I have been trying to learn Spanish using MP3 lesson files in my truck while I drive. I actually ordered a book off the internet to try and learn Shona so that I might surprise the staff this summer when I go back to Zim, but it's pretty confusing so I tried using the internet.

Like most language programs, they start with simple sentences and even nursery rhymes.

I thought I might share what I learned as I tried to translate these languages using a website that will take a sentence in nearly any language and translte it to help you communicate in the country you will be visiting.

Here is what I typed in:

"Old Mc Donald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O"

This is what came back:

Spain - Viejo McDonald tenía una granja e i e i o

France - O'MacDonald a eu une ferme e i e i o

Germany - O'MacDonald hatte einen Bauernhof e I e I O

Russia - O'MacDonald имело ферму е iego е ii1 о

Korea - O'MacDonaldì—는 ë†ìž¥eieioì´ ìžˆì—ˆë‹¤

Portugual - O'MacDonald teve uma fazenda e i e i o

Italy - O'MacDonald ha avuto un podere e i e i o

Zimbabwe - Old McDonald had a farm, and they tried to kill him and his neighbors and kicked his ass off and stole all his shit.

Just thought you might like to have this information as it's always helpful to be able to communicate while traveling abroad.

Nice Buff you have there Mr. MacDonald. Do you have any left on yer farm?

Wow, I'm embarassed Mark.

I’ve known you (and your sense of humor) for something like 8 or 10 years and I STILL totally fell for it!!!

Very funny!

Kyler

Like it

Too much, got me.

Very funny and very true. From what a few people told me at the Convention in Dallas, this crap's already started in RSA and Namibia as well. I'm surprised though that the "politically correct police" hasn't chimed in to chastize! jorge

I don't care who you are. That there's funny!

Funny!

Unless you happen to be farmer MacDonald in Zimbabwe, then it's the awfull truth!

What really is not funny is the declarations by South African politicians to the effect that ".... we can take lessons in property reform from Zimbabwe....".

Hunt Africa now, while you can!

Andrew McLaren

The sad reality of this is, that I was invited by PH Mike Payne to come and stay with he and his family in Macheke, and then drive/hunt our way to either his friends property in the Save Conservency or up to Chewore.

The bad news is, his 2nd generation farm in Macheke was taken away, so I am now welcome to stay with he and his family at the petrol station they own in Harare. Zimbabwaens are remarkably resilient people. The farm his family owned housed about 80 people, and he called most of the blacks who worked there "aunty" or "uncle" or "cousin" as they were his relatives more or less for generations growing up on that farm.

But this is an old sad story that hundreds of families lived through, so we don't need to retell it. I was just trying to inject a little humor into an otherwise dismal situation.

Like Mike said,

"Ah hell, six years in Africa is a lifetime, I may be back in my old house by '09...who knows, we'll just ""make a plan"" until then......"

I wish I knew a better word for resilient, but bullet-proof just doesn't seem appropriate under the circumstances....