Back to School

In my goals this year, I (Dan) have planned to read and study some Tanzanian school textbooks. Swahili is the medium for the first 7 years of public school, and these seven years are all that the vast majority of the population receives as an education. The textbooks are small paperbacks that range from 60-130 pages long, and serve as the reading and homework assignments for the students. These textbooks can be purchased at stands all over Mwanza set up on the sidewalks in town. For this coming year, I have decided to read nine of them. I will be reading: Uraia 3 & 4 (Citizenship class for years 3 and 4), Jiografia 4, Historia 3 & 4, Sayansi 5, 6, & 7 (Science).

I see three benefits to studying these books. First, it is obviously a way for me to practice my Swahili. The more I read and translate, the quicker I will near fluency. Second, it is a rather easy way to get introduced to a wide variety of vocabulary, words that I would never be introduced to in a standard grammar and may not come across for sometime in my language study, unless I used a means like this to get it. Third, I am getting to learn about the Tanzanian culture by being “taught” like a Tanzanian. The way that most kids (and eventually adults) look at their government, their national history, the modern and traditional means of healing, and more is very definitely shaped by their education. By studying these books, I hope to be learning more than just my Swahili.

            Please pray these efforts that they would be profitable for the sake of the gospel by speeding my understanding of the language.

Comments

[Tim Aynes]

It's encouraging to see your diligence in study, Dan. Motivating to me as I start up semester 2 of seminary next Monday!

[Daniel Eads]

Study hard, Tim! God's blessing on your seminary career.