DON’T DARE MY YORUBA

I came to a Yoruba land with the deep intent to learn their language. In the bus, on my way back to Agbonle from the two weeks after-camp-break, I made a WhatsApp status and told my Yoruba friends that I was out to murder their language this coming year. I wanted to learn it and no matter how much they laughed at my mispronunciation, I wasn’t going to give up.

It was a comical post, so we laughed about it. But I was serious with this business.

Nobody is spared from the task of teaching, not even my students. Matter of fact, they are the worst hit.

I entered JSS2 class for the first time, had them greet and turned my back to the class, faced the chalk board and wrote these simple sentences:

“I am Corper Chisom. I am an Igbo girl. I teach English in Arolu Community Grammar School.”

I faced them and the few who could read English texts were already reading out—this was one of the reasons I wrote that. The second, which I’m sure you can guess already, was to tell them that while I taught them English voluntarily, it was their task to teach me Yoruba.

I made our jobs easy for us by setting few ground rules. There was not to be any Yoruba communication in my class, if you must say it in Yoruba be ready to translate it into English.

This was one of them.

“I am an Igbo girl oo, I don’t understand Yoruba. So if you’re discussing with Yoruba in my class, I’d assume you’re insulting me. Do you want to insult me?”

“No ma!”

And there, we had our first code of conduct. So, my classes intertwined with theirs;

“Esther, stand up and read this…” “What is ‘stand up’ in Yoruba?”

“Dide”

My teachers’ chorus.

I established a code of conduct with my other students too but none whatsoever with the locals who threw Yoruba at me, as though mocking my intentions: shey you want to learn Yoruba abi?

Chief of them was one of the women who lives in the house behind the well. Meeting her any morning was my torture. I would bend and greet:

“ekaaro o”

And she would go:

“sgsgsgdjejvebdodbdvevdfsdjhlgxxnmowymvdlpuavvdvdjkdndjejhs!?”

Say what? Eskis me? What’s that?

Ahn! I want to learn Yoruba but iya, it’s not like this na.

This particular early morning terror wasn’t just mine to face. My fellow fresh corp members, had their own share. We would go back to the lodge and ask our Yoruba-speaking colleagues what all that confusion was about.

It’s been weeks and I’m gradually deciphering the code. So, in response to your simple and direct good morning greeting, they ask how was your night, how the people at home are and then thank you for yesterday’s work!

It goes something like: spghjdhdfg, gbogbonle nko? Akusé anó….

When I learn what ‘how was your night?’ is, I’ll let you know. For now, it still sounds like spghjdhdfg…

I’m making progress, yeah? Hahahaha. And whenever they speak a new one these days, I kuku ask them to translate (that’s if the speaker understands and speaks English) and they laugh as they do.

See, I’m here for a serious business and I won’t have any less. Lol

In case you missed the lesson, here’s it:

Be intentional and deliberate about your goals. Maximise every existing opportunity and dare to create more! And forever keep doing the best with what you’ve got.

O dabo.

Good bye.

Remember you’re light, keep shining!

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I LOVE YOU.