BenIndia: May I use your bathroom?

French & African faux pas...

This has been a great source of entertainment for us while we've been here. Let us regal you with some of the things we've said that have caused confusion and better yet other things that we've heard that have only increased our confusion.

May I use your bathroom is a wonderfully polite way to ask to.... well you know... "Do your business". But, here if you ask for the Salle de Bain(bathroom) the Beninoise while being confused hospitably take you to their shower. Quickly we have learned to ask simply for the toilet. However, this requires further questioning on their part. For example, "Do you have to 'uriner' or make 'kaka'? After two months we have resigned ourselves to telling our host just exactly what our 'business' is. This has made our life easier yet less private...

When we first arrived to Benin people kept asking us 'Have you done a little' or "Tu as fait un peu?" We wanted to tell them that we had preached allll day in the hot African sun. We didn't do a little! We did a lot!! We've now come to realize it just means, 'You've had a full day.' Now we just say, 'Yeah we've done a little.'

We're also quite amused with the beginning and end of our meetings here. Everyone greets each other by walking up, shaking your hand and saying 'Bonsoir'/'Goodevening' and then at the end of the meeting the same tradition is replayed only they add, 'Bon fin de la reunion.' Which literally means 'Good end of the meeting.' Now at the end of a meeting we'll probably find ourselves walking up to you, shaking your hand and saying, "Good end of the meeting." For this has become quite a habit for us. In fact, they preface 'Bon' with just about any activity you're doing here. For example yesterday we were sitting, waiting for one of our Bible studies when her husband walked by us and told us, "Bon assis." Which means 'Good sitting'. We appreciated his words of encouragement while we performed this difficult task. While walking down the street we'll be told 'Bon arriver' which is a nice way of welcoming someone when they arrive, however we're often still en route... Then there's 'Bon travail', 'Good work'... 'Bon courage', 'Good courage' or 'Bon continuation', 'Good continuing'. 'Bon retour'. 'Good return' when returning home. Everything is good, good and good here!

The Nigerians who speak English but sometimes take from French, greet us by saying, 'You are welcome' in a deep serious tone. This always makes us wonder what in the world they did for us. But, it's just their way of welcoming us.

We're constantly being reminded that learning a new language requires much more then a new vocabulary and it sometimes means revealing exactly what will happen in the 'Salle de bain.'