As background. On day 1, Janet was given 12 South African words to learn. She had to master these words in order to be given honorary status as a South African!
"It has been quite a journey with my 14 new South African friends, not a SKELM (baddie) or DOF (stupid) one among you. There were times when I was GATVOL (sick and tired of all this), but it was never becasue of you. On this Camino we struggle with our own demons.
On this walk, we ate very little BOEREWORS (local spicy sausage) and very little MIELIE (maize). And come to think of it we never had a BRAAI (barbeque). But, hey, we´re in Spain not SA. You can imagine my surprize when I realized that I´d been learning Afrikaans on a trip in Spain. I may be the first person in human history to have done so.How can I in poliote company discuss the ways in which on the Camino we got in tune with our bodily functions? Barbara says of all my vocabulary words there´s only one that I must not sayt in polite company, and that´s KAK (s&%t), but then I just said it. But that is fundamentally what all the early morning tiiming of our breaks at cafe bars is all about. I mean walking along, you can let a POEP (fart) slip out, but you have to stop in a cafe bar, buy a cafe con leche if its a sit on the toilet that you need.
I never once thought "OH YOU BLERRIE" (You bloody...) about any of you or anyone. At times I have EINA (very sore) feet and knees, but a little ibroprofen and with getting stronger, this faded into the background.
Nothing really seemes VROT (bad or terrible or rotten) to me. I have really enjoyed getting to know each of you. I thought AG MAN (oh boy) when Charles or Roy told me that in rugby, players sometimes grabbed at the genitals of their opponents (in the scrum).
The Camino was very LEKKER (nice or good) with such a fine group of South Africans. I certainly didn´t know what to expect. Having TOM (money) has made it possible to travel to Spain, but shopping has not what its been about, we have just enjoyed our time together. We have shared a wonderful experience together, and I feel so grateful to have met and gotten to know you all. If only I had not lost the DINGIS (whatever Janet lost) on the way."
Janet Ploss. 15 June 2011
This is a blog about 15 like-minded people trekking the Camino Frances in Spain between 29th May and 18th June 2011. We are a diverse bunch - Christians, Buddhist, Jew - and include a Yoga Instructor, accountant,architect, reflexologist, lecturer, Medical doctor, Company director, Editor, etc .. The thing that unites us is that we have been called to walk a Camino pilgrimage path in Spain and that we have chosen to do it together.
2 comments:
I had to smile when I read this blog - we don't realize all the words that we use that are typically South African!!!
Janet, I so love your reflection on your special pilgrimage with dear SA friends. And of course very proud of your newly acquired versatility in the Taal!
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