Like Coca-Cola Light for example, no diet soda here. Oh, and Pepsi makes a larger can of soda and calls it the ‘Afri-Can’. Oh the marketing genious, sort of. And, it all tastes different. They don’t use corn syrup here, so the sodas are made with real sugar instead. That’s a plus. And, the flavour of chips is different. Simba is the big brand here, comes from South Africa. They have tomato, cheese & onion, and chutney flavours among others. You can find Doritos here, but none of the flavours we get back home.
I put together a list of local lingo. Some of it comes from British English and Afrikaans. The rest I’m not all that sure.
In America we say.... In Namibia they say
Soda or punch... cool drink
Porridge... pap
Barbecue or grilling... braai
Lunchmeat... polony
Peppered beef jerky... chilli bites
Ground beef... mince
Polish sausage/kielbasas... Russians
sausage links... boerewors
He’s drunk... He’s babbalaas
Right?... Isn’t it?
How’s it going?... Howzit?
You’re welcome... Pleasure
Students... learners
Graduate... matriculate
Co-workers... colleagues
Shuttle or van ... kombi
Pick-up truck... bakkie
Trunk (on a car)... boot
Braids... plaits
Tennis shoes/sneakers... tackies
And my favourite. They say: I’m coming, I’m coming now, or I’m coming now now. If someone says ‘I’m coming’ you know they’re not serious. If they say ‘I’m coming now’ it means probably less than an hour. If they say ‘now, now’ it should be less than 20 minutes.
Here are some pictures from Valentine's Day. We wrapped up condoms and gave them out around town. TCE, Red Cross and Meameno joined together for this effort.
I put together a list of local lingo. Some of it comes from British English and Afrikaans. The rest I’m not all that sure.
In America we say.... In Namibia they say
Soda or punch... cool drink
Porridge... pap
Barbecue or grilling... braai
Lunchmeat... polony
Peppered beef jerky... chilli bites
Ground beef... mince
Polish sausage/kielbasas... Russians
sausage links... boerewors
He’s drunk... He’s babbalaas
Right?... Isn’t it?
How’s it going?... Howzit?
You’re welcome... Pleasure
Students... learners
Graduate... matriculate
Co-workers... colleagues
Shuttle or van ... kombi
Pick-up truck... bakkie
Trunk (on a car)... boot
Braids... plaits
Tennis shoes/sneakers... tackies
And my favourite. They say: I’m coming, I’m coming now, or I’m coming now now. If someone says ‘I’m coming’ you know they’re not serious. If they say ‘I’m coming now’ it means probably less than an hour. If they say ‘now, now’ it should be less than 20 minutes.
Here are some pictures from Valentine's Day. We wrapped up condoms and gave them out around town. TCE, Red Cross and Meameno joined together for this effort.
3 comments:
Hey Dave!
Thanks for the lingo lessons. That is fun stuff to know. Maybe I could win a trivia game with the information.....maybe not!
I love that you guys handed out condoms for Valentine's Day. So far out of my sphere of experience but it seems like such a logical help in the fight against AIDS. And I enjoy getting to see photos of you and your "colleagues."
Last Sunday, we had some "learners" over for pancakes and "Russians". Yum! So you didn't say if you like the flavours of chips in Namibia. I don't think Doritos Ranch or Sour Cream & Onion would fare well in a shipment to you so you'll just have to wait till you come home, I guess.
Wish you were here for this new phase at the church, but glad you are there, too.
Howzit? I realized I didn't put my name in my last comment (you know the one about the dancing). I am positive you knew it was me!! It is so exciting to hear about all your endeavors. So, I am sure Tim told you that I ran in a race with him. Well, he ran in front of me, then way in front of me, then I couldn't see him, then he past me and was patiently waiting at the finish line for me. He did great. . . he was 3rd in his age group (I will boast for him). I hated every minute!! But, I finished and I never stopped to walk. After the race, it dawned on me that not all victories will have balloons and whistles. . . but they are still victories. We are planning on a possible 10K soon. Tim really would like to start training for a triathalon, crazy huh? You better keep up on your training. . . you wouldn't want him to beat you! Lots of love, Angela
Hi Dave..
new interesting lingo there.. how do you like the soda's? And what do you miss the most from the states?
Things are going well here in Flag... we've been getting lots of snow.. more than usual. We had a nice storm yesterday, most of it melted and the sun is shining today. How's the weather there?
I've been approached by an individual interested in volunteering. She immediately wants to jump in head first and do testing. With stricter policies in place now, she needs to attend the 3 day training first. The state is getting really picky on who they allow to attend. I'm getting fed up and trying to remain calm. At least they didnt cut my funding for this year. Hope all is good there... take care! :)
CheR
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