Pangono-Pangono

I've mentioned before that I've been taking Nyungwe lessons with my next-door neighbor and good friend, Quizito. He's an excellent teacher and after only two months of formal learning, I can introduce myself, talk about my home, family, and work, and accomplish basic tasks like asking about price, negotiating, telling annoying cobradores to shut it, etc.

My favorite word in Nyungwe is pangono-pangono, "little by little". It's incredibly useful, as it's basically a Nyungwe version of "um pouco normal" and you can respond with it to anything.

"How's school going?" Pangono-pangono. The spirit of this response in English would be "It's going."

Well, life in Mavudzi is going pangono-pangono. It's a little weird, actually, how normal everything seems. With only two weeks of class left in the trimester, followed by almost a month free and then just over two months left of actual work, it feels like things should be hectic -- and, in a way they are. I have a countdown to this year's English Theater Competition that freaks me out every morning as its one number smaller. I spend several hours each day working on resumes and applications for post-PC programs and jobs. I've been deep in planning mode for my epic journey with Lisa across southern Africa in November.  These are constant reminders that our time here is almost up.

On the other hand, though, life is normal.

Yesterday, a goat ate my lunchtime salad and I was sad about it. Later that afternoon, Izaquel helped kill and chop up the goat for our friend Alcídio's dinner.

This week, we have tests that no one told us about. To be expected.

Every twenty minutes, someone comes and shouts "Com liçensa!" at our door, wanting to charge their phone or paint their nails or pick up a toddler that wandered in to look at our books or pet the cat.

Life continues. Pangono-pangono.

Photo credit: Laura M.