ANDRIAMAHENINARIVO Richard aa IN EAST AFRICA

My experience in Africa, especially at Hekima College

My name is ANDRIAMAHENINARIVO Richard. People say that it is difficult to pronounce and to remember my name, very long. Even one lady at the foreigner office said: “People from Madagascar have a crazy name.” I think that this was just a joke because she was laughing. This is my first time I have left my country and I found that it was not easy because of the language, which is not my mother tongue, Malagasy.

The article asks me about my experience at Hekima where I am doing my theology. “Am I able to do theology in English?” was my first question. Because of my theology, I left my country and everything. I am doing my theology at Hekima toward my formation of priesthood. I started my class since August 2011, and now I am following my second semester.

Before joining Hekima, I had been learning English for five months which is one of the most important means. All courses are in English so I tried my best to take much time to improve it even if I am not good at speaking it.

To learn with other language is not easy because I think, in my mother tongue first, then I translate it into English. I noticed that I lose my times and energies so I will never reach the peak. And we are used to saying: “Traduire c’est trahir” (Translate betrays). Attend the different courses in English is not easy. But they forced me to enter into the feeling of loving the language, first, and to be more careful during the explanation of the lecturers so that I could get the points. The first time I started Hekima was not easy because the little English that I had was not enough for my studies. Some lecturers have their accent so I paid more attention to them. During the course of time I get used to distinguishing them.

Most of the lecturers asked students to read books for the preparation of the following class. And each subject had paper to write which needed readings. Those books are not in Malagasy but they are in English. Sometimes I finished pages but I did not get the ideas of the author. Fortunate, the dictionary is always by my side for the difficult vocabularies and for the pronunciation. I consoled myself because “In the bitter we find the sweet,”  “Where there is will, there is a goal.” There was some moment that I asked myself, why I should make myself suffering? With the help of my brothers and my friend brothers, I finished the first semester. And I think that all of my work was vain if God did not help me, that is why since the beginning I put in His hands my studies, and everyday I ask His assistance. I wish that during this second semester onward God may continue His assistance and may Hekima give me the means to see the will of God. Misaotra betsaka (thank you).

Br. Mahenina, Richard