Watch the Walk

As you know, I used to live in a place we called Clove Island, and now I live on Volcano island. The languages aren't the same, but they're very similar. I could go on for quite a bit about the specifics of the differences, in accent, vocabulary, verb conjugations, etc, but chances are I'd bore you, so we'll skip over that. In summary for the paragraph I started to write and deleted multiple times: islanders can often understand each other, but it's not always easy. But the funny thing about understanding another person is that we sometimes think we understood when we really didn't. In English, we assume certain understandings based on what we know of someone's context. Take the following sentence, for example: "I went to buy tomatoes, but my buggy broke and I spent a long time fixing it."    If the person is Amish, we understand that they were driving their horse and buggy somewhere to buy tomatoes, the buggy broke, and in order to complete their ...

Having a new baby is, I'm sure, an adjustment for everyone. Even if you've raised many babies, there's something different about it being your own. Some people love getting advice on taking care of their baby, others would rather you zip it, shut it, and mind your own business.  If you do want to get advice, just have a baby in the islands. They have certain things that they've learned about how to raise babies, and there's not too much variation from person to person. So when they see someone going against general knowledge, they're quick to tell you the right way.  So, for your edification, here's some things you should know, especially as a foolish American raising their baby in the islands: Fans: are to be avoided. Baby's ears and airways are sensitive, don't you know. The baby will get sick, they'll get asthma, they'll be in pain. Oh, and the same goes for taking them out on a windy day. It may be warm as anything out, but the wind is st...

My baby is a social baby. She takes after her father that way, I suppose. He certainly is friends with everyone and everyone is friends with him. But as I said, Z is social. She's happy when I put on the baby carrier, because that means she's going out the door. If I put her in the carrier and don't leave right away, she starts fussing. "What's with the false advertising, Mom? I thought we were going places??" As we walk through our neighborhood, kids run up to grab Z's leg or hands and greet her, adults greet her by name and hold her for a minute or give her kisses. She graces them with smiles, coos at her favorites, and grabs for the noses of those who hold her.  Then there's the offices. She's known by name in the phone company's office, workers coming to take her from me and trying to get her to laugh and smile. Yesterday we went to the post office and, yet again, she was a crowd favorite.    But the refrain that I hear most often is "...

 Ever since learning the term "housewarming" I've been a bit curious about why it would be called that. Why would we call it a housewarming when we invite a lot of people over to the place we've recently moved into? Why not a "new house party" or a "snack and see", to borrow the "sip and see" of a baby shower? Of course, I've since looked up the origin of the word and it turns out that people would actually bring firewood with them to a housewarming party and work to warm up the new house for its owners. And then I spent a few months in Kenya. Where we were staying, in the Nairobi area, the nights are cool and the days are warm, and the weather is temperate enough that no one has central heating or cooling. In a place like the islands, on the coast next to the Indian Ocean, we might wish for air conditioning. There in Nairobi, however, a house that's been moved into recently is distinctly chilly.  And what better way to take the c...

Every language has words which, when translated into English, require a phrase instead. See the example below: Ruma - to send a person on an errand The struggle with this is, as you learn a language, you find these single words in replacement for an entire phrase to be convenient. "I want to ruma you" - wait, how do I say that in real English? "I want to send you on an errand." or maybe "I want to use your services for something." or "I want you to do something for me." But wait, in English it's kind of rude to just say "I want to..." Actually, you should ask permission. So now the Island-Language-Sentence actually has two adjustments needed to make it good English. "Can I send you on an errand?" Oh, let's consider that again. More natural English would be to change the subject of the sentence and put the hearer as the subject: "Can you run an errand for me?" Aha! Now we've landed on decent English. And I...

 I was visiting Clove island, walking through town, examining what had changed in the last 6 months. A few buildings painted, a couple of new walls. But what was really striking? The number of new shops that had opened!  A new shop for car oil. A new mini market. Another food shop. It seemed like the business district was booming, and when I arrived at the office I commented on it to my colleagues. But their response surprised me: "It's because of the economic crisis."  Wait, what? Evidently, when people are worried about where their food will come from, they look for a loan or a gift to get them started in business, with the thought being that, at least until inventory runs out, they'll have a source of income or food. Especially with food shops, you can eat your inventory until it runs out. Even if you don't have money to restock, it's a temporary fix. I was intrigued by their explanation, but still a little doubtful if theirs was the only interpretation. So...

I sat working in the office, typing away at my computer. Suddenly I started hearing shouting outside, along with the sounds of someone being kicked or punched. I wasn't so excited to look outside and investigate, but soon the other people working in the office were all looking and reporting what they observed: The police were beating someone up.  I don't normally notice the police offices next to our office building, but this last week they've been hard to ignore. It actually turns out that the police weren't beating someone up for no reason. The person was resisting their efforts to... ... give him a hair cut. Yes, the police seem to have decided to clean up the city by grabbing men and boys with hair they deem too long off the streets and forcibly giving them a hair cut! Beware to the youths with fancy do's that involve a lot of hair on top. Their hair isn't respectable in this conservative city. Men who work hard and don't take the time to go to the barbe...

I'd had a busy week. I both hosted and participated in a workshop, as well as continuing normal life in the evenings (studies, meetings, check-ins, meals with others). By the time Saturday came, my list of things to catch up on was feeling a bit overwhelming. Laundry needed to be folded. Other laundry needed hand washing. Dishes. Straightening. Finance paperwork. Reports. And I had a doctor's appointment too.  As I expressed to Mitch the overwhelming list that was awaiting us after going to the doctor, his response caught me by surprise. "After the doctor, let's go to the beach." The beach?! How could I relax on a beach when the disaster of a house was awaiting my return? But something in my spirit prompted me to agree. We could go to the beach, then when we got home, tackle the work together. And you know what? It was exactly what I needed. We descended to the rocky beach, settled on a couple of benches, listened to the waves, read the Word together and prayed. A...

Recently, my husband and I were taking some new colleagues through a set of orientation materials, including some culture "Do's and Don'ts". Many of the items we could rate as True or False, some of them, as with many other parts of life, were distinct gray areas.  Don't talk while in the bathroom: true Avoid religious conversations except with close friends: false (good luck trying to avoid that!) But one of the items always makes me laugh a bit: Don't expect events to start late or take a long time. FALSE One key to happiness is accurate expectations. And if residents of this island expect things to start on time and end quickly, well, that's a recipe for unhappiness! For example: we were invited for a ceremony celebrating the end of an English class in a nearby village. They said it would start after the evening prayer. So... if prayer is at 7:15... then we'll start at 7:30? Our little delegation didn't even bother coming until after 8pm, and...

The other day we were expecting some guys to come over and help on a project. Since it was starting in the morning, I made a thermos of tea and a double batch of waffles for them to enjoy before starting work. I was feeling fresh and prepared, ready for the first event of the day. This group of guys typically shows up hungry and demolishes anything set before them. Well, the time arrived and one guy showed up... with a snack in hand! And when we asked about the whereabouts of the others, we discovered they weren't coming. Oh well, the one guy ate what he needed, and the leftover waffles went into the freezer for our breakfasts. The previous week I ran into a friend on the path who said he would drop by that afternoon to say hi. I let my husband know that his friend would be coming over, and we intentional stayed around the house in the late afternoon so we wouldn't miss him. He didn't show up that afternoon, but then came the next day in the evening, wanting dinner! How cou...

The islands recently held an election, which brought me back to a topic which I ponder from time to time, especially because of my English classes. Independence: freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, of the like, of others. (dictionary.com) Independence is a myth. It's a nice myth, but still a myth. Since when was anyone truly free from the influence of others? Only a world filled with sociopaths could say that they weren't influenced by others, and a world filled with sociopaths wouldn't last very long.   One of my old English classes had a unit on patriotism, which included a discussion on independence. I always found it fascinating to hear my students' thoughts on the subject, especially as, for a few of them, their country's independence from colonialism happened in their lifetime. For many of them it was in their parents' lifetime. Is independence only about a country being independent from another country? Or a child from a parent?  Many peop...

See the "0" in the center? My husband and I enjoy hosting. A couple of times a week we normally have people over, and especially on Tuesdays. We know that Tuesday night is free for hosting, so that's the safe time to invite people over. We often issue an invitation for Tuesday, make a meal and enjoy the evening of fellowship. There are also the times when people just show up, and they get what they get. This happens especially with single men who come visit. They're coming through the neighborhood and drop by, and if it's dinner time they benefit from the coincidence. And we love that they feel comfortable dropping by, for sure. We welcome them, feed them, tell stories and share life situations, pray, and generally all feel encouraged by the conversation. But sometimes we end up with incompatible guests. Not so much in temperament, although I suppose that's possible, but in language. We speak a few languages apiece, and those visiting typically speak at least ...

I woke up in the early morning* to an awful stench. It was a little bit chilly, so I covered myself better with my blanket and started to roll over. But that smell was horrendous. What was it? B.O? Something else too? I needed to lay eyes on the source. I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it around my room... and laid eyes on the round shape of a head at the foot of my bed. "SCRAM!" I yelled, with barely a voice, as the man exploded up from his crouch and dashed out of the room. I followed quickly, yelling "SCRAM!" while holding my blanket, only to find him stuck in my back hallway trying desperately to unlatch all the latches and escape out the back door.  "SCRAM!" I insisted as I stood at the doorway of my bedroom and he stood at the door to the outside. I was worried he'd change course and come at me, but thankfully he didn't. He finally got out the door and I followed, yelling again "SCRAM THIEF!"  My housemate ca...

Have you ever had an experience where you thought that someone was listening to you, but then it became apparent that somewhere along the line your attempts at communication were failing? I dealt with this in relation to my wedding dress for the event in Kenya. There aren't any wedding dress shops on Clove Island, and I wasn't sure that it would work to get a wedding dress in Nairobi in our two weeks there immediately before the wedding, so getting a dress sewn on Clove was the best option I could come up with. How many tailors on Clove Island have seen a western-style wedding dress up close? How many would be brave enough to sew one from scratch? Well, I talked with a tailor friend in my neighborhood, showed him a sample picture, and he confidently agreed that he could sew it, and it would be beautiful ! The picture: The first catch? I needed to find the material. I took a couple of tours of town looking for material, not finding something that really fit with my vision. Next ...

 I've been living on Volcano Island for just under three months now. The people who know me occasionally ask the same sort of question in a few different ways: - "Are you settling in well?" - "Does it feel like home yet?" - "Are you comfortable yet?" - "How does it feel to be living on Volcano Island?" Well, it's not so easy of a question to answer. I certainly have my routines, my shops, my people. The language is similar to where I used to live, the foods available are the same, a lot of the cultural expectations are the same. But after being on Clove Island for 9.5 years, my level of ease here certainly doesn't rival my ease there. Things here can rock along pretty easily, then a moment of friction or surprise happens.  "Wait, what did you call a baguette?" - (baguette cake/bread?) "Oh, we say that phrase in reverse." - (us all/all us) "HOW much does that cost?" - food's much more expensive here On...

Shortly after Mitch and I got engaged in Kenya, we heard the happy news that Dj, who works with me on Book work, also got engaged, to a fellow Follower from Clove Island. She's been living on Volcano Island for a few years, so when Mitch and I returned to the islands in February, we met up for dinner to hear their story in person and to share more about our plans moving forward. Well, in the conversation, as we were talking about plans for a wedding celebration for bels in the islands, we threw out the idea of "if you're ready, we could make it a double event!" They weren't ready for that idea, acting a bit embarrassed and laughing it off. But the idea stuck. Dj's kids were showing signs of struggling with being juggled back and forth between relatives, and the pressure to get married sooner rather than later was building. At first Dj and V were talking about getting married in September. Then August, then July. Then the question was, "why n...

I remember the first time, standing in my new living room, I heard the deep voice of Josh Turner and the strains of country music coming from outside. I leaped to the window to see where the music was coming from and was shocked to discover it was coming from my neighbor's little shop. I put on a wrap and went down to check it out. "You're listening to country!" I exclaimed. He gave a gentle grin and said, "Yes, it's my favorite music." "Me too!" I grinned at him, then stood watching the music video on his computer screen as we both listened to the familiar sounds. I quickly got used to hearing him play country music at all hours of the day. Assuming the power was on, he was either playing the Quran, local pop music, or American country music. He didn't speak English, but listening to American country was definitely his happy place. I brought him baked goods and we'd chat about anything and everything. But he never showed a particular i...

  It's funny how, even though I've been in the islands for over 9 years, having new people around reminds me of what it was like to arrive in the islands, a sweaty mess who didn't understand a word of the local language. My team full of new people (8 new adults and 2 toddlers) arrived at the beginning of the hot season in 2013, excited about mangoes and samosas, less excited about the humidity and the feeling of being perpetually sweaty. We've just now welcomed a new family to Clove Island, and they're in the throes of adjustment. How do we handle the heat? What sort of food will the kids eat? What do we do with the trash? How do we create healthy rhythms of life? I've been running their orientation to language learning, working to share the vision of why we learn language, the mechanics of how we learn language, and the personal insight and self-discovery that helps in staying motivated in the language learning journey. But why do we learn the local language? E...

The other day I was on a phone call with a few people.  For two of us, the first language was English. For two of us, the first language was from Clove Island. So what language did we end up speaking together? French. Why did we end up communicating in French? Because, although three of us were fluent in English, one of us was not, and so for the sake of group communication we needed to function in a language in which none of us were native speakers. Yesterday, when we started the call, the person who doesn't speak English was late to join. So we started out in English. It being the mother tongue for two of us, and comfortable for the third, we were able to use English and have everyone at ease. But as soon as the fourth person joined the call we automatically switched languages. Why do that? Because language is a way of communicating hospitality and community. To put it another way, what are we communicating when we use a language in which only half the group is proficient? Or wha...

My student tried calling me at 3 am, but I was still asleep. I noticed the missed call, but figured I'd catch up with her later. She tried again at 10 am, and I answered. It was 8 pm for her, and she was done with her day, wanting to practice her English, so she just gave me a call to see if I was free. My time in the US looks a bit different these days than it did when I came home for my first leave in 2016. Back then, very few people had smart phones. Now my 12 year old student has access to her mom's smart phone, and WhatsApp allows her to give me a call at any time of the day or night. So I answered the phone and greeted her in English. She talked a bit, asking me about "life in America." I answered her question in part by explaining the time difference. It was a helpful illustration for me to take the phone outside and show her how it was bright and sunny for me, while on Clove Island for her it was dark and the end of the day. Then her mom wandered past and want...