Shermin and Lizzie are the only two at the field station who speak fluent English. Ashoka speaks English well and understands very well. Samir speaks broken English with a strong accent, and I have to speak English slowly and must often repeat or reword things in order for him to understand. Uncle, who is in charge of cooking our meals, speaks absolutely no English. Therefore, I have decided to learn as much Sinhalese as the others are willing to teach me. Last night, over dinner, Lizzie and I made good progress and learned several useful words and phrases (I will do my best to spell the words/phrases phonetically).
Neh = no
Oh = yes
Ahné = please/life
Cohomothé = How are you?
Huurri = good
Mahté = for me
Ohné = I want
Cake = cake
Kahsel = banana (in general)
Aboul kahsel = a variety of banana
Cooli coosuu kahsel = another variety of banana
Penné komoduu = melon (it may mean watermelon specifically, but I’m not sure)
Pinna = bubble
Penné = cobra/honey
And here are a couple of fun phrases we learned:
Maté cake ohné ahné! = I want some cake, please!
Ahné pahné tahné penné = Honey… I can see your boobs
With these power phrases/words under my belt I now feel self-sufficient…Sri Lanka watch out, I’m comin’ for your cake!
Elephant Crossing
This is a male elephant crossing the road in UdaWalawe National Park.
A baby elephant nursing!
This was a very playful individual who came within inches of our vehicle and displayed its flexible trunk. Notice the collar around its neck, which reveals it was rehabilitated and re-released into the wild. Although such playful behavior can be amusing, it is not healthy for the elephants to interact with humans in this manner.
A gorgeous leopard snoozing in the crook of a tree. Yala National Park
Crocodile and water buffalo enjoying a watering hole at Yala National Park
How I Avoid the Leeches
How I Avoid the Leeches: From left: Kumara, the guide, Tharanga, Lizzie, Ashani, Ilja
"Ahné pahné tahné penné"
ReplyDeleteYou are stripping for the locals???
Bahaha! Well I have so much free time on my hands :)...No no silly! Actually the other night I was practicing my Sinhalese with Ashoka and something I said kinda sounded like that phrase, which is actually a "poem." I was trying to ask for dish bubbles and I guess it made Ashoka think of this little quip.
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