Interlude
Posted By Sika on October 2, 2007
Chichewa word of the day: Ujeni. Ujeni is a word that means approximately whatchamacallit or thingamajig or whosits whatsit. This is relevant because at this moment my puppy, whom I’ve named Ujeni, is sitting on my lap and is rather perturbed that I won’t let him eat my computer. He got that name because of Derek jokingly proposing it as a name and me thinking it’s a brilliant idea. The use of the word ujeni varies within the country. Here in Zomba there are long conversations of which I understand nothing except the word ujeni repeated approximately every fourth word.
Chichewa pronunciation tips of the day: Vowels are pronounced approximately like Spanish vowels, but there is no y. G is always hard. H doesn’t change the sound of a letter but adds a soft aspirated sound after it, which often is not audible to azungu ears. When an N or M starts a word and is followed by a consonant, the N or M sound is nearly swallowed. If you think about how you say the name of the letter N, get rid of the first ¾ of the name, and that’s the sound you use. When people are saying words that end with i, they often will drop the i, so that for instance, Ujeni becomes Ujen. Similarly, Muli Bwanji, which is a general “how are you” greeting, often becomes Muli Bwanj (or even Muli Bwa).
The sun here shines hot and red and fluorescent when it rises and sets. I stand on the porch of Derek’s house, feeling the cool breeze mingle with the heat and the light on my face. The sun feels awfully close here. It rises not blood-red, not scary-red, but bright and joyful red. It has bleached my hair enough throughout the last few months that now in the morning light, I am punk, I am wild, and I am free, with my shockingly pink hair and my fire highlights of orange and red. The atmosphere is energized by the electric colors and everything seems possible. Those who see only my façade can’t see what the sun knows about me.
No comments yet.