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I decided I would share some of my observations thus far:

-They talk about “producing” babies and having been “produced,” rather than born. They are baby-making machines here-- the average woman “produces” about 7 times, but some have 15 or more children. The twin rate is extremely high. They have four names for twins: a name for the older boy twin, for the younger boy twin, for the older girl twin, and for the younger girl twin. 

-They say thank you (“webale”) for everything, regardless of whether it has anything to do with them. They thank each other for doing whatever it is that they are doing, even if they do not know each other. 

thank you for doing your work-- webale kukola

thank you for slashing (the grass with your machete)-- webale kutema

thank you for coming-- webale kwisi 

thank you for cooking-- webale kuteka

thank you for eating-- webale kuliya

    “       “   for helping--    “       kunyamba

    “       “   for sitting--    “       kusitama

    “       “   for standing--    “       kwemilila

    “       “   for teaching--    “       kwegesiya

    “       “   for walking

    “       “   for running

    “       “   for cutting your wood

and one of my favorites: 

thank you for appreciating-- webale kusima

-Here, "trousers" means pants, and "pants" means underwear. That can get tricky/ inappropriate pretty easily… Trying to be careful to get them straight.

-In the Lubwisi alphabet, they don’t have “r.” This can make their already-difficult-understand-English even more confusing. 

->“I want to play with you.” What?? Ohhh, they were saying they want to pray with me! 

-> “My husband was killed by lebels.” What are those?? Ohh, rebels…

-> “You will see me alound.” Ok, he means around.

-Some other differences in speaking:

“Me too” =>  “even me”

“You too” => “even you”

“...or whatever”/ ”...or what not” => “…or what,” or simply “...or”

“I will come get it” => “I will come pick it”

Question words get placed at the end of the question:

“You do it how?”  “I can find it where?”

Overuse of the present progressive:

“That 4 is looking funny”

“It is feeling hot”

“You are looking sharp”

-There is no word for “yes” in Lubwisi. Instead, you will get a raising of the eyebrows, an “mmm” sound, or a sharp sucking in noise

-Pointing with your finger is rather rare. Instead, “pointing” is usually done with the lips. 

-Cassava leaves look similar to marijuana. 

-A truck in town had “KKK Jesus is my shield” written on its windshield. Hmmm…

-It seems that everything here was made in China. 

-To “flash” someone means you call them and hang up as soon as they pick up. It is a way of letting them know you are ready, etc. without being charged airtime on your phone.

-Names that do not end in an “y” (ee) sound get it added (“Gladys-y,” “Nathan-y,” “Aidan-y,” “Travis-y,” “Spice-y” etc.), and for those that do end in a y, it is dropped (“Bethan,” “Stephan,” etc.)

Greetings:

-You greet just about anyone and everyone:

“Olaiyo” (hello for the 1^st time that day)

“Olaiyo, eh” (even you, good day)

-or-

“Wesayo” (hello for at least the 2^nd time that day)

“Wesayo, eh” (even you, good day)

Then, 

“Oluutiya” (How are you?)

“Indiyo” (I’m there)

“Makulu” (What’s the news?)

“Milembe” (It’s fine)

-You should not greet when you visit someone until you are seated.

-In English, they will ask, “How is here?” or “How is there?,” meaning, “How are things at home?”

-They frequently wave with 2 hands, either rotating at the wrist or just showing their palms without actually waving. If you wave in such a way that your fingers are closing in on your palm, they will think you are motioning, “come here.” 

-Often, they won’t turn their head to talk, but keep looking ahead and greeting/ talking as they pass by and even as they are getting a significant distance away from the person to whom they are talking.

-When we pass by, the kids yell, “Majungu! Majungu!”-- “White person! White person!” They also call out “Howah you? I’m fine”

We went “out to eat” in town the other night with Anna & Jess. We went to this little restaurant called “Julex,” a combination of the owners’ names, Juliet & Alex. You wash your hands out front, on the porch, into a basin. We got bean sauce, chicken sauce, matoke (plantain-like starchy banana that is mashed up and eaten with sauce), and rice. It was quite delicious. 

Olvie and I went on our first run the other day. What an experience. We had to run in long skirts with spandex tights underneath (it is very scandalous to show your knees here.) The dirt road was quite treacherous, muddy at places, rocky, and hilly. Everyone stared at us. We got good practice with our Lubwisi greeting though. At one point, a whole crowd of children was following behind us. Of course, people thanked us for what we were doing (“thank you for running”). One man asked if we were “warming.” A boy said what I thought was, “We are learning,” but, after finding they sometimes say “we” in place of “you” plural and don’t have “r” in their alphabet, I realized he meant, “You are running.”

Our toilet is in a shack outside and consists of a rectangular hole in the tile floor with a very deep hole under it. We have a shower and sink inside, but no toilet. In the middle of the night, we have a bucket in the shower to pee in. 

We have not cooked much yet, as the rest of the team keep inviting us to join them for meals. However, we have made omelettes, grilled cheese, rosemary and garlic breadsticks, and green mango crisp. More to come soon. 

Task 4:
Today, one of our “Amazing Race” tasks was a Nyahuka scavenger hunt. We went all around the market, tried our best to communicate with people, and made some new friends. It was fairly successful and fun. 

We went to work on some records for getting more baby formula from UNICEF, but the forms were not yet ready. The lady said we could come “pick them” tomorrow...