Speaking Zulu and Spirituality

Before

As usual life on the farm is busy and unpredictable. I have been very busy with the coming of a new horse Jack Frost, a Marimba band grades 5-7, and general administrative tasks the past week. A week and a half ago however I was not on the farm. I was picked up by the MCC team and taken to Pietermaritzburg to stay at the prison for a week. As a group, we did the very first Color Run in Maritzburg. It was so much fun! I fit in very well with my handmade, hot pink tutu and we all had a blast getting pelted with color every kilometer. We also spent an afternoon at a Butterfly House and the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary. It was a lovely week of seeing some sights and having some down time from work.

During

After

Butterflies for Africa

Our main mission for being in they city however was because it was time for our first round of language school. Dinar, who finally arrived just before I came to the city, and myself, took isiZulu lessons. We live in a province called KwaZulu-Natal and one of the main languages is Zulu, so many people I interact with on a daily basis speak this language fluently, for many it was their mother tongue. Sokea took Swahili lessons, a language spoken in many places around the continent of Africa. Sokea works at a refugee center and many of them are from Tanzania where the national language is Swahili, therefore, it will greatly help her to connect with her clients to speak some of their language. As for Dinar and me, we have to seek out opportunities to speak Zulu. While many people speak Zulu, everyone here on the farm does know English. In fact the school is an English medium school, where the children are encouraged to only speak English all day to encourage fluency and develop vocabulary skills. isiZulu is a difficult language mostly because it includes several clicks; the letters c, x, and q are made with different parts of your tongue and mouth clicking. I found I can produce the clicks just fine on their own but when you have to say a whole word saying the click followed by a vowel is very tricky for a novice. The rules of the language are fairly simple, although I did not learn even close to all of them. There's no gender in the language which is helpful but there are linking letters to help connect the noun and the verb. This is what I can never remember. and because all words have connecting letters and sounds it's hard to actually decipher the root word sometimes! I enjoyed language lessons, even though my brain was full at the end of each three hour day. I enjoyed getting a sneak peak into a culture that is very different from my own. I feel just a little bit closer to the people I spend my days with by being able to speak to them in their first languages...well I can great them and talk about myself mostly. I will be taking another week of lessons at the end of November and will hopefully be able to build some vocabulary skills. Here is what the language looks like, I'll write in isiZulu and then translate below.

Sanibona! NginguAshtonCluts, ngihlala eCamp El Olam. Ngivela eMelika. ngisebenza eCamp, ngithanda ukuhike eCamp futhi ukubhukuda. Siyabonga! ngiyaxolisa, ngifunda isiZulu.

Hello! My name is Ashton Cluts, I stay at Camp El Olam. I come from America. I work at Camp. I like to hike at camp and to swim. Thank you! I am sorry, I am learning Zulu.

My vocabulary is failing me as I write this and I don't have my dictionary with me! Well this is just a sample anyway.

After language school and having the weekend to hangout and rest at the prison. Karen and Adam took Dinar, Sokea, and me to a retreat center in the midlands. A quiet region with many artisan stops along the main road. Karen and Adam acted as our live in chefs for the next two days and the three of us YALTers were lead in a very wonderful spiritual retreat. It was relaxing and rejuvenating. We each had our own bedrooms in a lovely cottage with a lounge and kitchen. We spent several hours each day in guided mediation and theological discussion with our leader Pastor Sharon, whom Karen and Adam have come to know through a church that they attend in Pietermaritzburg. She was a wonderful leader who's theology was very much like my own. We even did one session with a video from Pastor Rob Bell who is one of my favorite pastors from Michigan. When I was in high school we did a small group series using his videos as well. We explored our spirituality through scripture, song, and meditation. I was able to be in conversation with God and bring my heart and mind into focus in a very intentional way. I came away having a deeper understanding of my calling here in South Africa and an enthusiasm to continue my journey.

Thank you again for everyone around the world who is praying for me and my time here and keeping me in their daily thoughts. Knowing I have such a wonderful support network makes being away almost easy. Please keep in touch through my Facebook.com page and instagram!

Me with some hippos at the Butterfly House