Language Barrier = Cultural Barrier

I remember my music teacher in middle school, Mrs. Mears, saying "What, am I speaking Swahili?!" when she would say something that us students didn't understand. Now I actually hear Swahili every day in Kenya. It's an odd thing though, because Swahili is not the native language of most Kenyans, but some other tribal language. Also, most of the people here speak English very well, and are often taught in English at school. For example, Ivy, the center manager's daughter, has not yet learned to speak Swahili, but knows English very well. The expectation that there is very little or know language barrier follows. Unfortunately for me, there is a solid language barrier, which has led to a cultural barrier.

The staff and other volunteers here at Mwamba speak Swahili with each other, because although they all know English, Swahili is their common language and the language they know best. This may be changing for the younger generation (like Ivy) but for the people I want to interact with, Swahili is the preferred language. While studying at the Natural Resources Institute for my Masters degree, I learned a lot about the imporance of language and culture. When a translation is made between a Native American language into English, much of the meaning is lost. Native Americans simply have a different worldview that imparts meaning into their language, meaning for which no words exist in English.

It is not necessary for me to learn Swahili in order to do things in Kenya, like buy groceries at the store or get from Mombasa to Malindi, but I am missing out on a lot of important interactions. The staff here at Mwamba always seem to be laughing about something, or joking with eachother, but I have no ability to understand what is so funny. And requiring a translation to understand the joke can remove some of the joy, in my opinion. I think that understanding the language is a big step in understanding the culture. I do want to learn Swahili, but so far my efforts have been lazy, and my learning slow. I can pick out a word here and there, and greet people (with some amount of hesitation), but getting to the point of understanding the joke could take years. And, one thing I have learned, is that Kenyans are always joking and pulling pranks on eachother.