I have been living in Nairobi now for a little over 3 weeks. Nairobi is a city of 3.4 million. Our group has been going through at month long orientation before we begin our individual assignments. Orientation is comprised of learning about the local language and the history of Kenya through classes and group talks. An average day would start out with breakfast at Phyllis’s house followed by Swahili classes. The afternoons are supplemented by visits to a children’s home, informal settlements, and talks about Muslim Christian relations. Evenings are mostly free for Swahili language exercise and talking about our experiences thus far.    

Swahili classes were an important part of this experience in Kenya. While learning any language for the first time is difficult, it is nice to learn in good company. The 5 of us volunteer had 2 personal teachers by the names of Asunta and Robinson. Both of them were engaging and patient as we attempted to hold brief conversations and practiced different phrases that we had learned.  

The Swahili language was developed as a trade language. It was derived from many other languages and thus, no one culture can claim it as their own. I have been told that about 60% of Swahili comes from the Bantu language. 20% is from Arabic, Persian, and Turkish origins. 4% comes from Indian origins. Portuguese comprises 10% of the language. Swahili also draws from both English and German origins which together account for 4%. Other African communities have contributed 2% of the Swahili language.

One of the most entertaining moments that we have had in Swahili class was when we learned how to sing the “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” song. Everyone would stand up and begin singing and doing the hand motions. However, if anyone made a mistake, (which we did a few times) then the teacher had us start the song over again. Needless to say we had the song stuck in our heads for weeks after.