With much thanks to Christine (who recently moved here from Uganda), who tried to teach us common phrases, the Lord's Prayer, and more in Luganda. We were difficult to teach, at least that's the feeling I had. But, I did notice she had a lot of fun laughing at us too.
We did learn the Mbale (the city that we are staying at in the evenings) is to be pronounced with a silent 'm'. If the 'm' is pronounced it has a completely different meaning: circumcision. Christine pointed out that this is the season of circumcision, so if you do pronounce incorrectly it may be addressed.
Deon (16 years old) asked if that meant the babies are being circumcised. When Christine explained it was boys 12 years of age and older, his eyes almost popped out of his head. That, she said, is the start of their manhood. Deon WILL know the correct pronunciation of Mbale.
We also spent time preparing our hundreds of supplies donated by so many friends and family members! We've got full suitcases already, with still more to come. We spent a lot of time sharpening pencils with electric sharpeners. We got a long way, until Brian overheated most of the sharpeners (4 sharpeners in 30 minutes)!
My husband is from Mbale and was circumcised as a teenager. Although they speak Lumasaaba there and not Luganda, I have been trying to learn Luganda (we live in the southern part of Uganda where Luganda is more common). I would love to hear how the trip turned out and what you thought of Uganda. I just happened upon your website randomly and have no connection with your church but am always interested in those who love this country :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Catherine Mabongor
http://www.shemandcatherine.com
Catherine, thanks for taking the time to read through our blog. So interesting that your husband is from Mbale!!! Yes, we found out while there that they speak Lumasaaba in Marare as well.
ReplyDeleteThe trip went exceptionally well, and we are sending another team this August of which I have the privilege of being a part of again!