Hamomi Students Write Pen Pal Letters

Hamomi Children’s Centre and Babylon Language Institute  in Alaska have joined forces and created a pen pal program for their students. The pen pal program is not only a great way for students at both schools to practice their writing skills, but they also get to learn directly from each other about one another’s lives, and culture!

Hamomi’s students have written awesome letters to their new friends in Alaska. In the letters, the students describe their culture and what life is like in Kenya:

Dear Alaska Friends,

We are kids learning Swahili at Hamomi Children’s Centre in Kenya. We live in Nairobi city. It is not always hot but we have average weather conditions. For us we have Mount Kenya that has snow and moorlands which are always beautiful.

In Kenya we have many animals but the main ones are the big five which are lion, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and cows.

We eat ugali and kale. The clothes we wear are mini skirts, jackets, skin tights, skirts, dresses, shirts, shorts, etc. The main language in Kenya is Swahili and (English).

From,

Andrew, Henry, Trevour, Celestine, Levi, Brian, Caroline, Sarah, Annes, Michael, Derrick, Joffary, Nevell, Titus, Iano, Flavion, Benpeter, TidJex, Vivian, Josphino, Merclean, Brinitta

16th June, 2015

Jambo Alaska, Habari Ya Asubuhi.

In Kenya we practice agriculture. It is our main economic activity. Corn is our staple food. The main export is Tea. In Kenya the Asian community dominates over immigrants. They are mostly business men and women. The Chinese are currently involved in the construction of major infrastructure like the super-highway. We have started to embrace technology. Our country has now migrated from analogue to digital.

Kenya is the most industrialized country in Eastern Africa. Eastern Africa comprises of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea.

In our homes we help our parents in doing house chores like washing utensils, cooking meals, and taking care of our younger siblings. We like playing soccer, visiting friends, swimming and watching movies at free time. In our homes, we keep pets like cats, dogs, rabbits, and doves.

Kenya is a 21 hour flight from the U.S.A,  probably thousands of miles away. Most houses in the city are shanties with no dining rooms. Our meals range from “Ugali” and “Sukuma Wiki” (Kale), fish, cabbage and traditional vegetables.

Our country Kenya has 42 tribes/languages (Luhya, Abagusii, Agikuyu).

The Luhyas are well known for dance commonly known as “Lipala,” which entails shaking of the shoulders. Their greetings include:  “Vushere, Vwira.” In English that is: How are you?.

Abagusii community  is well known for their cultivation of bananas known as “Matoke,” and a traditional dance called “Egetutu,” which entails shaking the waist. They build houses called “Esaiga” for the boys. Their greeting is “Bwakire,” which means morning greetings.

The Agikuyus are the best business community.

In Kenya we appreciate cultural diversity. We are proud of our culture. At Hamomi, we appreciate each other and the experiences that we exchange as we learn.

This is what we call our pets: Dog-Mbwa Koko, Cat-Paka, Hen-Kuku, Cow-Ng’ombe, Donkey-Punda, Rabbit-Sunguru

Greetings in Swahili: Habari-How are you?, Jambo-Hi

Your friends,

Purity, Mongare, Nabwire, Onyango, Ayiro, Agumba, Wtiku, Slihonjero, Kaveza, Akamanya, Nasambu, Shihul, Osita, Ngonyo, Amudavagwa

25th June, 2015

Dear everybody,

Jambo karibu Kenya hakuna matata, in English that is “Welcome in Kenya, no problem.” In Kenya, the main language that we usually speak is Swahili. In our school we usually learn English, math, science, social studies, and Christian religious education.

In Kenya we usually eat ugali which is made of corn flour and served with sukuma (Kale) and kunele. Other people like githeri-which is the mixture of maize and beans. Chapati-maandazi and bread, is made of wheat flour.

In Kenya we don’t like sugary things because they destroy our teeth. We like fruits like maembe (Mangoes), machungwa (Orange), papai (Pawpaw), and mapera (Guavas).

In Kenya we wear clothes like skirts, trousers, skin tights, and mini skirts. When it is cold we wear sweaters, jackets,  and pullovers. We are proud to be your friends.

From,

Caroline, Celestine, Merclean.

Dear Friends in Alaska,

Jambo is our greeting in Swahili, that means “Hello” in English. In Nairobi it is hot but we have average weather conditions. In Kenya, we do love soccer and we usually practice. We have twelve hours in daylight and twelve hours at midnight, which makes a twenty-four hour clock system. In Kenya we have both wild and tame animals. The wild animals in Kenya include the big five: lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, and leopard. The tame animals include: chicken, cow, horses, camels, and donkeys.

We wear fashion clothes fashion clothes such as dresses, jeans, shorts, and skin tights. We are a twenty-one hour flight from USA to Kenya, which means thousands and thousands of miles.

We eat both traditional and modern foods.

The traditional foods include cassava, yams, millet, ugali, and kale. The modern foods include chips, red meat, and chicken.

We have snow-capped mountains like Mt. Kenya.

In Kenya, spring is the season for agriculture.

From,

Stephanie, Nehemiah, Jccinta, Nellian, Keith, Dalton, Ian, Jephris, Lnjilui, Lijier

Along with the letters, Hamomi also sent Babylon Language Institute a video message sharing some words and phrases in Swahili!