Journal #3: Language Barriers
Kenyan schools mainly teach two languages, kiSwahili and English. The great benefit of this is that most people here understand English, and hence me, much better than most Canadians understand French. The drawback is that all the little kids know how to say "Hawayu" and nothing else.
Now I'm happy to help the children learn English, but when there's group of twenty of them, it would be really nice if after the first four or five, they figured out that if I'm fine one moment, I'm likely to still be fine two seconds later. When it's a single kid repeating "Hawayu" over and over again it can get so annoying that I have to laugh.
On the other hand I understand the basic satisfaction of prompting a response. I think it's so cool that I can make the kids here say "Po-ah" just by saying "Mah-mbo". It's almost like a magic incantation. Though I don't use it repetitively on the same kid.
Many adults fall prey to a linguistic assumption along the "hawayu" lines. When I pass people in the street (ok, dirt path) if we make eye contact, they immediately say "Fine". So when my timing is particularly bad, which it usually is, our exchange goes like this "Fine"-"Hello"-awkward silence.
Language timing is something that's eluding me. When exchanging greetings with a native English speaker, I never seem to get words crossed, and it's clear who should speak first. But when trying to greet Kenyans I often speak at the same time as them leading to a verbal traffic jam. I'm not sure whether the language simply has different rhythms and non-verbal signals that I haven't yet learned, or whether it's just that having to think about what I'm saying is throwing my timing off.
I ran smack into the differences of non-verbal communication when I started teaching. The class was busily working away at their computers when I greeted them. Not a single one turned around or even looked up. I tried again, and introduced the lesson. Still no response. I finally asked the class to turn around so that they could see the blackboard. The immediate response showed that they had been listening to me carefully.
After my explanation of first concept, there was a raised hand at the back of the room, which I answered. The student whispered something to me. "Pardon me?" Another whisper. "Could you speak up a little?" A slightly louder whisper. So I walked all the way to the back of the room, thinking that perhaps the student has difficulty speaking clearly or was shy. Once I got my ear within a foot of his mouth I managed to make out the question and answered it. A little further into the lesson another student had a question. Same problem. After answering the third student, I mentioned to the class that in Canada students spoke very loudly when they asked questions so that it was easy for the teacher and the rest of the class to hear them. Immediately the volume increased to Canadian levels.
After the class I asked Waweru (Bob), the regular teacher, why the students had been so quiet and unwilling to look at me. He explained that in Kenya it is rude to speak loudly or make eye contact with someone deserving of respect.
This afternoon I teach a lesson about presentation skills. My lesson plan includes such good advice as "Speak loudly and clearly to the back of the room" and "Face your audience and make eye contact". It looks like some revision will be required.
Habari ya leo, (What news of your day?)
Yaacov
P.S. I've received quite a bit of email chiding me for carrying someone else's bag at an airport. I should clarify that I took the bag when we were on the plane and debarking because of the flight cancellation, so the bag had already been through security, and I didn't carry it through Customs.
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