The grass is always unfamiliar

I had been promoted. My replacement was the tiniest, cheekiest little person that I have ever met in my entire life. She is black. The first time that she meets me she asks, “Haven’t I met you before?”. I am absolutely sure that I have never, ever met someone this tiny before. Unless it was when, childhood had, for the moment, hidden her most marked feature. “No, I am sure that we haven’t”. She laughs and replies, “Oh, I am probably confused because all white people look the same” 


(Exert from "Things of my place")

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." Anais Nin, writer (1903-1977)

Oh my goodness - our heads are sore from todays lesson!!!! Here it is:

Welcome Elioti and Manuela – my friends

Amogela Elioti le Manuela- bagwera ba ka

Amogela (Welcome) Elioti le (and) Manuela- bagwera (friends) ba ka (my)

Elioti who can make me laugh and who I can make cry (he he he).

Eliot yo aka ndirang nna gore ke thabe le nka dira gore yena gore a lle

Eliot yo (who) aka (can) ndirang (make) nna (me) gore ke (to) thabe (laugh) le (and) nka (I can) dira (make) gore yena (him) gore a lle (cry)

Elioti who gets lost in songs and sings with his eyes closed.

Elioti wa go lahlega a opela difela a tswaletse mahlo.

Elioti wa go (who) lahlega (lost) a (in) opela (singing) difela (songs) a tswaletse (closed) mahlo (eyes)

Elioti who laughs loudly and lives loudly.

Eliot wa go dula a segela godimo

Eliot wa go (who) dula (lives) a segela (laughs) godimo (loudly)

Who talks honestly and feels deeply

Ke mang wa go kwa a bolela go tshephega kudu

Ke mang (who) wa go kwa (feels) a bolela (talks) go tshephega (honestly) kudu (deeply)

Manuela the beautiful Italian who lives in my road

Manuela o mobotse wa Italy wa godula ka tsela yaka

Manuela o (the) mobotse (beautiful) wa Italy wa (who) godula (lives) ka (in) tsela (road) yaka (my)

Who takes photographs that look like paintings

Yo a tseyago diswantsho tseo di lebelelwago bjalo ka pente

Yo (who) a tseyago (takes) diswantsho (photographs) tseo (that) di lebelelwago (looks) bjalo ka (like) pente (paintings)

Who loves her city Genoa

Yo a ratago naga ya gabo Genoa

Yo (who) a ratago (loves) naga (city) ya gabo (her) Genoa

Manuela a beautiful mom and person

Manuele mme o mobotse wa botho

I wish she could stay for longer than 3 ½ years

O kare aka tseya lebaka la golekana mengwana 3 ½

O (I) kare (wish) aka tseya (could) lebaka (longer) la (for) golekana (than) mengwaga (years) 3 ½

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." Anais Nin, writer (1903-1977)

Mogwera yo mongwe le yo mongwe o emela lefase, lefase leo le tswalwago ke go ba gona ga bona, gomme ka kopano ye, go tswetswe lefase le lefsa. Anais Nin, mogwadi (1903 – 1977)

Allen and Mrs Khunwane - thank you so much for your contributions. Monicca and I have finally had the time to look at them and appreciate that you have used your time for us. For our English followers - that's you Elioti and Manuela - we are working on the English of Allen's and Mrs Khunwane's additions.

Respect all round!

The earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher

Geez Louise... We need followers please. Joke - no emotional pressure - we take the advice of Kevin Costner's guides in the movie "The Field"... "If you build it, they will come". Worse case scenario - we have a record of our cool little project.

I am Kerryn

Ke nna Kerryn

Ke (I) nna (am)

Meet Monicca

Ke kopane le Monicca

 Ke (I) kopane (meet) le (prefix of a person - we think)

We are partners in this project

Re bagwera projekeng ye

Re (We) bagwera (friends/partners) projekeng (project) ye (this)

Look - blossoms on the trees - yay - spring is nearly here

Bona maloba mo mohlareng - yay - seruthwane se batametse

Bona (look) maloba (blossoms) mo (on) mohlareng (the tree) - yay - seruthwane (spring) se (is) batametse (nearly here)

And today's quote is:

Lefase le thabile ka maloba. Ralph Waldo Emerson, mongwadi le philosopher

Lefase (Earth) le (is) thabile (laughing) ka (in) maloba (flowers). Ralph Waldo Emerson, mongwadi (writer) le (and) philosopher

The earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher

Things of my place

Somewhere between 12 and 16 years ago, a friend had an idea for a book. I crafted a lot of content in response to this idea. The motivation I wrote to get funding for the book went like this:

There is something about South Africa. Ask any recent visitor. It’s something about the air of the place, the content of the place. Is it because most South Africans have been challenged in their lifetime in some way? The world waits for the great South African novel to sum up the experience. Can there only be one? The TRC has given voice to the awful things that happened... but there are other stories, smaller ones, fascinating ones, hidden in the memories of South Africans all over the country. Here every single person is a storyteller. You just need to open your ears and you piece together the rich tapestry of experience that is this country. I heard about a black guy who used to want to hear about all the ‘boss’ stories. He collected them. He laughed at them, maybe cried at them. A lot of funny ha ha and funny strange and just plain sad things happened here, things that could be lost with the mortal minds carrying them. They are not stories that shaped the whole country, nor that made it to the TRC, they are every day experiences of this place, the focus of this book. 


And so, our content has never become a book, but perhaps it is worth exploring here as I learn a language of one of the people I share this wonderful space with. 


So, the plan is to focus on learning sotho but intermittently post something from "Things of my place". 

Day 1 - An idea becomes a plan becomes a blog

The plan is - do this by translating quotes collected over twelve years into N. Sotho and learning and laughing at this crazy and beautiful country along the way.