We are having Kinderwandan language sessions for 3 hours every morning. This language has 16 noun classes, the r's sound like g and the k's sound like ch sometimes but not always and every verb is irregular! My grasp of English is tenous at best, so kinderwandan is wiping the floor with me. I want to use all my French, but the country is rejecting it due to the colonizers and the French's support of HutuPower during the genocide. So we are suppsed to have casual conversations (in shops etc) in Kinderwandan. Blurg! While my verb conjagation is despicable, I have picked up a few kinderwandan words and sayings.
Kinderwandan (kin-der-wan-dan)- Native Language of Rwanda
Muraho (mur-aa-ho)- Hello
Muramutze (mur-a-mut-ZAY) Good Morning
Murakoze (mar-ko-zay) Thank you
Amakuru (Am-A-Koo-ru) How are you?
Nimeze (Ni-may-za) Good
Ijoro Ryiza (In-jo-ro Gee-za) Have a Good Night
Amashyo (Amm-mash-sho-o) May you have many cows
Amashyongore (am-mash-sho-n-goreA) May there be many female cows in your herd
Iki ni Iki?! (eee-chee ni eee-chee) What the What? !
I miss swahlli! There was a language I could actually handle. I will do my best but apparently my headmaster speaks French better than English so I will have a chance to practice my French there. We went to the U.S. Embassy yesterday for a safety and security and they said Rwanda is very safe and progressive as African countries go! I know I have only been gone for 9 days but the Embassy bathrooms were like heaven! Automatic everything! Soap! It was like a dream. I am excited to be going to my town on Sunday but also a bit nervous about the change in environment again. So everyone, feel free to email me constantly and call me if you want! There is a place in our hostel/mission where we can pick up spotty wifi so I have been checking from my ipod when I can. It feels a bit like cheating but I will take it.
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