Hello! Guten Tag! Servus! Dobre den! Hola! And of course, from the local language of Lira, APOIO!!!!
I love languages. Maybe not enough to become a linguist, but they still intrigue me. Luo, which is Lira and much of northern Uganda’s language, is completely different than any language I’ve tried to learn. I have no idea how the grammar works, but their greetings alone are crazy. “Apoio” is the most common greeting, which actually means thank you. Then they return the greeting with “Aber” which means fine or good. What would that look like in America? A guy walks up to you and thanks you before he even talks to you? That’s actually really cool, if you ask me.
Language isn’t the only thing that’s strikingly different here. Every part of the culture here is so different from most of the western world. People here are welcoming beyond belief. People here don’t seem to recognize awkwardness. People here aren’t rushed or controlled by a tight schedule. It’s hard to explain, it’s just different here, and it’s something to be thankful for that we may partake in this cultural exchange. It’s great and I love it. Praise the Lord.
In Christ,
Zach Brown
