Odongob tsî Apiyos hâra ge kaiǃās ǃnâ,dadasab ǀkha ge ǁan hâ i. ǁÎra ge kaise gere mûǂui ǃgoaxa mâiǂuis xa. Skolgu ra ǂganam ǃkhais ǃaroma tama i tsî, xawe ra nî si aumasa sari xui-ao. ǁÎra aumas ge ǁaun ra ǃkhōhe ǃgaroǃās hîa kai ǃā-ammi ai ǂnôas taw age ǁan hâ i.
Odongo and Apiyo lived in the city with their father.
They looked forward to the holidays. Not just because school was closed, but because they went to visit their grandmother. She lived in a fishing village near a large lake.
Odongob tsî Apiyos hâra ge ǁkhawa ra aumasa nî si sari, ǃkhais xa kaise gere ǃgâiaǂgao. Īgo ǃoesa ra ge ǁîra sarana ǁgarugu ǃnâ ge ǂgā,ǃgaroǃās ǁga hâ gaxu ǃnarisa ra gere aiǂhomisenba ǃkhais ǃaroma.ǂOm-e hō tama i tsîra ge mâiǂuis xa ge ǁgam ǂkhai.
Odongo and Apiyo were excited because it was time to visit their grandmother again.
The night before, they packed their bags and got ready for the long journey to her village. They could not sleep and talked the whole night about the holiday.
Sao ra ǁgoaga kaise furuse ra ge ǁîra dadasab ǀkha ǃgaroǃās ǁga ge ǃnari. ǁÎn ge ǃhomgu,xamarin tsî tē ǃhanagu tsîna gere ǃnariǃkharu ǀkha. Audona ǃgôa tsîra ge ǁnae-made gere ǁnae.
Early the next morning, they left for the village in their father’s car.
They drove past mountains, wild animals and tea plantations. They counted cars and sang songs.
ǁAe-i khaoǃgâ ra ge ǀgôara tsau tsî ge ǁom.
After a while, the children were tired and fell asleep.
ǃGaroǃās ain ge sī,ob ge ǁîra dadaba ge ǂkhaiǂkhai ra.Nyar-Kanyadasan ge ǂgoa i ais hais ǃnaga ǁgoese ra ǀhao-u.Nyar-Kanyadas ti hâ ǀons ge Luo gowab ǃnâ ‘Kanyadab khoen ǀgôas’ ti ra ǂâibasen. ǁÎs ge îxa tsî ǀgaisa tara ge isa.
Father woke up Odongo and Apiyo as they arrived in the village.
They found Nyar-Kanyada, their grandmother, resting on a mat under a tree.
Nyar-Kanyada in Luo, means ‘daughter of the people of Kanyada’. She was a strong and beautiful woman.
Aumas ge khoe-ôaguna ǁkhoreǁhare tsî ǁnae ra se oms ǃnâ ǃgâiaǂgaob xa gere ǂnāmâ. ǁÎs ǁnurira ge kaise gere ǃgâiaǂgao tsî ǀkhaex¡n hîa ra kaiǃāsa xu ge sī-una ge mā si. “Ti ǀkhaeba ǂguro ǀhui-am” tib ge Ondongoba ram î. “Hî-i, ti ǀkhaeba ǂguro ǀhui-am” tis ge Apiyosa ra mî.
Nyar-Kanyada welcomed them into the house and danced around the room singing with joy.
Her grandchildren were excited to give her the presents they brought from the city.
“First open my gift,” said Odongo.
“No, my gift first!” said Apiyo.
ǀKhaex¡nas ge ǀhui-ams khaoǃgâs ge Nyar-Kanyadasa ǁîs ǁnurira ǃhaoǃnāsi ǀgaub ai ge ǀkhae.
After she opened the presents, Nyar-Kanyada blessed her grandchildren in a traditional way.
Then Odongo and Apiyo went outside. They chased butterflies and birds.
ǁÎra ge haidi ai gere ǃapamâ tsî ǁgammi ǃnâ gere uriǂgâ.
They climbed trees and splashed in the water of the lake.
ǃKhae i ge,o ra ge oms ǁga oa tsî ǃoes ǂûsa gere si ǂû. ǂÛ toa ra nîs aiǃâ ra ge gere ǁom ǂnôa.
When it was dark they returned to the house for dinner. Before they could finish eating, they were falling asleep!
Sao ra tsēb ge dadasaba kaiǃās ǁga ge ǃnari-oa tsî ǀgôara Nyar-Kanyadas ǀkha ge ǃgoro.
The next day, the children’s father drove back to the city leaving them with Nyar-Kanyada.
Odongob tsî Apiyos hâra ge ǁnaosasa oms sîsengu ǀkha gere hui. ǁGam-e si xuri tsîra ge ǀaena gere ǀare. ǁÎra ge aniǃupuna si ¡ tsî haina gere si ǃhanab ǃnâ ǃkhai.
Odongo and Apiyo helped their grandmother with household chores. They fetched water and firewood. They collected eggs from the chickens and picked greens from the garden.
ǁNurisaras ge Nyar-Kanyandasa tsaura ugali- i hîa goma ǁgan- i ǀkha ra ǂûhe i ra sâihe ǀgausa ra ǁkhāǁkhā.Amsa ǁau i ǀkha ra ǂûhe kokonut raisi- i ra sâihe ǀgaus tsînas ge ra ǁgau ra.
Nyar-Kanyada taught her grandchildren to make soft ugali to eat with stew. She showed them how to make coconut rice to eat with roast fish.
ǀGui ǁgoagab ge Odongoba ǁîb aumas gomana ǃarob gure în si ǃû. Goman ge ǁanxōǃnan hâ farams ǃnâ ge ǃkhoeǂgâ.Nē aob ge Odongob ǀkha kaise ge ǁaixa tsî ge ǁēbabi, ǁîb gomanab nî ¡ ǃkhaisa, ǁÎn ǃhanaǂûna ge hîkaka xui-ao. ǁNātsēs khaoǃgâb ge nē axaba ge dītsâ în ta ǁîn gomana ǁkhawa ǃgomsib ǃnâ ǂgābi.
One morning, Odongo took his grandmother’s cows to graze. They ran onto a neighbour’s farm.
The farmer was angry with Odongo. He threatened to keep the cows for eating his crops. After that day, the boy made sure that the cows did not get into trouble again.
ǀGôara ge ǀnîhâ tsēs ai aumas ǀkha ǁamaǂharuguǁgâub ǁga ge ǃgû, ǁîs ge nēba ge ǁamax¡ ǃkhairo-e ¡hâ i tsîs ge nē stors ǃnâ ǃhanaǂûn, sugur- i, tsî sē- i tsîna gere ǁamax¡. Apiyos ge matikō- en x¡na ra ǂgan ǃkhaisa ǁama-aona mapas xa ge ǃgâibahe i. Odongob ge ǁama-aon ra ǁama-aon ra ǁama x¡na ǁgarub ߮ǃnâ gere ǂgāba.
On another day, the children went to the marketplace with Nyar-Kanyada. She had a stall selling vegetables, sugar and soap.
Apiyo liked to tell customers the price of items. Odongo would pack the items that customers bought.
Tsēs ǀams ain ge nē khoeǁnuriguna chai tē- i gere ǀguipa ā. Aumasa ra ge hōǂgās ge marina gere ǃgôahui.
At the end of the day they drank chai tea together. They helped grandmother to count the money she earned.
Xawes ge nē mâiǂuisa kaise ǃhaese ge toa,tsîra ge ǀgôara nî kaiǃās ǁga oa.Nyar-Kanyadas ge Odongoba ǀgapasa mâ tsîs ge Apiyosa jersisa ge mā.
But too soon the holidays were over and the children had to go back to the city.
Nyar-Kanyada gave Odongo a cap and Apiyo a sweater. She packed food for their journey.
Dadasab ge ôaǀkhīra, ora ge nē ǀgôara ge oa ǂgao tama hâ i. ǀGôara ge Nyar-Kanyadasa gere ǀkhoma, îs ǁîn ǀkha kaiǃās ǁga ǃnari-oa sao. ǀNom rases ge ra mîba ra ” Tita ge kaise kaira hâ kaiǃās ǃaroma,” tita ge nî ǃâu ro ǁkhawa ro nî ǃgaroǃās ǁga sari ǀkhīse.
When their father came to fetch them, they did not want to leave. The children begged Nyar-Kanyada to go with them to the city.
She smiled and said, “I am too old for the city. I will be waiting for you to come to my village again.”
Odongob tsî Apiyos hâra ge ra ǁnamǂgāsi tsî ra tawede ǁnâx¡si.
Odongo and Apiyo both hugged her tightly and said goodbye.
Skoli tawa ra ge oasī, ora ge Odongob tsî Apiyos tsîra ǀhōsana gere ǃgāroǃās ûib xa ǁgamba. ǀNî ǀgôan ge kaiǃā ûib a ǃgâi ǃkhaisa gere mî. Naun ge ǃgaroǃā ûib a ǂoaǂamsa ti gere mî. Xawen ge hoa ǀgôana gere ǃkhōǃgâ Odongob tsî Apiyos hâra kaise ǃgâi aumasa ¡hâ ǃkhaisa.
When Odongo and Apiyo went back to school they told their friends about life in the village. Some children felt that life in the city was good. Others felt that the village was better.
But most of all, everyone agreed that Odongo and Apiyo had a wonderful grandmother!
Violet Otieno
Catherine Groenewald
Petrus Josob
Khoekhoegowab
Level 4
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