Jambo again!  Unfortunately this inquiry project has come to a disappointing end.  Due to the covid-19 virus and its impact around the world, my international practicum in Tanzania has been cancelled.  Though I understand the decision made by UVic, it is still heartbreaking to know that I will not have this experience.  However, I have really enjoyed learning some Swahili words and phrases, as well as some of the history of the language.  Here is a quick summary of the biggest things I learned through this process:

  • Swahili originated from a mix of local Bantu languages and Arabic
  • It is a fairly easy language to learn as it is mostly spoken as it reads
  • Hello!Jambo is a helpful app to learn some of the basic words and phrases, but it is very limited if you are looking to go beyond the basics
  • There are about 15 Swahili dialects, but kiUnguja is the most common
  • Creating a travel booklet for some of the most helpful words and phrases is a good idea.  It is difficult to have all of the words and phrases memorized, so having a little notebook handy that you can refer to would be helpful.

Though I am incredibly sad that I won’t get to use the Swahili I have learned right now, I am staying hopeful and determined that I will get the chance to use it down the road.  Maybe an opportunity will arise for next years’ practicum, or maybe it is a goal I will have to set and work towards to travel to Africa on my own when I am done school.  Either way, if you have the opportunity to learn a bit of another language, take it! Swahili has been fun to learn, and I plan to keep up on the words I now know, so that they will still be in my memory down the road when I need them.  Once again, Kwaheri for now.