Quick Tips: What to Expect When Marrying Into A Southern African Family
Congratulations! You found the love of your life and as an extra bonus they got a little Bantu spice! You are about to enter into a Southern African immigrant family and you may have some trepidations. Freight no more because this is your guide to ingratiating yourself to all the Babas (Translation: “Pops”), Gogos (“Mee-Maws”), and aggressive uncles you’ll meet on your journey.
Tip: Brush Up On Your Partner’s Native Language
You don’t need to be fluent for a while, but trust me, don’t rely on Duolingo. You are going to need to enlist the help of one of your future family member to teach you isiZulu or Makhuwa. Learning the language will be hard at first, but always remember how difficult it was for your partner’s family to understand your incredibly broken and informal English. You barely even know the difference between “your” and “you’re,” and I don’t want to be that guy, but it shows. Bottom line: after some real practice, when you do your best Eminem impression in their language and say, “Hi, My name is…” you’ll always be a winner in your new family’s hearts.
Tip: Eat All The Food
It doesn’t matter what is put in front of you — hot sudza, cold pap, or lukewarm mukapu — you have to scarf it down. From the family’s perspective, this is a huge…
