Zulu

Zulu can be complicated and a little stressful but the more i learn about it the more i like it. Today we had our first test which was mildly terrifying because it was our first test on a totally new language in a totally new country with a totally different teaching style. South Africans just kind of laugh at you when you ask what the format of the test is like or if there is a study guide. That's not how they work here which does little to ease test anxiety, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. My favorite thing about Zulu is the way African concepts and customs work their way through the language. We learned today that there is a different word for the death of plants and animals and for the death of humans. When humans die the Zulus say that they have slipped away like the sun and for a year the deceased is considered a shadow. After that year there is a ceremony and the person becomes an ancestral spirit. The lilt of Zulu is also quite beautiful. Most of the words start and end with vowels so it sings like italian and is pleasant to listen to, like a never ending poem.
In a month we will split into groups and work in the Zulu community with different organizations. We got to visit one of the organizations today and we spent about an hour talking to the older Zulu ladies working there (because our bus broke down- it's africa) and we had such a great time. They were funny and open and thought our very limited Zulu was hilarious. I can't wait to get into this community and get to know these people and the way they see the world.