afrikaans!

did you know that today is 'international mother tongue' day?

so today i'm celebrating my exotic mother tongue of afrikaans.

lekker.

i started celebrating by talking to my grandma on the phone this morning, which is when my afrikaans gets as pure as it's going to get.

i also celebrated 2 days ago by making 'boere pannekoek' by following this sarie recipe.

being far from volk en vaderland the instructions in themselves felt like a festival.

 Sif droë bestanddele saam in 'n mengbak. Klits eiers tot lig en voeg melk, water, suurlemoensap en olie by. Meng goed. Maak 'n holte in die middel van droë bestanddele en voeg die vloeistof by. Meng en klits goed tot daar geen klonte is nie. Maak die bak met 'n lap toe en laat staan vir sowat 30 minute. Verhit sonneblomolie in 'n kleefvrye pan. Gooi van die olie af en vee die pan uit met kombuispapier. Skep met 'n groot lepel van die beslag in pan en wikkel die pan rond sodat die beslag die pan se bodem bedek. Sodra borreltjies bo-op die pannekoek vorm, kan jy die pannekoek omdraai. Plaas 'n groot bord op 'n kastrol met kookwater om die pannekoeke warm te hou. Sit die gebraaide pannekoek op die bord en besprinkel met kaneelsuiker. Sit 'n deksel
bo-op die pannekoek en braai die res van die beslag. Rol pannekoek op soos jy dit voorsit.

i love words in there like 'kleefvrye', 'beslag' 'klits' 'besprinkel' 'wikkel'. 

the rest of the day will be filled with Afrikaans-y things, like reading Ingrid Jonker, listening to Steve Hofmeyer/f@kof poliesiekar/Karen Zoid/Kurt Darren and thinking of new words to teach my American husband. (suggestions welcome)

this photo is applicable because a) this is my husband b) the menu is afrikaans see.

He's so adorable when he speaks Afrikaans and it means the world to me that he makes such an effort in learning a language only spoken by about 13% of South Africans. (sorry for not being Spanish or Chinese babe).

He's pretty good too, he once made up his own song in Afrikaans.  It was about my mom being from the zoo.  (now there's a YouTube hit just waiting to happen)

if you think that's weird then consider this massive Afrikaans hit.  allow me to translate:

oh i want to go home, to mom

the rivers are full, my tears roll

a little deer that wants lie with me tonight

she can lie

i am a little loose rag

i don't really know what i could possibly say after that... so, happy mother tongue day everybody, excuse me while i go find more ways to introduce 'wikkel' and 'klits' into daily conversations.

"just married"