Language Learning

Denanachoo?Denaniῆ, exabieryemescan!  (How are you (plural)?  I’m fine, praise be to God!)

I’ve been taking some language classes and learning some of the basics.  I do not know much yet, but I’m slowly but surely picking it up.  Learning the language of a culture you are living in is much different than learning the language in a high school or college classroom. First, you learn the phrases that you are going to use most often (survival phrases).  Often when you are learning the language in the classroom, you learn verbs that you would never use.  Secondly, you actually get to use the language that you are learning in authentic experiences!

One of the most important things to know about the Ethiopian culture is that greetings are important.  If you walk past someone you work with or know just by acquaintance, and you do not greet them, they might take it personally.  To not greet someone, often implies that you are angry with that person.  So learning the greetings has been first and most important, because I work with many Ethiopians at Bingham.

After greetings, the next important thing to learn is phrases that you use when going out shopping or eating.  Phrases such as “Where is the bathroom?” “How much does it cost?”  “I want x# of those.”  The other day after spending 2 hours in language class, I went to the chimakeebait (juice house).  The juice here is AMAZING.  Many of the little outside shops that sell fruit, also make very yummy juice.  I had just learned the fruits, so I got to use my Amharic.  I got to order my fruit juice, and purchase pineapples with my Amharic.  It was a lot of fun!

From my traveling experiences, I have noticed something to be true in both China and Ethiopia.  The local people LOVE when you try to speak their language.  Their faces light up when you say hello to them in their mother language; they joyfully try to talk to you back.  You only have to know a couple of words and they are happy.  Here in Ethiopia they might say amarinagobez (goodamharic)!

It’s not necessarily like that in the United States.  We tend to lose our patience with people who do not speak our language.  We do not get excited that people have learned a little bit of English; we expect that of them.  Take it from someone who is having to learn a new language while living in a foreign country, it’s not easy!  I make mistakes, I forget how to say something, and then I refer back to my native language.  Thankfully many Ethiopians have learned enough English to communicate with foreigners, but I should not expect that of them.

I want to learn the language; it is fun to go to the market and speak Amharic.  I enjoy communicating with the local people because they are so loving and welcoming.  I also really want to learn the language so that I can get involved in ministry here in Addis.  There are so many ministry opportunities.  I visited one ministry that my friend works with last Saturday.  It was a children’s ministry for some local children.  I wanted so badly to communicate with them, but other than, ‘how are you?’, I could not say very much.  I listened while they had Bible study, and I was only able to understand 2 words: exabier (God) and lala (another).  I can survive with knowing basic Amharic, but that is not good enough for me.

 I want to make the most of my time here.  I want to love on some children who need someone to care for them.  I want to get to know the local people and their customs.  I want to be challenged and stretched.

Driving in Addis and Your Relationship with God

When I landed in Addis, I thought the journey was over.  I had made it to my destination!  Well that was my thought before I got into the vehicle and had my first experience with the rules and regulations of Addis drivers.  I’ve never seen anything like it!  My eyes were the size of half dollars until I reached Bingham.  There were cars driving all over the road, people walking out in front of you, horns being blown from every direction.  It was chaos!

For a week, I was convinced that I was just going to be a passenger here in Ethiopia.  I felt that I did not need to drive; I can just ride with others.  I truly was afraid to drive.  Well that was my mindset for a week.  It quickly changed when I had my first experience with the taxi buses.  I went to the movies with a friend, and we had to take 6 separate taxis to get to our destination.  It took us an hour and a half, when if we were driving, it would have only taken 20 minutes!  I knew from that moment that I would not be satisfied until I had the option of driving.

To drive a Bingham vehicle you have to pass a driving test on the road in Addis.  The thought of driving in Addis alone is daunting; however, when you add the idea that you have to drive a manual, it seems impossible (at least for me).  I’ve driven a straight shift a handful of times, but I am in no way a professional.  After practicing a couple of days on the compound at the school, in which I might add I never moved the car from first to second gear, I took my driving test on the road!

I get in the car, and I look at the driving instructor, and I ask, ‘Can we pray?’  He looks at me and says, ‘yes’ in his British accent.  I then prayed for our safety and wisdom as I set out on this journey, and if it was God’s will, that I pass the test.  Before starting my instructor said, “Now what do you think is the most important thing to remember when driving in Addis?”  I looked at him and said, “Paying attention to everything….”  He said, “Well yes, paying attention, but what I was referring to is using your horn.”  Horn?  I never use my horn when driving!  Even when I am overwhelmed with rage at other drivers, I still refuse to use my horn.  It’s offensive!  But here in Addis, it’s necessity.  You should not worry about offending anyone, and you should not take offense when someone honks at you.

Needless to say, I passed the test!  Everything went pretty smoothly.  I used my horn a total of 10-12 times in this 20 minute journey.  The driving instructor would firmly remind me to use my horn when a car was trying to get in front of me, and when people were walking in the road.  Then he reprimanded me for using my horn when someone was walking in the crosswalk.  He said, “Why are you honking at them, they are in the crosswalk?”  How was I supposed to know, this whole using your horn business was new to me.

It’s strange when something that has been second nature to you becomes overwhelming and unfamiliar.  At home, there were many times when I reached my destination, and I thought ‘how did I get here?’  Driving at times seems so mindless.  Depending on the time of day and your familiarity of the route, you can get to where you are going without even thinking about it.  Isn’t that scary?  It took coming to a new country for me to be reminded of the dangers of getting behind the wheel. 

I have to consciously be on guard when I am driving here.  The roads are always busy with cars, taxis, buses, or people. If I’m not watching where I am going, it could mean life or death for me or someone else. 

The same is true about our spiritual walks.  It often becomes mindless and routine.  Your walk with the Lord can easily become passionless and ritualistic or even non-existent.  Sometimes you make it through a church service, and you can’t even tell your friends or family what the message was about.  Does that worry you?  It should. 

When it comes to your relationship with God, you might not think of it as a life or death matter.  However, it is.  It was life or death for Jesus Christ.  He could have chosen His own life and given us death, but instead He chose death so that we might have life.  He did this so you could have a relationship with God.  The veil was torn, so we could have an open door to God.  There is nothing passionless about that, and the opportunity to be in relationship with Him should be cherished, not burdensome. 

Sometimes it takes circumstances or a change of scenery for you to realize the implications of your choices and daily activities.  It took moving to Addis for me to learn to be on guard when driving.  Sometimes it takes loosing someone you love or getting badly injured to realize the dangers of driving at home. 

Many times it takes circumstances and changes of scenery for you to get serious about your relationship with God, it did me, but it doesn’t have to! 

Deuteronomy 31:19 “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.  For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years…”  So choose life!  Listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him!