Kiswahili update

This week we learned question words, how to negate verbs, two more tenses in addition to the regular present tense from last week, three irregular verbs that don’t follow any of the previous rules- along with a number that follow most rules but have some exceptions, some of the different possessive pronouns that agree with some of the different noun classes, object infixes for verbs and nouns, as well as adding in a ton of vocabulary.  Below is one of the charts from this week that I made in my notes:

Habitual Tense Chart
Mimi		-toka
Wewe		-kaa
Yeye	hu-	-nywa
Sisi		-enda
Ninyi		-ja
Wao		-la

In addition to this, we have been working on communicating with Brogan’s teacher and the workmen and guards around the campsite who speak Kiswahili almost exclusively.

Until yesterday we have been the only steady students.  There have been two others- one here for a week and the other beginning his second and final week.  We have enjoyed interacting with them.  Yesterday three families joined us and will also be here for four months and have kids all around B’s age.   I am hoping this will make it easier for him to spend the day with his teacher- being able to interact with them. 

We felt very thankful that we attended a volleyball game yesterday with a number of expat (some missionary, many who just work in the area) families when Mr. Motorcycle began to feel very poorly.  They directed us where to go for a Malaria test.  Perhaps we tested too early because they were negative, but Mike has all the symptoms (and feels the same as the last time he had Malaria).  So, we decided to treat rather than to wait until he had enough built up in his body to test positive.  He has been in bed since, mostly resting and this afternoon venturing to eat a few bites.  Please pray for him to get better soon and be able to attend classes again this week so as to not fall too far behind.  Mr. Motorcycle’s head, which he cut open on a dull fan blade in Dar, has healed up quite nicely.

B also has developed an interesting health issue the past few days.  I noticed he had some mango left on his face an hour or so after lunch a few days ago then he developed some red spots on his one cheek (possibly a slight reaction).  Nothing we haven’t seen before once or twice.  Then we went on a really long walk yesterday and when we took off his hat he had some wider and flatter sores all along his hat line.  I thought perhaps they came from being overly hot, but they are only on the one side where the ‘mango sores’ are.  I thought I’d wait and see if they just went away, put a little anti-itch cream on them as sometimes they seem to bother him.  It’s debatable whether he’s any better today, but there are two sores which have crept across his chin line to the previously unaffected side of his face… 

Other than that and the usual occasional stomach bug of just continuing to adjust to being in Tanzania, we have been fine.

Please pray for Mr. Motorcycle and B to both heal and for me not to worry but to know when to act.  There is probably more to say, but we’ve had a rather full weekend and I need to get to my homework while the guys are sleeping!  Thanks for keeping up with us!

Stephanie 

*Update* Mr. Motorcycle was able to stay in class from 8:30 to 1:30 today with just a 30 minute nap at breaktime.  He was not up for lunch, but was able to eat "normal" foods (as opposed to sick-y foods) when I brought them.  B's face is looking much improved and it is thought that he probably got a sand flea into his hat on our long walk inside a sand canyon.  Hopefully we will be able to post pictures someday because it is really very neat and they have found Stone Age tools in a similarly eroded sand canyon maybe 15km from here.  However, our internet connection barely enables me to send out updates and do this blog post within an hour... :)