parlez-vous francais?

The national language is Swahili. Every Tanzanian learns his or her own tribal langauge from infancy. One example of the more than hundred tribal languages is Chagga. When children reach school age, they learn Kiswahili beginning in primary school. In secondary school students learn English. I started at Second Chance on Monday. There I met the acting headmaster named Maro. He was pleased to meet me and learn, that in Canada, both English and French are the national languages. Maro proceeded to ask me if we could have a conversation in French. I was somewhat bashful as my Swahili is probably better than the current state of my French. Within moments however, I found myself engaged in a conversation in French. Who'd have thunk it? Never in my wildest dreams or weirdest dreams for that matter could I picture myself having a discussion in French with a native Tanzanian. As it turns out, he was educated in Dar Es Saalam where he was trained as an electrician.  He's been teaching for ten years.  It's his vocation.  He absolutely loves it.   During his school days he had studied French.  Amazing, really.  He's even got novels that are written in French  in his home.  We were going back and forth without many troubles. In fact, I was embarrassed as his French was quite good, and I found myself having to ask him to repeat himself as I couldn't understand him. Huh? We chatted amiably for some time before he had to make his preparations to leave for home.


This reminds me of another episode from a while back when I met a fellow at the place where I had been staying.  He knew I was a teacher who was staying there and working close by.  He invited me to join him for a beer. The man worked for the government of Tanzania as an auditor of the national pension system. In our discussions we exchanged stories about our backgrounds. Upon discovering that my lineage was partly Russian, he started speaking to me in the language of the Motherland.  I couldn't believe it.  It so happens that he had earned a scholarship opportunity in his youth to study in.....wait for it.....Turkgistan which was then part of the USSR. Of course I've spelled that wrong. In any event, he spent five years going to university there whereupon he became fluent and literate in Russian. Simply unbelievable. My Russian is limited to a couple of greetings at the best of times.  I travel roughly fourteen thousand kilometres from home to be outdone not only in the native language, but two others with which I should or at least might have some familiarity.   Thankfully, I was able to keep up in English.  At least I think ...