ChicheWHAT?

On the first few days Mike, who had been to Malawi the previous summer, took me around to the villages in the surrounding area.  We met some of the local people and lots of kids.  We also took some language lessons.  Chichewa is the language that is spoken in the area.  It was pretty hard.  Some of the sounds were really hard to make and I had a terrible time trying to remember everything.  I would often try and say a word to one of the kids, but it would be wrong or totally mispronounced and they would laugh at me...and then give me the right word.  By the end of my time there, I knew enough to point to nouns and say then in Chichewa, introduce myself and formally greet people.

Here are some words and phrases:

How are you? --- Muli bwanji?

Mwadzuka bwanji? --- Good Morning?  (Translates to "how did you sleep?")

I am fine. --- Ndiri bwino.

Thank you (very much) --- Zikomo kwambiri

I'm sorry --- Pepani

See you later --- Tionana

tired --- datopa

bicycle --- njinga

car --- galimoto

dog --- galu

tree --- mtengo

to eat --- kudya

to read--- kuwerenga

to laugh --- kuseka

white person --- Mzungu (We heard this all the time.  Kids would run after us shouting mzungu, mzungu!)

water --- madzi

butterfly --- gulugufe

cow --- ng'ombe

flower --- Maluwa

take a picture --- Jambula

stop, enough, done... --- bas