By teniolab
I am so thankful that we are required to take the Setswana language course as a CIEE Community Public Health student. As a CIEE Arts and Science student, you are given the option to take the course. I cannot imagine why you would choose not to take the course because I having the best time learning the language.
The official language of Botswana is English. English is mainly spoken in Gaborone, where I am studying. Setswana is also spoken by the majority of the country. Every Motswana that I come across has said, "Setswana is so easy. You will be fluent by the time you leave!". I usually follow their statement with a laugh. Setswana is not too difficult to learn, thankfully due to my fabulous teacher Mma Phono. From learning the "Survival Setswana" on the first day of orientation to learning the different forms of greetings (very important in Botswana culture), we have come so far. Mma Phono's teaching style is unique in itself. She pretty much acts out a dialogue with specific body language and we just play a guessing game. The students and I continuously impress the locals we come across, given that we have only been here for five weeks. Unfortunately, the expectations are higher for me because everyone here assumes that I am a Motswana. People insist on speaking Setswana to me, even though I tell them I do not. They literally won't stop. It's just something you get used to though.
I have a couple of favorite phrases. One is specifically related to the struggle I knew I would face with people assuming that I was a Motswana. "Ga ke bua Setswana." If you haven't guessed it yet, the phrase means: "I do not speak Setswana". I throw that phrase around about a handful of times a day. 🙂
"Ga gona mathata". Pronounce those "g's" like an "h" and you've got the phrase "no problem!" or "no worries". The day we learned that phrase in class was a great day, because Mma Phono made a "Lion King" reference. When something goes wrong or when I accidentally bump into another student in the student center, I exclaim, "ga gona mathata". It has been quite useful so far.
Learning the host language is just another way to show appreciation for the culture that you are in and to break those cultural barriers. Getting the chance to use the skills outside the classroom makes it all worth it.