Have you ever thought about how we greet each other? In high school, we would say to friends “What’s up?” and they would reply “What’s up?” Kind of a funny interaction, but that’s what friends did then. “How’s it going?”, “Good afternoon”, or just a simple “Hi” are often all it takes to break the ice here in the US.
Our friends in East Africa often take their greetings into two or three layers of knowing about each other’s lives. Common greetings in Swahili begin with the word “Habari”, which means “What is the news of…?” For example, “Habarizako?” (What’s new with you?), or “Habari za nyumbani?” (What’s new with your home or family?). The extra time taken is relatively small, but those moments connect us a bit more.
Our goal with this blog is to continue to build our relationships over the long distance. We are so grateful for all the years of friendships both here in the US and in East Africa, and we look forward to watching those friendships deepen.
Enjoy!
Jim & Susan
Simmons2Africa 
“Greetings!” “Hello!” “Hi!” “How are you?” “What’s up?” “How’s it goin’?”
There are TONS of ways to greet people!
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