The first conversation

2/15/08
It has been an exceptional evening, one of unanticipated joys, and even though I wrote to you this morning, I have to catch a few more moments in writing before they are lost! I guess the magic started this afternoon, when I gave the stickers that you sent to the kids in my family and our neighbors. Everyone wanted one; they each chose carefully (pink being very popular), and proudly displayed their choices on their foreheads (who taught them that's where stickers go?). I took a picture for you! The specialness of the evening came at dinner: Haoua and I had our first conversation. For real! Until now, I've only been able to manage stilted sentences and boring questions, but tonight it was as if I'd suddenly figured something out. Nigeriens don't usually converse during meals, but after dinner is prime talking time. Women often visit each other at this time, and they'll sit out on a mat with the kids, to nurse and talk. Well, tonight Haoua's sister came over, and for the first time ever, I understood more words than I missed! I could actually follow the conversation and contribute. Everyone was very impressed! We talked about all of the volunteers Haoua has hosted, all of Abdu Salaam's new words, the health of the neighbors, the difference in what dogs look like here vs the USA, what we do at school all day, and a few other things. Hallelujah! Baby steps! I feel awesome. And the crowning moment came at the end, when Haoua said "Sannu da hira!" which basically means "what a great conversation!" True.

Hausa

2/10/08
Do you want to learn about Hausa? It is different because the tense of the sentence is determined by the pronoun, not the verb. There are three main sets of pronouns; each set has different uses, depending on what you are trying to say. There are, for example, "na" pronouns,"ke" pronouns, and "neke" pronouns. For each respective set of pronouns you have affirmatives and negatives, and past/present/future. Basically there are multiple ways of saying things and you have to match your pronouns up carefully. Some verbs also change form depending on the tense, but the verbs themselves don't determine the tense. It's so juicy! And what has been so remarkable is that in the last four weeks, every language class has been entirely in Hausa, so we've figured this all out through practice. We use lots of conversation, drawings, skits, and practice. I've had four teachers (one per week), and find that I learn best from Abdu, but everyone is excellent. Abdu is very smart and educated, and he has great English (outside of class), so I think he is better able to anticipate and understand our questions.
I love this language.

Hausa

Last night was a study session, and somehow I was chosen to facilitate it. Weird. It is a cool language. It luckily has a fair amount of structure, so I think once I learn all of the rules and get some vocab, it'll be relatively straightforward to use. Here is my intro:
Sannu! Sunana Samsiya. Ni mutummia Amerika ce, daga Oregon nike. Ni dalibi ce, bisa dutsi.
Hi! My name is Samsiya. I am American. I'm from Oregon. I'm a student on the hill.
Ina de shekard ashirin da biyar; bani da arme. Nwata ukih Amerika sunanta Kerry; babana sunanshi John.
I am 25 years old; I'm not married. My mom in America is named Kerry. My dad is John.
Bani da ya; ina de kanwa da wa; suansu Ben da Christopher.
I don't have any sisters, but I do have brothers. Their names are Ben and Christopher.
Cool, huh? Oh, and: Karenna sunansu Eddy and Reuben. (My dog's names are Eddy & Reuben.)
I have also learned a bazillion greetings (used constantly) and I can say stuff like "Yikes, it's hot," although it isn't too hot yet. At night it's cold. I'm so glad to have my sleeping bag! It heats up in the day, but in the shade it's quite pleasant.

Pants

Tonight at dinner I ate I ate a pile of "masara da miya" (corn mush with sauce), and spilled so much stuff on my lap that I had to change my pants. How are you supposed to eat dippy sauce with one hand?? It's a mystery.
Oh, and this afternoon I learned the names of 8 local trees from Muinire (12 years old). Also, he pointed at a naked kid on a roof and I understood his Hausa: "That crazy kid doesn't have any pants!" Note: most structures do not have roofs, and if they do, they are thatch.