Stole a Chi! Stole a What?!?

23 July 2010

Someone said something to me the other day and I thought it was pretty funny…

I was walking to the dining facility with an officer and in passing I saw one of the Ugandan guards that I know. The guards have been teaching me a few words and phrases in Ugandan, so I said, “Stolachi Siyebo!” (What’s up brother!?!) He laughed and repeated the saying back to me: “Stolachi Niyebo!?!” (What’s up sister!?!). I responded with, “Yindi!” (I’m good!) “Ahyoutiya?” (And how are you?) The guard laughed again and said he was good too. As he walked off in the other direction I yelled out, “Saeba ruingee!” (See you later!)

The officer I was walking with knew that I’m a Thai linguist and made the comment, “Boy, you sure are good with languages.” I had to laugh. I’m really not that good with languages, I explained to him. I just love people and diverse cultures. I have a desire to learn what I can from unique people and take that with me before my time with them is up.

I spent two years and two weeks at the Defense Language Institute (DLI), almost one year more than most DLI graduates. A lot of people don’t know that I was first assigned Arabic as a language. I spent seven months in class before they pulled me for not making the grade. Actually, I was making the grade, just not in all subjects. I was excelling in the speaking and listening areas but not quite cutting it in the reading and writing department. They were going to pull me from class and actually send me out of DLI without a language qualification. After I made my argument and after my class leader and squad leader vouched that I was a hard working student and Soldier, my unit found me a spot in the Thai program. Yeah. Thai. I couldn’t believe it either. After a year of classes, I graduated from the Thai basic program in 2007.

Languages aren’t easy for me. School, period, isn’t easy for me. I have severe test anxiety, a battle I’ve been fighting since grade school; and I have a hard time focusing my attention on something for long periods of time. So you can see why languages, of all subjects, would be difficult to master. But it’s my love for culture, people and travel that keeps me going.

I was hoping that by volunteering to be stationed at Fort Hood, Texas; a place I was most certain to deploy from, that I would get a chance to go to Iraq or Afghanistan and be able to experience a whole new kind of culture and diversity. Well I did in fact deploy and I’m currently stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. But I have yet to leave the base, nor will I ever get the chance to before I head home in October. In my job field, we can do all our mission work from right here on base. But it hasn’t stopped me from learning something new from a different culture than my own.

The Ugandans. Almost every building here on base has armed guards posted outside checking I.D.s and security badges. These guards are Ugandan. They’ve been hired and brought into the country by agencies contracted by the U.S. government for extra security throughout the American bases in Iraq.

I started out by asking them simple phrases: “Hi.” “How are you?” “What’s up!?!” I’m now up to full sentences: “I’m off to eat, see you in a bit. Do you guys want anything?” Now I would not say I am fluent by any means, but what I can say is that I’ve earned the respect, friendship and humor of my Ugandan counterparts. I’ve shown them that not all American Soldiers are as distant as so many seem as they walk through these gates. That even for how different we are from each other, we’re very much alike.

So every day I go to work and have my I.D. checked by the boys from Uganda; I learn a new word or phrase; usually make them laugh with my poor pronunciation; but almost always, I walk away with a smile and a laugh, and for a moment I forget that they, like me, are here for a war…

Until next time… Saeba ruingee!