The scene: Outside work, heading to the gym. A boda-boda pulls up beside me.
The conversation:
Boda-boda driver: Raises his eyebrows while making eye contact with me.
Translation: “Would you care for a lift to your desired destination, sir?”
Chris: Raises eyebrows while making eye contact with boda-boda driver.
Translation: “That would be splendid.”
Chris, uttering the only words that would appear in this exchange: “Garden City”
Translation: “I am heading to Garden City. Let us now embark on a pleasant back-and-forth negotiation of this trip.”
Boda-boda driver: Raises three fingers
Translation: “I would be pleased to drive you there for a meager three thousand shillings.”
Chris: Raises his eyebrows in mock horror, and raises one finger.
Translation: “My good man, I know this trip costs only 1,000 shillings. I will have none of your shananagins.”
Boda-boda driver: Smiles
Translation: “Ahhh, you’re not a muzungu who I can take advantage of. Darn.”
Chris: Smiles
Translation: “No, no I am not.”
Boda-boda driver: Raises eyebrows
Translation: “Shall we begin our journey?”
Chris: Raises eyebrows
Translation: “Yes, let’s.”
Moral of the story: I’d have a killer six-pack if my abs got half the work-out my eyebrows do.
2 responses so far ↓
Sarah Button // October 2, 2007 at 7:08 am |
Hi – I’m one of Roxanne’s fellow Rooftops interns, and I’m working in Cebu City, Philippines. I saw the link to your blog on her facebook site, and I clicked through, and couldn’t…stop….reading. Your posts are alternatively heartbreaking and hillarious, and I just wanted to let you know that I throughly enjoyed it. Great writing – thank you for sharing your stories.
Global Voices Online » Uganda: (No longer) lost in translation // July 15, 2008 at 11:27 pm |
[...] the posts on cross-cultural conversation one step further, blogger Chris Mason gives his readers a lesson in Ugandan non-verbal communication: Boda-boda [Ed.: motorcycle taxi] driver: Raises his eyebrows while making eye contact with [...]