Mambo everyone!
Today was one of our community service days; we were able to sign up for two activities that contributed towards helping our local community at Rhotia Village. I was able to help with trash pickup with a couple of friends around Moyo Hill camp (our campus). Then, many of us went to a children’s home to play games and practice English with the kids there! These kids were very intelligent and most even knew conversational English.
Meeting all these kids who knew their tribal language, Swahili, and are currently learning English, made me realize the power of language. Understanding someone’s language can help in understanding them and their culture. The importance of language has been further highlighted through my interactions with the people here that are at various levels of English. The little Swahili that I now know has helped me connect with people better and has allowed me to have actual conversations in which we can share some stories and knowledge with one another. In comparison, not knowing or understanding something completely can be very limiting and create barriers between people. So, I am glad that learning Swahili has been positively impacting my experiences with people since this language has been able to bridge two different cultures with each other.
Baadaye