Swahili School: Mid March 08

This is Kent posting. Julia would have posted a few days ago, but she has been battling the Tanzania Trots. If English is not your "heart" language, you may be unaware that I am looking for a polite way to say that Julia has had diarrhea. So has Daniel. Viggo seems to have stuck with just a fever.



I am sure they would like me to let you know that many, much better things are also happening while they are in Swahili Camp. I will. I am just starting with "things a Dad worries about".

Now I realize that Julia, Viggo, and Daniel have been sick in other places besides Tanzania. In fact, I recall that when Julia was a very little girl she would sometimes proclaim : "I have dia - rear - eah". The emphasis on "rear" was hers, not mine. Apparently she was making an early attempt at etymology.



So please keep praying that our intrepid trio will develop immune systems that can cope with the new germ population they have encountered.



Julia told us a lovely story recently. It was about a walk they took as a family. They are able to use their all terrain stroller along some of the local pathways. They were even able to gain enough altitude to have a vista of the area near the camp. It made me very happy to picture them clambering through the bush and emerging above it all to look across the distances.



We also hear that Viggo is able to pursue one of his great loves: Soccer. Apparently the camp staff and the students square off in regular soccer games. There is a village near the camp, and many of the locals enjoy watching the spectacle. It sounds quite colorful, doesn't it.



Of course their main purpose at the camp is to learn Swahili. That is going well. Julia is able to converse with Daniel's nanny now. This is timely, because Daniel seems to have taken a real liking to his nanny. He even seems reluctant at times to end his morning with her and return to Julia's custody.



Daniel's nanny is good friends with the nanny for Daniel's local peer group (one little girl). So Daniel and the little girl get to play while the nanny's chat. Daniel does not talk, just yet. However, in January, I personally witnessed him evincing comprehension of both Norwegian and English words. I think it is a safe bet that he is now rapidly filling that commodious brain of his with Swahili as well. In a few months he will no doubt, begin to add Mbugwe as well. Since Daniel retains dual citizenship (U.S. and Norway), he alone will significantly increase the average number of languages spoken by U.S. citizens!



So, yes there are some nasty bugs to reckon with. But there are also new friends, grand vistas, and a rapidly increasing Swahili vocabulary.



The adventure continues.