Jambo!...Kwaheri!

Yes, the title of this blog is in another language. Jambo meaning hello and kwaheri meaning goodbye are Swahili words. And no, I have not disappeared internationally, but am still serving and loving my placement in Nashville, TN. However this week I did get to use my very limited Swahili vocabulary for the first time since volunteering in Tanzania for 5 weeks in the summer of 2008.

This Monday a refugee family of 8 from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) who lived for many years in Tanzania as refugees came through our clinic. Arriving in the United States only a few weeks ago, our clinic is one of the first experiences they have in Nashville. So excited that I knew a little of their language, I approached Bita, the father, and said in Swahili "Hello, my name is Bonnie -- What is your name?" A large smile spread across his face which was caused I am sure not only by hearing someone speak Swahili (neither the resettlement agencies or our clinic knew of any Swahili intrepreters) but that the one speaking was a young blonde mzungu girl. Our conversation was not able to go much further than me welcoming them to the United States, asking how he was doing, where he was from, and later playing with the children and counting to ten on our fingers. Although our conversations were not very complex, I had a very special bond with that family this week. There were 6 children ranging in age from 8 months old to 13 years old, and the 4 year old little girl suffers from Rickets, a disorder causing a softening of the bones often brought on by lack of Vitamin D. This disorder has caused her legs to bow and become misshapen. Many of them had health problems but none of that affected their sweet, loving disposition and grateful attitudes.

Bita's family came back to the clinic today for the second part of their physical. I was so touched by every moment I got to spend with them and loved seeing the whole family smile when I made any attempt at communicating with them using simple Swahili phrases. As they walked out the door this afternoon they all gave me one last wave and goodbye and Bita's grin was wide as ever as we told eachother "Kwaheri!"