There is a thief in the compound! Unwittingly, but a thief. Yesterday we hosted our first orientation class here and had more people than cups. So I went next door to Mrs. Dil’s to borrow some mugs for tea. I’ve been trying to use as much Nyanja as possible so I explained to Lilly, Mrs. Dil’s helper, that I wanted a cup, “Nifuna kuba.” Lilly’s face immediately grew perplexed. “Kuba? Why do you want to steal?” “Kuba” means to steal and the word for cup in Nyanja is “kapu”. We both had a good laugh about my faux pas. Thanks, Lilly, for your patience!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Mea Culpa or Kuba or Kapu?
There is a thief in the compound! Unwittingly, but a thief. Yesterday we hosted our first orientation class here and had more people than cups. So I went next door to Mrs. Dil’s to borrow some mugs for tea. I’ve been trying to use as much Nyanja as possible so I explained to Lilly, Mrs. Dil’s helper, that I wanted a cup, “Nifuna kuba.” Lilly’s face immediately grew perplexed. “Kuba? Why do you want to steal?” “Kuba” means to steal and the word for cup in Nyanja is “kapu”. We both had a good laugh about my faux pas. Thanks, Lilly, for your patience!
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