Submitted by Cameron Vanderwolf on the 2020 winter session program in Tanzania sponsored by the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology…
Jambo, everyone! While I am here in Tanzania studying wildlife, I’ve found a lot of joy in trying to immerse myself in the culture and learn a new language. As the official language of Tanzania, Swahili is spoken by almost everybody in the country. When meeting people in the villages or visiting different tribes, we have our guides translate for us. By learning a few simple phrases, like “Mambo?” (Colloquial Swahili for “Hey, what’s up?”) or “Habari za asubuhi” (Swahili for “Good Morning”), I can have just a little bit more connection with the people I meet. One of my favorite memories of my time abroad so far was when we were driving to our next campsite. We passed a group of schoolgirls walking home who were waving hello to us. We waved back and yelled “Mambo” to them over the roar of the truck’s engine. The girls’ eyes lit up at us and they started jumping up and down and smiling at us. They yelled back “Poa!” (the common response to “Mambo?,” meaning “I’m good”). We had maybe a 15-second encounter with each other, but both of our groups left each other just a little bit happier. By connecting with someone through a common language, we were able to make an impact on each other and, at least for me, share a moment that I won’t forget. Through the rest of my program, I’m going to continue to learn more of the language and hopefully share more moments with the people I meet while I’m here in Tanzania and afterwards.