Collected Scenes

From the Zulu house at dusk.

Babygoats: Jump on the house! Jump on the house! leap! leap! leap! leap in the bucket! wait...Leap out of the the bucket! Where's mom!? Headbutt. Leap!
Junior (running in a large cirlce around the yard): Liiisssttaa Solllweeetooo Liisssttaa Sollweeetooo
Keli: Lista Solweto? That girl there? Her last name is solweto? Junior what are you saying?
Junior: Liiissssta Solllwweeeto liiiisssta solweto
Mrs. Zulu: Mista Solweto. The goat is Mista Solweto.
Keli: OOOhhhh. The mama goat is Mr. Solweto. Of course.


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Mrs. Zulu: (speaking Nyanja): Nyanja Nyanja Nyanja
Keli: No, I haven't eaten Nshima this week.
MZ: Nyanja Nyanja Nyanja
Keli: I'll come but sometimes...
MZ: Nyanja Nyanja Nyanja
K: Yes, Nshima will make me strong.
MZ: Nyanja Nyanja Nyanja
K: What are you saying? I don't understand. Junior what is she saying?
Junior: ...
MZ: Nyanja Nyanja Nyanja
K: I do eat just sometimes rice or...
MZ (speaking in English): Rice is bad. Eating Shima once olo twicey per week is not good. Is bad. you are not in America. You are in Zambia. In Zambia we eat shima.
Keli: ...

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Man on the morning bus: 'We will meet.' Not broken English. That is correct English. 'We will meet.' ...Only we will cabbage because meat is too expensive.

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Mr. Chiumia: Do you have nails?
Headteacher: I have one.
MrC: Please give me I need it to fix something. Mrs. Chiumia is coming today and instead of saying - you aren't keeping the house - you are just sitting - what what - at least...
Keli: At least now you can show her the one nail you hammered into something...she'll be pleased.

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Sometimes when I am riding my bike away from my village, I surprise a Zambian child on the road who was not expecting a white person. This Zambian child then takes off running, frantically shouting "Mizungu! Mizungu!" to alert the other children so that they might come quickly and catch a glimpse before this elusive creature flits away.

There are about four little girls who belong to one or other of the teachers that have the school grounds as their playground. They see me a lot and know me so when they spot me instead if "Mizungu!" they frantically shout "Keli! Keli! Keli!" to alert the others who were not so quick. Then in chorus or taking turns in a never ending cycle they say:
Girls: Allo
Keli: Allo
G: Allo
K:Allo
G: How are you?
K: I am fine. How are you?
G: How are you?
K: I am fine. How are you?
G: How are you?
K: I am fine.
G: How old are you?
K: I am 25.
G: ... How are you?

Ad infinitum. Always jumping jumping jumping.

These girls often give the impression that they are crazy little dolls. Because of all the second hand clothes children often wear discordant outfits, mismatched, inappropriately fancy, but tattered and dirty. Not because they are poor but because all clothes are equally good for playing in the dirt. They even have doll hair, black yarn braids that are forever in some half way stage of done or undone.

Yesterday I went to a teacher's house and found this bevy of girl dolls there. I sat down next to them and chatted while the lady I came to see was coming out. "Good morning. You are bathing? No? to play only?" One of the little dolls with big big eyes was wearing a little plaid upside down umbrella of a skirt and just a small evening jacket for a shirt, made of purple velvet and clasped with a shiny rhinestone broach. She stood close enough to touch my knees and looked as though she'd caught a unicorn. I should have taken her picture- so then I could have caught a unicorn too.