How’s my English?
On a recent trip to Kenya, a former British colony, I was eager to get a break from French. I arrived by small plane to a dirt airstrip in the middle of the savannah, then careened up the rocky road by jeep to the top of an escarpment overlooking the Mara River. The Mara Siria Camp is very simple- tents in the bush. Warm showers are available , but have to be commander-ed a little in advance, as someone needs to carry hot water by wheelbarrow from a not-so-nearby lodge. Jaqueline asked me if I would like to take a warm shower now, before dinner. I replied heartily, “Yes, I would love that, thank you”. To which she responded, “As you wish, then, maybe tomorrow.” After dinner that night, I was escorted back to my tent by a spear-carrying morani, his lamplight, and Jaqueline’s sister. I asked her, “Does it get cold here at night?”. She replied, “Oh no, you won’t have to worry about mosquitoes at all”. I zipped the tent up tight, tucked myself in with an extra blanket, and dreamt of the conversations I might have with the animals, all of whom understand me quite well, thank you.