Watching some Animal Planet last night, I was suddenly reminded of a bunch of Swahili words which I picked up from our safari trip in Tanzania last year. It has been more than a year now, and I hardly ever use those phrases since we got back from the trip. I mean, seriously, when will I ever need to be speaking Swahili in this country?

Strange as it may sound though, some of those Swahili phrases really stuck to me.I reckon, the language is so cool- sounding that unlike Thai, is a much easier language to pick up. I still have some of the phrases on hand, and get this: I can remember them without much effort! Here are some of those cool sounding phrases:

• Habariah Asubuhi: Good Morning
• Kwaheri:  Goodbye
• Lala salama: Sleep well
• Jumbo:  Hello
• Habaria koh:  How are you (and to that you reply: Salama nzuri – Good)
• Moto:  Fire
• Maji:  Water
• Safi: Clean
• Safi maji:  clean water
• [Safi also means fine or cool]
• Karibu:  Welcome
• Mzungu:  European (as in white guy, or farang or ang moh)
• Mambo**:  what’s up (and to that you reply: Poa – Cool)
• [I remember that these exchanges of Mambo–> Poa is only being used by the younger generations, and the older generations were quite embarrassed to use it since it will not be “cool” for them]
• Chakula:  Food
• Mbaya: Bad
• Badaeyit:  later
• Kima: Monkey
• Mbega: Colubus Monkey
• Asante: Thank you
• Sana: very much
• Asante sana: Thank you very much
• Chungu: Pot
• Pole – pole: Slowly, slowly
• Hakuna wasiwasi:  No problem
• Twende: Let’s go

Last but not least, one of my favourite words and one that everyone knows: Hakuna matata (No worries)

If only Thai is this cool-sounding and as easy…