Thank You Lion King

Uganda has two official languages… English and Swahili.  Us Volunteers are not trained in either, and hopefully none of us need training in English.  Although after two years here a refresher course may need to happen.  Due to the many regions that PCV’s are placed, there are many vernaculars that we are trained in and many more that we are not.  If you ask any Ugandan how many languages are spoken in this country, which is the size of Oregon, you will get a response anywhere from 56 to the mid-70s, and Swahili isn’t one.  I was bummed.  That is until my friends returned from their holiday vacation in Zanzibar, Tanzania.  Below was my new Swahili vocabulary lesson.

Simba = Lion

Rafiki – Friend

Mufasa = King

Timon = Meerkat

Pumbaa = Warthog; slow-witted

Hakuna matata = No troubles

Asante sana = Thank you (Famous in Rafiki’s song, “Asante sana, squash banana”)

Jambo = Thank you  (This one I learned from Mean Girl’s)

I quickly realized that had I just paid a little more attention to the Disney film The Lion King instead of obsessing over the actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who plays the young Simba, I would have already known this.  Eh.  Better late than never.

And for those actually able to stream videos, this is for your entertainment.