This is the picture of the day at Reuters Alert Net. Kenyan women laid flowers on the ground after a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi's Freedom Corner. I read that many of the wreaths said "Love," "Peace," and "Sorry." I was hoping to find a photo of one that said, "Sorry," because that's such a Kenyan thing to say. Whenever you have any problem, however big or small, and Kenyans find out about it, they always say, "Pole," which means "Sorry" in Swahili. It's not an apology, but it's an expression of sympathy with you. I still say "Sorry" to people for just about everything, and so does everyone in my family. It sometimes sounds weird to Americans, who think you're apologizing and will often respond, "Well, it's not your fault."
I'm saying "Pole sana" - I'm so sorry - to Kenya these days.
1 comment:
Interesting - I have a friend who says "Sorry" a lot similar to what you describe, but she never lived in Kenya (although she did grow up in Canada!). In Spanish, the phrase is "lo siento" which is also sort of an expression of sympathy (if I'm remembering correctly...)
"Pole" to you, Ruth, for I know your heart aches with all this news.
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