I try not to brag about most things. Especially here in eSwatini, I have had so few successes that there hasn’t been much to brag about anyway.

So today I am going to brag about my language test results.

The role play was awful. I was asked to have a conversation with my landlord about breaking my lease. Everything else did go pretty well.

I spent 200 hours in tutoring sessions since I moved to my community. My tutor is my best friend in my community and I thoroughly enjoy meeting with her. She has taught me so much and we spent so much time preparing for the Close of Service language exam that we both knew I would pass.

I did not expect such a high score though. But it shows what confidence and feeling prepared does during a language test. It took those 200 hours of lessons and all the other times I have stumbled through siSwati conversations. It took dancing at Umhlanga and being interested in Swazi traditions and culture. It took singing in public to prove to strangers I did dance at Umhlanga. It also took trying to stop comparisons to how I learned German.

The extenders were told that we could retake language exams again next year, but I am worried my siSwati skills will decrease while working at an office in town. And I don’t want to give up my stellar test score.