Thank you in every language!

LANGUE	TRADUCTION
AFRIKAANS	dankie
ALBANAIS	faleminderit
ALLEMAND	danke
ALSACIEN	merci
ANGLAIS	thank you / thanks
ARABE	chokrane
ARABE ALGÉRIEN	saha
ARABE TUNISIEN	barak allahu fiik
ARMÉNIEN	chnorakaloutioun
AZERI	çox sag olun / tesekkur edirem
BAMBARA	a ni kié
BAS-SAXON	bedankt / dank ju wel
BASQUE	eskerrik asko (basque du sud) / milesker (basque du nord)
BENGALI	dhanyabaad
BIÉLORUSSE	Дзякую (dziakuju)
BIRMAN	(thint ko) kyay tzu tin pa te
BISHLAMAR	tangio tumas
BOBO	a ni kié
BOSNIAQUE	hvala
BRETON	trugéré / trugaré / trugarez
BULGARE	merci / blagodaria
CATALAN	gràcies
CEBUANO	salamat
CHEROKEE	wado
CHICHEWA	zikomo
CHINOIS	xièxie
CORÉEN	kam sah hamnida
CORSE	grazie
CRÉOLE GUADELOUPÉEN	mèsi
CRÉOLE GUYANAIS	grémési
CRÉOLE HAITIEN	mèsi
CRÉOLE MARTINIQUAIS	mèsi
CRÉOLE MAURICIEN	merci
CROATE	hvala (merci) hvala ti (je te remercie) / hvala vam (je vous remercie)
DANOIS	tak
DARI	tashakor
DARI	tashakor
DOGON	gha-ana / birepo
DOUALA	na som
ESPAGNOL	gracias
ESPÉRANTO	dankon
ESTONIEN	merci : tänan / merci beaucoup : tänan väga
EWÉ	akpé
FANG	akiba
FÉROÏEN	takk fyri
FIDJIEN	vinaka
FINNOIS	kiitos
FRANÇAIS	merci
FRANCIQUE LORRAIN	märsi
FRISON	dankewol
FRIOULAN	gracie
GAÉLIQUE D'ÉCOSSE	tapadh leat (singulier, familier) tapadh leibh (pluriel, respectueux)
GAÉLIQUE D'IRLANDE	go raibh maith agat (à 1 pers.) / go raibh maith agaibh (à plusieurs pers.)
GALICIEN	gracias / graciñas
GALLO	merkzi
GALLOIS	diolch
GÉORGIEN	დიდი მადლობა (didi madloba)
GREC	ευχαριστώ (efharisto)
GUARANÍ	aguyjé
GUJARATI	aabhar
HAWAÏEN	mahalo
HÉBREU	toda
HINDI	dhanyavad
HONGROIS	köszönöm
INDONÉSIEN	terima kasih
INUPIAT	taiku
ISLANDAIS	takk
ITALIEN	grazie
JAPONAIS	arigatô
KABYLE	tanemirt
KANNADA	dhanyavadagalu
KAZAKH	rahmet
KHMER	akun
KIKONGO	matondo
KINYARWANDA	murakoze
KIRUNDI	murakoze
KOTOKOLI	sobodi
KRIO	tenki
KURDE	spas
LANGUEDOCIEN (OCCITAN)	mercé
LAO	khob chai (deu)
LATIN	gratias ago (de la part d'une personne) gratias agimus (de la part de plusieurs)
LETTON	paldies
LIGURE	gràçie
LINGALA	matondi
LITUANIEN	ačiū
LUXEMBOURGEOIS	merci
MACÉDONIEN	blagodaram
MALAIS	terima kasih
MALAYALAM	nanni
MALGACHE	misaotra
MALTAIS	niżżik ħajr / grazzi / nirringrazzjak
MARATHI	aabhari aahe / aabhar / dhanyavaad
MICMAC	welalin
MONGOL	bayarlalaa (Баярлалаа)
NÉERLANDAIS	dank u wel (poli) / dank je wel (je te remercie)
NORVÉGIEN	takk
OCCITAN	mercé / grandmercé
OJIBWE	miigwetch
OSSÈTE	бузныг [buznyg]
OURDOU	shukriya
PACHTO	manana
PAPIAMENTO	danki
PASCUAN	mauruuru
PERSAN	motashakkeram, mamnun (formel) / mochchakkeram, mamnun, mersi (courant)
POLONAIS	dziękuję
PORTUGAIS	obrigado (locuteur M) / obrigada (locuteur F)
PROVENÇAL	mercé, grandmercé
PUNJABI	sukriya
QUECHUA	sulpáy
ROMANI	najis tuke
ROUMAIN	mulţumesc
RUSSE	спасибо (spacibo)
SAINTONGEAIS	marci
SAMOAN	faafetai lava
SARDE	gratzias
SERBE	хвала (hvala)
SESOTHO	ke ya leboha
SHIMAORE	marahaba
SHONA	waita (pluriel : maita)
SINDHI	meharbani
SINHALA	stuutiyi
SLOVAQUE	dakujem
SLOVÈNE	hvala (merci) hvala ti (je te remercie) / hvala vam (je vous remercie)
SOBOTA	hvala ("h" aspiré)
SOMALI	waad mahadsantahay
SONINKÉ	nouari
SUÉDOIS	tack
SWAHILI	asante / asante sana
TADJIK	rahmat
TAGALOG	salamat (po)
TAHITIEN	mauruuru
TAMAZIGHT	tanmirt
TAMOUL	nandri
TATAR	rahmat
TCHÈQUE	děkuji / díky
TCHÉTCHÈNE	Баркал (barkal)
TELUGU	dhanyavadalu
THAI	ขอบคุณค่ะ (kop khun kha) - locuteur F ขอบคุณครับ (kop khun krap) - locuteur M
TIGRINYA	yekeniele
TOHONO O'ODHAM	m-sapo
TORAJA	kurre sumanga
TURC	teşekkür ederim / sagolun
UDMURT	tau
UKRAINIEN	дякую (diakuiu)
UYGHUR	rahmat
UZBEK	rahmat
VIETNAMIEN	cám ơn
WALLISIEN	malo te ofa
WALLON (orthographe à betchfessîs)	gråces / merci merci beaucoup : gråces (merci) traze côps, gråces (merci) beacôp
WOLOF	djiere dieuf
XHOSA	enkosi
YAQUI	kettu'i
YIDDISH	a dank
YORUBA	o sheun
ZOULOU	ngiyabonga (je remercie) siyabonga (nous remercions) ngiyabonga kakhulu (merci beaucoup)

decisions decisions..reflections reflections

In my experience studying and traveling abroad, I've found that I am able to adapt to very different circumstances. From adjusting to climatic differences to public transportation systems, new foods, or unfamiliar "bathrooms", from sleeping on a mat in the Sahara desert to a sleeping in tiny french dorm room, I've found it adventurous to adapt and interact with people of all different religious and cultural backgrounds.
I lived in France for seven months, the first two of which were with a host family where I lived with students from Sweden to Peru to Japan, attending an intensive language institute 40 hours a week. I spent a month traveling in Switzerland and Italy before moving to a new city for a semester intensive language study. I had to readjust to a new city, find my way around, make new friends etc. I met many international students (most of them Korean), and many french students as well. I got involved with the community and groups on campus to help me learn the language and be immersed in the culture.
The next semester I lived in Ghana, West Africa for five months. It seemed that absolutely everything was different there, but not in a bad way, just different. I decided that it was a new adventure to figure out how things work in Africa: how to get around in tro tro "busses", bartering at market, eating local foods and learning local languages. I volunteered teaching orphans in a neighboring village, learned african dance and drumming, and most importantly made friends with Ghanaian people rather than just staying with obronis (foreigners) the whole time and not getting to know the culture.
At the end of my semester in Ghana, I gave away everything that couldn't fit on my back and backpacked through West Africa, going through northern Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco. I met so many different people and experienced first hand the different lifestyles and customs in each country, all along the way learning rudimentary Twi, Ewe, Bambara, Wolof, and Arabic, as I spent time in markets and with local people. My living conditions ranged from living in a tent, sleeping on rooftops, on a mat in the Sahara desert, in a Berber village in the Atlas Mountains, and sometimes on a couch in someone's home.
I got used taking bucket showers and forgot that proper toilets existed. In all of these situations I learned above all things how to be adaptable and optimistic. Rather than choosing to be annoyed or frustrated, I learned to laugh and find the adventure in the journey.
After living in a village in Ghana or making my way through the Sahara desert, adapting to another kind of living arrangement will be another adventure that will just take minor adjustments in every day living. It won't be a piece of cake to adjust, but because I enjoy the adventure of learning new things and habituating myself to different ways of life, learning to live in South Korea will be a wonderful part of the adventure of acclimating to a new culture.

HONEYYY I'M HOME!! (Friday the 13th! ooo la la)

(As I said before, when every entry of a person's blog starts with "sorry it's been 2 months, but here's the latest..." isn't the best blogger.)
That said, here is the update of the past 2 months haha!
So it is now Friday, August 13th and I have been home in Salt Lake City for two weeks now. I thought it would be a lot weirder being home than it really is. It isn't that bad to be back in Utah. (And why would it be, Utah is great! What was I thinking?) Although I did have like 3 wedding receptions to attend in one evening. There was also a meteor shower last night! Some friends and I went up Millcreek Canyon to watch it.
So that last time I wrote was from Dakar, Senegal (wow that seems like SO long ago!) I stayed with my friend's family just outside of Dakar. They were soo wonderful and welcoming to me. I'm pretty sure after just 2 or 3 days of being treated like a king (and that includes, as the honored guest, being pretty much being forced to eat like king for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!) Don't get me wrong the food there is delicious and I do like to eat, but after two days of eating like a king (and sometimes I would have to eat TWO kingly lunches or dinners in a day because neighbors and friends would invite me to eat, I would come home and they would expect me to eat again. Saying you have already eaten is no excuse. You say "J'ai deja mange" and they say "mange" EAT!) so after 2 days of that I was already noticing a little bit of chubbiness creeping into midsection. After 10 days chez eux (or at their home) I was so ready to be able to eat like a poor student traveler again!
Senegal was so wonderful though, one of my favorite places was a small beach village called
Toubab Dialao where we made friends with the very generous Bifals. (Bifal is the equivalent of the rasta men in Ghana but they have a different religious leader.) They taught us drumming and fed us delicious grilled fish (right from the sea) and were pretty much awesome!
After Dakar, Senegal I had to say goodbye to my travel companion and then after my "home stay" I had to say goodbye (or rather see you next time) to my newly acquired family and friends, to brave the road to Mauritania and eventually to Morocco by myself.

I took the route from Dakar to St. Louis then to Rosso to cross the border (which was terrible by the way....least favorite border in the whole wide world!!!!) where I got really really ripped off by some money changer butt-head at the border. Anyway, that aside getting to Mauritania by myself was nothing but an adventure to say the least. We had to stop at probably 10 million patrol stations to check our passports, just from the border to Nouakchott--from Nouakchott to Nouadhibou is another 10 million, then Nouadhibou through Western Sahara and Morocco another 10 million. But I guess it was for our safety to make sure we didn't hit any landmines or get kidnapped in between any of them. I shared a bushtaxi with a nice Spanish lady, old Dutch dude, and a Mauritanian tour guide (who was married to the Spanish lady who spoke great English.)
All I can say is how happy I was to be through Mauritania and into Morocco (granted there are some really nice people there, but ever since my negative experience at the border it just wasn't my favorite of places, and I was in a hurry to get to Essaouira in time for the music festival.) I had to hitch-hike to get to Dahkla which was super fun.
The truck driver man only spoke Arabic but was apparently saying how he wanted to marry me and that I would not go to Dahkla but stay and marry him haha. But alas, I did go to Dahkla to get a bus to Boujdour where I stayed until I fought my way onto a bus to Agadir, where I could finally arrive in Essaouira for the Gnaoua Music Festival. June 25th-27th 3 days of free music

As I inched my way from Ghana back to the westernized world, I saw a strong European influence in Dakar, but an overwhelming one in Morocco. It was a big slap in the face when they told me I couldn't get on the next bus it was full (buses are never full in Africa...never) and I couldn't just sit in the isle or just strap my bag on the top of the bus, but that I had to PAY for it and I couldn't have it sit with me because of LAWS....what? laws? in Africa? I said this is AFRrica!! and he was very indignant that Nooo it was like Europe. And there you have it, my first slap in the face of the white man's world with laws and regulations and price tags on everything. From that moment onward there were rules and price tags and even garbage cans everywhere...it was crazy to me.
After crossing the Sahara desert, taking numerous ridiculous "european" (aka flippin expensive) buses with RULES and such, I finally arrived in Essaouira for this Gnaoua (a type of traditional Moroccan music) festival that would last 3 days. I saw the house of Jimi Hendrix that is still left there from the late 60s, saw Julian Marley (son of Bob Marley), drank moroccan mint tea too

many times, hung out in spice shops, made amazing moroccan (and other) friends, ate amazing food (couscous, bread, tajine, fruit, fresh squeezed juice...pastries! etc) and chilled on the beach. All in all it was amazing. I could never live there, but I definitely have to go back. I only got to see a tiny bit of Dahkla, Boujdour, I saw a ton of Essaouria--I pretty much lived there, a little bit of Marrakech, stayed in a Berber village in the Atlas Mountains, saw reggae legends and met tons of awesome people, ate amazing food, and had great times.


Marrakech--->London--->Scotland--->Ireland--->Liverpool--->London...--->Salt Lake City!


From Marrakech I flew to London to meet up with a close friend that I made in St. Etienne when I was in France for fall semester. From London we went to Edinburgh (the castle and Arthur's seat as well as an amazing picnic in the hills), Aberdeen (jam sessions are awesome!), Stonehaven (amazinnng castle there!), and Inverness (where we visited the Loch Ness and heard awesome traditional music) in Scotland, before going to Dublin Ireland. There we met up with good friends (again) from St. Etienne, then went to Belfast in Northern Ireland. We visited Armaugh and saw an amazing "Earth from the Air" exhibit by Yann Arthus-Bertrand ( http://earth.google.com/intl/en/earthfromabove/ ) and learned about St. Patrick and all of that stuff. We saw the Giant's Causeway and saw the northern coast. Headed back to England to visit another closer friend from St. Etienne.

Visited The Cavern where the Beatles first got big and just hung out with my friend. Headed back to London and did all of that stuff
(London bridge, the London eye, Westminster evensong, Big Ben, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge, the Globe theater, Portobello Market, Trafalgar square.....allllll that jazz) before saying "see you next time" to my dear dear friends, and finally heading back to good ol' Salt Lake City, Utah!

So at the end of this I say that traveling is like a drug, it is so addictive! I have learned so much in just a year and a few months of traveling and studying abroad than I have in all my years of university so far. I've learned a lot about myself and especially about the world around me. I miss learning so many languages--french, Twi (Ghana), Ewe (Ghana Togo and a little bit in Benin), Bambara (Burkina, Mali), Wolof (Senegal), and Arabic (Morocco) and seeing so many different cultures and beautiful people!

West African adventures (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco)

You can tell a really bad blogger when every entry starts with "Sorry I suck at blogging, but here's the update from the last 2 months."
So now it is 15th of June. I've been travelling since the end of the semester in Ghana "on the way home." Getting everything together before leaving Ghana was of course a mess and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to balance studying for my last exams, getting gifts and souvenirs, sending off packages and rushed goodbyes.
I've been travelling for 27 days now, I am currently in Dakar, Senegal.
I left Accra, Ghana May 19th headed northward to Burkina Faso where I met my two friends and travel companions. There we saw the beautiful rock formations in the southeastern area near Banfora.
http://www.facebook.com/l/e5a8c;s23.photobucket.com/albums/b388/ElmosNanaland/Sindou%20Peaks%2010/

from there we moved through Ougadougou to Mali to see Dogon country, where there are villages along cliffs in the Sahel.

We then went to Timbuktu and rode camels in the desert and slept in the desert in the Touareg campment. We couchsurfed with wonderful friends, Timbuktu natives that showed us all around and were so hospital and helpful.
From Timbuktu we spent time in the bustling captial of Bamako to recharge our batteries (between 30 hours bus rides) before coming to Dakar, Senegal. We explored la Petite Cote (or little coast) where we stayed in a small beach village, swimming with rasta men, of Toubab Dialao, before spending time in the glitzy capital Dakar.
I am now staying with a host family (one of my senegalese friends) just outside of Dakar. They are soo nice and feed me TOO well and too much. mange mange! (eat! eat!) they tell me.
I've learned some Wolof, the language here in Senegal and it is fun to surprise people with my random vocabulary words :)
the typical greeting asalaam alikoum? yagui si diam? nangadef? mangifi.
did you sleep well? i want water please. i'll see you later. fun things like that!
i'll be heading out on the 19th or 20th to go to Mauritania and Morocco.
From there I will try to keep you posted on my U.K. and Ireland trip!
(I fly from Morocco to London, then from there to York, Edinburg, Aberdeenshire, Iverness, maybe the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness etc before flying to Dublin and exploring Ireland. head back to England through Liverpool to visit a dear dear friend, then to London for my flight back to Utah!!)
I'll see you this fall semester back on campus! :D
here is the link for my pictures so far
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=180444&id=545028558&l=2452c5aff1

the West African Breezes

Hey everyone!
Time goes by so quickly, but as the same time soo slowly. The days, weeks and months roll by at a running pace but the minutes and moments of each day stroll along, taking their time, making sure not to rush (for it is far too hot here in Ghana to rush anywhere).
My time seems to get shorter and shorter as I realize how many months have already flew by. Final exams will be coming before I know it and in lieu of travelling and volunteering every chance I get, I might actually have to do some hardcore studying. (I know, who actually studies at school right?) But 2 weekends ago I visited Togo. It was SO nice to speak French again. Life was getting so boring speaking English everyday. It was definitely an adventure being everyone's interpreter, though a bit exhausting at times I must admit. (I can only explain so many times that my friend is "married" and isn't interested in marrying her persistant african suitors and that her "husband" in the US wouldn't like it too much if she married one of them haha)
Anytime I don't have class (and even sometimes when I do) I've been going to teach in a village about 10 minutes away from campus called Kisseman. One of the ISEP exchange students from last semester that stayed for this semester started an outreach program/make-shift school for the children in the village who do not go to school either because their parents can't pay their school fees to send them to school or their parents are not their or otherwise. We basically meet on someone's back porch and use donated materials and student volunteers to teach them. The children are of all ages and learning levels from 2-13 (which obviously makes it difficult to teach them all at the same time on a back porch with volunteer teachers...) but it is so nice to help them. We try to have a nice variety in subject matter...a lil science, a lil reading, math, art and music. But most of the time we just try and keep them under control long enough to teach them something haha.

here is the link of my latest photo updates

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3634829&l=8065ab5f36&id=545028558

and here are all of my pictures before coming to Ghana
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=120286&id=724808512&l=48ec597184

Ahhh the Volta Region

I must apologize for my lack of blogging skills, and also for the lack of internet in Ghana.
Things here are just slow paced, including any sort of internet connection that one would want to benefit from to connect to the outside world :)
It is nice though to have things slow down a little bit.
It is funny though because this weekend, a friend (my old roomie, before we both switched so that we could have Ghanaain roommates) and I traveled to the Volta Region this weekend where we climbed the highest mountain in West Africa Mount Afedzeto. And although Ghanaians like to really slowly while going to class or any other destination, when they happen to be climbing up a very steep mountain they pretty much just run up it. And by the way, the trails in the U.S. meander and zig zag a little bit to get to the eventual destination at the top, but not in Ghana, no no. Its just straight up, "get 'er done" style right up the mountain....THE WHOLE TIME. Haha
That same day, in the afternoon, we climbed what was I swear the second tallest mountain in West Africa, to get to the upper Wli Falls, the highest waterfall in West Africa. Both of which were SO worth the climb. We pretty much had a magestic waterfall all to ourselves. And it sounds cheesy, but it really was magical!
(me on top of the mountain...very sweaty)
We were going to go to Togo but realized it would be better to plan more in advance and get our visas., switch our money etc. before leaving, so I will need to go either next weekend (which is Independance Day for Ghana) or the next weekend to renew my visa.
We started in Keta where we stayed the night right next to the beach, with a great view of the full moon on the ocean. I really love just putting my feet in the sand and having the waves wash over them, and then digging my feet even deeper into the sand the next time the wave comes. We sat and talked in a little fishing boat/canoe that was just on the sand next to the water for awhile and ate dinner before leaving at 5:30 in the morning to head up on our waterfall chasing adventure. Unfortunately when we got there, because it is the dry season, that particular waterfall had dried up and is only active during the rainy season, but we went on a little hike in the rain forest anyway (and by little hike of course I mean super steep crazy trail that had to have a rope to hold on to because it is too steep to walk normally..)
We then moved on to Hohoe where we stayed with a very kind reverend and his family and headed off to climb mountains and search for waterfalls. It was quite the enchanting weekend full of tender mercies and sweet adventures. We ate tons of bread and groundnut paste (peanut butter with no sugar..) and we found some honey in the first town we went to, so that was nice to mix it up a lil'.
On the way home we went to the mall and splurged on some cheese and french bread for dinner. (which was delicious!)


(a few weekends before this I went to the Volta region but didn't go to Keta (the beach place), the Mountain or the Upper Falls, so I had to come back. But the first time I saw other awesome things too. I stayed with my friend in his family's village and got to go his cousin's wedding and meet his family, see how village life is like etc. I fed the monkeys bananas at the monkey sanctuary and swam in the Volta river, rode on a motorcycle up to the waterfalls..pretty much took lots of tro-tro rides :D but it was fun)

settling in in Ghana..

I am meeting so many wonderful people. All of my students are so so so sweet, I'm working at this school..well it isn't really a school, we meet on someone's porch and we have a whiteboard, a few notebooks and pencils, and some math flashcards...and so many beautiful children! Normally in Africa children have to pay their school fees to go to school, but the thing is that these kids can't even afford that (for uniforms, paying for teachers etc.) so we volunteer to teach them and the children just come on their own. Sometime it is very chaotic because there isn't very much structure because none of us have really ever been teachers before but we're trying to help them at least get the basics down of the alphabet, how to read, and at least basic math. We have the building materials for a real school building, but we're struggling to find a plot where we can build it. I'll keep you posted!
I am also going to the Liberian refugee camp on Fridays to volunteer there with a womens empowerment NGO that has a sustainable system scholarship program, where the women make beautiful purses and sell them. So instead of depending on donations all of the time, the invest what they have to make things to pay for their own scholarship program.
I don't have classes on mondays or fridays so I go to volunteer on mondays at the "school" in a village 10 minutes away from campus by tro-tro (the exciting means of "public transportion" here in Ghana). They basically just put as many people as possible in these van type things and you pay 30, 40, or 50 peswas (like cents) depending on how far away your destination is. Getting to the refugee camp by tro tro truly is an adventure haha.

Other than that, classes are a bit different here. They are mostly just lectures where the lecturer talks at you and you write down what they say. The entire grade is based on one exam at the end of the semester. (Which I'm a little scared about...) But I'm loving my classes, they are mostly about geography and development. Population and development, Rural development experiences, Tourism in the developing world, Industrialization in the developing world, Sustainable agricultural land use systens in the developing world. I'm excited to learn all about the African perspective on these issues and how they differ from our western perspective.