Before today, the only Swahili I knew came from "The Lion King," a Johnny Clegg song I first heard in "George of the Jungle," and bits of "The Last King of Scotland." In other words, it was limited to hakuna matata, simba, and dela.
As a few of my friends and I agreed that 2007 was a crappy year all around, we decided to come up with one thing we would all do each month, to keep us close despite our distance, and to work at making 2008 a good year. January's goal: learn to count to ten in another language. So, I taught myself to count to ten in Swahili.
1 = moja
2 = mbili
3 = tatu
4 = nne
5 = tano
6 = sita
7 = saba
8 = nane
9 = tisa
10 = kumi
Which means, if I take my time*, I can count to ten in English, Spanish, French, and Swahili. I have absolutely no idea when I will need to count to ten in four languages, or if I can put it on my resume, but you never know. Maybe one day I'll interview an African or French or Spanish leader who won't let me proceed until I count the number of apples on a table. I don't know. But I'll be ready.
*I learned while trying to do it in French for a friend that I tend to lapse into Spanish, and, inexplicably, German. I did not know I knew any German. I probably don't, but sometimes just saying anything with a semi-abrasive tone makes it sound German.
No comments:
Post a Comment