Week Three: Minor Victories

            This week in Kinyarwanda study was a good one, and it wasn’t necessarily because I comprehended every word in a genocide testimony video or received a perfect score, while reviewing my flashcard deck, or even because I exceeded my expectations in some way. Instead, I achieved what I like to refer to as “minor victories,” but I feel as though these minor victories will sustain me and help me accomplish my ultimate goals.

            Again, it’s a small thing, but in the interest of incorporating my language study more fully into my life, I’ve been trying to include it in moments that I haven’t necessarily designated as study-time. For me, this means considering the real-world stimuli I encounter, whether it be an object, like a fork (ikanya), or a thought, like “Where is the restroom?” (Imisarani iri he?)- and mentally determining if I can say and/or express them in Kinyarwanda. With that in mind, recently, a family member announced that his wife was expecting their first child together, and I thought to myself, “how do you say someone is pregnant?” And, instantly, I remembered, because it is a phrase I use in English, though with an opposite meaning, of course. Literally translated, “to be pregnant” is to have a stomach. In Kinyarwanda, it is “kugira inda.” To say, “she is pregnant,” you would say “afite inda.” Of course, this is not a typical phrase, but it gets a little complicated, if you want to say “he has a big belly,” and you wish to distinguish it from “she has a big pregnant belly.” They are both “afite inda nini,” and to tell them apart, you must take advantage of context!

            Another not-terribly-big-thing, but nonetheless something I believe will sustain me through the semester- I contacted a language partner, J, successfully, and we have already starting communicating on WhatsApp, a wonderful resource, by the way. J and I are currently in the process of some “small talk,” but small or not, it’s been the first sustained conversation in Kinyarwanda I’ve had in quite some time, and I am thrilled about it. I may have even skipped a little in my apartment! It’s a good feeling, and not as anxiety-ridden as I may have once anticipated. Hopefully, J and I can establish an arrangement and meet regularly throughout the semester and perhaps even talk every now and again on WhatsApp. Perhaps the spontaneity of it will help me again to incorporate my language study more fully into my life.

            Anyway, that’s all for now! Thanks for visiting.