Joseph's car

Today I (Misha) was checking the Zanaki translation of Genesis 41.  In verse 43 the verse (in the NIV) says:  "He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt."

Zanaki people have not traditionally traveled in chariots and there is no Zanaki word for a chariot.  The translators have decided to use a descriptive phrase for "chariot" and to include a picture (not the one above, which is one I shamelessly lifted from the internet, but one drawn specifically for Bible translations).  Their phrase seemed fine to me at first: "a vehicle pulled by horses".  The Zanaki word for vehicle puzzled me a little bit at first, however: "mootoka".  This word doesn't look like any Zanaki word I'd ever seen before and I was trying to figure out the root of the noun and other linguistic features of it to try to identify it when it suddenly clicked.  It's English!  You don't recognize it"  Sound it out - mootoka.  Does it seem familiar?  Think British English if it hasn't clicked yet for you.  Got it now?  Yes, motorcar. :-)  Amazing how our own language is a bit tricky to identify when the spelling and pronunciation gets a little bit tweaked!

And for those of you who are concerned about scriptural meaning here: yes, I was immediately concerned that readers would think that the chariot had an engine and made sure the Zanaki translators checked it out in villages and with other Zanaki people before agreeing it its use in Scripture.  Turns out it's okay; the word has come to mean anything that has wheels, like a wagon or cart, not just a motorcar.

Home again!

We are home again in Tanzania!  It's good to be back in our own house and although we're not quite in a regular routine yet, we're getting there.  Zarya seems very happy here and has adjusted well to her new life.  We are just now starting the hottest time of year here, and it does indeed feel pretty warm to us.  I had forgotten what it's like to be kind of sticky all day.  I am frustrated that the hot weather makes me not want to cuddle with (or feed, for that matter!) Zarya, since we end up with a layer of sweat between us.  Of course I still give her food and attention, but it's not as much fun as it was in a cold climate where we'd snuggle together to stay warm and cozy.

We're all over jet lag, which was an interesting experience with a baby.  It took a little longer than usual to get our bodies to adjust to a new time zone this time around, since we couldn't just sleep as we were able during the night if she wasn't asleep, too.  But after a week we were all well-adjusted and Zarya started sleeping through the night simultaneously, so we're pretty happy.  It's hard to complain when you have a wee one sleeping eight hours at a stretch at night!

Some things are a bit of a surprise all over again after being away for six months.  I'd forgotten just how dirty everything here gets.  I have to clean all the dust off my computer a couple times a day, and the chairs on our back porch are continually covered in dust.  Wiping off the dining room table is once again a daily job or else we get brown streaks where our arms rest on it while eating.

All in all, we're happy to be home again, despite the little annoyances that take some adjustment.  Our highlights thus far have been the fruit and friends.  We like our bowlfuls of tropical fruit and seeing folks we have missed during the past six months.

I'll leave you with a picture of happy Zarya on her playmat and one of me and her on our first morning back.

Pictures from December

6 weeks old

In the midst of our wild week of packing, good-byes, and last minute everything, I thought I'd take a moment to post a few pictures taken back in December.  Sherie Suter, a world-renowned actress, singer, and photographer (well, close but not quite - but she is a professional photographer and take amazing pictures, should you be anywhere around the Olympia area and want some wonderful wedding, graduation, or family pictures done) gave us the gift of family and baby pictures.  They are now three weeks old so Zarya looks a little different now, but they are still well worth admiring.