This is a special blog, I am writing it first by hand in
Tiepogo. This month it was hard to find something to write about. Should I
write about things that happened this month? Should I write about my on going
project? Not much new to say about these things. So I think I will share a
couple stories from Tiepogo and everywhere else I suppose.
When I first came to Tiepogo, my neighbor started to act
more and more sickly. She would stay home more than others and just look tired-
wiped out. I was starting to worry about her. Some women have very low blood
counts because of multiple bouts of malaria, or untreated malaria. Her stomach
got larger and larger but like she was just gaining weight. I was even more
concerned when I realized this. What sort of sickness could she have? One day,
not long ago, I went to say hello and she was resting like she was wiped out. I
looked at her and her stomach and it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, she
was just pregnant. I asked but my Nyarafolo wasn’t good enough. So I thought
well maybe and left. Maybe four days later I came to Maari’s house to have
breakfast with her and Wokeya came to meet me instead. She said Maari went to
Lafokbo (the town with the closest clinic) with our neighbor because she was
having her baby. lol, Yep she had been pregnant and she wasn’t just gaining
weight. I laughed at myself (when I was alone) for a little while about that.
It really is something they don’t make a point about here though. Anyway she
and the baby boy are just fine and she seems to have more energy now.
Another story. One time in Ferke, I went to the market as
usual. I think I needed more that time than normal. Anyway I was looking for
something in particular and a lady with a bowl on her head seemed to have it. I
just happened to hear her speak Nyarafolo, so I greeted her in Nyarafolo and
asked about her family, her health and all the normal things in the language.
The lady who was talking with her before was just blown away that I could speak
some Nyarafolo. She said in Nyarafolo “eh!? you know Nyarafolo!?... What’s your
name.” I told her my name is Naragadeni and that I live in Tiepogovogo. I even
mentioned my host mom. The other lady didn’t have what I wanted but it didn’t
matter, we had had a good bit of a conversation and they were utterly impressed
that I could speak their language.
As I was walking away after our good-byes, I heard her telling someone
else that I spoke Nyarafolo and that my name is Naragadeni. As I continued to walk
the market, after a few minutes, some venders started to ask me if I was
Naragadeni. lol I was famous that day in the market. The funny thing is my
Nyarafolo is only at “survival” stage.
It really gives value and worth to a mother tongue though when a
foreigner, and here especially a white foreigner, learns or tries to learn the
language. I can’t imagine these ladies’ reaction to Linn, who is nearly, if not,
fluent in the language, when she goes through the market.
That’s it for now. Though I will say that only having two
weeks left in the village is bitter sweet. People are more talkative, I finally
figured some things out about living here and I myself am trying to make the
most of my last few days here. For
those of you who want to know, I am planning to be back at home (I mean home
home) the first week of September. That means the next blog will be my last
from this country.
