Boy, do I wish I had an urban dictionary this week. I am spending 10 days with a host family in Katatura, which is an urban part of Windhoek. Although most people in my area speak English, I am always curious to know what they’re saying when they’re speaking Afrikaans or their native tribal languages. The sounds are so intriguing.
There is no language requirement for the Namibia program, which is nice because it makes it open to everyone. In my opinion, that is good because you get a variety of majors and people with a variety of interests. It is also less stressful because we don’t have to adapt to a whole new culture AND try to figure out the language.
Later in the semester we will be doing a rural homestay in northern Namibia. There, they are much less likely to speak fluent English. The program requirements say that during each homestay the host family will have at least one person in it that speaks basic English. To prep us for the language barriers that we might encounter, we have started Oshindonga lessons at our house. Oshindonga is similar to Oshiwambo, which is one of what are called “recognized regional languages”. It is a tough language to learn, but once you learn a few things it comes to you more quickly. I am feeling confident that by the conclusion of our lessons I will be at least fairly prepared to communicate with my rural host family.
September 12, 2010 at 10:57 pm
While I love Mexico, learning the culture and the language gets to be real headache some days (good thing I packed my Tylenol!). One of my friends is from South Africa and it’s so cool to hear her speak but it’s very difficult to learn as well, so congrats and keep it up!
Saludos from Mexico!