languages of the Mara Region. Wrong. This posting results from our friendships with other missionaries and expatriates who also live and work here. We love being part of a truly international community, and are constantly chuckling at our amusing differences. Here's a taste of our wazungu translation work. (Wazungu = white people living in East Africa)
USA first - British/Australian next
FOODS:
*candy - lollies (AU), sweeties (UK)
*cookie - biscuit (UK), bikkie (AU) Do Aussies say this just because they're speaking to kids or do they say it all the time?
*biscuit - scone. However, to a Tanzanian, a "scone" is a dinner roll. And a good Southern girl will insist that a true biscuit is definitely NOT a scone.
*breakfast - brekkie (AU) See above question.
*dinner - tea. Sure to get an American over her head when she invites a friend for "tea" and that person then expects dinner.
*eggplant - aubergine. Not to worry as we avoid it in both dialects.
*sweet pepper - capsicum. I had a good laugh when I saw "Paul Newman Spaghetti Sauce with Capsicum" for sale in Kenya.
*zucchini - courgette. "Would you like a lovely slice of courgette bread?"
*jello - jelly. Don't ask an Aussie or a Brit for jelly on your toast.
*fries - chips. As in "fish and chips"
*chips - crisps - These last two are always confusing to the kids as we interchange them according to company and continent.
DRINKS:
*lemonade - lemon cordial or lemon juice (AU) I'm not even sure I knew what cordial was till I got here. Doesn't it just mean polite??
*Sprite - lemonade (AU) When offered a lemonade at an Aussie's house, I no longer hope for fresh squeezed lemonade
*fruit concentrate - squash (UK). "Would you like some mango squash." Hmmm, ew!
CLOTHES:
*sweater/sweatshirt - jumper - I think we only use "jumper" for a longish snap/button dress under which a shirt is worn. So when I was complimented on my jumper I had to laugh as an image of a very uncool 80s dress came to mind.
*flip flops - thongs -Guaranteed to get a chuckle out of an American
*swimsuit - Aussie cossie (AU), bathing costume. When asked if they had brought their costumes at a hotel with a pool, my kids looked up at us with puzzlement.
CARS - AUTOS:
*gas - petrol
*hood (of a car) - bonnet
*trunk (of a car) - boot
*shoulder (of the road) - verge (UK) "No driving on the verge." I think we only use "verge" before "of a nervous breakdown."
HOUSEHOLD:
*garbage - rubbish "Ah, that's a load of rubbish!"
*socket - power point (AU) "Does the house have power points?" - guaranteed to confuse an American who is thinking of a Microsoft presentation.
*flashlight - torch
*cooler - eskie (AU), chillibin (NZ) Say chillibin three times fast; it's good fun!
KIDS:
*goofing off - faffing around (UK) - "Kids! Quit faffing around and come to dinner!"
*whine/complain - grisle, winge - It's so nice to have FOUR ways of describing your kids' annoying behavior!
*diaper - nappy
*crib - cot
*pacifier - dummy. I love this one.
*c-section - caeser (AU) Did Julius Caeser's wife have a caeser?
*Mommy - Mummy. As if I don't feel old enough already!
GENERAL:
*afternoon - arvo (AU) Now I know to invite my friends for "arvo tea" if I don't want to deal with a whole dinner.
*to fall hard - to stack it (AU) "Man, I stacked it this morning when running to help the screaming kids."
*soccer - football
*vacation - holiday. How do they differentiate a holiday (Christmas, Easter, etc) from a vacation?
*1st floor - ground floor
*2nd floor - 1st floor, etc. - You can only guess at how confusing this can get when giving or getting directions.
*operating room - operating theatre. In case of needing a "caeser" for Jack, I was told "You'll need written permission to have your husband allowed in the theatre." Was the operation rated R? hee hee.
*thanks - ta!
I know this is just a short list, so add on the ones you encounter in the comments.
So the next time we're in the States just ignore us or interpret when we sound a little funny as we casually throw around words like nappies and dummies, bikkies and crisps.
Ta!
kim
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
How I Know My Kids are Missionary Kids:
1. They flew before they could walk. Ex: Tessa had been on 8 airplanes by the time she was 5 months old.
Jack and Tessa in the airport before boarding a plane.
2. They have debates with their friends about where their "home" is. Tessa recently argued with her friend Harry who insisted she was from America while she insisted she was from Musoma.
3. They speak in Swahili and English and can still count in Spanish thanks to Sesame Street DVDs.
Tessa and friends in their Swahili class
4. They are not bothered by having a whole fish on the plate before them. In fact, Tessa wanted to eat the eyes, and Jack called it "my Nemo" (from the animated movie) while biting into the tail.
5. 100% of their clothes are hand-me-downs or come from care packages.
With chameleons we found in the backyard; kids in care package clothes and shoes.
6. They're confused by the concept of socks. Aren't they for skating on our concrete floors?
7. They believe that all choirs dance and even dance with the choir when inspired.
Joining the choir in late March
8. They know what to do with nothing.
Nothing here = mud.
9. They make friends quickly and are almost flippant about saying good-bye.
The kids' good friend Naomi.
10. They have passports, and they're well used. Tessa's on her 2nd passport which has five pages full of stamps. Jack's passport has additional pages, 17 of which are full.
I recently attended a talk on missionary kid (MK) issues. We talked about the term "third culture kid" (TCK). A TCK is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. It was interesting to review a list of the pros and cons of growing up as an MK. Here are some of them in no particular order.
Pros:
1. Less pressure to perform (smaller peer group and not barraged by sports, music, art classes, etc.)
2. Longer childhood
3. Well-read (not as many entertainment options)
4. Family grows closer
5. Creative with resources and time
6. Expanded world view
7. Adaptable and flexible
Cons:
1. Loss of extended family relationships (which is so much better now thanks to the internet and Skype)
2. Confused identities upon return to passport country - Where am I from? Why don't people understand me? What do I do in this situation?
3. Ignorance of American culture which leads to confusion and feeling like a misfit
4. Struggle to keep friends since they are accustomed to leaving or being left
5. They don't quite fit in when they're abroad or in their passport country. My kids aren't Tanzanians, but they're not really Americans either.
It seems that several of the challenges occur mostly when the family or MK is in their passport country or when the MK is functioning on the adult level. Our kids did great while we were in America although Jack was much more clingy than he otherwise would be.
I know for me it can be difficult to raise my kids in a place that I was not raised even though I have a lot of international experience under my belt. The only instance I can remember offhand was when I took the kids through the car wash in America thinking it would be as fun for them as it had been for me when I was a child. Instead, it left both children crying as though they were under alien attack.
Really, these things just touch on some of the issues related to MKs. What it makes me realize is that raising children overseas can have really great blessings and challenges. I truly hope that when my kids start facing some of the challenges, the Lord will grant us the wisdom to know how to help them along.
Did I mention they're handy to have around?
Jack and Tessa in the airport before boarding a plane.2. They have debates with their friends about where their "home" is. Tessa recently argued with her friend Harry who insisted she was from America while she insisted she was from Musoma.
3. They speak in Swahili and English and can still count in Spanish thanks to Sesame Street DVDs.
Tessa and friends in their Swahili class4. They are not bothered by having a whole fish on the plate before them. In fact, Tessa wanted to eat the eyes, and Jack called it "my Nemo" (from the animated movie) while biting into the tail.
5. 100% of their clothes are hand-me-downs or come from care packages.
With chameleons we found in the backyard; kids in care package clothes and shoes.6. They're confused by the concept of socks. Aren't they for skating on our concrete floors?
7. They believe that all choirs dance and even dance with the choir when inspired.
Joining the choir in late March8. They know what to do with nothing.
Nothing here = mud.9. They make friends quickly and are almost flippant about saying good-bye.
The kids' good friend Naomi.10. They have passports, and they're well used. Tessa's on her 2nd passport which has five pages full of stamps. Jack's passport has additional pages, 17 of which are full.
I recently attended a talk on missionary kid (MK) issues. We talked about the term "third culture kid" (TCK). A TCK is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. It was interesting to review a list of the pros and cons of growing up as an MK. Here are some of them in no particular order.
Pros:
1. Less pressure to perform (smaller peer group and not barraged by sports, music, art classes, etc.)
2. Longer childhood
3. Well-read (not as many entertainment options)
4. Family grows closer
5. Creative with resources and time
6. Expanded world view
7. Adaptable and flexible
Cons:
1. Loss of extended family relationships (which is so much better now thanks to the internet and Skype)
2. Confused identities upon return to passport country - Where am I from? Why don't people understand me? What do I do in this situation?
3. Ignorance of American culture which leads to confusion and feeling like a misfit
4. Struggle to keep friends since they are accustomed to leaving or being left
5. They don't quite fit in when they're abroad or in their passport country. My kids aren't Tanzanians, but they're not really Americans either.
It seems that several of the challenges occur mostly when the family or MK is in their passport country or when the MK is functioning on the adult level. Our kids did great while we were in America although Jack was much more clingy than he otherwise would be.
I know for me it can be difficult to raise my kids in a place that I was not raised even though I have a lot of international experience under my belt. The only instance I can remember offhand was when I took the kids through the car wash in America thinking it would be as fun for them as it had been for me when I was a child. Instead, it left both children crying as though they were under alien attack.
Really, these things just touch on some of the issues related to MKs. What it makes me realize is that raising children overseas can have really great blessings and challenges. I truly hope that when my kids start facing some of the challenges, the Lord will grant us the wisdom to know how to help them along.
Did I mention they're handy to have around?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Every Hilly Day: a Random Photo Post
This post is simply a collection of photos of everyday life here in Musoma. Enjoy!
A cloud of sami (lake flies) over Lake Victoria. I was happy to watch them move in a direction other than towards our house. They're tiny and get into everything, then die and stink up a storm.
Jack and Tessa enjoying local yogurt and straws from a care package. Jack's got a nice yellow shiner on the center of his forehead from a fall earlier. The bruise lasted an entire week.
Our vegetable garden, which now hosts sweet corn, lettuce, bell peppers, butternut squash, and real American sweet potatoes! All those things are thrilling! Planting a vegetable garden was one of my three goals for 2nd term, so it's exciting to be reaping the rewards on our plates.
ONE day's take of passion fruit, guavas, and oranges from our garden. The passion fruit makes great juice, but the oranges were inedible - which we sadly discovered after making orange juice.
Jack and Tessa at the local train station restaurant (our house). Their waiter was Alphonse (me). The menu was red juice, apple slices, avocado chunks, sausage sticks (leftover egg/sausage casserole), and noodles (also leftovers). The reward for eating it all was the Ice Cream Supreme Especial (vanilla ice cream, cocoa powder, 1/2 a cookie, and an ancient maraschino cherry). Bon Apetite!
The two chameleons we found walking through the grass in the backyard. We later put them in separate basins (the kids' bathtubs and our laundry tubs) for the day so we could play with them (i.e. worry them just enough to make them change colors and get stripes). After Dusty came home and saw them, we released them into our garden.
One of the chameleons silently yelling at me. Chameleons do bite, and Tanzanians are quite afraid of them.
Recognize these cute little elves? No copyright/patent infringement here! We got these as a treat for the kids in Kenya.
A typical Tanzanian plate of food - rice, beans, meat. This, or a variant, is what Dusty eats at the office for lunch every day until he gets tired of it and asks me to make him a PB&J.
Spiderman and Princess. One is powerful, and the other is sweet, as you can see from their faces/gestures. Tessa is waving to her adoring subjects, and Jack is shooting out invisible webbing. I was practicing with face paint for Tessa's party the next week. They loved being my guinea pigs.
A gorgeous moth who landed on the back of Tessa's front porch birthday sign.
A fantastic, big, hairy moth who was visiting our front window one morning.
Trust me; the Scottish Shortbread cookies from South Africa are much better than their hilarious name.
The sticker says, "Be Truth" which I thought was a fabulous misspelling for a "Beetroot." The idea of having a price sticker on produce is totally bizarre here anyway. But hey, we're thrilled to be able to buy beets. The kids love them since they make their tongues purple. They cost 4,000 Tanzanian shillings per kilo, which roughly translates to about $3.50 for 2 pounds.
Action Jackson struts his stuff in our kiddie pool on Tessa's birthday. I painted his face like Batman, but by this point most of it had washed off.
Bat poop (guano) leaking down the wall after a particularly hard rain brought water through our cracked roof and deteriorating ceiling boards. The cool thing was that one of the men who came to fix it found our team's translation of Luke 1 and 2 in his language and got really excited.
A cloud of sami (lake flies) over Lake Victoria. I was happy to watch them move in a direction other than towards our house. They're tiny and get into everything, then die and stink up a storm.
Jack and Tessa enjoying local yogurt and straws from a care package. Jack's got a nice yellow shiner on the center of his forehead from a fall earlier. The bruise lasted an entire week.
Our vegetable garden, which now hosts sweet corn, lettuce, bell peppers, butternut squash, and real American sweet potatoes! All those things are thrilling! Planting a vegetable garden was one of my three goals for 2nd term, so it's exciting to be reaping the rewards on our plates.
ONE day's take of passion fruit, guavas, and oranges from our garden. The passion fruit makes great juice, but the oranges were inedible - which we sadly discovered after making orange juice.
Jack and Tessa at the local train station restaurant (our house). Their waiter was Alphonse (me). The menu was red juice, apple slices, avocado chunks, sausage sticks (leftover egg/sausage casserole), and noodles (also leftovers). The reward for eating it all was the Ice Cream Supreme Especial (vanilla ice cream, cocoa powder, 1/2 a cookie, and an ancient maraschino cherry). Bon Apetite!
The two chameleons we found walking through the grass in the backyard. We later put them in separate basins (the kids' bathtubs and our laundry tubs) for the day so we could play with them (i.e. worry them just enough to make them change colors and get stripes). After Dusty came home and saw them, we released them into our garden.
One of the chameleons silently yelling at me. Chameleons do bite, and Tanzanians are quite afraid of them.
Recognize these cute little elves? No copyright/patent infringement here! We got these as a treat for the kids in Kenya.
A typical Tanzanian plate of food - rice, beans, meat. This, or a variant, is what Dusty eats at the office for lunch every day until he gets tired of it and asks me to make him a PB&J.
Spiderman and Princess. One is powerful, and the other is sweet, as you can see from their faces/gestures. Tessa is waving to her adoring subjects, and Jack is shooting out invisible webbing. I was practicing with face paint for Tessa's party the next week. They loved being my guinea pigs.
A gorgeous moth who landed on the back of Tessa's front porch birthday sign.
A fantastic, big, hairy moth who was visiting our front window one morning.
Trust me; the Scottish Shortbread cookies from South Africa are much better than their hilarious name.
The sticker says, "Be Truth" which I thought was a fabulous misspelling for a "Beetroot." The idea of having a price sticker on produce is totally bizarre here anyway. But hey, we're thrilled to be able to buy beets. The kids love them since they make their tongues purple. They cost 4,000 Tanzanian shillings per kilo, which roughly translates to about $3.50 for 2 pounds.
Action Jackson struts his stuff in our kiddie pool on Tessa's birthday. I painted his face like Batman, but by this point most of it had washed off.
Bat poop (guano) leaking down the wall after a particularly hard rain brought water through our cracked roof and deteriorating ceiling boards. The cool thing was that one of the men who came to fix it found our team's translation of Luke 1 and 2 in his language and got really excited.
Easter Hills
Easter here was a mix of America and Tanzania. I'll start on the American front. We started with soaking our brown eggs in dye that I bought on sale last year in Texas. We don't have white eggs here, and I was a bit concerned the colors wouldn't work, but they did great. We used rubber bands for stripes and letter stickers to make the word "Easter."
The yearly photo of the kids in Easterish apparel and their eggs. Jack wore this same shirt last year, but this dress is new for Tessa. It was her reward for overcoming thumb sucking. She and I went to the "mtumba" (used clothing market) to look for a dress and found this reversible one before the clouds ripped open with rain. $3.00 for "two" dresses!
On Saturday we joined other missionaries for brunch, worship, an Easter play, and an egg hunt. Both kids were very excited. We only have one handled basket, but Jack was happy to use this bucket. When I peeked inside to see how many he had found I laughed to see two yellow egg-shaped passion fruits sitting alongside the eggs.
It's great to relive the wonderful moments of childhood while watching our own kids enjoy the same traditions, even while we live in Africa.
The Tanzanian side:
Easter festivities began on Tuesday with a three day evangelical crusade in our neighborhood. Several choirs participated, but this one was especially vibrant and active. I still can't quite believe how Tanzanian choirs move so amazingly and sing at the same time. This lady with the cloth was so moved she jumped up from the audience and joined the choir waving her kanga and dancing. If you look closely, you can see that she is ululating - Tanzanian women, in a show of support and enthusiasm, yell out in a shrill voice while wagging their tongues from side to side.
After the crusade our church had four days of celebrating Easter. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays here. On Sunday, church was a massive event with about 6 branch churches of the African Inland Church of Tanzania all meeting at our little neighborhood church. Our church is far too small, and is still being built, so other churches brought chairs, and canvases were hung for shade. At least 4 choirs sang and danced.
At one point, the music and dancing were so compelling that many people jumped up and joined in, moving through the choir, singing along, waving cloths, and ululating. You can see Tessa standing at a pole in front taking it all in. Last week, both she and Jack joined our little choir and danced along.
Two ladies from a visiting choir. Choirs practice for hours to get their harmonies and movements synchronized. Many choirs make sacrifices to pay for matching outfits. Although we personally prefer choirs without accompaniment, church members seem to enjoy keyboards and electric guitars with a good loud PA system, which you can see over her left shoulder.
I had to include this picture of this older lady because I was so impressed with how she kept up physically with the cardio-workout movements. Watching her reminded me of how I feel when I see senior citizens skiing in Colorado, "Gosh, I hope I can do that when I'm her age!"
Children frequently sit on the ground because of lack of seating. These kids had the best seats in the house - right in front of the choirs!
We hope your Easter was filled with your loved ones, moments of laughter, and constant gratitude for our Savior who has redeemed us. As we say here, "Amefufuka kweli kweli!" (He is risen indeed!)
The yearly photo of the kids in Easterish apparel and their eggs. Jack wore this same shirt last year, but this dress is new for Tessa. It was her reward for overcoming thumb sucking. She and I went to the "mtumba" (used clothing market) to look for a dress and found this reversible one before the clouds ripped open with rain. $3.00 for "two" dresses!
On Saturday we joined other missionaries for brunch, worship, an Easter play, and an egg hunt. Both kids were very excited. We only have one handled basket, but Jack was happy to use this bucket. When I peeked inside to see how many he had found I laughed to see two yellow egg-shaped passion fruits sitting alongside the eggs.
It's great to relive the wonderful moments of childhood while watching our own kids enjoy the same traditions, even while we live in Africa.The Tanzanian side:
Easter festivities began on Tuesday with a three day evangelical crusade in our neighborhood. Several choirs participated, but this one was especially vibrant and active. I still can't quite believe how Tanzanian choirs move so amazingly and sing at the same time. This lady with the cloth was so moved she jumped up from the audience and joined the choir waving her kanga and dancing. If you look closely, you can see that she is ululating - Tanzanian women, in a show of support and enthusiasm, yell out in a shrill voice while wagging their tongues from side to side.
After the crusade our church had four days of celebrating Easter. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays here. On Sunday, church was a massive event with about 6 branch churches of the African Inland Church of Tanzania all meeting at our little neighborhood church. Our church is far too small, and is still being built, so other churches brought chairs, and canvases were hung for shade. At least 4 choirs sang and danced.
At one point, the music and dancing were so compelling that many people jumped up and joined in, moving through the choir, singing along, waving cloths, and ululating. You can see Tessa standing at a pole in front taking it all in. Last week, both she and Jack joined our little choir and danced along.
Two ladies from a visiting choir. Choirs practice for hours to get their harmonies and movements synchronized. Many choirs make sacrifices to pay for matching outfits. Although we personally prefer choirs without accompaniment, church members seem to enjoy keyboards and electric guitars with a good loud PA system, which you can see over her left shoulder.
I had to include this picture of this older lady because I was so impressed with how she kept up physically with the cardio-workout movements. Watching her reminded me of how I feel when I see senior citizens skiing in Colorado, "Gosh, I hope I can do that when I'm her age!"
Children frequently sit on the ground because of lack of seating. These kids had the best seats in the house - right in front of the choirs!We hope your Easter was filled with your loved ones, moments of laughter, and constant gratitude for our Savior who has redeemed us. As we say here, "Amefufuka kweli kweli!" (He is risen indeed!)
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