Greetings from Zanzibar

(More on the blog title in a bit; and yep, I use Wikipedia…don’t knock it – it helped me through grad school! :-D )

Mambo…? Vipi…? Mambo vipi…? Vipi hali…? Vipi mambo…? Hali yako…? Wazima? Jambo or Hujambo (plural Hamujambo)…  Who knew there were so many ways to say “hi” to people?! There is also the more generic Habari, with its many variations: Habari yako/yenu/ya leo/ya asubuhi/ya mchana/ya jioni (Habari zako/zenu/za...in plural form), etc.  Also heard on occasion, although not generally used day-to-day, Shikamoo; this tends to be reserved for respectfully greeting one’s elders.

In case you’re wondering about the appropriate responses to all these greetings, and many more I haven’t listed, we are too! We’ve mastered Poa (“cool”) in response to Mambo (“things”…as in “how are things”), and say Mzuri (good) when greeted with Habari (literal translation is “news,” but in this context means “hello”). I usually mumble my answer because I don’t really remember proper Swahili grammar despite 12 years of learning the language, so I have no idea if I’m supposed to say Nzuri with an “n” instead of Mzuri with an “m”– there’s a difference, trust me. I also mumble because most of these greetings are being directed at me (us) REPEATEDLY by every single person we pass (and there are MANY!!) as we walk to work at the crack of dawn, a.k.a. between 7 & 8 a.m. Did I mention I haven’t had coffee yet!? (Sadly, I’m no longer in the land of Starbucks at every corner, and friendly baristas who know me by name, and that the only variation in my drink – its size – depends on how bleary-eyed I am on a particular day.)

Anyway, back to the greetings…. The litany of greetings goes on all day every day, and I handle it so much better the other [later] times – you know, after I’m actually awake and all. Pretty much every tourist knows to respond to Jambo in kind. Yep, I’m not a local…as the locals were sure to point out immediately, along with pretty accurate guesses about where I’m from (Kenya…or the U.S. – right on both counts). Stephanie has been asking me how we can tell that a person is from a different country in Africa…I don’t know – we just can, and are usually right about what country. Weird, I know…can’t really explain it.

The wonderful thing about the constant “Hello’s” is that they invariably end with an enthusiastic Karibu (“Welcome”)! Now, granted, that’s partly because folks want to sell you stuff…but they really are genuinely welcoming. Other than a few harassed moments, which are to be expected anywhere touristy, I have felt nothing but kindness and friendliness from the people here. So, given that this is their life/livelihood and I’m visiting for a few months, I’m doing my best to embrace the culture, put that great big smile on my face, and go with the flow…after all, you can’t change the pace of life on an island, I don’t think. I’m certainly not gonna try!

But first, before I write any more on life on Unguja (Zanzibar is actually an archipelago made up of Unguja, Pemba, and other smaller islands), lemme back-track a couple weeks to the start of our trip.