Television. An interviewee is speaking in what is, to my ears, extremely rapid French. I wait for the occasional word I am able to recognize. I wait some more.
There!
"... je-dee..."
I grasp onto these familiar syllables, nearly lost amid the flow of ideas and idioms. Aha! THIS I understand! A hint as to what is being communicated.
It means "...I say..."
Or it means "...Thursday..."
... depending on the context.
I arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a week ago, armed with a handful of words and two or three phrases in what has proven to be, to my relief, the dominant language in my host family's neighborhood. Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, is a relatively westernized city, but native languages, especially Mooré, are widely used. In the secteur of Burkina Faso that Tara, another SALTer working for MCC, lives in, Mooré is the premier language. The children don't learn French until they attend school.
I'm grateful for having a host family who speaks French in the house. If my new little sister, Nima, who has six years, did not speak French fluently, I'd be missing out on a bright and supremely patient tutor.
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Hi Blake! Having lived in Africa (Zaire/Congo as a child) and having studied French (gradeschool and highschool) and knowing you, I will be very interested in reading your blog! Do you have a basic French textbook to work with on your own? I completely follow your "Je dit" (I say) vs. "Jeudi" (Thursday). About your blog, just start by describing where you live, the family you're with, and what you see in the city. I'm sure it doesn't look like Topeka! And tell us what you do during the day, what you eat, who you talked to, and how you're feeling about it all. We will send this site to the church and I'm sure a bunch of people will read it. Glad you made it there safely, and best wishes in this time of huge adjustment and learning. Cynthia
ReplyDeleteHi Blake,
ReplyDeleteWhat foods do you eat? Does you family have pets? Are you getting around by bus or bike? Have you learned a word for chicken? I am glad your little sister is helping you with your French.
Mom
chicken is poulet. la poulet, maybe? I don't know whether it's masculine or feminine. I'll try to respond to all these questions in my next few posts
ReplyDeleteBonjour! Je trouve ton vie en Afrique tres interesant! Continue la bon travail!! Nous esperon a suivre ton adventure. A bientot, Stan Voth
ReplyDeleteBonjour, Stan! Merci pour avoir ecrire ton message en francais. Normalment je lis et type seulment anglais quand je suis a un ordinateur.
ReplyDeleteIt's good practice for me.
Blake