Kriol Lessons

Miss Lorna, who has been taking very good care of me this summer, has been asked to teach members from the Peace Corp living in Belize the Kriol Language. She starts teaching sometime in August. Leading up to her 8 week teaching session with the members she attends training in Belmopan and has been told she needs to find someone who doesn't know Kriol that she can practice teaching. It didn't take her long....only a couple moments after she returned from her first training session, to choose me as her guinea pig!! I just had my first Kriol Lesson, and will continue to meet with her for the next couple of days before she has to go back up to the city. The people in Belize have been very patient with me as I've tried to listen intently to conversations that Belizeans are having in Kriol. I'm no where near being a Kriol pro, but I have been able over the last few weeks to be able to understand what people ask me in Kriol without having to ask over and over for them to repeat what they said. I just can't speak it. If you were to ask me a question I can understand it, if you were to write what you're asking me in Kriol I can basically translate it, but I can't verbally communicate back in Kriol.

So Miss Lorna, transformed her little sun room into a classroom for me this morning and I spent an hour learning Kriol greetings and introductions as well as a song in Kriol (that I should have mastered by the end of the summer and can teach people when I get back). She taught the lesson as if she didn't know me. Introduced herself in English and then spoke Kriol the entire session...I'm proud to say that I understood most of what she was saying :) I wanted to share with you the stuff that I learned today. So the next little bit of the post is going to be in Kriol with a very, I repeat VERY rough English translation!! I hope you enjoy!!

Greeting:

Lorna: Gud maanin./Good morning.
Chelsy: Gud maanin da how yu du?/Good morning, how are you?
Lorna: Ah di du aarite an yu?/I'm doing alright and you?
Chelsy: Noh tu gud gyal. Mi belli de hat mi./Not too good gal. My belly is hurting me.
Lorna: Ah sarri fu yer dat gyal./Sorry to hear that gal.
Chelsy: Tenk you Lorna./Thank you Lorna

Introductions:

Chelsy: Da weh yu nayhn aah?/What's your name?
Lorna: Mee nayhn Lorna. Ahn yu, da weh yu nayhn?/My name is Lorna. And you, what's your name?
Chelsy: A nayhn Chelsy. Pleez fu meet yu Lorna./My names Chelsy. Please to meet you Lorna.
Lorna: Same yah gyal./Same to you gal.

Kriol Song - FuFu:

Ah mi gaan da mi riba benk
Fi go pik me kalalu
Fi go mek me peppapat
Fufu di faas da mi troat

KORAS:
Mek wi noh halla? ----Rispans: Wy? Wy?
Mek wi noh baal?-----Rispans: Wy? Wy?
Mek wi noh scream?--Rispans: Wy? Wy?
Fufu di faas da mi troat.

So that's just the first part of the song, I'll post more as I learn it. And will post the translation later on as well!!

The one thing I noticed as I practiced the introduction and greeting with Miss Lorna, is that it is impossible to speak Kriol quietly. It doesn't matter how hard you try to be quiet when speaking it, you can't. While sitting in Miss Lorna's sun room practicing with the door open, all of a sudden her son who was across 2 back yards at his place shouted something to me in Kriol. I didn't catch it cause I was so focused on learning what Miss Lorna had prepared....but it made me very aware of how loud I was if David was able to hear me across 2 back yards. It's so much fun. I'm not going to be fluent in Kriol, but I just found a Kriol-Inglish Dikshinari that I plan on purchasing to bring home with me. Maybe that way when I come back to Belize to visit I can dialogue a bit more with the people here!!

I have 10 more days of my internship left which is blowing my mind. My parents arrive on July 31 for 9 days. I'm super pumped, it will be wonderful to share my experiences of Belize with them. The locals have been watching the weather network with a close eye as Tropical Storm Dolly is making her way up toward the Belize, Orange Walk and Corozal Districts in Belize, southern Mexico and into the Gulf of Mexico, however, if it shifts, it will inevitably hit all of the country of Belize. So far no rain or fast wind, so I think we're in the clear. But what do I know. I will be heading up to Belize City on Saturday morning with a member from the congregation in Placencia. We are going to a fundraiser for one of the Anglican Schools in the city. The congregation decided to buy me a ticket as a going away gift for them. I'm excited, it's a fancy dinner which means I get to dress up, and make myself look pretty. My only worry is that I think I may have forgotten how to do my hair, I've had the same do all summer - ponytail/bun, I can't stand my hair on my neck when it's this hot. We'll see what happens. My last day is officially the 31st, but St. Michael's and St. John's have asked if I would be willing to lead one final service on August 3 for them. St. John's members have asked if they can join St. Michael's on that day in Mango Creek and then celebrate with a pot luck afterwards. It's going to be great as my parents will be here and that will give them the chance to meet all of the people who have been such a wonderful part of my experience here!!

I'm realizing that the next couple of weeks are going to go by fast, and they are going to be hard. I love the community here, I love the culture, and I'm sad to have to say good-bye, but I know I have to. Please pray that you will provide me and those who I have formed wonderful relationships with, with strength as we part. And continue to pray for guidance for St. Michael's as they await to hear what is in store for them "clergy-wise" after I leave. In my opinion I think it's incredibly important that someone be placed here long term in order to develop a vision for the church and to work with them in accomplishing the vision within the wider community....but that's just my opinion!! Please continue to pray for the ministry that St. Michael's offers and the dedicated people that have worked so hard at keeping it alive!!