Ndikuphunzira Chichewa...

Muli Bwanji?
How Are You?

Well... my language learning is coming along quite nicely.

I finally got a language helper that I meet with once or twice a week for an hour or so. He is a great guy from the church that I go to here.

I am building up my vocabulary little by little.

One of the best things I did for myself was labeling my entire house in Chichewa (as seen in the picture above)!

So now, every time I use the restroom, I stand there and repeat the word aloud until I'm done. Let's just say that I know the word "Chimbudzi" better than any of the others!

But, I've also labeled most of my food items. So, while I'm cooking at night, it's a nice little Chichewa lesson.

In a lot of ways, the language is much easier to learn than English is. However, there are a few things that make for substantial stumbling blocks.

Overall though, I am making progress... and people are noticing!!

Every once in a while, I will whip out some phrase that I know and shock people.

However, the other day, I was getting a little too comfortable with myself when I was walking through my yard. I walked past this little girl...

Rachel...

She lives on our property... so, she was no stranger.

But, she was wearing this really nice little dress... and I wanted to be a nice good male figure in her life and tell her that I thought her dress looked pretty.

So, without hesitation, I said...

Ndikufuna delesi.

Immediately I knew that the wires didn't cross right in my brain... my mouth did not communicate what my English brain meant to say.

I said: "I WANT your dress."

I stood there for a second kinda stunned, while she was just staring at me like I was some mixed up, cross-dressing, white man. The bad part was that my mind was blank as to how I could correct myself.

So... In a really awkward, Ryan manner, I just fumbled around and said, "No" and walked off.

I felt like a complete idiot.

So... I guess what I'm saying is that I have got to the point where I have just enough language expertise to make a fool out of myself.