Omo Dolina, Foto: Janin Maj

 

Omo Dolina, Foto: Janin Maj

 

Omo Dolina, Foto: Janin Maj

 

Omo Dolina, Foto: Janin Maj

 

Backpacking Through Africa 24 – Veterinary Medicine

 The revised version of their story went like this: They were poor veterinary students who had never attended high school but had fled the civil war raging in Uganda and were headed to Tanzania, to Dar es Salaam, to meet an Anglican bishop who would arrange their journey to Germany.

Wait, hadn’t he said earlier that he studied medicine? Well, veterinary is animal medicine. And hadn’t the Ugandan civil war ended years ago? True, the authorities claimed so, but in reality, the country was extremely dangerous—just today, six people had been killed, guerrillas were everywhere, trains weren’t running, boats on Lake Victoria were very unsafe, and they strongly advised me against going there.

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through Africa 23 – Refugees in Distress

 
Since they had nothing else, I ordered a Coke, while he asked for a glass of water. Hmm. The waitress seemed to know him but said nothing, only giving him a dirty look.

Then his friend appeared— considerably older and not particularly intelligent-looking. He was also very polite, though his English was much worse.

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through Africa 22 – The Restaurant

 He led me quite far from the main road. He himself didn’t seem dangerous, but you never know if his friends might be waiting around the corner. It wouldn’t be the first time.

When we entered a building with no sign of a restaurant, I checked if my knife was still in place.

 On the first floor, you could indeed get a drink, but there were no other guests.

In East Africa, soft drinks and beer are a state monopoly, and their price in shops is almost the same as in the best hotels. All other drinks are significantly more expensive.

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through Africa 21 – Medical Student

 The young man was excessively polite, which is rare in Kenya. He was a medical student soon to study in Germany. Was he taking up my time? No? And had I also recently finished my studies? Well, then we were practically colleagues. Welcome to Africa! It was a great honor for him to speak with me. Could he invite me for a drink?

I concluded that he was probably the son of wealthy parents, not often in Nairobi, and thus didn’t see many white people. Well, I could spare some time—maybe he’d have something interesting to say.

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through Africa 20 – Mzungu! Mzungu!

 The word mzungu (muzungu), meaning 'white person'—and beloved by screeching urchins all over East Africa— was coined in the days of the early European explorers.

It comes from the Kiswahili verb kuzunguka: 'to wander around aimlessly, like a mad person.' The Swahili word for a hangover, kuzungu-zungu ('my head's going round and round'), comes from the same root.

Travelers wandering around aimlessly and nursing hangovers? Not much has changed...

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through Africa 20 – Swahili

 Swahili is a mixture of East African languages, Arabic, and English.

In Tanzania, Kenya, and parts of neighboring countries, it is introduced as a second official language because communication among the multitude of tribal languages would otherwise be difficult. 
"Habari?" for example, is a distorted version of "How are you?"  

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through Africa 19 – Habari bwana

 Greetings in Africa are a true ritual, and it’s good to learn them if you want to have good relations with the locals. A typical Swahili greeting goes something like this:

"Jambo bwana!" (Hello, sir/ man!) or 

"Jambo muzungu!" (White person)

"Jambo mama! Habari?" (Hello, ma’am/ woman, how are you?)

"Mzuri! Habari bwana?" (Fine! How are you, sir?) 

"Mzuri!" (Good!) 

"Karibu!" (Welcome!)

"Asante sana." (Thank you very much.) 

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

Backpacking Through Africa 14 – Jambo Bwana

 
"Jambo bwana!" greeted a young man who had hurried after me on the street and looked at me brightly.

"Jambo!" I replied, slightly surprised.
He probably wanted something from me— in Africa, people rarely greet without a specific reason.
He was a head shorter than me and likely not yet of legal age.

Janin Klemenčič (to be continued)

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